Meet
the Flipsters
Conversations
on the Bridge |
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A Conversation with Daryl
Hannah
(The complete Flip interview, with only minor edits,
not found in the book)
Daryl Hannah (www.grassolean.com)
is an accomplished actress, with films such as Splash,
Blade Runner, Steel Magnolias, and Kill Bill to her
credit. More important to Ms. Hannah is her commitment
to the environment. She is a strong advocate for biodiesel,
a clean, renewable fuel alternative for cars and other
vehicles. In addition to supporting environmental
causes and projects, Daryl is a person who has already
made the flip, so we asked her how she puts her principles
into action. “I have always been fascinated
by, and felt a kinship to, people who live in harmony
with nature. But it wasn’t until I reached my
thirties that I finally realized I had all of the
tools to change my own life. It’s embarrassing
how we tend to buy what we’re sold, rather than
thinking for ourselves. Big corporations seldom have
the best – let alone long-term – interests
of the planet and humanity in mind. Yet if we use
common sense, nature has provided everything that
we need, and all we have to do is live gracefully
within it.
“I have two homes. When I’m in the Rockies
I’m not even connected to the power grid. I’m
completely self-sufficient. In California, I contribute
to the grid. Instead of bills, I receive checks from
General Electric – only a couple of dollars
sometimes – but I quite often produce more electricity
than I need. And I was able to get into a ‘neighbors
program’ when one of my solar systems was installed,
so the company also installed a free unit for a low-income
family. That was great!
“No one wants to be a slave to big corporations
and their power crises. The power went down in LA
the other day, and I didn’t even know it. I
couldn’t understand why people weren’t
returning my calls and such. I just figured everybody
was having a lazy day. I had no clue!
“I drive a 1983 El Camino Diesel, using 100
percent biodiesel. It can run on straight vegetable
oil with a small inexpensive modification and it can
run on bio-diesel, which is thinned with ethanol to
be the same viscosity as diesel so that it can run
through the engine. My car has what is called a closed-carbon
loop. The same amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted
from the tail pipe of the engine is consumed by the
plants when they’re growing, essentially causing
no new greenhouse gases. It’s basically lower
in every other particulate toxin except for one. It’s
the cleanest fuel that’s available today.”
We wouldn’t expect a movie star to hold such
strong convictions, so naturally we asked what “drove”
her to use such an alternative fuel choice. Daryl
was direct. “Obviously, we have limited fossil
fuel supplies. That’s not even negotiable. Why
rely on fossil fuels when we have sustainable energy
technology and bio-fuels? Plus, bio-fuels are made
from oil seed crops like soy, canola, rapeseed, and
mustard, so using biodiesel is a way to support American
farmers who grow these crops – and support our
economy. American farmers have been suffering for
a long time, this is a way for them to earn a decent
income and help the planet.
“The fact is that we’ve had the technology
and the ability to be able to produce cleaner burning
fuel for over 105 years. Yet our kids are still riding
on school buses that are completely poisonous. After
Rudolph Diesel’s mysterious death [he went missing
on a business trip to England and was found floating
in the English Channel] the diesel engine was converted
to run on petroleum-based products rather than vegetable
oil. So the car industry went in another direction
than the inventor of the diesel engine intended.
Rudolph Diesel really didn’t have any part in
developing the fuel that’s named after him –
just the engine.
“The diesel engine can and still does run just
fine on vegetable oil. You have to start it from a
small add-on tank of bio- or petroleum diesel, because
straight vegetable oil (SVO) is too thick to run through
a cold engine. But once it’s hot, the engine
switches over to the main tank and runs off the SVO.
“Now that biodiesel is less expensive than
gas, interest is growing rapidly. People can make
it, but I don’t advise them to because of the
chemicals involved. It’s easy to go online and
get a map of where these alternative fuels are sold.
They’re becoming more readily available. We
just opened the first B100 (100% biodiesel) truck
stop in Texas. Everyone is going to be carrying at
least a blend of something soon.”
Since Daryl is so passionate about the environment,
we asked her what she was doing to champion the cause.
“It’s ridiculous that we haven’t
been more educated about our options in this country.
People don’t realize how available the alternatives
are and how well they work. We don’t have to
give up the modern conveniences to be able to live
in harmony with nature anymore. We have all the tools
at our disposal to live however we choose. We can
paint our walls with non-toxic paints. We can have
huge refrigerators and use less energy.
“I’m doing everything I can to get information
out there. I’ve been doing some green corresponding
for Good Morning America about different issues like
the importance of shopping at local farmer’s
markets, organics, and the difference between genetically
modified foods and conventional and organic products.
Information is the key. Once people have the information,
it empowers them. I think people are hungry for it
and people are open to it more than ever before. It’s
not so much the ‘crunchy granola hippy thing’
associated with self-sufficiency anymore. It boils
down to common sense and independence and self-determination.”
We noticed that Daryl didn’t mention protest
marches. “Angry protests are understandable,
and they have their place and time,” said Daryl.
“There’s a lot we might wish we had done
differently. There are always others we could point
at and blame. But it’s ultimately demoralizing
to one’s spirit. That’s another reason
I made the changes in my own life; I just got so frustrated
and despondent looking at the big picture that I decided
to take matters into by own hands. I believe the best
way to affect change is to show what can be done.
We’re not helpless, and individual actions can
make a difference.
“More and more people are realizing these things.
I was just in the grocery store yesterday and a woman
had seen one of the segments that I did on Good Morning
America. She was taking notes and asking me all sorts
of questions because she’s going to change her
house to solar power. She was asking me what kind
of car she should buy and stuff like that. It’s
an example that people are now realizing, ‘Oh
my god, I have real options.’”
We asked Daryl if the younger generation was open
to being socially responsible? “That’s
something I’m optimistic about. I read some
articles that say the youth of today are apathetic,
and I beg to differ. The kids that I come across don’t
even question those kinds of choices, they just make
them, because to them it’s, ‘Why would
I do something else? Why wouldn’t I try to eat
healthy food or drive a fuel-efficient car so I don’t
get gouged at the fuel pump? Why would I poison the
environment?’ They’re not even trying
to be altruistic; to them it’s just straightforward
common sense.”
Indeed it is.
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The Flip, by Jared Rosen and David Rippe, illuminates
a clear path to a vibrant enlightened world where
millions of people already live and thrive. It describes
in vivid detail and real examples evidence of an upside
down world in decay and a Right Side Up world of authentic
beings bright with possibility.
The Flip is an owner’s manual for the twenty-first
century full of insights, conversations with recognized
experts, thought leaders, and visionaries, and actionable
exercises and tips you can use to begin your own personal
flip.
To read more about The Flip
and additional interviews from other luminaries, experts
and bestselling authors, please visit www.theflip.net
The Flip is available at your
local bookstore or online at
Amazon.com, Barnes
& Noble, Joseph-Beth,
and Borders.
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