Champion featured left wing celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Cameron Diaz, and Leonardo DiCaprio. ABC even hired DiCaprio in 2000 to interview former President Clinton on the subject for an Earth Day special. Champion featured Will Dana, the editor-at-large for the far-left publication Rolling Stone. After the report, co-host Diane Sawyer, thrilled about all of the celebrity activism, exclaimed, "They say, why not turn [publicity] into some good purpose if we can?" The entire transcript is below.
Diane Sawyer: "Speaking of trends, celebrities are leading the way on another front."
Sam Champion: "Well, yesterday we told you about ways at home that you can kind of work toward saving the planet and kind of stop using electricity and kind of help the greenhouse gas situation. And there are some new names who are joining the cry to fix global warming. Does the name Brad Pitt mean anything to you? How about Cameron Diaz? And for actor Edward Norton, caring about the planet is actually in his family's business. We've heard some of the world's top leaders [pictures of Al Gore, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Tony Blair] acknowledge the very real issue of global warming. But now, a young, elite, and very sexy group is joining the cry."
Orlando Bloom: "The environment is important to all of us."
Cameron Diaz: "Every single human being on the planet depends on having fresh water, clean air, and clean soil."
Brad Pitt: "We have to address this, especially as we see the changes in climate."
Edward Norton: "I think clearly the state of our environmental instability is, is the defining issue for our generation."
Champion: "Global warming and the environment. Edward Norton is just one of Hollywood's hottest tackling what some say is the most important role of his life. For Norton, you could say his passion is in his blood. He's from a family of environmentalists. His latest film, The Painted Veil, is set in the lush regions of China. A nod to his father who founded China's first large scale conservation movement."
Norton: "My engagement with these things is pretty much rooted in my father's engagement."
Champion: "Closer to home, Norton is continuing that family tradition with his own non-profit: BP Solar Neighbors. Here, celebrity really pays off. Helping home owners like Omar Muhammed in south central L.A. You see, each time a celebrity buys a solar powered system for their own home, another is donated to a deserving family like Muhammed's."
Omar Muhammed: "It was just too costly. It was way above our means to do it. So we are thankful for Edward Norton to give us the opportunity to role model what it is that gives sustainable energy in our community."
Champion: "This work proving that for concerned celebrities, their interest is more than just a hunt for PR."
Diaz: "If you want to be, you know, thoughtful about it and you want people to, you know, really not just go for the trend. That you don't want people to just jump on board only because at this moment it's popular. You want people to really invest in it."
Champion: "So practicing what they preach is critical. Cameron Diaz drives her own hybrid car. Leonardo DiCaprio produces TV programs on the environment. And Brad Pitt is helping environmental group Global Green rebuild hurricane ravaged New Orleans, green style."
Pitt: "A building that didn't pollute its environment that could actually provide more, more energy than it was actually consuming."
Champion: "As non-profits battle to get their message out and compete for precious dollars, groups like Global Green admit it helps to have celebrity on your side."
Matt Peterson, Global Green: "You need to be able to accomplish getting a message across really demands and requires celebrity. The, the person who's willing to step up and be a valued leader."
Champion: "Will Dana is editor-at-large for Rolling Stone magazine, which spotlights the environment as a critical issue, and he agrees: Celebrity sells this story. Why is it important to even get a celebrity involved in it?"
Will Dana, Editor-at-Large, Rolling Stone: "Leonardi DiCaprio's not going to solve the problems but, if he gets people thinking about it, understanding it, talking about it, that's good work on his part."
Champion: "And what about you? Are you talking about it? Are you already thinking about if? If you are and you have ideas, send them to us, because over the next few months we're going to be collecting new ideas to save energy and also help the planet."
Sawyer: "And you know, a lot of people in Hollywood, they have the paparazzi anyway. They have the press anyway. They say, why not turn it into some good purpose if we can?"
