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Posted by Pinky Bean
on November 15, 2008 8:48 AM
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Filed Under: Recreation |
The world doesn't revolve around celebrities, but there is no doubt they are influential beings. So who uses their position for good and which ones use their power for evil? You don't have to look much further than our archives to find out.
The Good
Natalie Portman not only designed a line of vegan shoes, she also appeared on a special episode of Project Runway, where the would-be designers had to design sustainable dresses.
While I still maintain Brad Pitt should reimburse me for Ocean's Twelve, perhaps he's evened the score through all of his work in New Orleans, building eco-friendly houses for individuals who lost their homes due to Hurricane Katrina. He also designed an eco-friendly body wash for Kiehl's and is rumored to be considering the possibility of a green hotel. Now if only he would just make his costume from Troy his permanent daywear - you know, solely for the purpose of promoting recycling your clothing - he'd be pretty much perfect.
Ed Begley Jr. is pretty much the undisputed king of celebrity environmentalists. He rides his bike nearly everywhere he goes, composts, travels green and isn't afraid to get into scraps with his neighbor Bill Nye over who is greener.
Who knew that Leonardo DiCaprio would evolve from the heartthrob lead in Titanic to a driving environmental force in Hollywood? His film The 11th Hour is acclaimed and even the Scottish Parliament is enamored of Leo. Not quite the millions of screaming female fans he once was used to, but beggars can't be choosers.
The Bad
Paris Hilton made a sad attempt to convince the world she was committed to going green when she bought herself a brand-new GMC Yukon Hybrid. Too bad nobody told the heiress there was actually more to it then that. Perhaps her vehicle of choice should have been the bandwagon.
In her crazy heyday, Britney Spears wasn't a whole lot better. In fact, it took a five-part series to list her eco-offenses. Now that she's cleaning up her act, let's hope her environmental impact is one of the areas she tackles. While a big carbon-emitting tour for her soon-to-be-released album is almost inevitable, maybe she can work on other areas such as not driving aimless around Beverly Hills with a trail of SUV-driving paparazzi tailing her.
The Downright Ugly
Tom Cruise, where do we begin? Your million-dollar fuel bill? Your multiple private jets? Your fleet of vehicles? This may come as shock to you, but people all over the world have been making do with one or two family vehicles for years.
David Beckham isn't much better - in fact, some say he's worse than Mr. Katie Holmes. Earlier this year Soccer America and Carbon Trust estimated that between the amount of traveling, his multiple homes and vehicles that include a Lincoln Navigator and a Hummer, Beckham may very well have the largest carbon footprint on the planet. Not exactly a distinguished honor is it?
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