JOIN USArnold in 'save climate' mode
Hollywood action hero of “Terminator” fame Arnold Schwarzenegger wants his kids to switch-off the lights when they leave their room, as this simple step -if practised by millions - would go a long way in saving the climate.
Visting India for the first time, Schwarzenegger, also a former governor of California, now wants to replicate his success in bodybuilding in environment protection.
Sharing dais with three state chief ministers of the country– Sheila Dikshit (Delhi), Tarun Gogoi (Assam) and P K Dhumal (Himachal Pradesh) – Schwarzenegger, in the national capital to attend the TERI’s Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, said his success in bodybuilding and subsequent fame as a Hollywood action hero drew people’s attention to physical fitness and spawned growth of gyms all over the world.
“Fitness was my crusade then and clean energy is now,” said the Republican governor, who launched R20, a non-profit outfit working on climate change. Asked how technology choices could influence climate change, the former “Governator” said he had two Hummers – one of the world’s most fuel guzzling vehicles – but they run on eco-friendly fuels: one on bio-fuel and another on hydrogen.
The lights in Schwarzenegger’s swimming pool and jacuzzi are not connected to grid. They are fed by a rooftop solar panel. “People will use solar power if they get it at the same price as grid power,” he told the audience.
When session moderator Terry Tamminen asked him what would he do in his personal life to save the climate and earth, Schwarzenegger said he would like to teach the kids: “I told my kids to switch-off the lights when they leave their room. They protested initially but eventually understand,” he said.