• CATE BLANCHETT

The always-original actress has been on an fire lately, nabbing a Gold Globe Award, as well as an Oscar nod, for her portrayal of another original – songwriter Bob Dylan — while simultaneously receiving an Oscar nomination for her lead in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.

Photo: Sydney Theatre Company

The sun is shining brightly in her Hollywood world. But also in Sydney, where the fair-haired actress and solar-energy proponent is making equally bold inroads on the boards: Blanchett and her playwright husband, Andrew Upton, are greening up the Sydney Theatre Company, having taken joint rein as artistic directors of the venerable company in January. The couple hope to make it the first fully green building on Sydney Harbor but have not released a finishing date.

Blanchett has another connection to the Sydney theater – her 1993 role of Felice Bauer in the play “Kafka Dances” won her the theater’s Newcomer Award. But, now firmly ensconced in her administrative role at the 30-year-old theater (considered Australia’s top one), Blanchett has reported that the STC’s “greenovation” plans are underway,with the first stage being to install solar power and start a rainwater collection/recycling system.

According to husband and partner Upton, at the time of the announcement in late 2006, “We intend to initiate discussions with companies with the aim of making the building self-sufficient … This would ideally generate enough power to do a whole season off the grid. This would be the first theater in the world to do that.”

In addition to their involvement with STC, the couple’s house in a posh Sydney suburb was renovated recently to incorporate a recycled water system, solar panels and energy-efficient lighting. Also, Blanchett, like Leonardo DiCaprio, was one of the first A-list’ers to be seen driving a Toyota Prius.

As she told British Marie Claire reporters in the magazine’s June “Eco-Chic” issue, “As I see it, there’s no greater challenge we face as a species than dealing with climate change and its effects.”

Even before the current, high-profile green-ovations, the 38-year-old was a voice and volunteer for Solar AID, a nonprofit that takes solar power to the poorest regions in the world, and last year, she was the spokesperson for “Earth Hour,” a one-hour period on March 31 starting at 7:30 p.m., during which Sydney residents were asked to turn off all their lights.

Promoting the event on news and radio stations, the actress urged her fellow residents to join the fight against global warming. (As it happened, 2.5 million residents and 2,100 business threw the switch, reducing Sydney’s energy use by 10 percent. This year, on March 29, Earth Hour attracted participants from more than 24 countries, including several U.S. cities; see GreenRightNow’s post-Earth Hour report.)
But the actress also shows her tough, upstart side when it comes to the challenge of saving the planet. Blanchett told “Elle” magazine, which recognized her in its 2008 Elle Green Awards, “it’s a sad and sorry day when the environment has to become groovy before people pay attention to it!”

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

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