Woody Harrelson
Quirky green crusader
Unconventional actor Woody Harrelson has said he’s felt a need to protect the environment since he was young, writing a 50-page report on threatened wildlife at the age of 12. Since then his views have expanded along with his drive.
An interest in trees and their work keeping the planet in balance drew Woody towards the “ultimate sustainable crop,” hemp, as an alternative for paper and cloth. Known for his affinity for another member in the crop’s family, namely pot, hemp legalization seemed the obvious next step. He was once arrested and charged with possession of marijuana for planting four hemp seeds, which he did to symbolically challenge laws making little distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana. He was acquitted after a four-year trial. Woody later narrated a film, Grass, about the American government’s war on marijuana in the 20th century.
Harrelson organized a thousand-mile Simple Organic Living (SOL) bike tour that included celeb activist pal Anthony Kiedis (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers). Alongside a hemp-oil fueled biodiesel bus dubbed the Mothership, they relayed the message that there are alternatives to environmentally harmful practices and were filmed for the independent documentary Go Further.
Woody and wife Laura Louie (who have three daughters Woody has referred to as the “goddess trilogy”) even have their own environmental website, VoiceYourself. They use it to speak out on many subjects and give suggestions on sustainable living, including favorite green clothing lines, cleaning products and skincare lines, as well as links to office, garden and pet supplies. Topics on the site revolve around getting off the grid, nutrition options and world issues. Staunchly anti-war, Harrelson has spoken out against the war in Iraq, dedicating a section of his site to “Waging Peace.”
Ever the risk-taker, Harrelson once scaled San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge with banners promoting the preservation of redwood forests. The Academy Award nominee briefly owned an oxygen bar and held interests in a hemp clothing and importing company.
Like another celeb environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio, Woody’s interests extend as high up as the mountaintops. He joined up with the End Mountaintop Removal campaign, starring in a video to promote the need to stop the environmentally destructive process.
In his personal life Harrelson is a raw-food, ethical vegan, eschewing animal products and non-renewable resources. He denounces animal testing in cosmetics and touts the benefits of nontoxic ingredients in virtually everything. Some may call him flaky, but his heart is certainly in the right place.
