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Monday, Nov 9, 2009
Outspoken enviro Edward Norton talks about the fight to take solar energy mainstream, what makes a good green movie, and "Trippin'" with fellow eco-warrior Cameron Diaz.
Apr 30, 2005 | The world has known Edward Norton as a neo-Nazi skinhead, a lusty priest, a warbling romantic, Larry Flynt's attorney, and Nelson Rockefeller. There is also a far less publicized role that Norton plays every day: a dyed-in-the-wool eco-devotee on the front lines of the renewable-energy movement.
In 2003, Norton teamed up with oil giant and leading solar-panel producer BP to develop the Solar Neighbors Program, which aims to get photovoltaic (PV) panels onto low-income homes in Los Angeles. Norton has brought star power to the cause with support from showbiz buddies including Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek and Danny DeVito, and within the first year of the program succeeded in getting resources for dozens of solar installations for inner-city families.
Norton is now starring in his first eco-themed media project as narrator of "Strange Days on Planet Earth," a four-part National Geographic documentary series chronicling scary environmental phenomena occurring on a global scale, the final episode of which aired this week on PBS. Norton spoke to us by phone from his hotel in Prague, where he is on location shooting "The Illusionist," to discuss his impressive environmental pedigree, his indignation over Bush administration policies, his heroes and his vices.
What was interesting to you about the way "Strange Days on Planet Earth" approaches environmental issues?
I was impressed with the theme that the globe is a truly integrated biological and ecological system. There's that old adage that when a butterfly beats its wings in China, it can cause a hurricane in Africa. The film explores that concept to the nth degree, showing how science is demonstrating more and more specifically just how intimately connected to each other we are. It amazes me that we got our first images of the earth from space just over 35 years ago, and still for the most part don't have a sense of the planet as a unified whole.
What part of the film best demonstrates this theme?
Take frogs, which are indicators of ecosystemic health. You might go into the film thinking, Who cares whether a frog species goes extinct or whether it's growing both kinds of sex organs, but realize that it relies on the same water system as humans do. It represents a warning sign, a signal, a symptom of a deeper systemic ailment. There could be catastrophic consequences if we continue to ignore these signals.
Tell us about the solar project you put together with BP to help get PV installations on low-income homes in Los Angeles.
My brother and I were looking into solar applications for my house in Los Angeles and were stunned to find that the subsidies available through the state and the city were substantial enough that it made good financial sense and was a way of saving money over time. I work with Enterprise Foundation, the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing in the country, which my grandfather founded in the late '70s, and realized that the people who could benefit from this technology the most are the people who can afford it the least. Arguably the benefits of subsidizing solar for low-income families -- and the radiating benefits to society of easing living expenses for these families -- are far greater than subsidizing solar for million-dollar homes.
So you convinced BP to donate solar to affordable housing developments?
I set a goal of trying to get a substantial number of solar panels onto low-income families' homes in a concentrated area of L.A. Then I went to BP and proposed that if we could round up celebrities and public figures to buy BP solar systems for their homes, the company would then donate a matching system for each purchase to a low-income family. They were really responsive to the idea, and we created a program called Solar Neighbors. What we're hoping to do is have a condensed data pool to trace economic and environmental benefits for the families.
Historically the city has built power plants to satisfy peak demand in low-income neighborhoods. We're trying to show that if you can lower demand on the grid, you reduce the likelihood of these peaker plants turning on, which are incredibly noisy and polluting.
What is the timetable for the project, and who have you gotten onboard?
We had our first-year celebration back in November. My colleagues and friends who had participated in the program -- Danny DeVito, Rhea Pearlman, Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek, Daryl Hannah, Alicia Silverstone -- came down and met with the families that have gotten systems. We got about 25 systems on families' homes in the first year, which allowed us to qualify for a $500,000 grant that will supply 40 or 50 new installations. And more people are getting involved. Bruce Willis called and wants to put an installation on his house in the Caribbean. Larry King agreed to do it. We're trying to go beyond Hollywood to bring in broadcasters, politicians, sports figures and musicians. I'm hoping for a snowball effect.
So your aim is to convince policymakers to develop more solar subsidies targeted at low-income communities, and ultimately to help to bring down the cost of solar through economies of scale?
Precisely, so that eventually it won't need subsidies. What will make a technology like solar panels cross that hump that, say, computers crossed when they went from being a novelty to something that everybody has in their family, is a function of both affordability and faith in the innovation. We're as interested in helping to lower the price as we are in demystifying the technology -- making people aware of and comfortable with it.
