7 Fabulously Green Celebrity Homes : TreeHugger

johnny depp photo
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Most celebrities use their fortune to buy outrageously extravagant homes--think multi-car garages, huge pools, more bedrooms than a hotel, state-of-the-art kitchens, and massive grounds--without giving much thought to the increase in their carbon footprint. (Note to these offenders: Your hybrid isn’t exactly canceling out your home energy use.) But we found seven celebrities whose homes reflect their passion for all things green--even if the square footage isn’t especially modest. And while we'd love to show you all the solar panels, sustainable-wood flooring, and environmental technologies these celebs have installed, most of them are (understandably) private about their homes--so you'll just have to take our word for it.

1. Johnny Depp

Though owning more than one home--especially when your second is on its own Caribbean island, thousands of miles from your first, in France--isn’t very eco-friendly, Johnny Depp has enlisted Mike Strizki to turn his 35-acre island getaway into a self-sustaining habitat run on solar-hydrogen power. No doubt the rest of his building plans will be equally energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. Now if only he could do something about the commute…

2. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall

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Before Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall became famous for their comedic acting and writing on Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, and The New Adventures of Old Christine, they were a pair of environmentally-minded Northwestern theater students. Now they share an energy-efficient Santa Barbara bungalow that includes a retractable roof, which stimulates airflow and negates the need for air conditioning; daylighting, to reduce the need for electric lights; and solar heating that’s put back into the grid when the house isn’t in use. The couple also had their contractor salvage all the pre-renovation wood since, as Hall told Grist, "Having a second home is itself a sort of appalling excess. We figured if we’re going to do it, we better be as responsible as we can."

3. Daryl Hannah

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Known as much these days for her environmental passion as she is for her film work, actress Daryl Hannah spends her off-days in the Rocky Mountains, where her converted-stagecoach-stop home is almost entirely solar powered (a biodiesel generator provides backup power just in case). The off-grid dwelling sits next to a winterized barn (also solar powered) made of reclaimed wood, and inside, Hannah and her guests sit on a moss-covered stone that doubles as a couch.