Jack Nicholson Says We Need To Move To Big Solar. Now.

by Michael dEstries December 21, 2007
Categories: People
Tags: jack nicholson.

It’s not often that Jack Nicholson does interviews. As it is, the guy only agrees to make one film per year. His annual entry this year is The Bucket List — a film about two guys (Morgan Freeman plays the other lead) with terminal cancer that decide to do everything they ever wanted to do before they kick it.

Nicholson launches into some pretty clever answers on everything concerning politics, oil, and solar energy. Here are some highlights:

On why he has not been politically active since George McGovern’s 1972 campaign?

“I wanted to do solar energy. I wanted to legalize drugs versus the terrorist problem, which I was aware of in the ’70s. Because where else are they getting illegal money at that level?
Enforce the monopoly laws of the Constitution they’re so proud of, which would have eliminated Enron and the interlocking directorate of conglomeration. Double teacher salaries. Find a way to liase from a personnel point of view between the military and the domestic police. These are all non-starters, what they call in politics. My position as a whippersnapper was ‘hey, any of you people relate to any one of these issues, I’ll know you’re seriously interested in fundamental change. Until you do, I’m not interested in pie-baking contests.’”

On moving the country to solar energy and the influence of big oil:

“How do they talk about these small increments of energy conservation when we burn 60 per cent of the gas at stop signs and traffic lights?” Solar electricity is the only thing that can make an impact on this problem. It’s too big. We don’t have the ability to generate the electricity, to convert, unless we go to big solar. It’s an engineering problem, it’s not a scientific problem. There is no momentum for solar electricity because of the powerful oil industry’s ability to set the scientific and political agenda.

There’s nobody in the field, no teachers, where their livelihood is not dependent in some way on petroleum grants. And I’m not vilifying the petroleum industry right now. … Fact of the matter is, say there is an evil genius. Every day that whatever the petroleum interest is keeps this from being understood, that man is doing his job to the tune of whatever they make every day.”

via Canadian Press

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

View all posts by Michael dEstries →

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david

100% agreement. Our politics are a joke and no one is really tearing into the issues like they need to – but we also don’t have a real forum to have the debate we need to have to let people know what their choices are.
http://www.rockthereactors.com RemyC

Jack rules… there’s a video on YouTube of Jack pitching a hydrogen car, and that was back in 1978!!! His chapter in Don Henley’s book to raise money for Walden Woods, Heaven Is Under Our Feet, was all about photovoltaics. Sadly, Henley, never understood what he had… Never “worked” it… dropped the ball. Jack is right, he expresses the feelings of too many out there, who let the whole lot of us work our tails off trying to get a movement in gear, and now that it’s full green steam ahead, hey… they want to join the dance… but it’s Jack… so of course we’re going to say OK… point is, will he sit down with us, be brought up to speed, so his steppin in doesn’t break our stride, derail everything?
http://www.roanakh.com/ Krishna

Sure politics is the 500 pound gorrila in the way and Oil companies want to keep their dominance but there are other ground realties that need to change – Cheaper PV panels through new technology, more education on designing these systems, more products in the market using these technologies, alternative services and options (businesses) for ex a rental car company that only rents hybrids or electric cars and let us not forget we are a capitalist democracy where these are possible without the support of the government or the oil companies.

Jack – you have the money and the public stature to start something like Newman’s Own only now Jack’s electric cars or Jack’s home energy systems. Why not before the bucket time arrives?

Krishna
http://www.roanakh.com
http://mosovillage.com Timothy Ivory

Because the reality of the power of the oil companies is a bit depressing is not an excuse to not be involved with politics.
It is a voluntary effort..but to wait for celebrities to lead the charge is as lazy as the celebrities themselves. So because Jack Nicholson chooses to kickback should not be a reason for the rest to do so. I think ecorazzi does a good job of playing up who is involved and is not dogmatic if a celebrity chooses to be involved in a private manner.

I think we need to create more cooperative ventures that are not eco-ego trips but grameen bank style projects that start at the grass roots and are based on economic necessities such as housing.
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