Hollywood stars are busy people: constantly on the move, the carbon emissions their flights alone exude in a year eclipses what most people would go through in a lifetime. Knowing this, it’s hardly surprising that many of them choose to offset their carbon footprint by going green in as many other ways as they can and with big houses to power there’s no easier way to do this than by choosing solar. Here are just a few celebrities leading the way in sustainability and inspiring others to go solar:
Johnny Depp
Getting power cables out to a 35-acre island home is an impossible task and it wouldn’t be like green-minded Johnny Depp to turn to outdated diesel generators to solve his power woes. The Pirates of the Caribbean star has made the commitment to sustainability by converting the entirety of his island home to run on solar and hydrogen power.
Brad Pitt
Not only is Brad Pitt’s house in Louisiana kitted out with the latest in PV solar power technology, Pitt has gone as far as to ensure that all of his Make It Right homes for the victims of Hurricane Katrina incorporated the renewable energy. These 150 homes rebuilt in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward now form one of the world’s largest green home communities. Pitt’s solar credentials don’t end there though: Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie recently announced their intent to build a solar-powered theme park for their six children at their home in the South of France.
Woody Harrelson
When it comes to living a truly green life, few Hollywood stars do it better than Woody Harrelson. On top of driving an electric car, being a vegan and receiving an honorary degree by York University for his work to promote sustainability, Harrelson lives in an entirely solar-powered community in Hawaii.
Edward Norton
We’re not saying that Edward Norton’s choice to play a big green monster in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk had anything to do with his feelings about going green, but there’s no denying that the Oscar nominated actor is big on renewable energy. On top of having solar power in his own homes, Norton backs a number of projects to provide renewable energy to the less fortunate. Working with BP, Norton founded the BP Solar Neighbors program, which pledged that for every solar system bought by a celebrity, BP would install one for free at a needy family’s home. In addition to this, Norton is also a partner of the Enterprise Green Communities Initiative which aims to build green, affordable housing.
Cate Blanchett
On top of acting as an ambassador for the Australian Conservation Foundation, Blanchett is a proponent of taxing carbon emissions and a patron of the solar power development charity SolarAid. All this before you even get to the fact that Blanchett has taken her entire Australian home off the grid with solar panels and invested heavily in supporting solar power start-ups. They don’t call her Carbon Cate for nothing!
Leonardo DiCaprio
No list of solar celebrities would be complete without including self-proclaimed eco-geek Leonardo DiCaprio. In addition to driving electric cars and flying on commercial flights rather than chartering private jets, DiCaprio has kitted his house out with the latest in solar panel technology, inspired Hollywood stalwart Christopher Nolan to use solar power on the set of Inception and influenced watchmakers TAG Heuer to commit to solar. DiCaprio is also the founder of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation which is committed to creating a sustainable future for the planet.
Jessica is a film and renewable energy fan. She currently writes about energy saving tips and solar power for home and business for Solar Contact.