This Saturday, Woody Harrelson will become Dr. Harrelson as York University in Toronto bestows an honorary Doctorate on the actor for his work with environmental issues. “Mr. Harrelson’s understanding of why we each need to reduce our ecological footprint is authentic, and his efforts to inspire others to grasp and act on this concept provide an object lesson for those of us who teach,” said Prof. Dawn Bazely, director of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability at York.

In response to hearing the news that he had been selected for the honor, Harrelson at first thought they had the wrong guy. Upon double-checking, however, he told Toronto’s The Star that “it means more than any award or accolade I’ve received.”

To be sure, Harrelson’s environmental record is impressive, but he thinks the award is more about discipline than anything else. “I don’t consider myself much of a role model at all. The reason they’re giving me this doctorate has to do with my getting ahold of a principle that I believe in and sticking to it,” he said. “Otherwise, I can’t think of any other aspect that I would even want my own children, much less other people’s children, to follow.”

Reaction to the honor has ranged from disapproval to applause — with one fellow Phd-holder saying that the actor has earned it. “I have an PhD too – earned through blood, sweat, and tears (from an Ivy league university to boot, if that means anything to all you mudslingers) – and in no way do I feel like this diminishes the value of a “real” PhD. He just earned it in a different way. It’s not really fair to criticize his honorary degree just because he of his economic or celebrity status; from what I gather, he earned (vs. won or inherited) his fame and fortune too.”

Check out pics of Woody at the premiere of his latest flick Zombieland below.

via The Star and CBC News

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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.

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