By Jill SerjeantLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whether it's forsaking a gasguzzling limo in favour of driving a hybrid car to the Oscars,or fitting their homes with solar panels, many celebrities embraced green causes long before they became fashionable.Just as a famous face can sell a perfume, stars of stageand screen can sell a cause and scores of them are doing morethan merely putting their money where their mouth is."Whether it's fashion or cultural trends, the entertainmentindustry has the ability to communicate to a global audienceideas that set forth actions and create change," said DebbieLevin, president of the Environmental Media Association whichpromotes green issues through the entertainment industry."Early adapters, like Cameron Diaz, led the way and nowwith everyone from Kirsten Dunst to Maroon 5 to Will Ferrelldriving hybrid cars, (it) sends the message that it's cool tothink and buy green," Levin said.Following is a list of some of the leading green celebrityplayers:- ROBERT REDFORD: 30 years on board of Natural ResourcesDefence Council, founder of Sundance Preserve, winner of 1993Earth Day award, 1987 United Nations Global 500 award. In April2007, launches weekly three-hour slot called "The Green",dedicated entirely to the environment, on his Sundance TVchannel.- LEONARDO DICAPRIO: started the Leonardo DiCaprioFoundation in 1998 to promote environmental issues, drives ahybrid car, currently writing and producing a feature lengthdocumentary on global warming called "11th Hour".- BRAD PITT: co-creator of design competition to build 20affordable, reduced energy, environmentally friendly homes inNew Orleans.- STING: founder in 1989 of Rainforest Foundation toprotect rain forests and their indigenous peoples.- HARRISON FORD: vice chairman of ConservationInternational, has a Central American ant named after him, wonthe Global Environmental Citizen Award in 2002.- DAVE MATTHEWS BAND: offsets CO2 emissions produced bytheir multi-city tours by funding projects such as treeplantings and wind turbine construction.- AL GORE: former U.S. vice president whose climate changedocumentary "An Inconvenient Truth" was Oscar-nominated, alsonominated for 2007 Nobel Peace prize.- PIERCE BROSNAN: focuses on marine mammal and wetlandprotection, headlined Natural Resources Defence Councilcampaign against effects of Navy sonar on whales, awarded 1997Green Cross International Environmental Leadership Award.- CATE BLANCHETT: plans to equip Sydney Theatre Companybuilding with solar panels, rainwater collection systems tomake it completely eco-friendly. Sydney home is fully poweredby solar energy, donates to Forest Guardians.- EDWARD NORTON: launched the BP Solar Neighbors Program in2003 which matches each celebrity purchase of a solar energyhome system with a solar installation in a low-income familyhome in Los Angeles.- DARYL HANNAH: arrested in June 2006 for staging a 23-daytree sit-in during a bid to preserve an urban community gardenin Los Angeles, travelled across America in 2005 in a biofuelcar, home is entirely off-grid.- RICHARD BRANSON: Virgin Group chairman, a former globalwarming sceptic, who in September 2006 pledged to spend allprofits from his airline and rail businesses (estimated $3billion over 10 years) on investments in biofuel research andprojects to tackle emissions.- ALANIS MORISSETTE: given 2003 Environmental MediaAssociation Missions in Music Award; campaigns against oildrilling in Alaska; has solar panels on home.- KT TUNSTALL: ran her US tour bus on biodiesel fuel,performed at eco-friendly "Golden Green" at the 2007 GoldenGlobe awards in Los Angeles.- JOSH HARTNETT, ORLANDO BLOOM, MAROON 5, KT TUNSTALL:promoting 2007 Global Cool initiative to cut carbon emissionsby encouraging people to turn off TVs, mobile-phone chargersand other energy-draining gadgets.- JAMIE OLIVER: celebrity chef, plans to power hisCornwall, England, restaurant by wind turbines.- NEIL YOUNG: 2004 North American tour fuelled entirelywith biodiesel.- WILLIE NELSON: singer, co-partner in the Willie NelsonBiodiesel Company.- BARENAKED LADIES: run their tour buses and trucks onbiodiesel fuel.Drivers of hybrid cars include: Cameron Diaz, CharlizeTheron, Carole King, Kirsten Dunst, Billy Joel, Tom Hanks, WillFerrell, Julia Roberts, Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, AlanisMorissette, David Duchovny, Patricia Arquette, Jackson Browne,Larry David, Danny DeVito and Bill Maher.
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