Excerpt From Dr. Vic Shayne's Book: Evil Genius In The Garden Of Eden
Contribution by Graham Hill, 21 wheels
People & Nations Making A DifferenceEnough of the scary, sickening, bad news about our environment, poisoned food supply and toxic habits. To keep us from hanging our heads and jumping off the nearest bridge, there is good news for a change about people creating sustainable businesses, governments and nations; making wise decisions on energy; and a handful of corporations acting responsibly. Certainly the good ole U.S. of A. is officially far behind the rest of the world in embracing sustainability and healthier energy and lifestyle choices, but maybe if the US government, the media and corporate powers-that-be recognize the ever-growing numbers of Americans welcoming cleaner air and less waste, we have some hope. Sanity, invention, ingenuity (the good kind) and insight are alive and kicking across the U.S. Individuals are on the (progressive) move.
Much credit needs to be given to our neighbors, socially responsible companies and vision-oriented communities who are forging ahead with sustainable business and progress even when the U.S. government and politicians are dragging their feet or putting up roadblocks. Worldwatch Institute writes, 'Around the world, businesses, governments, educational bodies and other large institutions are working for a better environment by making responsible purchasing decisions. With each network they form or buying decision they make, these groups are proving that environmentally friendly choices are not only good for the Earth, but are also sound business.'
Celebrities For A Better World Actor Ed Begley, Jr. Raises the Bar
Television and screen actor Ed Begley, Jr., ('St. Elsewhere,' 'Best in Show,' 'A Mighty Wind') a longtime environmentalist, was the first retail customer to purchase Toyota's RAV4-EV electric vehicle in 2002. In addition to his new RAV4-EV, he is also the owner of a Toyota Prius gas/electric hybrid vehicle. "The RAV4-EV demonstrates Toyota's commitment to the environment, the EV market and consumers like myself who are looking for a functional zero-emissions vehicle to meet their everyday needs," said Begley, Jr. "I'm very excited and honored to be the first retail owner of a RAV4-EV in California."[1] One interviewer said, 'Ed's commitment is more than just lip service. He grows his own vegetables and commutes across the country via AmTrack passenger train which he regards as more environmentally benign than jet travel. If he has to go any distance by road, he relies on his second car which uses compressed natural gas. Ed's solar home, which was built in 1936, provides him with nearly all his electric power, all but about $40 worth a year which he buys from his local power company. His photovoltaic system generates nearly 7 kW of energy, enough for him to also recharge his EV1 [electric vehicle].[2]
Other celebrities have started to purchase environmentally friendly gasoline electric hybrids. One such popular automobile is the Toyota Prius, which has been honored as The Greenest Car in America by the American Council For Energy Efficiency. Celebrities from the entertainment, political, environmental and technology areas include Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Brad Pitt, Donna Mills, Donny Osmond, and Leonardo DiCaprio.[3] During the 2003 Academy Awards, several celebrities, including Cameron Diaz and Harrison Ford, pulled up to the red carpet in Hybrid automobiles. Director Rob Reiner traded in his BMW for a Toyota Prius, and Larry David traded in his Lexus.
A recent article in EV World stated:
The list of Hollywood's hybrid-come-lately car owners reads like the table of contents of People magazine: Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carole King, Billy Joel, David Duchovny and Bill Maher, to name-drop a few. Patricia Arquette bought one recently; so did rocker Jackson Browne. Larry David bought three, including one so that his character, "Larry David," could drive one on his HBO series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
"It works on every level," says David, who is married to a staunch environmentalist. "I'm doing something good, and my wife has sex with me more often."
Asked about his car, DiCaprio responded with an e-mail, writing, "This is the most radical mass-produced car in the world and I can't find any downside. My family and I own a total of four, and we drive them all over Los Angeles."
The Prius (pronounced PREE-us) isn't the only hybrid car on the market. Honda makes the two-seater Insight, which gets 68 miles per gallon, and just started mass-producing a hybrid Civic. But Toyota's version, with its computerized display showing fuel consumption, has captured the imagination of Hollywood buzzmakers.
Larry David first got a hybrid because his wife, Laurie, has strong views about big, gas-guzzling SUVs, which are hugely popular in Los Angeles and hugely annoying to her.
"Those cars should just have 'pig' spray-painted on them," says Laurie David, apparently not one for understatement. The Prius, she says, is the antidote. "I got involved because of global warming, but hello! It's national security now. Shouldn't we be reducing our dependence on foreign oil?"
The Davids started something of a chain reaction among their friends. "I have one because I found out they existed," says Reiner. "Larry David had one; he told me there's this hybrid car . . . I thought, 'Here's something I could actually do that would save on gas, save the environment, protect us from global warming.'"
Commentator Arianna Huffington bought one last week. "I got a little tired of hearing how we're at war, and we're being asked to do nothing about it but go shopping, go to Disneyland and the mall," she says. Huffington gave up her SUV in November, then sold her Lexus when she recently saw the Davids' hybrid. "It is very much a little peer pressure," she says. "Positive peer pressure." And it's a conversation piece. The day Huffington got the car, she drove it to lunch at the Bel Air mansion of Selim Zilka, a former oil baron who is now a leading proponent of wind power. Within minutes a dozen
people had filed out to gawk at the little motor that could run on gas or electrical power.
"The parking lot was full of Jaguars and Bentleys," she recalls, "and my host . . . brought everyone out to the driveway to look at Arianna's car. It became this point of attraction."[4]
More Celebrity Support
Many celebrities have shown their support of environmental issues by attending the Earth Summit at the United Nations. Among these stars were Susan Sarandon, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Bacon, Patrick Stewart and Joe Pantoliano. Hollywood also has its own voice for the environment in an organization called The Earth Communications Office (ECO). It uses the power of the entertainment industry to deliver messages about the earth to the general public. The board of ECO is comprised of talent in the film, television, music, advertising and public relations industries.[5]
Actor Kevin Bacon commented, 'From the day my son was born, I've been concerned about leaving a legacy of an unhealthy planet and I continue to be concerned about my children's future."[6]
Concerns over dangerous nuclear dumping have prompted Mike Farrell, well known for his role in M*A*S*H, to deliver a letter to Congress signed by more than 50 celebrities, urging politicians to reject two nuclear dump proposals. Those signing the letter included: Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, Jamie Farr (Klinger on M*A*S*H), Ken Howard, Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie), Danny Glover, Tess Harper, Marilu Henner (Taxi), Judd Hirsch (Taxi), Norman Lear, Bonnie Raitt, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H's Margaret Houlihan), Ed Asner and Alec Baldwin.[7]
Sensible & Sustainable Transportation: Evolved Mobility: King of the Hill
Advanced transportation specialist Graham Hill, Boulder, CO, www.21wheels.com, has put his engineering and mechanical skills to use by converting vehicles to electric power. Hill is a leading-edge advocate of alternative energy solutions, an environmentalist and industry consultant who is focused on urban livability conditions. He uses a solar-powered lawnmower at home, owns a Daimler Chrysler GEM, hosts lectures and author appearances on environmental issues and alternative energy, organizes his neighborhood transit program and works as a lobbyist for a cleaner environment, electric vehicles and sensible mass transit systems.
Graham started his company, 21 Wheels, in 1997 with an emphasis on consulting transit agencies and developments on smart mobility strategies. His company is fully engaged in air pollution remedies, shared vehicle systems, intermodalism, mass transit, bikes, electric bikes, pedicabs, small electric vehicles and renewable energy. He presides over the Boulder County (Colorado) Clean Air Consortium and the Denver Electric Vehicle Council. Between 1997 and 2001 he lobbied and helped successfully pass legislation for electric vehicle incentives in several states.
Graham Hill tells us, 'The current U.S. transportation system, corporate politics and the American mindset (affected by marketing) must evolve sensibly to enable us to move into a more realistic, sustainable energy paradigm.' He candidly explains both the problem and solution facing the stressed-out U.S. transportation system:
Perhaps one of the greatest issues we must overcome in the United States is our thirst for more and more cars that dictate our embarrassing and lazy lifestyles. The quest and ever-misleading campaign put on by Detroit and other large auto makers, continues to drive the point home that Americans need an open road to satisfy our need to 'get away from it all.' Well, with 40 million cars sold worldwide, there just isn't a lot of room for this type of campaign to continue. With Americans' thirst for 25% of the world's oil, represented by only 5% of the population, it is no wonder our destructive, out-of-balance approach to transportation and fuel consumption is beginning to take its toll on the world's stage. The Center for Disease Control attributes some of our increasing obesity statistics to poorly designed, sprawling neighborhoods and our car-first attitude.
Could there be a better time for our bureaucrats to commit the billions needed to build an effective national rail system? Our aviation system came under attack in 2001, and much of it is because of our head-in-the-sand attitude toward protecting our Almighty lifestyle. The world is not envious of us, they are fed up with us! It is now time to accept that we need to humble ourselves and understand the attitude that exists about the United States outside of our borders before the whole world turns against us. We are addicted to having and owning more. It is no wonder that the U.S. is experiencing these problems. We pay $2 less at the pump for each gallon of gasoline we purchase compared to other western countries. Can you imagine if we just added an additional dollar to the price of a gallon of gas, what kind of rail system we could build?
Our insistence to demonstrate to the world that the private auto is the cats meow has caught the eye of the Chinese. They now are busily planning to build massive quantities of their own cars to satisfy their desire to look like the west. This could be very scary if indeed it does happen. What we need to do is begin to model the new American household!
We need to demonstrate the new American heartbeat. One that is conscientious towards our environment, our resources and our community. We need to build neighborhoods that provide transit, close proximity to our groceries, schools and other services that we typically frequent in a car. We need to build green homes, using recycled products and renewable energy to heat and cool them. It is our turn to show everyone that we care and we can change our desire to always have the best. We can spend our money on things that matter, and curtail our ownership of hardly used second and third vehicles that sit on average of 22 hours a day, with no positive long term effect on our society. We need to explore with vigor shared vehicle systems, electric bikes, advanced appropriate sized vehicles operating on batteries and fuel cells. We need to raise the driving age to 18 and we need to vote for policy makers who can make these things happen. Tax breaks and other incentives are vital to this notion of evolved mobility.
We no longer can afford to allow corporate America to dictate our lifestyle! We must become sustainable yesterday. We need to applaud those individual oil sippers who have respect for what we have, and follow their leads. Let them do the modeling and the policymaking that can help us gain the needed respect we need before thousands of more people die of wasteful air pollution due to our unbalanced mobile lifestyle. Let's not forget that General Motors, Firestone Tire, and Standard Oil conspired to eliminate our fabulous street car system. We must change the direction in which we are going fast!
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[1] www.canadiandriver.com/news/020305-6, 2002
[2] 'Confessions of an EV Purist: An Interview with Ed Begley, Jr., Omaha, NE, May 31, 1998, www.evworld.com
[3] ibid
[4] EV World, 'Half Gas, Half Electric, Total California Cool,' Prius becomes politically correct in Hollywood, Source: Washington Post, June 06, 2002
[5] Shaw , Sue, 'Celebrities Who Care: Actors, Singers, Musicians step forward to save the planet and animals,' SORT, 7-01-2002
[6] http://www.hollywoodplayersnetwork.homestead.com/celebsenvironment.html, Hollywood Byline, 2002
[7] Shaw