BY AMANDA GRISCOM LITTLE
27 Apr 2005

愛德華•諾頓（照片提供：美國公共電視台）

　　提到愛德華•諾頓，就會聯想到他演出過的新納粹分子光頭佬、精力充沛的神父、浪漫主義者、賴瑞佛林特的辯護律師（1997情色風暴）、以及尼爾森洛克菲勒（揮灑烈愛）。但是他還有一個很少公開而且每天扮演的角色──站在再生能源運動最前線、徹底的環保人士！

　　在2003年，諾頓與石油業巨擘兼首要太陽能板製造商BP公司合作發展「太陽能村計畫」，目標是為洛杉磯的低收入家庭裝設太陽光電板。諾頓也為此展現了巨星的能耐，號召影劇圈好友布萊德•彼特、莎瑪•海耶克（Salma Hayek）以及丹尼•狄維托（Danny DeVito）等人支持這項計畫。在計畫的第一個年度就成功募得資源，為市區低收入住宅區裝設了大量的太陽能設備。

　　諾頓現在正開始他的第一個生態主題媒體計畫──擔任國家地理雜誌紀錄片「全球異象」（Strange Days on Planet Earth）的解說員。「全球異象」分為四集播出，紀錄全球性的駭人環境現象，最後一集在4月27日晚間於公共電視頻道（PBS）播出。諾頓與Grist相約在他布拉格的飯店中，談論他令人印象深刻的環保血統、對於布希政府的憤慨、他景仰的人以及自己的缺點。那時諾頓正為新片「幻影者」（The Illusionist）拍外景。

問：在「全球異象」當中接觸環境議題的方式有哪些是您覺得有趣的呢？

答：我對於全球的生物生態是真正一體的議題感到印象非常深刻。有一句老話說：「蝴蝶在中國揮舞翅膀，可以讓非洲產生颶風。」影片以N象限來探索這個概念，展現出科學越來越能精確得證明我們是如何的緊密牽連著。自我們第一次從太空中拍攝到地球的影像已過了35年，我非常驚訝大多數人仍然對於地球圈是一體相連的概念一無所知。

問：請告訴我們關於您與BP企業的太陽能計畫，與取得太陽能板安裝在洛杉磯低收入家庭的過程。

答：我兄弟跟我當時正在尋找太陽能發電器材，想要安裝在我洛杉磯的家中，我們非常驚訝的發現，州及市政府提供的補助很高，在財務上相當合理，並能在長期為你省錢。我祖父在1970年代後期創辦了「企業基金會」（Enterprise Foundation），是國內最大的非營利平價住宅開發者，我和他們一起工作過，同時也因此瞭解到，最無法負擔太陽能發電設備支出的家庭，卻能從這項科技得到最大幫助。

諾頓（中）在他的住家屋頂研究BP太陽能系統（照片提供：BP太陽能村計畫）

問：所以你說服BP捐贈太陽能設備給平價住宅發展計畫？

答：我為自己設定了一個目標，希望能得到足夠數量的太陽能板給洛杉磯密集住宅區的低收入家庭安裝。然後我到BP公司提案：如果我們可以發動名流仕紳、公眾人物購買BP太陽能發電系統安裝在他們家中，每購買一套希望他們公司能同步捐贈一套系統給低收入家庭。他們真的接受了這個提案，開啟名為「太陽能村」的計畫。我們期望能得到一個整理過的資料庫，可以追蹤各安裝用戶的經濟及環境的受惠程度。

　　在過去，市府為了滿足低收入社區的尖峰用電需求而加蓋發電廠，我們想要證明，如果可以降低對電網電力的需求，那我們就可以減少尖峰用電電廠的運作，它們的噪音跟空氣污染都非常嚴重。

Edward Norton.（Photo: WGBH）

  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 show-biz 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 airs tonight on PBS. Norton spoke with Grist 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.

Q: What was interesting to you about the way Strange Days on Planet Earth approaches environmental issues?

A: 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.

Q: Tell us about the solar project you put together with BP to help get PV installations on low-income homes in Los Angeles.

A: 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.

Norton (center) learning about the BP solar system on his roof. (Photo courtesy of BP Solar Neighbors Program)

Q: So you convinced BP to donate solar to affordable housing developments?

A: 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.

答：在2004年11月我們慶祝計畫滿週年了。我同行友人中已參與計畫的有丹尼•狄維托、瑞爾．皮爾曼（Rhea Pearlman）、布萊德．彼特、莎瑪•海耶克、黛瑞•漢娜（Daryl Hannah）以及艾莉西亞•席薇史東（Alicia Silverstone），他們來參加活動並與已經安裝系統的家庭一起聚會。第一年我們就有約25套系統安裝在各家庭中，並且使我們約擁有50萬美金的經費可以給四、五十戶人家安裝此系統。現在有越來越多的人加入。布魯斯．威利打電話來說他要安裝在加勒比海的家中，賴利•金（Larry King）也同意加入此計畫。我們也想吸引好萊塢以外的人，例如廣電人士、政治人物、運動明星以及音樂家等，我希望能引起雪球效應。

太陽能村計畫慶祝會：（左起）艾德•貝格利（Ed Begley Jr.），丹尼．狄維托，莎瑪•海耶克，布萊德．彼特，愛德華．諾頓，瑞爾．皮爾曼（Rhea Pearlman）以及黛瑞漢娜。（照片提供：BP太陽能村計畫）

問：據我所知，您父親在中國擔任自然保育協會（Nature Conservancy）一項專案計畫的執行長，您的兩位兄弟姊妹也投入環境工作。

答：我父親在中國執行自然保育協會的「雲南河川保育計畫」已經五年了。在成長過程中，他是一個超級戶外愛好者；而1980年代期間，美國荒野協會（Wilderness Society）與當時的內政部長詹姆斯•瓦特（James Watt）對抗時，他也是該會公共政策的領導人，他讓我跟我的兄妹們在很小的時候就參與環境政策。我的姊妹得到蒙特利學院國際環境政策研究學士學位，我的兄弟則是專業的導遊，並且帶過大峽谷以及其他地方的泛舟行程非常非常多次，他現正參與愛達荷河流聯合會（Idaho Rivers United），並且非常努力的投入愛達荷的鮭魚復育議題。我們都正在參與不同面向的環境工作當中。(待續) (2005-06-29)

A: We had our first-year celebration back in November. My colleagues and friends who had participated in the program -- Danny DeVito, Rhea Pearlman, Brad P itt, 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.

A Solar Neighbors celebration: (from left) Ed Begley Jr., Danny DeVito, Salma Hayek, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Rhea Pearlman, and Daryl Hannah. (Photo courtesy of BP Solar Neighbors Program)

Q: I understand that your dad is director of a Nature Conservancy project in China, and both of your siblings are involved in environmental work.

A: My father has been in China for five years directing the Nature Conservancy's Yunnan Great Rivers conservation project. Growing up, he was a big outdoor enthusiast, and head of public policy for The Wilderness Society in the '80s fighting all of those battles against James Watt. He engaged me and my siblings in environmental policy from a very early age. My sister got her graduate degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in environmental policy. My brother is a professional guide and has run whitewater trips through the Grand Canyon and elsewhere many, many times. He's on the board of Idaho Rivers United and working very hard on the salmon-recovery issue up in Idaho. So we're all involved in different aspects of these issues.　

■有關Grist Magazine：Grist Magazine是一線上環境雜誌，總部設在美國西雅圖。Grist Magazine嘗試以詼諧、幽默的角度來切入環境議題與行動，希望能在傳遞環境資訊之餘，也能夠娛樂讀者。

■本系列專訪中對答的部份，（）內的文字表示為原作者自行補充，以補足受訪者的談話內容。（Grist註）表示為Grist編輯群所加上的註解。（編按）表示為本報編輯部註解。