XL Results Foundation Blog

Whether he is the King of the World, or just the King of Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio is leveraging his star power to make it a greener world, writes Floyd Cowan.

“I’m the king of the world,” shouts Jack Dawson as he stands on the prow of the luxurious ocean liner RMS Titanic just hours before it strikes an ice berg that sends it to the bottom of the chilly Atlantic Ocean.

Before the Ship Sinks

Of course Jack Dawson was a fictional character in the highest grossing film of all time, Titanic, and was played by then rising star Leonardo DiCaprio. In the more than 10 years since the film had young girls crying in movie theatres DiCaprio has matured into one of Hollywood’s most sought after leading men and into a committed environmentalist who is using his fame, popularity and talents to send out the message that our world is in trouble and we have to do something about it — now.

DiCaprio may well feel that we are all like Jack Dawson — rushing through a dark night believing that we are the ‘king of the world’ when in fact the world is about to meet a similar fate to the Titanic because we are all indulging ourselves at the dinner table while water is gushing into the hold.

Having become aware of the environmental problems by reading reports in the media DiCaprio is using various mediums to get his green message across. He turned his personal website into an Eco-Site where one can get advice on how to affect environmental change; he has created two documentaries centred on the environment — the award winning The 11th Hour and the recently released Greensburg that premiered on Planet Green June 15, 2008.

An Outspoken Activist

DiCaprio takes many opportunities to speak in public where he not only promotes environmental causes but slams the Bush administration for their environmental policies and views. Speaking at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio in 2004 the actor stated: “Vice-President Cheney once said that “conservation is a virtue but not sound energy policy”. Well, conservation may be a virtue, but it is also a critical part of a sound energy policy, along with investing in renewable energy and other clean technologies that create jobs and protect the environment.”

Although DiCaprio says he is not interested in becoming a politician he does speak at Democratic Party events and his website has a page dedicated to President Bush’s environmental record. Speaking at the University, he sounded very political, “Individual action is critically important,” he said, “as we can make decisions in our daily lives that can change the planet little by little. But this is not enough. The decisions made at the highest levels of our government affect every one of us, including right here in Cleveland, Ohio.”

Can’t Take a Train, Take a Bike

The website www.leonardodicaprio.org was created to reach, inform and interact directly with a wide global audience about environmental issues. The site promotes current environmental campaigns, such as the global movement to eliminate the use of plastic bags.

DiCaprio appears intent that his own ‘individual action’ be in harmony with what he urges other people to do. The wealthy star is incorporating his public beliefs into his very private life. In May, at the opening of the Bonhams Flagship Showroom, according to the New York Post; “Leo and his mom rode up on their bikes and parked right in front on 57th and Madison.” Irmalin and Leo looked at some pieces by Andy Warhol and Banksy before hopping back on their bikes and cruising back downtown.

Incidentally, when Irmalin was pregnant and looking at other works of art, this time by Leonadro DiVinci, the baby kicked her for the first time and so she decided to name it Leonardo.

Luxury Eco-Living

If mother and son were on their way home on their bikes they were going to Riverhouse, one of New York City’s greenest buildings where DiCaprio recently purchased a condominium. Riverhouse is described as being ‘definitive luxury eco-living’. The building incorporates green principles such as a high-tech solar photovoltaic grid that follows the sun’s trajectory for maximum solar energy efficiency. The open roof is a complex of green roofs that are 75 percent covered in vegetation. Locally sourced renewable materials were used, along with low or non pollutant paints and adhesives to reduce the overall environmental impact and provide healthy living spaces.

Of course you couldn’t expect one of Hollywood’s most shimmering stars to forgo a bit of luxury. Riverhouse has all the amenities and more, that one would expect the ultrawealthy to enjoy. Among them a 50-foot lap pool, a fully equipped fitness centre, a dog spa, an in-house branch of the New York Public Library and, for Riverside residents such as DiCaprio looking to live in an even more sustainable world, in-house activism opportunities via the ‘Action Center to End World Hunger’ located on the building’s grounds.

Not a Perfect Life Style

DiCaprio does admit that his fast paced lifestyle cannot always be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as he would like it to be. In a March 17th interview with Siobhan Synnot of the Daily Record.CO.UK he stated, “I’ve done the things that I can do in my house to make my house green — energy efficient appliances, I drive a hybrid car, I have solar panels — but I don’t walk to work.” Though he occasionally takes a bike and he spends a lot of time on airplanes, but says ‘Well, I can’t take the train to Europe.’

The Valley of the Shadow

He could take a ship, but after his fictional character’s experience in Titanic perhaps he would just rather not. In Titanic there is a scene where he is climbing a staircase as the ship is about to sink. A male passenger ahead of him says: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” to which DiCaprio responds, “You want to walk a little faster through that valley there?”

The 11th Hour would have us believe that we have all entered the Valley of the Shadow of Death. According to the documentary’s publicity: “The 11thHour documents the grave problems facing the planet’s life systems. Global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and depletion of the oceans’ habitats are all addressed, and their causes rooted in human activity. The combinations of these crises call into question the very future not of the planet, but of humanity.”

A Unifying Human Issue

DiCaprio does not just want to create awareness of the problems; he wants changes that will reverse the damage being done. “With the onset of global warming and other catastrophic events,” he states, “environmentalism has become a broader unifying human issue. We as citizens, leaders, consumers and voters, have the opportunity to help integrate ecology into governmental policy and every day living standards.”

However, the most powerful element of The 11th Hour is not a portrait of a planet in crisis, but the offering of hope and solutions. With the help of over 50 of the world’s most prominent thinkers and activists, including reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, a portrait is painted for a radically new and exciting future in which humanity seeks not to dominate the earth’s life systems, but to mimic and coexist with them. The 11th Hour calls for a future now within our grasp that is both sustainable and healthier.

Environmental Warrior

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which was established in 1998, actively fosters awareness of environmental issues, spearheaded the production of the feature length environmental documentary. In conjunction with the film, the Foundation helped launch the online network www.11thhouraction.com which serves as a forum where people can take action in the sustainability movement. Environment Now presented the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation with its prestigious Martin Litton Environmental Warrior Award in 2001.

The 11th Hour has garnered many awards including Earthwatch’s 22nd Annual Environmental Film Award. It was also honoured by the International Visual Communications Association, receiving a Clarion Award in the Feature Films category. The Diversity awards named The 11th Hour as Best Documentary Feature.

Greensburg Was Gone

DiCaprio followed The 11th Hour by doing a 13-part series on Greensburg, Kansas. On May 4, 2007, a deadly tornado struck the town ripping it to shreds, destroying 95 percent of it  and killing 11 people while the survivors were left without homes, businesses, schools and basic city services. Greensburg was gone, and it seemed that all was lost for its residents.

From the rubble came a resilient and courageous call from the people to not only rebuild their community, but to send a message to the rest of the United States, and to the world. The people of Greensburg committed to building smarter and better. They were determined to make their town a model for the future of cities of all sizes. They decided to rebuild Greensburg as a model green community.

DiCaprio and award-winning producer Craig Piligian’s documentary introduces the amazing people of Greensburg and viewers see the daily struggle of a community as it fights its way back from the edge of extinction. Struggles abound as the city government strives to build the greenest buildings and citizens endeavour to remain patient as they live in FEMA town trailers and prepare to rebuild their homes using green technologies.

An Important Message

The rebuilding of Greensburg vividly demonstrates that sustainable, eco-friendly building is an imperative path to the future. This story of survival and recovery is important, not only to the people of Greensburg, but also to the rest of the world.

For DiCaprio there was an unintended benefit to raising his profile as an environmental activist. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, DiCaprio said he found the secret to keeping the paparazzi away, “The tabloids and the paparazzi don’t care what I have to say about global warming or getting away from dependency on fossil fuels. … I think I’ve just bored them into leaving me alone.”

God Left Long Ago

“Sometimes I wonder… will God ever forgive us for what we’ve done to each other? Then I look around and I realize… God left this place a long time ago.” You would be forgiven if you thought it was a DiCaprio quote from The 11th Hour and not DiCaprio’s character Danny Archer in Blood Diamonds.

There won’t be too much forgiveness going around if we don’t solve the environmental problems that DiCaprio is so rightly concerned about.

Websites:
www.leonardodicaprio.org
www.11thhouraction.com
www.11thhourfilm.com

XL MAGAZINE

Vol 4 Issue 7 2008

In this issue:

The Man with 1000-Year Goals - Paul Dunn lunch interview with Dr John F Demartini
Sustainability: The View From the Top - Paul A Zaman
A Creative Think About Being Green - Ant Hampel
Eco-Tourism - Oman, A Classic Arabian Experience and many more…

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