Shut Your Mouth!

13 badass greens 17

Think people who love the planet are all wimps and weenies? Think again. Here are thirteen who are giving green a bad reputation—in a good way. Read on to learn more about these Mother-lovers—and leave your own nominations in the comments section below.

Alberto OrtegaTraining day.Beige Luciano-Adams/ELLA13. Homeboy Industries. With the tagline “Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job,” you know these homeboys aren’t messing around. Thanks to an ambitious job-training program that includes solar-panel installation, the former East L.A. gang members are slashing energy use instead of each other.  “I wanted a new way of life,” says ex-convict Albert Ortega. “Solar puts me on the cutting edge.” Can we get that on a tattoo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonds at rallyBonds rallies support for her mountain home.OHVEC 12. Judy Bonds. It takes a badass to take on Big Coal, and Judy Bonds is doing it. The daughter of a coal miner and a self-described “hillbilly,” Bonds has gained international notoriety for her tough bituminous talk. It’s all an effort to protect her native West Virginia from the mountaintop removal practice she says turned her home into a “war zone.”

 

 

 

El Hijo del SantoHe wrestles with his conscience.11. El Hijo del Santo. This Mexican wrestler may hide his face with a silver mask, but he makes no secret of his intentions when it comes to the environment. As spokes-hero for the nonprofit WildCoast (CostaSalvaje), El Hijo del Santo is packing a world of hurt for the ocean’s enemies. Watch out, polluters—you don’t want to endure the Tope de Cristo.

 

 

 

 

Isa Chandra MoskowitzThe Isa-ing on the cake.eight double via flickr10. Isa Chandra Moskowitz. This vegan-punk chef is taking over the world—one decadent, dairy-free delicacy at a time.  As an author and co-founder of the cooking show Post Punk Kitchen, Moskowitz is bringing mainstream audiences two flavors of badassery for the price of one. But will punk officially be dead when The Man starts baking vegan cupcakes?

 

 

 

 

CoolioGlobal Coolio-ing.9. Coolio. When the rapper toured historically black colleges and universities to throw down the truth about climate impacts last year, he was fully armed—with stats. But earlier this year, Coolio made headlines by denying the reality of anthropogenic climate change. “The earth’s been doing this for millenniums,” he puffed on Celebrity Big Brother. Oh Coolio—stop blowing smoke up our ass.

 

 

 

wind mafiaAn offer you can’t refuse.8. Wind farm mafia. Looks like the garbage biz is yesterday’s news: a leading mafia family got busted in a Sicilian wind-turbine scheme earlier this spring, leading to a major investigation into fraudulent power-selling practices. Translation: There was no wind in their sales.

 

 

 

 

John FettermanThat’s Mr. Mayor John to you.thecapsolution.org7. John Fetterman. The mayor of Braddock, Penn., is a big, bald, tattooed badass. Who just happens to have a heart of gold. “Mayor John,” as he’s known, is reinventing this downtrodden steel town in Pittsburgh’s shadow—and getting the word out about proactive climate and energy solutions. Yeah, that’s right, he’ll carbon cap your ass.

 

 

 

 

EPA officersJust the flax, ma’am.EPA.gov6. EPA Criminal Investigation Division. Didn’t know the EPA had a Most Wanted list, did you? Didn’t know the agency tracked and shot its first eco-fugitive earlier this year, did you? The EPA: Not just for prairie grasses anymore.

 

 

 

Ah-noldGrr.5. Ah-nold. Yes, he’s the most overreported “unexpected environmentalist” of the new millennium. But how could we make this list and leave him out? We know what lies beneath the fancy suits, Arnold. Once a badass, always a badass.

 

 

 

 

Diane WilsonWho you callin’ shrimp?Texas Gold4. Diane Wilson. A fourth-generation shrimper who captained her own boat, Wilson turned activist when she found out her Texas county was the most polluted in the country. The self-dubbed “unreasonable woman” took on Gulf Coast manufacturers, wrote a book about it, and hasn’t stopped fighting since.

 

 

 

 

Jess YenHis dedication is permanent.mytats.com3. Jess Yen. This award-winning southern California tattoo artist has a yen for influencing people’s perspectives on green issues. Amidst the tat-samples on his site, he dedicates some ink to educating clients about climate change—and gives 10 reasons to go vegetarian. “As an individual or an eco-tattoo artist,” he told one interviewer, “I do what I can every day to cherish and conserve the sacred resources.”

 

 

 

 

Ted KulongoskiDon’t let the grandfatherly smile fool you: Ted is tough.governor.oregon.gov2. Ted Kulongoski. Sure, he looks like a gentle 69-year-old who merely “cares” about climate legislation, state parks, sustainable housing, and tailpipe regulations. But the governor of Oregon, whose second term ends next year, has a storied past that includes stints as a Marine, truck driver, bricklayer, and steelworker.  On top of that, he was raised by nuns—so you know he’s got a tough hide.

 

 

 

 

Leilani MunterMunter puts it best: “Never underestimate a vegetarian hippie chick with a racecar.”NextEra Energy1. Leilani Munter. Stunt double? Check. Race car driver? Check. Biologist and conservation activist? Uh, OK. Munter doesn’t mess around when it comes to the environment: she hopes to educate racing’s 100 million racing fans about green living, serves as an ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation, has testified on Capitol Hill, and wants to convince her industry to use more alternative fuels. Says this CarbonFreeGirl: “Just because you’re green ... doesn’t mean you can’t be fast.”

 

 


This badass list was created by Ashley Braun and Katharine Wroth.

 

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  1. mnfox Posted 10:29 am
    10 Jun 2009

    Munter's job is to waste gasoline for entertainment. It doesn't matter how many offsets she buys after each race, her actual profession consists of creating useless carbon emissions. How the hell does that earn her a place on this list, let alone the #1 spot?

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    1. dtrom4 Posted 10:56 am
      10 Jun 2009

      I agree - clearly words (and a pretty face) speak louder than actions.
      And not that everbody who cares has to devote their working life to savings the environment, but this is indicitive of a disconnect in our culture, and something the green community is going to face a lot more as it becomes more mainstream.

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    2. gristle Posted 3:20 pm
      10 Jun 2009

      As someone who was very involved in motorsports as well as environmentally aware the entire time I can tell you that many of the innovations that have come about to make motors high performance while much more fuel efficient have come from the proving grounds of racing. There have been innumerable other discoveries as well such as light-weight yet strong material use (think kevlar) and safety improvements. What I saw being used in rally and racing cars years ago are in the cars of today. There's much more to the sport than just guzzling gas.

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      1. mnfox Posted 3:30 pm
        10 Jun 2009

        No, there is no more to the "sport" than gas-guzzling. The whole entire object of racing is to go as fast as possible, which equates to burning as much gas as possible. If all of our innovations come from motorsports, why aren't there any hybrid or battery-powered cars on the race tracks? How come there are no fuel cells out there? These are all innovations in consumer automobiles, so how'd they skip the motorsport vehicles if all of the innovations we have come from motorsports??

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      2. gristle Posted 8:57 pm
        10 Jun 2009

        For some reason I can't reply to MNFOX's reply to me but I certainly did not go into absolutes of "ALL" anywhere in my comment nor are "all" races just gas powered. But I wouldn't expect someone who sees motorsports as nothing more than gas-guzzling to know that. Can't see the forest for the blinders on the eyes. Of course, once battery/electric and fuel cell powered cars become competitive (and they will) they too will be raced in the top events that get the most attention. It's the human competitive nature that supports blue ribbons, trophy shops and contests of all kinds. Until then I doubt MNFOX would do without the benefits on cars that have come from motorsports.

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    3. Spence's avatar

      Spence Posted 6:52 pm
      10 Jun 2009

      How about the TTXGP, the electric motorcycle race running this weekend on the Isle of Man? My guess is that electric race cars are going to be the next big thing. Electric motors are ideal for racing, with their fully available torque and instant responsiveness. Think of how fast a remote control car moves when you consider the scale. Racing will undoubtedly contribute a lot of valuable research to electric car development in the future. If you've ever been to a NASCAR or open-wheel race, you know how polluting they are, and I think racing fans will imbrace fume-free racing.

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      1. splashy's avatar

        splashy Posted 2:45 am
        18 Jun 2009

        "My guess is that electric race cars are going to be the next big thing.
        Electric motors are ideal for racing, with their fully available torque
        and instant responsiveness. Think of how fast a remote control car
        moves when you consider the scale. Racing will undoubtedly contribute a
        lot of valuable research to electric car development in the future. If
        you've ever been to a NASCAR or open-wheel race, you know how polluting
        they are, and I think racing fans will imbrace fume-free racing."That's what I was thinking. I remember seeing some racers driving the Tesla and them being very impressed with it's performance. In fact, we may see some of the best innovations coming from the racing world. They have the drive, the money, and incentive.

        Gee,  I might even be interested in racing if they go all electric, with no fumes and far less noise. It could open up a whole new expanded fan base! I can see it now: yuppies, hippies, rednecks, etc. all cheering them on. :-)

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  2. mobi Posted 11:12 am
    10 Jun 2009

    I'll have to agree. I don't see how someone can be seriously green andbe employed by the race car industry.

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  3. rebecca@urbansherp Posted 2:20 pm
    10 Jun 2009

    How was Paul Watson, founder of Greenpeace and captain of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Steve Irwin, left off of this list?? His commitment to protecting the lives of whales is inspiring not to mention insane.

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  4. gristle Posted 3:11 pm
    10 Jun 2009

    Okay, I'm sure there are a lot of other "badass" greens out there but may I suggest an honorable mention go to Dave Dahl of Dave's Killer Bread.http://www.daveskillerbread.com/story.shtml (goes to a video) And YAY! for choosing Isa! I was just thinking last night about what a dynamo she is. Such fab food (the new "Vegan Brunch" book is sitting here waiting for me to dive in and drool).

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  5. everydaydan Posted 10:14 am
    11 Jun 2009

    Leilani Munter. Stunt double? Check. Race car driver? Check. Biologist and conservation activist? Uh, OK. Munter doesn’t mess around when it comes to the environment:
    she hopes to educate racing’s 100 million racing fans about green
    living, serves as an ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation,
    has testified on Capitol Hill, and wants to convince her industry to
    use more alternative fuels. Says this CarbonFreeGirl: “Just because you’re green ... doesn’t mean you can’t be fast.”My first reaction to Leilani being included was "a race car driver?" but on second thought I think she is in the top three at least. For one she is being an environmentalist in her life and career which is hard for most people to do. Second, she has decided to fight for the environment from within the ranks which is generally more powerful than someone (a non-racer) trying to tell 100,000,000 viewers that what they are watching is a blight on the climate. Seriously, how many of you hikers, bikers, climbers, skiiers, etc. drive a lot of miles to take part in your activities anyway? Third, the woman is a stunt double...that's pretty tough. Fourth, she is the first person racing that may be the environmentalists way into car racing. If we want it to switch to electric or some other form in the future we should be sending her email to that effect and CC'ing NASCAR! Congrats to Leilani the badass environmentalist car racer:)

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  6. Fern Posted 12:08 pm
    11 Jun 2009

    To the editors - please correct the link associated with Diane Wilson's entry on this list. You have linked to the website of a very different author who just happens to share Diane's name. The correct link for this particular Diane Wilson should be http://www.chelseagreen.com/authors/diane_wilson. Thank you for making the correction!

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    1. Ashley Braun's avatar

      Ashley Braun Posted 3:59 pm
      11 Jun 2009

      Fern, thanks for bringing this egregious mis-linking to our attention. We've made the fix on Diane Wilson's entry; many thanks!

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  7. Nicole1 Posted 6:21 pm
    11 Jun 2009

    I agree that  Paul Watson, Greenpeace co-founder and captain of the 'Steve Irwin' should have been at the top.Not a very well thought out list.

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  8. Battery Boy Posted 4:36 pm
    12 Jun 2009

    Regarding using pure electric vehicles for racing, check out the National Electric Drag Racing Association at:www.nedra.comAs a former gas drag racer, when I got into pure electrics ten years ago and did my own conversion of an infernal combustion vehicle, I switched to drag racing electric vehicles (EV's). And when I think about who would have made the list of badass greens from NEDRA, I'm thinking Roderick Wild Man Wilde. Check out his website at:www.suckamps.comHe was spanking Dodge Vipers with his Maniac Mazda EV years ago, prior to the Gone Postal project that he did for the Discovery Channel. And as our tattoos say:Suck Amps,Battery Boy

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  9. Toxic Avenger Posted 9:00 am
    16 Jun 2009

    The fuel wasted in the race cars is a drop in the bucket compared to that wasted by the hundreds of thousands of fans driving to the events. 

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  10. Storm Dragon Posted 1:38 pm
    17 Jun 2009

    I strongly agree that Paul Watson should have been on this list, and I would also like to put in a good word for Dave Forman, (founder of Earth First!), Doug Peacock, (Vietnam veteran, friend of bears, and the model for "Hayduke" in Edward Abbey's novels), Judy Ackerman, Julia Butterfly Hill, Darryl Cherney, the late Judi Bari and David Chain, (activists who risked inprisonment, violence, and death while attempting to protect wild places and wild things), and the late Edward Abbey (need I say more?).
        John Muir was no wimp, either.  This was a man who could take delight in a magnitude 8 earthquake, while everyone around him was scared spitless.

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