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The Green Room: Branson Becomes Eco-Savior
Posted by Joshua W. Jackson on September 22, 2006 - 6:00am.
In one of the most heart-warming stories of the year, Richard Branson, "the rebel billionaire" behind the Virgin mega-empire, announced on Thursday that he would contribute about three billion (yes, BILLION) dollars to combat global warming with the Clinton Global Initiative, saying he was inspired by an earlier conversation with Al Gore. The bad news? In our book, Branson's donation buys him the right to pollute the television waves with as much garbage as he wants.
Ted Turner, widely known for his destructive love of classics, is opening a new branch of his chain restaurant in New York's Rockefeller Center. Ted's Montana Grill serves typical American fare with a slant toward bison. According to one source, "eco-conscious diners will be happy to learn that menus are printed on recycled paper." Unfortunately, Turner will be unhappy to learn that many eco-conscious diners aren't likely to bite into a conventionally-farmed burger made of a previously endangered animal. Well, Ted, at least you're throwing environmentalists a bone. We'll take what we can get.
The Kalahari Bushmen have called upon eco-warrior Leonardo DiCaprio to help give them rights to the land they flourished on before the ecologically devastating practice of diamond mining ousted them. DiCaprio, star of the upcoming film Blood Diamond, has not yet responded to the Bushmen's plea. However, Julie Christie has come forward to offer words of support to the plight, leaving the Bushmen to ask, "Who?"
Movie star Diane Lane has joined the ranks of biofuel-friendly celebrities, she announced on a television appearance this week. "Instead of complaining," she says she wants "to do what I can." At this point it remains unclear whether the chilly box office return of Must Love Dogs was part of Lane's strategic efforts to start global cooling or just a lucky accident.
Earlier this week Matthew McConaughey was seen enjoying one of the Earth's most precious resources. McConaughey has spoken before about his love for surfing and for taking advantage of the great outdoors before, but if he drove to the beach in one of the SUVs he was photographed next to, the eco-conscious surfing community is going to be extremely unhappy. The possibly incriminating shirtless photos have also left millions of environmentally dedicated young women dazed and confused about their allegiances.
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im glad he's putting he's putting something up to show that he is trying to walk the walk -- he definitely has the resources to.
I thought bison was a healthy, low cholesterol food and actually a choice that LIME-type people would prefer (that is, if they eat meat at all.) Quick, someone educate me!
I don't know anything about that or what a 'lime-type person' is but there's no way you can eat meat and call yourselves an environmentalist. And anyways, how could you actually say the words to your waiter, 'I'll have the bison?'
"If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing they can do." --Paul McCartney
Thanks go to you very much.
I'm inclined to somewhat agree with the above commenter. While I do think you can be an environmentalist and enjoy some meat, I have a hard time with the idea of eating conventionally farmed bison. It may not be rational, seeing that, as Chris points out, bison practically grow on trees now, but eating a bison seems to me comparable to eating an elephant or a kwala.
I remember reading that Ted Turner is selling bison meat specifically because breeding the animal for food would keep it from becoming endangered.
This is a really interesting article about his efforts:
http://www.calfnews.com/issue/july2006/reason.htm
An excerpt:
"It’s no secret that Ted Turner wants to the restore the ecosystem that once existed in the West. In addition to his herd of an estimated 40,000 bison, the largest in the U.S., he has reintroduced dozens of species to their native habitats, including wolves, bears, elk, fox, prairie dogs, owl, woodpeckers, trout, bees and weeds. His mass purchases have enabled islands of endangered species to connect. He has placed hundreds of thousands of acres in conservation easements that prohibit the use and development of the land in perpetuity."
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14957364/
Rupert Murdoch, the 75-year-old chairman and chief executive of News Corp, is planning to push all parts of his media empire to become environmentally friendly, using the strategies put in place by his son and heir apparent James at British satellite operator BSkyB as a model, write Aline van Duyn and Andrew Jack in New York and Fiona Harvey in London.