Joanne Hinkel,
Apr 22, 2009
Going green may just be the hippest celebrity trend this decade. These days Hollywood stars don't have red-carpet cred unless they roll up to awards shows in hybrids. But in L.A., where lifestyles are rife with excess -- where the hills are full of mansions, the streets are clogged freeways, and private jets are a dime a dozen -- just how many celebs are doing more than buying the requisite Prius? Which stars are truly living la vida verde?
See photos of our Top 10 Green Celebs.
In honor of Earth Day behold our list of the "Top 10 Green Celebs." In an increasingly celebrity-obsessed world we undoubtedly have some of these actors to thank for the fact that going green is so damn hip these days.
10.) Natalie Portman
The actress has been a vegetarian since the age of 9 and an active animal rights activist for several years. Last year she designed a line of high-fashion shoes that use no animal products for Te Cesan: The pumps, flats, or sandals have been a hot success. During his campaign she has brought the concept of green fashion design to the forefront.
Greenest Gesture: All profits from the vegan footwear line are donated to environmental preservation organizations.
9.) Adrian Grenier
The ladies love Vinny on Entourage, but the actor who plays him is undoubtedly loved by Mother Nature for hosting "Alter Eco" on Planet Green.
Greenest Gesture: Bless his heart, about a year ago he tried to teach Paris Hilton how to go green -- apparently because he's a nice guy and because he wanted her to use her tabloid power to tout eco-friendly living. Ahem, she still doesn't make this list though.
8.) Cameron Diaz
Despite her toothy grin and party-girl reputation, this Charlie's Angel is serious about the Earth, which is pretty cool considering how much the kids (she won last year's "Wanna Be" Nickelodeon Kids Award) look up to her. She's had a Prius since they hit the market, was one of Al Gore's slide show presenters to support An Inconvenient Truth, and she regularly chit-chats about how to live greener to mags and late-night talk show hosts.
Greenest Gesture: Hosting Trippin' on MTV, a show on how to be eco-friendly when you travel.
7.) Alicia Silverstone
She's been out of the movie spotlight as of late but shines as a poster girl for vegetarianism. Last year she was in a racy PETA ad, and a few years before was the organization's "Vegetarian of the Year." She's been an advocate for veganism for over 10 years and often talks about how the switch changed her outlook on life.
Greenest Gesture: Writing a book about being a vegan, The Kind Diet, which is due to to hit bookshelves next fall.
6.) Woody Harrelson
Though he's been getting more headlines lately for beating up paps, Woody's been a headliner many a time for his environmental activism. His favorite cause? Being an advocate for hemp: He narrated the documentary Grass and in '96 was arrested for symbolically planting hemp seeds in L.A. Woody has been openly into the green stuff for a while, but his love for marijuana has also made him a champion for hemp ...
Greenest Gesture: Scaling the Golden Gate Bridge to post a banner that read "Aren't ancient redwoods more precious than gold?" to protest the clearing of precious trees in Northern California.
5.) Brad Pitt
Putting one of Brangelina on this list feels a bit misguided, as we all know those two jets around the globe with their band of kids and handlers like most of us ride the city bus. Yet, aside from his possibly gigantic carbon footprint, Pitt's housing projects (part of his Make It Right Foundation's efforts in New Orleans) get all green thumbs up from us.
Greenest Gesture: The 150-house development of houses built with green technology in the 9th Ward.
4.) Edward Norton
Playing the Incredible Hulk wasn't his first time going green. The actor has been championing energy preservation for years. He hosted Planet Earth's Strange Days series and was this year's celebrity face of the Earth Hour campaign in March, making multiple publicity appearances for the event.
Greenest Gesture: Starting up Solar Neighbors, an organization that offers free solar power energy systems to low-income families in L.A.
3.) Daryl Hannah
She hasn't made much of a splash at the box office since the '80s, except for in her kickass turn as villain Elle Driver in Kill Bill. These days she's more committed to saving the planet than securing roles. She maintains her own video blog called DH Love Life, which features slick mini-docs on living more bio-ethically, with eps on biking, the benefits of biodiesel fuel (she even drinks it to prove how healthy it is!), and the benefits of bicycling.
Greenest Gesture: Getting arrested in 2005 for chaining herself to a walnut tree on the largest urban farm in South Central L.A. so that the authorities couldn't bulldoze it.
2.) Leonardo DiCaprio
It's not only his 2007 feature-length documentary on global warming, The 11th Hour, that catapulted Leo to the near-top spot of this list but it's his decade-long ongoing commitment to the cause. For one thing, he's been driving a hybrid and living in an eco-friendly condo since the late '90s. The Revolutionary Road star is on a serious mission to educate the public. Just check out his website -- a smorgasboard of info on the environment and tips on getting greener, with an Eco-Calendar and listings of volunteer opportunities.
Greenest Gesture: Auctioning off a meeting with himself, pieces of his costumes, and signed movie memorabilia on eBay in honor of Earth Day. (You have until April 22 to bid on this Global-Green sponsored event.)
1.) Ed Begley, Jr.
OK, so he's not the sexiest actor on the list, but his commitment to environmentalism is pretty hot. The former star of St. Elsewhere has been "green" since 1970. That year he started driving an electric vehicle, making intensive recycling efforts, and he went vegan. He has a house completely powered by solar and wind power, and the guy may be the only L.A. resident biking in to meetings, events, and awards shows.
Greenest Gestures: The show he hosts on Planet Green, Living With Ed, and his own chemical-free house cleaning product available on his website.
