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Okay, fess up. You may not be obsessed, like half the country, with Kate Gosselin & all her kids, but unless you live under a rock, you have seen a picture or two of her bad weave. I have no idea if any other nation is as celebrity centric as the US, but standing in line at the grocery store it seems like all we do is gawk at one star or another.
I am somewhere in the middle of the celebrity overload. I know who the “Situation” is but don’t really care to watch how badly he & his crew wreck Seaside Heights or New Jersey’s image (hmmm, that may have already been wrecked). Lindsay Lohan….nothing to say, really, nothing. And on & on it goes. Everyone deserves their 15 minutes of fame, right?
Alright, enough cynicism. My point of this particular tangent is celebrities who use their power of fame & pretty faces to do good. And for our purposes here, green good. So, hang onto your hat, what follows is a refreshing list of good deeds by an eclectic group of famous folks (and handsome!).

1. Ed Norton. Remember him in “Fight Club”? Well, after running the NY marathon to raise $ for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust in 2009, (a bit of a side note here…”60 minutes” just aired a story on this area & the Great Migration of Wildebeest 2 days ago. It was truly a compelling story, I promise.) Edward decided to create a website CrowdRise, which allows users to create a profile & raise cash for organizations that are important to them. One tagline… answering the call to service, raising money for charity, and having the most fun in the world while doing it. Worth a look-see!
2. Leo. The Titanic hunk, not the lion. But funny you should mention lions. Ok, it’s really tigers but let’s not get technical. Mr. Dicaprio just pledged $1 million to the World Wildlife Fund for this year’s Save the Tigers Now campaign. The goal is to double the number of endangered tigers in the wild by 2022. He is quoted as saying, “By saving tigers, we can also protect some of our last remaining ancient forest and improve the lives of indigenous communities”. Not just a pretty face!
3. Pearl Jam. These guys have been around the block, no joke. The whole Seattle grunge movement may have started with Nirvana but Pearl Jam quickly outsold them. All those years ago, they famously boycotted Ticketmaster for its monopoly on ticket sales and these days they speak out on homelessness, pro-choice and environmental issues to name a few. This year to offset the carbon footprint of their 32 date tour 33 acres of trees were planted in the Pacific Northwest, where they hail from.
4. Ryan Reynolds. Seriously, what is not to like?? Before I get all sidetracked with the “sexiest Man” thing, let’s focus on his mind. He produced a documentary about Luna, the killer whale, which follows a whale as he comes in contact with humans and the consequences incurred. Reynolds also narrated a clean energy public service announcement for the Natural Resources Defense Council to highlight the true cost of a gallon of gas. He was driven to become involved after flying over the Gulf of Mexico during the BP fiasco and even worked to maintain eco-friendly initiatives on the set of the “Green Lantern”. All this & he married Scarlett Johansson, smart man!
5. Kevin Costner. Of “Field of Dreams” & “Tin Cup” fame, the actor has also had his share of
failures. “Waterworld” & “The Postman”, ring a bell? Yikes. Well, he has a lot to be proud of these days though. BP has purchased 32 centrifuges from Costner’s company Ocean Therapy Solutions to help with the gulf oil spill. The machine is supposed to separate 97% of oil from water. Maybe there was more to that water movie than just bad wardrobe. Hmmm.


So, I don’t know about you but these guys are inspiring me. I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year than reflecting on all the great ways people are thinking outside the box & paying attention to the world. I am sure you know someone right in your backyard working in big & small ways to make a change. What will you do?