Harrison Ford: Love Affair with the Environment

deborah — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Harrison Ford doesn't just play swashbuckling action-adventure heroes. He's a real life environmental hero as well. The National Geographic website features an interview with the Indiana Jones star where he discusses how his love affair with the environment goes way back. In fact, when he's not acting Harrison is a strategic guide with Conservation International, an agency he hopes will influence major corporations in "effective" ways.

Harrison Ford also talks of:

Visiting Venezuela with his sons.
When he began his appreciation of nature.
His love of flying.
His search and rescue team.
Being in a helicopter crash.

What I like about Harrison Ford is how we don't hear about how he spends days rescuing stranded tourists or his role with Conservation International. To me, the true heroes are the ones who do their good deeds quietly without having their publicists broadcasting their exploits to the media. The low-key approach usually means they're doing what they can to make a difference and not to make the evening news or promote a movie. Yes, Harrison Ford does have a movie coming out, but his role in the conservation goes beyond Indiana Jones. In 2002 Harrison won the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School's Health and the Global Environment for his contributions to environmental causes.

Harrison Ford lives in Jackson, Wyoming on a spectacular 800-acre ranch where he can truly appreciate nature and the environment. As a former city girl I can only dream of living in what must be a wilderness filled with bird and bison and running streams. It's wonderful to be able to live one's dreams, it's unselfish to give of yourself so future generations can live theirs.

Image: PR Photos