I'm looking for a list of green celebrities in Connecticut (I already
have the names of Paul Newman and Jim Naughton, so please don't
include them in my question, or your answer).

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Request for Question Clarification by nancylynn-ga on 05 Jun 2004 09:01 PDT

Hello Zurch:

I need you to clarify: 

By "green" do you mean environmental activists?

Or do you mean members of the "Green Party"? 

They have lost some prominent members this time around, or at least
for the moment, due to the controversy over Nader's run in 2000, and
the fact Nader isn't running as a Green Party candidate this time
around, although he is hoping to get that party's endorsement.

---

Clarification of Question by zurch-ga on 05 Jun 2004 22:00 PDT

Environmental activists, in other words, celebrities who live in
Connecticut and are known for supporting the environment, either
through doing PSAs, sponsoring events, or donating money.

Thanks

I was able to find several celebrity environmental activists who
reside in my home state.

Joanne Woodward:
Newman's wife Joanne Woodward, was one of the earliest environmental
celebrity activists and can currently be seen doing PSAs promoting
recycling. See her Fall 2002 interview with the Nature Conservancy:
http://nature.org/magazine/fall2002/woodward/

*****
A.E. Hotchner, author, and co-founder of Newman's Own:
http://biography.lotsofgoodbooks.com/us_bio-mode-books-search_type-AuthorSearch-input_string-A.+E.+Hotchner-locale-us.html

*****
Actress Susan Sarandon
Actor Tim Robbins

This long-time couple are dedicated environmental activists, and
belong to the  Green Party In CT. See these press releases:
http://www.ctgreens.org/articles/looking719.html
http://activist.bloomingfun.com/nader.htm

In 2003, Sarandon participated in a PSA criticizing Citigroup for
"Environmental Destruction." See this entry at the Rain Forest Network
archives:
http://www.ran.org/news/citi_tv_ad.html

*****
Phil Donahue was also a vocal supporter of Nader's Green Party
Presidential campaign:
http://www.ctgreens.org/minutes/min_05_27_03.html
And:
Transcript from the Oct. 24, 2000 edition of CNN's Crossfire:
http://www-cgi.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/24/cf.00.html

*****
Meryl Streep 
http://www.merylstreeponline.net/welcome.html
"Meryl supports . . .: 
Scenic Hudson
The Harvard Center for Health and the Global Environment
Connecticut Farmland Trust / Hartford Food System . . . "

*****
Michael J. Fox:
http://www.canoe.com/JamMoviesArtistsF/fox_michaelj.html
Scroll down to:
" Saturday, April 6, 2002 ,Fox's personal spin TV, film star works to
promote research into Parkinson's," by Bill Broux
for the Toronto Sun:

" . . . on CTV, Fox is showcased on 'The Parkinson's Enigma,' an
hour-long documentary that suggests Parkinson's might not be a disease
at all but a virus or a brain injury caused by toxins in the
environment.

" . . . The incidence of PD in the general population is estimated at
one person in 300, so four cases in a group of 125 is an eye-opener.
Was there some flu or virus or environmental toxin that affected this
particular cluster? "

*****
Actor/Director Ron Howard:
was honored last December by "Oceana, a leading non-profit ocean
advocacy group dedicated to restoring and protecting the world?s
oceans":
http://www.dirtyfishing.net/index.cfm?sectionID=10&fuseaction=35.detail&pressreleaseID=132

*****
Actress/ TV Host Mariette Hartley:
narrated "The Amazing World of Marine Mammals": 
http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/whale/literature/video/videogra.html

*****
TV host David Letterman:

From the Washington Post, Developers Find Payoff in Preservation:
Donors Reap Tax Incentive by Giving to Land Trusts, but Critics Fear
Abuse of System," by Joe Stephens and David B. Ottaway, December 21,
2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17384-2003Dec20?language=printer

"Land trusts say easement donations have helped many cash-poor
families retain farms and ranches they otherwise might have sold to
developers. But some of the biggest and best-known easements have been
linked to major corporations and some of the nation's richest
individuals, from Ted Turner and David Letterman to the Rockefellers
and DuPonts.

". . . To be sure, [Utah law professor Nancy A.] McLaughlin and many
other environmentalists -- including those pushing for reform --
support easements and say they have done much good. While
acknowledging a small but significant number of abuses and legal
uncertainties, the proponents say most easements have never been
violated. They add that although easements occasionally are amended,
the environment rarely has been harmed and that amendments often
increase conservation values. Most donors give out of a desire to
protect land they cherish, and most ultimately lose money on the
transactions, proponents say."

Letterman's involvement with the Nature Conservancy hasn't been
without controversy. See the New York Post's May 10,
2003 "Page Six" column by Richard Johnson, with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson 
http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/articles/land_surprise_on_vineyard.htm

Btw, James Naughton is listed as a resident of New York City on Paul
Newman's "Hole in the Wall Gang's" Web site:
http://www.holeinthewallgang.org/about/board.asp

And, as you likely know, Ralph Nader himself was born in Winsted, CT:
http://www.msu.edu/~daggy/cop/bkofdead/alive-n.htm 

Btw, there are other Connecticut celebrities who support other worthy
causes: i.e, Marlo Thomas, St. Judes, and Michael Bolton runs an
organization that assists abused women and at-risk children.
 
Search Strings:
Connecticut AND environmental activist
celebrity environmental activist Connecticut
Connecticut AND activist
"[celebrity name]" AND environment OR preservation OR conservation
[celebrity] AND charities
Connecticut celebrities listed by SNET:
http://www.trottamedia.com/shirleym/sncelebs.htm

I hope my research is of help to you.

Best Regards,
nancylynn-ga
Google Answers Researcher

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Clarification of Answer by nancylynn-ga on 06 Jun 2004 13:52 PDT

Whoops! I left out one of my favorites -- jazz great Dave Brubeck.

Brubeck participated in the "Water Music Project":
http://www.watermusicproject.com/
"The net royalties the sale of Water Music to the Water Music Fund of
the United Nations Foundation. The UNF will use the fund to protect
and restore water in the natural environment and to provide clean
drinking water for families, worldwide. The larger Water Music
Project, of concerts, lectures, educational programs and other events,
will add revenue in coming years to the fund at the United Nations
Foundation."

Great answer, and nancylynn followed up afterwards with one she left
out. Thanks nancylynn! You may just hear from me again.

Thank you for the compliment and the nice rating.

I've actually been fretting that I've left someone out. The celeb
community in Westport has held steady for decades, but other
celebrities have moved in and out of other areas of CT so frequently
(Tom Brokaw who used to live in Salisbury, but split for Montanta;
Whoopi Goldberg just sold her home in Cornwall, etc.), that I wasn't
sure I was up-to-date!

The only other celebs that I know of in Connecticut are wally lamb,
henry miller and bryan adams in old saybrook. we have paul newman on
our side, along with wife woodward, and have someone on our board who
knows naughton and he's I think already agreed to help us with a psa,
or has told someone he would. The woman from Judging Amy is in
Connecticut, or from here, but I just have no idea if any have ever
done or would be interested in doing anything for the environment. our
site is www.cfenv.org. we had a great year this year. four out of four
bills passed. this is my first with the org. as communications
director. I sprung for the Google answers myself or I would have been
more generous. But I may just be back for more of something.

Your organization is most impressive!

I didn't know Bryan Adams had moved to CT. He's an outspoken
environmentalist (a few years back he staged a "Concert for the
Environment"), and he's involved with GreenPeace:
See:
http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/prgs/obc/1990/1990_BAdams.htm
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?CFID=807745&CFTOKEN=37612527&SitekeyParam=A-N

Arthur Miller is as well-known for his human rights activism as he is
for his plays. I couldn't get a hit on him when I searched for him
with respect to environmental issues, but that doesn't mean he's not
worth trying!

Amy Brenneman of "Judging Amy" grew up in Hartford. (Her mother was a
judge in Hartford, providing the blueprint for that series.) Even
though she doesn't live in CT anymore (as far as I know), she may well
be interested in promoting such a great cause in her home state.

John Ratzenberger of "Cheers" is from CT -- I think from Bridgeport --
and remains very loyal to New England. (His "Made In America" series
on the Travel Channel features lots of New England businesses.)
Ratzenberger is also an environmentalist, so is worth contacting. See:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781739.html
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/nov.99/art07.html

Good luck! I miss CT very much and am glad to know there are people
working hard to keep my home state beautiful & ecologically healthy!

nancylynn-ga

Sorry, I gave you the wrong link for actor John Ratzenberger earlier.
(That first link just confirms he's from Bridegport. I was sure I'd
heard him mention Bridgeport as his hometown during his "Made In
America" show, just a few weeks ago.)

Ratzenberger co-founded a company called Ecopack:
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1G1:10742270&refid=ink_d4&skeyword=&teaser=
which manufactures "environmentally safe packing material."

So, he may be an especially promising lead.

For your records, my executive director said Judging Amy (Brenneman)'s
father, Russel L Brenneman is also an outspoken environmentalist. I
think he lives in Westport?

Russell Brenneman is a member of the board of the "Connecticut League
of Conservation Voters":
http://www.ctlcv.org/boardbios.htm
"Russell Brenneman is an environmental lawyer who has been involved in
land conservation and environmental issues in Connecticut for more
than thirty years. He helped organize several of the earliest
community land trusts, drafted the legislation enabling conservation
easements in this state and chaired the Connecticut Greenways
Committee that was the precursor of the Greenways Council. . . ."

This E Online bio of Amy Brenneman lists lawyer Russell Brenneman as her father:
http://www.eonline.com/On/Revealed/Shows/Brenneman/bio.html