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問：您對於布希政府的看法如何？
答：布希政府是有史以來最無異於罪犯的政府，尤其是在能源以及環境政策上。他們的政策意味著背叛全國民眾的權益只為了滿足企業的利益，他們脫離這個國家以及世界的脈絡，政府應該感到羞恥。至今沒有政府官員提到節能及替代能源應如同開發阿拉斯加北坡地區那樣地嚴肅及積極。
我非常困惑，為何他們持續不斷提出擴大赤字的政策──我這麼說是因為共和黨的國家安全分析師已有進步，他們以認為節約能源必須包括在國家安全計畫內；另外，同為共和黨員的阿諾史瓦辛格，也提出了美國史上最積極的太陽能源展及獎勵政策。美國已經逐漸被日本及德國迎頭趕上，快要失去潔淨能源產業的領導地位了。甚至，他們還花數十億美元發動戰爭，犧牲數千人的性命已爭奪中東油權。這真是國家的悲哀！
問：根據我之前讀到的一些專訪，您似乎對於環境運動的發展還滿樂觀的。儘管環境運動面臨許多政治上的障礙，您依然覺得樂觀嗎？
答：我想環保團體正面臨一場保衛戰以避免無可挽回的傷害發生。有些戰鬥已經失敗，但是我認為在大家想像不到的地方卻開始成功了。當然我們不能忽略那些費盡心力但依舊挫敗的結果，但是我們也不能低估日益精進的科技所蘊含的樂觀，科技是我們強而有力的盟友。
雖然在我國現在是非常嚴酷的時刻，但是我深信對於這些環保議題的急迫重要性的認知，正急速的在全球各角落擴散開來。就像傳教一般，它擁有許多年輕的信徒。
問：請問您會對於環保運動僅以白人中產階級公民為主要號召對象感到不妥嗎？
答：是的，但是假設內城或貧窮社區居民不願意或沒有能力參與環保議題，將是個天大的錯誤。我看到很多例子，洛杉磯市中心南區和我們一起工作的朋友，對於這個計畫所擁有的環保利益感非常興奮，更勝於電價的節省。
問：好萊塢能夠在推動這項運動上扮演什麼樣的角色呢？
答：這類名流文化有一些固有的行事風格，美國民眾已經非常習慣，並且感到厭煩；但是這也許是一個機會，能夠改頭換面成為大眾堅實的領袖。當環保團體正忙於抵擋每天來自立法層面的攻防戰爭時，將這些議題擴大到更加公開的層面，以贏得更多人的認同顯得非常重要。
問：你將和卡麥蓉狄亞在她的生態系列MTV節目「Trippin'」中出遊探險嗎？
答：（大笑）我還沒有接到她的邀請，但是那應該會很有趣吧。誰會不想跟卡麥蓉狄亞一起旅遊探險呢？
諾頓（左）替安得魯家爭取到太陽能系統。（照片提供：BP太陽能村計畫） |
Q: What are your thoughts about the Bush
administration? A: This
administration comes as close to criminal as any in history on issues of
energy and the environment. Their agenda adds up to complete sellout of
American public interest to corporate profit. It is to the shame of this
administration that amidst all that's going on in the country and in the
world right now, no one is saying that conservation and alternative
energy need to be as seriously and aggressively explored as drilling in
the North Slope of Alaska.
It confounds me to see them put forth completely bankrupt policies,
even as Republican national-security analysts are stepping forward and
saying energy conservation has got to be a part of our national security
plan. Even as a fellow Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is proposing
the most aggressive solar development and incentive program in the
history of the United States. Even as the United States is getting its
ass kicked by the Japanese and the Germans, who are beginning to
dominate clean-technology industries. Even as billions of dollars and
many thousands of lives are being spent to fight oil regimes in the
Middle East. It's truly a national tragedy.
Q: Based on interviews I've read, you
seem to be generally upbeat about the progress of the environmental
movement. Are you optimistic even in the face of the political barriers
the movement is facing?
A: I think the environmental community
is fighting a rearguard action to try to prevent irrevocable damage from
occurring. Some fights are being lost, but I think more than people
realize are being won. We can't overlook the fact that some of the worst
efforts are being thwarted. And we can't underestimate the optimism
inherent in the technological solutions on the rise -- technology is
becoming a powerful ally.
Even though it's a very grim time in this country, I do think the
consciousness on the pressing importance of these issues is rapidly
expanding to all corners of the globe. Like any missionary movement,
it's one that has a lot of young adherents.
Q: Does it concern you that the
environmental movement appeals primarily to a narrow, white bourgeois
constituency?
A: Yes, but it's a terrible mistake to
assume that people in inner-city or poor communities don't or can't
engage in these issues. I've seen so many examples of the people we work
with in South Central L.A. who have gotten more excited about the
environmental benefits of the program than the utility-bill savings.
Q: What role can Hollywood play in
advancing the cause?
A: There are ways that the culture of
celebrity gets used in America that are really unappealing, but it can
also be an opportunity for substantive public leadership. While the
environmental organizations are fending off assault on the day-to-day
legislative level, it's an important time for us to engage in the more
public battle to win hearts and minds on this issue.
Q: Are you going to go for an
adventure with Cameron Diaz on her eco-themed MTV show Trippin'?
A: (Laughter.) I haven't
been invited, but it sounds fun. Who wouldn't want to go on an adventure
with Cameron Diaz?
Norton (left) made it possible for the
Andrews family to get a home solar system. (Photo courtesy of BP Solar
Neighbors Program.) |
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問：「Trippin'」節目中將各種各樣不像是環保人士的人串聯在一起，像是嘻哈藝人、拉丁演員、溜冰的小孩以及鄉村搖滾歌手，似乎能夠打破大家對環保人士白人面孔、怪異行為的固有印象，並且讓環保意識能散播到各類人群中。
答：是阿，我也曾經找過像魔術強生這類的人士一起參與我們的太陽能計畫，因為他是洛杉磯低收入社區更新的精神領袖。魔術強生在這些社區號召所產生的影響力，我們可能需要花數年才能達的到。我們需要一些在他們社區有實質影響力的人士。
問：你曾經拍攝過一些與政治相關的電影--情色風暴１９９７、美國X檔案等，請問您有計畫或是有興趣拍一部與生態環境有關的電影嗎？
答：有一本引起各方討論的書，是愛德華艾比寫的的《猴子歪幫》，內容是有關一些人計畫想炸毀格林峽谷水壩以解放科羅拉多河的故事。但是我認為很難單從一個面向或單一主題來建構一個好的故事，你需要與一個歷史的大事件相關連才行。以《永不妥協》這部電影為例，它就是很標準的「大衛與葛利亞」的企業訴訟故事，並且是個環保故事。
這樣說吧，我們公司為環球電影公司拍攝電影，我們注意到一本書--《治療傷心的水牛》，這本書內容紀錄一個南達科他州乳牛牧場的主人，努力將他的大草原曠野牧場轉移成為美國水牛放牧場，用以復育美國水牛，這個故事就非常有生態環保意識。
問：請問您有使用哪些方法來減少個人的環境足跡嗎？
答：除了太陽能利用之外，我想到的是美國生活不可或缺的車輛。我住在紐約市，所以我並沒有買車，但是當我要旅行或在洛杉磯時，我會租用油電兩用車。我正在改建擴大我紐約的家，我盡量尋找使用回收及再利用的材料。我的兄弟正逼迫我試著在洛杉磯家中的花園裡降低用水量。我們竟然為了一個不是非常重要的理由而將科羅拉多河水，抽取出來噴灑在我們洛杉磯家中的草坪上，這對我來說是非常荒謬的，所以我的下一步就是試著在花園裡種植原生物種或耐旱的植物。對我來說，持續資助像是自然保育協會（Nature
Conservancy）、大峽谷信託基金（Grand Canyon Trust）、地球正義（Earthjustice）、荒野協會（Wilderness
Society）以及美國自然歷史博物館（American Museum of Natural History）等團體也是非常重要的。
問：你有沒有什麼惡習呢？
答：嗯，我常坐飛機，而且我知道坐一趟飛機從紐約到倫敦所造成的污染，相當於將五部休旅車拼命開一年的污染程度，所以我很難自處於這樣的狀況。但是我還想不到什麼方法可以解決這個問題。
問：請問您心目中有哪些環保英雄？
答：就是一些大家不太認識的，但是每天都重複做著令人難以置信的偉大工作，來對抗貪婪、保護大地。美國自然資源保護協會（NRDC）、全球綠網（Globe
Green）、大峽谷信託基金會（Grand Canyon
Trust）以及一些地區性的相關社團都充滿著這類英雄。我大學時的一個好友在地球正義（Earthjustice）擔任律師，因此我瞭解這樣終身從事奉獻工作的辛苦。這些人都正英勇的奮戰著，而不是像我這樣的人在為世界扛起重擔。
(2005-07-06)
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Q: Trippin' brings together all manner
of unlikely environmentalists -- hip-hop artists, Latino actors, skate
kids, country rockers -- and seems to be a good example of an effort to
reshape the white, geeky enviro identity and help get the green message
to a more diverse audience. A: Yes,
I've been really trying to get people like Magic Johnson involved in our
solar program because he's been such a force in the revitalization of
L.A. low-income communities. Someone like Magic can do more to raise the
profile of an effort like we're doing in those communities than I could
after years of effort. You need people with real credibility in their
own communities.
Q: You've done politically
themed movies -- The People vs. Larry Flynt, American History X. Do you
have any ideas for, or interest in, doing eco-themed feature films?
A: Well, there's the famous Edward Abbey
book The Monkey Wrench Gang that I know has been kicked around, about
some guys who make a plan to blow up the Glen Canyon Dam and release the
Colorado River. But I don't think you can construct a good story from
just an angle or an issue; you need it to touch on classic themes as
well. Erin Brockovich, for instance, was as much a David-and-Goliath
corporate-litigation story as it was an environmental story.
That said, my company produces movies for Universal and we picked up
a book called Buffalo for the Broken Heart, which is a chronicle of a
South Dakota cow rancher's efforts to transform his Great Plains ranch
into a buffalo ranch and bring it back to life, which has a very strong
environmental component.
Q: What steps have you taken
personally to lessen your environmental footprint?
A: In addition to solar, I think the car
we drive is the most fundamental choice in American life. I live in New
York, so I don't actually own a car, but when I'm traveling or in L.A. I
use car agencies that rent hybrids. I'm renovating a little extension on
my home in New York and have been exploring what's available in terms of
recycled and reused materials. My brother is hounding me to try to make
my garden around my house in L.A. less water-intensive. It's completely
absurd that we have the Colorado River getting pumped into our lawns in
Los Angeles for no good reason really, so my next step is to try a more
native-species or dry-climate garden. It's also important to me to
financially support organizations like The Nature Conservancy, the Grand
Canyon Trust, Earthjustice, The Wilderness Society, the American Museum
of Natural History.
Q: What are your vices?
A: Well, I fly a lot, and I wouldn't be
surprised if one trip on a jet plane from New York to London is the
pollution equivalent of driving five SUVs hard for a year, so that
doesn't put me in very good standing. But I haven't figured out how to
tackle that one yet.
Q: Who are your environmental heroes?
The people who don't usually get acknowledged, but are doing incredible
work day-to-day to hold the ground against forces of greed. NRDC
[Natural Resources Defense Council], Global Green, Grand Canyon Trust,
regional groups like that. One of my best friends from college is a
lawyer for Earthjustice, so I'm aware of the kind of dedication it takes
to make that your life's work. All those people are fighting very heroic
battles. It's not people like me who are doing the heavy lifting. |
