Last Chance: Call For Honorary TreeHuggers!
by Treehugger Interns on 07.21.06
Esteemed readers, we’d like your help in picking a bunch of honorary TreeHuggers for us to showcase. While several great suggestions have been flowing in, we’re still looking for that perfect TreeHugger! So far you guys have been vocal about Laurie and Larry David, Paul Hawken, and a ton of environmental writers, activists, and economists. Keeping it interesting, as always, a shout out to the Bush ranch in Crawford too! What do you think about that? Your vote could swing this so don’t forget to send your support. For ideas, see TH’s list of potential candidates after the jump or in the readers’ comments. Please e-mail your suggestions TODAY to jessica at treehugger dot com or simply add in the comments section.
Here’s a longer list of possibilities to get the juices flowing. Let us know who your favorites are and please suggest others.
Industry Celebs:
- David Suzuki
- Severn Cullis Suzuki
- Paul Hawken
- William McDonough
- Bruce Mau
- Jane Goodall
- Danny Seo
- Umbra Fisk
- Julia Butterfly Hill
- Ray Anderson
- Amory and Hunter Lovins
- J. Ottman
- Robert Kennedy, Jr.
Normal Celebrities:
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Cameron Diaz
- Angela Lindvall
- Edward Norton
- Moby
- Daryl Hannah
- Dave Matthews
- Liv Tyler
- Jack Johnson
- Bono & Ali Hewson
- Laurie David
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall
- George Clooney
- Robert Redford
- Alanis Morissette
- Alicia Silverstone
- Blythe Danner
- Sting
- Goldie Hawn
- Kirsten Dunst
Models:
- Summer Rayne Oakes
[Post written by Jessica Root]
How 'bout... me?
There's tons of people who do interesting things, have interesting stories - or, like me, have interesting stories but rarely get heard simply by virtue of not being "celebs". And, they don't get a chance at continuing their work because they aren't - you pick whether I mean "because they aren't celebs" or "because they aren't getting heard" (Catch-22 would be like paradise compared to that.) So, why not ask for normal people working hard to make green more normal? They could use some celebration of what they are doing. I sure could...
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editor note: Certainly, and that's certainly something we'll do at some point. But if you want to tell us more about yourself now, go ahead!
Laurie David and Larry David.
They inspire me!
Funny, hilarious, committed, beautiful people.
wow! They are amazing!
How about celebrating leaders in the academic realm? David Orr springs to mind. Or someone who walks-the-talk better then any eco-celebrity like Jim Merkle, the Director of Sustainability at Dartmouth (and author of Radical Simplicity: Small footprints on a finite earth).
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editor note: I have a David Orr book on order (library didn't have it).
Your idea is certainly good, and that's surely something we can do in the future. The main problem with it is that it's harder to get people to vote on it since most of these people are less known. Of course, that only means that we must keep talking about them and make them better known, but it still can be a problem..
I would nominate David Chernushenko who is currently running to become the new leader of the Green Party in Canada. I have known David for many years and his dedication to things "tree-hugger" is admirable. More information about David is available from http://www.davidc.ca
How about an issue showcasing the Bush ranch in Crawford? 50 Things You Can Do To Live Like The Commander-in-Chief.
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editor note: I remember reading somewhere that he has a geothermal system there. At least there's that...
I'd have to nominate Bill McKibben, who--besides being a sort of mentor of mine--writes about environmental and development issues with an vibrance so rarely found in typical enviro-lit.
Of course then there's the more obvious omissions on your list: Gore (although you do have to wonder why he had that 8 year gap in environmental advocacy--from, say, 1992 'til around 2000?)
I think Mayor Daley in Chicago deserves mention too. (And if we want to go international, former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, Jaime Lerner, is a true urban ecological hero, and I'll have an article about him, Curitiba, and what American cities can learn from this unlikely success story in the November article of Plenty.)
It's not a joke, editor. The ranch also has passive solar design, graywater recycling, groundwater-based air conditioning, water catchment tanks, & plantings of native grasses. Take tongue-in-cheek seriously and subtly and see what happens.
Since someone has already mentioned a Candidate for the Green Party in Canada I will mention another, Eliabeth May. Check her out, seriously she is an amazingly dynamic and inspiring speaker and has a long and impressive environmental record.
As for others, where to start? I think that I'll try to concentrate on those lesser known.
My nominations for Green Spiritualists include Matthew Fox, Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme and the editor of Resurgence magazine Satish Kumar.
Nominations for Indigenous Activists include Winona LaDuke, Marie Battiste and Jeannetter Armstrong.
Nominations for Best Writers include Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, Barry Lopez, Thom Hartmann and Gary Paul Nabhan.
Nominations for Environmental Economists include Paul Hawken, Herman Daly and Lester Brown.
And my Nomination for Best Environmental Leaders include Valclav Havel, Ken Livingstone, Stephane Dion and David Miller.
If we're including writers, definitely gotta have Michael Pollan!
Want to know how many treehuggers are helping to fight the fire in California.
i'm personally unimpressed with rich celebrities for whom being green is a fashion statement. showcase regular people not rich idiots please thanks
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editor note: Who are you to judge their intentions? Do you know all of them personally? I'm not saying some are not sheep, but there are sheep in all places.
If you were rich and famous, would you just stop trying to help because you'd be afraid of looking like you're jumping on the bandwagon? Would you do things anonymously, not using your celebrity, your biggest advantage to draw attention to certain causes? How do you know these people weren't as militant before they became famous?
It's more complex than black & white, I think.
Gorbachev! (no, seriously, check out his Global Green work and the Earth Charter)
Obama's got some slick energy ideas these days too. Not such a traditional enviro-, but probably the best at integrating the concerns into a broader (and more sellable progressive platform)
Mr. Ecological Footprint, Mathis Wackernagel. Everyone knows the footprint he invented, but more people deserve to know him!
Yvon Chouinard
Adrien Grenier of "Entourage"
What would be more interesting would be to ask those who you think hold the spotlight to shine it on others who are their heroes/sheroes.
For me, these include:
*Van Jones
*Ka Hsaw Wa
*Oronto Douglass
*Lisa Charley
All happen to be people of color (hint #2 about your list). Two risk their lives in the work they do.
I work with Julia Butterfly Hill and I'm sure that our team would joyfully give you a longer list of people to shine the light on.
Afterall, the only thing to do with the light of "fame" is to use it to light the path of justice.
Peace and blessings.
Just wanted to let you all know that Bono is sponsoring a video game which promotes the invasion and destruction of Venezuela in order to check "a power hungry tyrant" who has "seized control of Venezuela and her oil supply."
Don't think he should be on the list at all. Here's the article: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1770
Certainly would nominate Woody Harrelson
Leonardo DiCaprio
I nominate Leonardo Dicaprio. He has spoken out so clearly and consistently for the past five or six years when he could have sat back and enjoyed his fame.
He has certainly encouraged me to be more vocal on global warming and climate change that I have been concerned about for the last twenty years.
Hunter Lovins - A good character to have aboard!
Since the late '60s, David Suzuki has been talking the good talk on radio and TV across Canada. His long-running Nature of Things is a testament to the foresight not only of Dr Suzuki, but of the CBC and a very long line of superb producers. He pisses people off and infuriates many, but now, as he enters the twilight of his splendid career, he is being proved right again and again.