I’ve written before about Edward Norton in my Green Celebrity series. This week, Groupon, the deal-of-the-day website, announced that it is teaming up with Norton for an Earth Day challenge.
Norton played green for the big screen (as the Incredible Hulk), but this time, the socially conscious actor is hoping this Groupon challenge will help raise funds for green causes.
Norton, who is also a U.N. Ambassador for Biodiversity, also is involved in Crowdrise, which I’ve also blogged about before. In case you missed that blog, Crowdrise is a fundraising site for charities. In addition to Norton, other celebrities such as Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Will Ferrell are involved in Crowdrise.
For the Groupon challenge, the company has promised to donate $50,000 to the top three environmental fundraising campaigns through May 15th. The top fundraiser will get $25,000 while second place will get $15,000 and third place will see a $10,000 donation to the charity.
Of the upcoming challenge and Earth Day, Norton said, “I think it’s very clear that figuring out how to live sustainably within the environmental systems that support us is the defining challenge of our era.” He also said, “Earth Day is important because it’s about waking up more people to that challenge and committing to engage in it ourselves.”
To give you an idea of what Crowdrise charities are joining the challenge, here are a few:
The Ian Somerhalder Foundation – which hopes to educate and empower people in projects that impact the environment and animals, including the areas of extinction, biodiversity, green technology, fuel transportation impact reduction, and animal cruelty.
Global Green USA – which focuses on reducing climate change, building a sustainable future, and green housing for schools and neighborhoods by working with businesses, government agencies, individuals, and other organizations.
EarthJustice – which aims to help safeguard environment including our public lands, national forests, wilderness areas, and parks as well as reduce air and water pollution.
Save the Rhinos – which is fighting to, well, save the rhinos.