With "green consciousness" taking over Hollywood, we used FundRace to unearth the political contributions of pro-environment celebrities. From eco-chic vegan Alicia Silverstone to the super-sustainable Martha Stewart (just named by Tree Hugger as "The Next Martha Stewart of the Green Movement"), their save-the-earth stands vary somewhat, but it comes as no surprise that they are overwhelmingly supporting Democrats in 2008.
In 2004 Silverstone put her money where her mouth is supporting fellow vegan Dennis Kucinich with $500, but we're still waiting to see who she'll support in 2008. Stewart went classically Clinton with a $4,600 contribution, while Ed Norton put $2,300 on Obama. Paul Newman was the hedger on our list, distributing big bucks between several Dems: $4,600 to Obama, $4,600 to Clinton, $2,500 to Dodd, and $2,300 to Richardson.
Of all the celebrities who participated in Live Earth, Zach Braff is the only one to back a candidate so far: he wrote a $2,300 check to Obama. Perhaps fellow concert participants Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Bacon, Petra Nemcova, and Rosario Dawson are holding out for Al Gore...
One eco-celebrity exception we found: Kelsey Grammer, who contributed $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.
And what about your average green citizen, the people who aren't stalked by paparazzi when they take their recycling to the curb or who compost in total obscurity? Where do their political donations go? We looked at the greenest cities in America, ranked by Yahoo as part of their "Be A Better Planet" challenge.
Yahoo's top spot went to Hastings, Nebraska. The city's current green initiatives include conversion of methane to energy, ethanol E85 production, a network of parks and hiking and biking trails, and energy-efficient street lighting. Hastings may have legitimate eco-cred, but the pick is still a bit surprising. After all, Hastings is the birthplace of Kool-Aid, and the small town with lofty green ideals sits in a very red state. Indeed, a FundRace search of the 5 greenest cities on Yahoo's list turned up lots of red. The majority of donations in three of the top five went to Republican donors.
1.Hastings, Nebraska$4,150 total75% (or $3100) of that money has gone to Republicans
2. Pelzer, South CarolinaNo donations yet for 2008, but in '04, 100% of donations from Pelzer -- $4,880 --went to Republicans
3. San Carlos, California $63,146 total39% ($24,700) to Republicans
4. Mill Valley, California 94941 $254, 268 total 16% ($42,600) to Republicans
5. Topeka, Kansas $66,336 total 92% ($61,234) to Republicans
See who is bankrolling the 2008 Presidential election. Search by name or street address to see the cash donations and political leanings of your boss, neighbors, relatives, friends, and favorite celebrities.http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com