Father’s Day Special: Top 10 Celebrity Eco-Dads

1. Kevin Costner – Although the number one spot is usually taken by long time Eco Warrior Ed Begley Jr., our choice for the number one spot is being given to by Mr. Costner because of his exceptional contributions in the recent BP oil spill, also known as the worst this world has ever experienced.  Costner helped fund the development of this machine 15 years ago. The researchers were headed by Costner’s brother, a scientist. Currently there are 5 different models of the extractor, from 5 gallons/minute to 200 gallons/minute. The actor and environmental activist just demonstrated a machine that extracts 97% of the oil from water.

It appears that the machine contains a centrifuge inside that helps it separate the oil from the water, due to the density differences of the two. One of the problems to overcome is containing the oil so it can be extracted from the water. If the oil is dispersed over a vast area, it will be virtually impossible to filter all that water and capture the oil.

Back when the Exxon disaster occurred, Costner was inspired to invest $20 million of his own money into an oil cleanup machine. He was quoted as saying: “If 20 of my V20s [machines] would have been at the Exxon Valdez, 90 percent of that oil would have been cleaned up within the week.”

After much testing, BP has purchased 32 of Costner’s machines to help clean up the spill. Now, we wait.

Other stellar Eco-Dads of the Green Revolution:

2. Ed Begley Jr – The comedic actor composts his garbage and relies on solar and thermal power to run his home. He also created a line of Eco-friendly cleaning products called Begley’s Best. Not to mention his green program on Planet Green, namely called “Living with Ed.”

3. Robert Redford – Robert Redford has taken his cinematic talent green by producing and narrating a documentary about Yosemite National Park to help protect the sacred lands and parks in the US.

4. Brad Pitt – He has been an incredibly important player in the post-Katrina green building movement. He contributed $5 million of his own dollars to help fund the project.

5. Al Gore – As most of us have seen, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore devotes his talents to the fight against climate change and has won an Emmy, an Oscar and the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

6. Will Ferrell – As an active supporter of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Will Ferrell will soon be driving his electric car into the driveway of his green home.

7. Tom Hanks – He has been driving electric vehicles for some time now and his production company operates from a solar-powered building.

8. Sting – The superstar and his wife created The Rainforest Foundation back in 1989. They now make a difference in 15 counties to protect precious habitat. The Foundation to date has saved over 70,000 square miles of land.

9. Willie Nelson As a pillar of the alternative fuel movement, he encourages the public to become less dependent on foreign oil and started producing biodiesel at a Texas truck stop in 2004.

10. Chris Martin An advocate of fair trade, the vegetarian is an Eco-Warrior on stage and in his everyday life.