Who are the leading green celebrity players in Hollywood in 2012? That depends on who you ask. Some may claim that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have the most clout when it comes to being kind-hearted stars because of their humanitarian work while others may say stars like Leonardo DiCaprio have more power because their homes are greener than most stars. When going green became trendy thanks to famous people like billionaire Richard Branson, star celebs from Tinseltown started pulling out all the stops when it came to supporting charitable causes.
Oh, that kooky Billionaire! When The Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson, a reformed global warming skeptic, officially pledged to spend all the profits from his privately owned airline and rail businesses on green investments back in 2006, he made going green for good publicity looks cool. He’s hoping to fund the scientists who can be the proverbial geese that lay the golden eggs. On the wish list for returns from investing his estimated $3 billion over 10 years, Branson hopes to find prudent biofuel solutions from his research projects so his companies can help lower carbon footprints of public transportation. But the silver lining to his publicity scheme actually turned into gold when some of Hollywood’s most elite investors elected to follow suit. Giving as good as they get, here’s a few famous names you might recognize for something other than going green (at least on first glance).
Dave Matthews Band: Dave Matthews might have looked like he just crawled out of the woods of South Africa to play a recent U.S. concert in Atlanta, Georgia, but his appearance did not stop him from playing a long song list of socially conscious tunes for the live theater audience. The culturally relevant and politically correct rockers strive to offset the CO2 emissions created by exhaust from their tour buses and jets while on multi-city tours by funding a variety of non-profit organization projects. They use their star power wisely by helping pay for the cost of planting trees and contributing to the research and development of modern-day wind turbine construction.
Cate Blanchett: The highly acclaimed movie star who is rumored to be planning to shave her head for her role in an upcoming Woody Allen film plans to help the Sydney Theatre Company pay to retrofit their arts building with solar panels. She also is helping them pay to install rainwater collection systems so the facility will be more eco-friendly. Her Sydney home is fully powered by solar energy, and the actress donates regularly to the Forest Guardians project – a non-profit organization that helps to preserve and protect wilderness.
Pierce Brosnan: The former 007 who is rumored to be starring in “Iron Man 3” with Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow has been a charity benefit cause activist for many years. His biggest volunteer projects where he uses his star power the most wisely typically focus on saving marine mammals and wetland preservation in general. As an actor with a heart on for ocean protection, he was the celebrity spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council campaign against effects of Navy sonar on whales. In addition, Brosnan was awarded the Green Cross International Environmental Leadership Award back in 2007, proving looks are not skin deep with this gorgeous man!
And for the record if you are wondering how Sir Richard Branson is tied to Hollywood elite, keep in mind his nephew is dating none other than Kate Winslet, the movie star.
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