No, he's not interested in the environment, he simply wants to be hip and appeal to the trend in the media.

thats not necessarily true, you're just hating on him. even if he is just trying to be "trendy" whats wrong with that? would you rather him build a coal power plant in the middle of the amazon?

I will never get why people look to hollywood stars to be the answer to the worlds problems. These people could care less about the environment. The only reason they even pretend to is to stay in the media.

These people fly around on jets, own multiple cars and houses and then try to lecture people on being green.

What is wrong with it?

Firstly, the alternative of Pitt designing a 800-room hotel in the dessert is not to design at all. Why do you assume he'd suddenly destroy the Amazon and become a power plant owner?

Becoming a registered architect takes as much training as becoming a doctor, 4 years undergrad, 3+ years grad, 3 years minimum intern and then years of practice (there is also a 5 year professional degree). Even after this 8-10 years of training, most architects are still unable to design well. and it is unusual for any architect under 40 to design anything but houses.

Moreover, designing a 800 room hotel is not a one-person job. Name recognition sells, which is why Mr. Pitt is "designing" a hotel. Ghost written books, ghost designing, all the same.

But it is possible that he is an architectural genius, but judging from his NOLA work, the signs are not promising.

Please.

These 2 celebrities spew enormous amounts of carbon dioxide on a daily basis that far exceed the norms of any average person on earth.
They fly around the world (daily) on private G-V's, own and power multiple homes that are far larger than they need to live and set a poor example for everyone else on earth. IN addition, they are involved in an industry that is a notorious polluter and energy hog.Yet, get a pass like this article.
Why glorify another celebrity with a 'report' like this?
How many pleasure trips, cars, children, houses,etc. do they really need to live a luxurious lifestyle?
Please don't tell us that because they are 'role models' for the environment like Al Gore, they deserve a pass.
The entire article reeks of hypocrisy.

Yes, these celebrities set a terrible example. Think of all the people who have rushed out to buy private jets after seeing some Hollywood star has one.

Hey TH, you don't need to report celebrity news, really you don't! Why not use the space for a useful how-to, or an article on a new LEED building in a Rust Belt town, or an item on recycling economics in a high-commodity-cost environment, or etc etc? Any city council meeting has greater potential for real change than a hundred celebrity press releases. Cover that stuff.

This is a man who is putting his money where his mouth is. He stepped in where the government and NGOs failed.

You have no idea whether or not he cares or if he is just being trendy. Until you're in his head please stop making such assumptions.

That would be like me saying "Obviously this person hates everyone who is better looking than he/she is" without ever having seen you. Equally jumping to conclusions.

Brad Pitt (and his posse) are doing good work. Back off.

As stated above, the alternative is these highly visible profiles don't publicly pursue the green cause.

My neighbor is a way greener than Brad Pitt. He collects rain water to wash clothes, rides bikes, and grows his own food... and also, no one outside of my block cares. Great guy, no global influence on any audience.

How about we get off our high horse and look at the big picture.

brad pitt is sooo super-hot! he's getting even more handsome as he gets older (or I should say "mature"). i didn't know but he has been a smoker - I read here (http://www.projectweightloss.com) he quit when filming Troy... he had gorgeous abs in that movie!!

Brad and Angelina are probably the two greenest people in Ax3 Hollywood. The only time they get put in the papers is when they actually do something for other people. They don't have to "clamor for media attention", and in fact, have avoided it like the plague for the past 5 or so years. They do not go out and pose for photographers in strip joints and crappy bars like quite a number of other media whores.

And yes, quite obviously Brad Pitt isn't designing this hotel. He's putting money into it so it can BE a green building, the alternative to him not is that the builder was going to build it in the normal non-sustainable way. But hey, why not throw emotional gut reactions at something instead of doing some research first? :p

Thank you J. Blit. I couldn't agree more.

As much as I like the word, and I generally like how it's used too, I really wonder about how sustainable this hotel is going to be.

Is all the food they provide/sell going to be grown locally or on-site?

Are the prices going to be bumped up every tourist season to inflate the profit margins?

Is all of the waste going to be recycled?

How much electricity is going to be drained 24/7? Where is this electricity going to come from? On-site windmills?

Will there be heated pools? Air conditioning?

A pricy, swanky hotel with a few "green" items isn't good enough, and it's definitely not sustainable. I'll not go so far as to say this is blatant greenwashing, but I certainly don't think it's going to be a commune for dirty hippies, because the people staying here will be loaded and simply wouldn't accept those conditions.

Oh great, a luxury resort in the desert. That will solve problems.

Well I think it is great that people are doing their part. 10 yrs. ago people were doing next to nothing, only a handful of people were conscious about their impact. The world is full of negativity, why not commend everyone who does and tries. Baby steps Bob, baby steps!