The Mercury
Source: The Renewable Planet.com
Despite her wealth and fame today, the old adage "waste not, want not" is one Cate Blanchett has practised since childhood
Cate Blanchett learned about conservation at a young age.
Growing up with a grandmother who lived through the Depression taught her to recycle and not let anything go to waste.
Blanchett has said she didn't think of it as being "green'' at the time because that sort of label wasn't common.
Her big realisation came when reading a news report saying Perth would run out of water in 10 years.
At the time it was met with silence but these days the environmental concerns of Blanchett and other green celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio are being echoed throughout Hollywood.
Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Blanchett has a heart of green when it comes to the earth and is very conscious of the environment in how she lives and works.
Her home is powered entirely by solar panels and she's making her work environment greener as well.
Through their roles as artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company, Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton were involved with instigating the plan make the company "go green''.
The plan involved equipping the company's building with solar panels and rainwater collection systems to make it completely eco-friendly.
The plan then received the green light in July when Climate Change and Water Minister Senator Penny Wong announced it would be backed by a $1.2 million investment from the Rudd Government.
Blanchett also promoted Earth Hour in Sydney by taping radio and television advertisements.
Her initiatives tackle the common misconception that one person can't make a difference on climate change.
Businesses and residents were urged to turn off all lights for one hour, known as the Earth Hour, in a campaign to cut greenhouse emissions by 5 per cent.
Blanchett also participated with her two young sons in the Walk Against Warming protest, along with 40,000 others.
She has also made significant donations to Forest Guardians, a US environmental watchdog group dedicated to preserving wildlife and natural habitat.
''I've forged an intimate connection to the land,'' she has been quoted as saying.
Prius-driving Cameron Diaz is also known for her dedication to environmentally sustainable living. She recycles, uses offsets for carbon-neutral travel and tries to buy products that contain recycled materials.
When climate campaigner Al- Gore recruited people to take his global warming slideshow on the road, Diaz not only attended but participated by asking questions and sticking around for evening events.
She then joined Gore to announce the initiative Save Our Selves: The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis, kicking off with a 24-hour summer concert series known as Live Earth.
She stood to Gore's right during the announcement and answered reporters' questions about her own green beliefs.
''If [everyone] just changed one aspect of their life, if they just did one thing differently, that alone is a step closer to solving the problem,'' she said.
An MTV program was then developed around the same theme. The show featured Diaz and her friends as they travelled around the world learning about the importance of protecting the environment.
The show was targeted at young audiences and featured everything from sandboarding to releasing crocodiles and putting tracking collars on lions.
Diaz is also one of a growing group of celebrities that is attracting the attention of ''green'' gossip websites and mainstream news outlets for something other than sensational or personally destructive exploits.
The one-time vegetarian has even been quoted as saying she'd like to try out a simple country existence for a year, living off the land by growing her own food and milking cows, saying she thrives on being outdoors.
She says she sees celebrities drawing attention to issues and also credits movies like An Inconvenient Truth and March of the Penguins for raising awareness.
As a member of the Environmental Media Association, she has filmed public service announcements with another environmentally aware star, Gwyneth Paltrow, about conserving energy.
Leonardo DiCaprio is also widely regarded as one of Hollywood's most passionate green celebrities.
Once known for his jetsetting party lifestyle, DiCaprio is now atoning for his wasteful ways by narrating short environmental films including the Global Warning and Water Planet, which have been posted on the eco-activist website he established in 2000.
The site, LeonardoDi Caprio.org, lists important issues like global warming, water, biodiversity, sustainability and the Bush record.
Clicking on each brings you to an overview of the issue, including resource links and personal solutions.
DiCaprio co-produced, wrote and narrated the documentary 11th Hour about the human impact on the planet.
He is also involved in a number of campaigns, from GAP clothing's (Product) RED, which contributes half its profits to the Global Fund to help women and children affected by HIV AIDS in Africa, to the Virtual March to Stop Global Warming.
He's been on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Global Green USA since 2004.
And last but not least is the recognition he's received, including an environmental leadership award from Global Green.
And DiCaprio is just one of a gang of green celebrities, such as Charlize Theron, Kirsten Dunst, Billy Joel, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts who are constantly snapped driving their hybrid cars to events.
Whether it's promoting Earth Hour or switching her Sydney home over to solar power, Australia's Cate Blanchett is leading the green charge among Hollywood celebrities. And given her latest campaign - to equip the Sydney Theatre Company with solar panels and rainwater collection systems - was recently given the green light by the Rudd Government and backed to the tune of $1.2 million - our Cate is proving she has a heart of pure green.