Celebrities - Leaders in Sustainability?

Many celebrities involve themselves in various philanthropic causes. Some (including those listed below) have even jumped on the environmental bandwagon! The Waste Reduction and Recycling Office has taken time to assess the commitment of each of the following celebrities to this movement.

The Dave Matthews Band offset their tours' carbon emissions by running their own Bama Green Project, a project focused on planting trees and building wind turbines. Power generators for each of their concerts are fueled by biodiesel, and recycling (yay!) and composting (double yay!) is a must at every show. The band also founded a large coalition of environmentally-minded musicians and music industry leaders called the Green Music Group. Members include but are not limited to Linkin Park, Willie Nelson, and Sheryl Crow. 

Natalie Portman

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Natalie's environmental activism seems to be much more personal than just an activity to fill extra time, or a strategic marketing move. It is deeply rooted in her core; Portman has been a strong advocate of environmentally-friendly behaviors for decades. Natalie is a proud vegan, raising her vegan image to new heights by introducing a chic line of shoes composed of all man-made materials. She also works aggressively to conserve the wild silverback gorilla population through her involvement in the Animal Planet documentary "Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink."

This photo was retrieved here.

Shailene Woodley
is a symbol for self-sufficiency and the belief in natural beauty. Her lifestyle is inspiring to all earth-lovers out there. For example, she collects her own drinking water by lugging 5-gallon jugs up into the mountains. She then drinks that water out of glass Mason jars because "she doesn't want to expose herself or the planet to the chemicals used in plastics." Next, Shailene buys exclusively used clothes. She also makes her own lotions, body oils, and toothpaste. In the coming weeks there will be a blog post on making your own beauty products. But if that's not your style, there's a company called Earthpaste who will make all-natural toothpaste for you. 35% of her diet is from wild foods; Shailene goes into the mountains and finds herbs and other plants she can use for food and medicinally. Lastly I'll leave you with a closing quote from Ms. Woodley herself: "I'm going to be a citizen of this planet, and I'm going to do my responsibility and live in stride with nature instead of constantly fighting against her."


Cate Blanchett

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"It makes me furious when you're in the line in the supermarket and people just put everything into [new] plastic bags. I very self-righteously pull my crumpled plastic bags out, you know. It's such a joke amongst my friends, me and my plastic bags." This is a quote from our latest Oscar-winning actress, who does much work toward sustainability in her professional life as well as her personal one. Aside from equipping the Sydney Theatre Company building with solar panels, she also assisted in adding rainwater collection systems for the Theatre. Under her guidance, the theater also started reusing and recycling costumes and props (yay!)  Cate is an inspiration. About her environmental goals, she stated "I’m an optimist. I believe we’re ready as a generation to seize this opportunity to make profound environmental changes for the better. After all, what’s the alternative?"

Leonardo DiCaprio

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In 1998 our good friend Leo started the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to promote awareness of environmental issues. The Foundation lobbies for forest preservation, healthy oceans, access to clean water, and renewable energy. Another significant portion of his environmental efforts is that he co-writing and production of the global warming documentary "11th Hour", which you can watch here. Apparently he is executive producing an eco-friendly reality program called "Greensburg," which chronicles the green rebuilding of a Kansas town that was destroyed by a tornado. Oh, and not to mention he has donated hundreds of millions of dollars of his personal earnings toward conservation efforts.

Edward Norton

Norton's approach is unique; he focuses his work on specifically-focused programs and organizations. For example, Norton set up the BP Solar Neighbors Program in 2003. The goal of the program is every time a celebrity purchases a solar energy unit, BP donates solar panels in low-income Los Angeles homes. The Fight Club star has also been vocally supportive of The Wilderness Society and Earthjustice. Norton, like Leo, hosted a National Geographic series called "Strange Days on Planet Earth," which aired on PBS.

In your opinion, what is the most important action a famous individual can take to help a movement such as the environmental one? Are their individual behaviors important? Or is it their grand gestures, such as starting a foundation or hosting a documentary? Would education about these celebrities' efforts help encourage recycling and sustainability at U of M?

Works Cited
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"Green Living Tips." Good Housekeeping. Good Housekeeping, n.d. Web. 08 July 2014.
"15 Green Celebrities." CNBC.com. CNBC, n.d. Web. 08 July 2014.
"Top 20 Green Celebs." Elle. Elle, 28 Apr. 2008. Web. 08 July 2014.
Shumaker, Dresden. "Green Celebrities – 20 of Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Celebs." Babble. Disney, 08 July 2014. Web. 08 July 2014.
O'Connell, Megan. "Top 10 "Green" Celebrities." Beliefnet. Beliefnet, n.d. Web. 08 July 2014.
Weisman, Aly. "The Star Of The Huge New 'Divergent' Franchise Is A Hardcore Hippie." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 06 Mar. 2014. Web. 08 July 2014.
Jefferson, Whitney. "Who Said It: Shailene Woodley Or Some Old Hippie?"BuzzFeed. Buzzfeed Celeb, 16 Apr. 2014. Web. 08 July 2014.
Jefferson, Whitney. "The 9 Most Wonderfully Hippie Things That Shailene Woodley Has Said." BuzzFeed. Buzzfeed Celeb, 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 July 2014.