7 Celebrity Environmentalists in Need of Green 101

Please, get your facts straight about the used vegetable oil bit.

The vast majority of states have a tax on road fuel. The Feds have it for everyone as well. A handful of states waived it for UVO, but even then you technically still have to pay the Feds their share.

Also, know that UVO is illegal to use as a motorfuel by the Fed EPA as well as many state EPAs. That's because it is an uncontrolled substance: who knows what's in it and what kind of emissions will come out of the tailpipes of multiple different kinds of vehicles. In a strictly treehugging clean air way of looking at it, UVO is really BAD.

So CA is no different than any of the other states that have not waived the tax for UVO. And anyone who does not declare their untaxed fuel use to the Feds is also, technically, breaking the law.

Please edit this article accordingly.

As someone who has repeatedly killed mint, I give Chris Martin Kudos for the effort. Maybe next time he'll succeed?

I must revisit my definition of 'Environmentalist', mind:

Environmentalist (n): Any schmuck who thinks they might have sorted out the planet and/or their part in trashing it by getting their people to call other people's people about something they have been told/advised to do in one aspect of their lives that might, just, mitigate a tad.

Celebrity-environmentalist (n): As above, with the added extra of setting back the cause of actual grass-roots environmentalism in the eyes of the general public by dabbling for a day as an environmentalist (under new definition) and then going back asap to blowing obscene amounts of cash on stuff and going places, as really, what else can they do to pass the time?

See: Helicopter Enviromentalist (n): http://junkk.blogspot.com/2008/05/quote-of-day-helicopter.html

Woody Harrelson flies his vegan belt over to France - big deal! He was green before anyone cared.

So, how's former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson doing in the 'green' rankings? I think he's probably doing very well. And Ed Begley? Where do you rank him? Hopefully both these guys are way past the Eco101 class! Thanks!

I imagine someone is doing the research on this so I'm interested in whether or not bashing people (especially celebrities) who are trying to promote green ideas is another good strategy to call attention to the importance of being green or whether it discourages people from even trying.

Is the message to celebrities "Stop promoting green ideas because if you do, even the green supporters, will find ways to make it look like you don't really believe in it"?

There are plenty of other good causes out there that might not turn around and try to make you look bad for supporting them.

Good point, Martin. Noboby's 100% perfect. Not even the most hard-core TreeHugger base.

As fluffy as this eco-celebrity stuff is to most of us, the more serious celebrity environmentalists/activists (Begley, Redford, etc) should be commended for raising awareness and helping to bring green into the upper class and mainstream. I trust that TreeHugger writers will do their best to sort out the real deal from the eco-posers.

If they're willing to pay for carbon mitigation, that's acceptable, and I imagine these guys might. After all, the regime was set up so that people would pay an indulgence. Whether the mitigation is adequate, that's another debate.

These guys are in businesses with very tight schedules, so charter jets can be justifiable business expenses.

For #3, I think you meant "fleet" and "threw" not what's written.

At least most of them ARE trying, which is better than nothing. I'm sure I make lots of green mistakes all the time too, but I try to learn from them and be better next time. And thankfully my mistakes don't get publicized.

Is this web site a celebrity site? I thought it was supposed to be about enviromentalism.
Most of us don't really care what Madonna drinks. There is a hellova lot more people on earth who do quite a bit worse than she or any other celebrity.

Why don't you list all the Hummer drivers? How about posting addresses of the largest, most polluting businesses, and their CEO's phone number or email address? Perhaps we need to know price comparisons between the states for solar rebates? The list goes on....

C'mon! Anything BUT celebrities with too much money for their own good.

You all call yourself tree huggers?
DO you even realize how much petroleum is used to make your plastic computer and shit??? SHut the f* up before you get all hypocritical because no one is perfect and you can't say you've honestly never drove a car, eaten meat, etc. Shut the f* up cause you're hypocrites too.

This always comes up every few weeks or months. There is no point in bashing some of the green celebs because...well...they're CELEBRITIES! They have "larger-than-life" lifestyles, it's pretty much expected they're going to have a larger footprint than others. The least they can do is try to tell others to go green (as long as they are telling them correctly). Yes, it means they lead a life of "do-what-I-say-not-what-I-do" but that's the choice they have to make unless they were to give up their fame, in which case they'd have no more power to get people to change their life than you or me.

As for the fryer oil thing, let's be serious, it's a tax on ONE thing, and that thing as we all know is pretty well researched on what it puts out and how it's converted. It's not like they're burning mercury or something, it's FRYER OIL. And yes, other states waived the fee because they realized it was stupid to try and tax something they weren't going to have any control over anyway (I can take my vegetable grease from my own pans). CAs move on this is a stupid piece of legislation that serves no purpose whatsoever.

we are all human and make mistakes. if these people are seen as green celebs then they are probably doing more good than harm. are they consistently projecting a green image and then doing the opposite? do we not all slip up here and there? it may be good to bring some of these people's mistakes to light, but i agree that in general they should be encouraged rather than bashed.

woody harrelson has done and continues to do great environmental work. putting him on this list is absurd. reporting that he'd "flown" the shoes and belt to france implies that he had them delivered by private jet, and is the same kind of sensational reporting we've come to expect from supposedly less enlightened media sources than treehugger. he fed-exed a pair of shoes and belt to cannes. not much of a headline-maker there. do you think the people making such a big deal about woody's shoes and belt do a fraction of what does for the environment? if there are people deserving of the title of eco hypocrite it might be them.

characterising harrelson's lifestyle as extreme veganism is similar to the ridicule that has historically been thrown at those with environmental views that difffer from the mainstream. the fact that it's coming from a green blog is disturbing. honestly, with it's endorsement of leather products and soft treatment of factory farming you would think treehugger is sponsored by the national cattlemen's beef association. perhaps woody harrelson needs to give treehugger some green 101.

Someone should take a close look at Celine Dion. Seriously. Her Florida home uses more water for the two? three? of them than does entire subdivisions in water-starved Florida! And there's no one standing up to her.

When did celebrity equal free pass to be an uber-consumer at the expense of others?

And let's not just pick on standard celebs, either. How many rich Americans are there out there that have zero common masses type celebrity but consume and waste and pollute just because they're rich and they can?

UGH!

i don't understand it. these people aren't hypocrites- they just made mistakes. it makes it seem like treehugger would make fun of someone who failed at their first attempt to compost or accidentally ate meat in a foreign country. i do find it deliciously compelling to judge hypocrites, but these people aren't hypocrites. most of them live a green lifestyle but have done things that aren't really that bad but can be twisted by an overzealous writer. and what's with the brangelina picture? are we to believe that they're above the rest of the list even though they have multiple huge houses and jet all over the place? shame on you treehugger!

It's good to see you guys taking environmental gaffes of green celebs to task. Conservatives like to use these examples as "proof" to them the entire green movement is hypocritical. This article shows we aren't afraid to censure them, and that we don't dumbly stand up for any greenie no matter what they do. This takes a powerful weapon against the movement off the table.

Cybercat,

I don't dispute that prohibiting the use of UVO as a fuel is stupid. But calling out the Governator is absurd. Further, care to point to some actual empirical evidence and studies which show that UVO has been "pretty well researched on what it puts out and how it's converted"? A grandiose statement like that must be backed up with clear facts.

I'll give everyone else a hint that he can point to nothing. No way to study the emissions of a fuel which can be made up of many different kinds of basic oil like soy, canola, peanut, rice, but also can have an infinite number of contaminants from its use, like fyolator cleaning agents, various foodstuffs, a dead rat or two, whatever else the staff tosses in that drum.

Oh yea, and your use of the word "converted". What do you mean by that? UVO is used as a fuel by simply filtering and drying. Are you confused with biodiesel? If so, there are standards which BD must meet to be legal as a road fuel. Meet those standards, good for you.

The world is not dying - she is being killed, and the peoplewho are killing her have names and addresses.
and I'm afraid those on your list are not the right ones.
I am a great admirer of Treehugger but please could we revise the lign of fire to target those who are really destroying the planet - why not profile some of the CEO's of logging companies, corrupt politicians, unehtical lawyers, investment managers, banks etc.

louis thompson makes the same mistake as most of us concieted humans. we are not killing the planet. we are killing ourselves. the planet will not die we will.

I would say that with her net worth, Madonna's is severely under-invested in oil and mining.

Imagine the sizes and amounts of houses that many of these celebrities have? The trees that have been cut down to build them, and the a/c???? Hello????

Sure, these celebs are guilty of some eco-mistakes and oversights, but everyone is. We're all just trying to do better and be better than we were before, not to be perfect (though I'd have to say that even if a person IS striving for perfection, the journey would be fraught with mistakes as well).

Also, what's with all the typos in this article?

"threw" instead of "through"
"feet" instead of "fleet"

etc. This is the rare article on TreeHugger that has so many. Again, nothing and no one is perfect, but typos give the impression that the writer or editor was too busy or careless to look it over before publishing.

WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT DRAGGING POLITICAL CORRECTNESS INTO THIS GREEN EVOLUTION. THE CELEBS, LIKE OTHERS, ARE DOING THEIR BIT AND WE SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGING THEM FOR MAKING EVEN THE TINIEST SHIFT, NOT DRAGGING THEM DOWN.
WE ARE JUST AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS GREEN EVOLUTION AND HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, TREEHUGGER, GET OFF YOUR POLITICALLY CORRECT BANDWAGON, HAVE MORE COMPASSION AND CELEBRATE THE SMALL BITS WE ARE ALL DOING. THANKS

I think it's unfair that you attack the celebrities who actually seem to care.

Where is the list of celebrities who haven't made any environmental efforts whatsoever?

If the celebrity is trying and is moving in the right direction, instead of bashing them on list like this, why don't you simply contact the person(s) and let the know where the blunder lies. Should the continue to make the same mistake, then inclusion on a list like this would be the next step. But I believe list like this turns people off being green, because what's the use of doing even one thing to save the environment if you take the chance of being bashed.

This is a very UNGREEN column!

About the Madonna on the Vanity Fair issue....pure insane brillance. Do you not see the depth of the artistic statement being made? The material girl is dressed in black with her wiley expression that defies and defines the music industry. She is in a position referring to the crucifixtion. The material girl is being crucified by the greenie issue!!!!!!!!

It's fine to look at the celebrities and make fun of their inadequacies. But, it's funny how we expect people like Gwyneth Paltrow to know what chemicals are being used in her perfume. It's not like she makes the stuff or invented it at all. It's her name on a bottle. That's really all.

Love this article. Thank you! All these celebrities with private planes, lavish lifestyles, then they preach to us and ask for money for their "causes". They should cut down on their own waste and invest more of their own money before preaching to those of us who actually work for a living.

I do think you were a little harsh on Madonna though. She does recycle plastic.

Just look at her face. She has enough plastic in it to make 1000 water bottles. ;)

Jennifer said:

"Woody Harrelson flies his vegan belt over to France - big deal! He was green before anyone cared."

I'm sorry, but if you can't find a vegan belt that looks good in Cannes in less *time* than it takes to fly one from California...

Come on now. It's *France*. One thing the French are good at (and famous for) is fashion. If the consierge at the hotel couldn't find Woody a belt, he could probably give him his.

The I am so hard core and I'll critize everyone card has already been played and guess what it just goes out with the trash.

Not the recycle bin because its kinda a dead end.

hey there,
I dont know if these guys are eco hypocrites or they are reli lack of green knowledge and need a 'eco 101'. But one thing that is pretty obvious to me is that they do take the initiative and promote green lifestyle.

Face the fact, the greatest benefit that these ppl can do to environment is inspiring other ppl. What can they do to the environment by themselves??
And, to be honest, that MUST be part of the imaging and marketing strategy of these artist, just get over it and it is not going to harm you and our Dear Mother Earth!!

Moreover, I dont understand you ppl need to compare who is greener and who is eco hypocrites. What s the point of doing that? That is not going to do the earth any good, isnt it?

so chill out guys, just be positive and be grateful of what other ppl are doing

MTSK
Colors of Swallowtail

I really liked this article. Unlike a lot of other people commenting on it, I didn't think it came off as bashing celebrities, simply pointing out the same kinds of inconsistencies that all the rest of us have as well.

And @ Anonymous: They are celebrities and have "larger-than-life" lifestyles, so that means it's simply okay that Madonna's carbon footprint is 100 times that of the average British citizen? Now I'm not perfect, but who really deserves to be living a life like that, at that cost?

Celebs bring out the comments from the peanut gallery... they help sell lots of green stuff, bring down the price points, so average Joe's like those of us here can one day afford it... stuff like solar panels and electric cars... if it wasn't for green Hollywood buying the Tesla, the EV industry would be dead in the water waiting for Darpa to be kind enough to environmental military technology transfer the battery chemistry that will save our bacon. Thank GOD for Ecorazzi and green super models! Fashion will save the world... Save the cheerleader!