How Green Is Hollywood?

Much of the radical environmentalism nowadays comes from Hollywood. We know politicians are total hypocrites when it comes to living 'green', but how about the actors? The U.K. Daily Mail reports:

Sting and Trudie Styler:

The couple's carbon footprint, the impertinent ink-stained wretch [a reporter] pointed out, has been estimated at 30 times greater than the average Briton's. How did Styler and Sting - who have seven homes - square that with their environmental crusading?

Styler conceded that as Sting "has a 750-person crew to bring around the world, it is a difficult challenge".

But hey, they work hard to raise awareness as they're jetting all over the world...

How about Chris Martin, the lead singer for Cold Play?

According to singer Alison Goldfrapp, Martin flies home between gigs: "We supported Coldplay and Chris Martin used to fly home on his jet, go home, write songs then fly to the next gig. I thought: "What? Are you insane?"

Environmental campaigner George Monbiot says: "It's probably fair to assume he flies at least 100,000 miles (or ten return journeys averaging 10,000 miles each) in his private jet each year.

"If so - and even before taking the rest of his activities into account - he would be exceeding his fair share of carbon by 250 times."

Too bad many of the 10,000 mango trees planted by Martin for a recent album died. I don't suppose that should add to his guilt, though. He tried hard.

Leonardo DiCaprio:

Pumped millions of his own money into producing the environmental documentary, The 11th Hour, due to be released on DVD next month, and claims that if we do not radically change the way we live right away, the Earth will be destroyed.

Like many Hollywood stars keen to flash their eco- credentials, he drives a hybrid petrol/electric car which uses less energy than a regular vehicle in cities by switching to battery power in heavy traffic.

He says: "I've been driving a hybrid car for five, six years now. My house is built green, I have solar panels."

Trying to shake the nickname 'Leonardo the Lear-jet Liberal', DiCaprio tries hard to fly commercial whenever possible. Still...

During an interview with his co-producers, one TV interviewer challenged DiCaprio to "take a pledge and promise never to get into a private jet again" - something he has so far been unwilling to do.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie:

At first glance it seems that Pitt - who drives a hybrid Prius, has been a vocal and financial supporter of a drive to build eco-homes in flood-ravaged New Orleans and last year even guest-narrated a segment of green documentary called e2: The Economies Of Being Environmentally Conscious - is doing his bit to combat global warming.

But...

In 2007 they took literally dozens of [private jet] flights between them around the world. In August, Pitt flew from Chicago, where he was watching his partner work, to LA to perform jury duty and then flew back to Illinois the same day.

Recently, the couple touched down at Nice airport aboard their own "PJ" - burning an estimated 11,000 gallons of fuel on the trip from America.

Pitt would have to drive his Prius to the Moon to offset that.

I don't think they're even trying hard!

Madonna:

After she headlined the London segment of last year's Live Earth concert, memorably derided by Matt Bellamy of rock band Muse as "private jets for climate change", she was lambasted not just for her giant carbon footprint but also for owning a share portfolio with more than £1million invested in oil exploration, mining and other environmentally unfriendly projects.

She made a statement that Live Earth was the beginning of her conversion, and that she was educating herself in how to live green. But...

Madonna's carbon footprint for 2006 was estimated at 1,018 tons - more than 100 times that of the average Briton.

And it seems the "changes" she is prepared to make do not extend to using ordinary airlines. For New Year she jetted to India with husband Guy Ritchie, her son and five friends in her own jet.

She's apparently trying hard...to a point.

John Travolta:

"Everyone can do their bit," Travolta said when he visited Britain last year to promote the launch of his little-seen movie Wild Hogs, and went on to declare that global warming is "a very valid issue - we have to think about alternative methods of fuel".

Travolta is so non-green that he should cause true environmentalists to actually turn green! Get a load of this:

Travolta, a licensed pilot, owns five private planes - a customised £2million Boeing 707, three Gulfstreams and a Learjet - which he keeps in his garden next to a private runway.

When he was flying himself back to the U.S. the staggering scale of his environmental vandalism was revealed when he landed the 707 in Ireland to refuel and it was reported that he was the only person on board the flying stretch-limo. In a normal configuration, a 707 can carry 150 passengers.

Nope. Not even trying.

Barbra Streisand:

"Everyone has the power to make a difference by making simple, conscious decisions in their everyday lives," Streisand writes on her website and then posts a list of "Simple Things We Can All Do To Help Stop Global Warming".

These include switching to modern long-life lightbulbs, cleaning the condenser coil on your fridge and waiting until you have a full load before running your dishwasher.

And yet, when it comes time to put those simple, conscious decisions into play in her own life, here's what she does:

On tour in the UK and Ireland last year, Streisand's contract specified that she required the production office be supplied with "120 bath-sized towels immediately upon arrival".

It was also revealed that the vehicle list for her show comprised "13 53ft semi-tractor trailers, four rental vans, 14 crew and band buses and one limousine".

And, of course, she made the 'simple, conscious' decision to travel all the way from Manchester to London aboard a private jet.

I think she made some wrong decisions!

Charles, the Prince of Wales:

In a speech to the European Parliament, the Prince of Wales stirringly urged us to action, declaring: "I don't think there is a more urgent issue for any of us to be addressing at work, at home and indeed in every facet of our lives, than climate change."

Last year he was praised for publishing a "carbon audit" and said that he had reduced his emissions by 9 per cent, stating that his household - including his Duchy Organics farm business - would reduce emissions by 12.5 per cent over the next four years.

Sounds good. What did he really do?

Stung by accusations of hypocrisy after he flew a 14-strong team first-class to New York to collect an environmental awareness award, Charles chartered the yacht Leander from car park tycoon Sir Donald Gosling to conduct his tour of the Caribbean in March.

Campaigners howled "greenwash" but Clarence House stuck to its claim that travelling on the sumptuous, £50million yacht with 23-man crew and 100-seater dining room reduced Charles's carbon footprint for the tour by 40 per cent.

Just don't mention his sons' jaunts around the country via Chinook helicopter.

Ah, kids will be kids, right?

So, what should we take from all of this elite hypocrisy? Two things, in my opinion. First, the so-called 'elite' live by one set of rules while loudly proclaiming that you and I should live by a totally different set of rules. The cliche 'do as I say, not as I do' has never found a more applicable home than this issue. For liberals, the actual results are not nearly as important as the intention behind the actions. These liberal environmentalists are a perfect example - they're 'trying hard' to help the environment, despite not actually doing anything at all.

Second, carbon offsets are completely a joke. Not only is it not proven that planting trees offsets any carbon at all, but who's to say that the trees that are planted stay alive? What responsibility do these rich people have to replace carbon offset trees that die? None.

The point of carbon offsets is not to offset carbon, but guilt. It is the vehicle through which rich people can soothe their own guilt without having to take the rather uncomfortable steps of actually practicing what they preach.

They are all fake.

Gene Simmons -- founder and bass player of KISS -- once said that rock stars shouldn't be giving environmental advice. He was right. So why is anyone listening to actors and singers about the environment? They don't have a clue.

There's my two cents.