A Leo-Fueled Eco Campaign
Yahoo! Daily News"There is a global emergency going on," Leonardo DiCaprio warns in his latest ego-, err, eco-logical campaign.
The Hollywood heavyweight's latest role is supporting the green group EarthAction's campaign to convince people and politicians to abandon fossil fuels and switch to environmentally friendly energy sources.
Fossil fuels, Leo and crew say, are just no good for Mother Nature.
While some critics might find such sentiments ironic coming from the actor whose last film, The Beach, came under intense criticism from some ecological groups for allegedly trashing a Thai island during filming, EarthAction says Leo's as green as they come and he had nothing to do with any despoiling.
"If there was a problem, that issue would be with the producers of the movie, as opposed to the actors," says Lois Barber, EarthAction's U.S. executive director. (In Leo's defense, he did release a statement during filming of The Beach saying he wouldn't stand for the kind of destruction the filmmakers were charged with.)
In any event, DiCaprio's message today doesn't mention the fury over The Beach, it only says the whole planet stands to be damaged by global warming thanks to our slave-like devotion to fossil fuels.
"The Earth is heating up and everyone's future is at risk. Please join us in sending a strong message to our governments that now is the time for action to prevent violent changes in our climate," he says.
EarthAction says the aim of the campaign is to create an international alert network online where citizens can make their voices heard. Netizens are encouraged to urge their local governments to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy like solar power.
The group hopes people will lobby their representatives before April 22--Earth Day--when millions are expected to converge on Washington, D.C. to promote the cause, with Leo himself will chairing the event.