Long before it was fashionable to stand up for environmental issues, Robert Redford already fought for a good cause and used his celebrity status to draw attention to topics that ranged from the prevention of the construction of power plants in the southeast of Utah to the use of “cleaning energy” to combat carbon pollution.
He has been a member of the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council for decades, by inviting the Soviet Academy of Sciences to an environmental summit in the Sundance Institute, the refuge for independent filmmakers founded in 1981, contributing to a “Glasnost in terms of greenhouse gas” and provided its name (and its money).
Until the end, Redford was actively involved in the management of the Redford Center, an organization that he had founded together with his late son James Redford and who, as he himself said, should help with the help of storytelling “to redefine environmental protection and to expand the idea of being an environmentalist. He always emphasized that “this is the only planet we have. What could be more important than protecting him?”
In 2021, Rolling Stone spoke to Redford about what originally prompted him to live as an environmental activist, why he was hopeful into the future and who was his personal heroes.
You said that as a long -time environmental activist you have become more radical over time. Was there a moment when they started to understand that what was done with our planet was more serious when they thought?
In 1989 I took part in a conference in Denver, on which two scientists explained in a lecture that the temperatures on earth rise – they called it global warming. They explained what would happen if we ignored this threat. This moment was my wake -up call. I knew they said the truth. Because we learned one thing: time is not waiting for anyone. I realized that if you have to do something, you act better and quickly.
Where does your connection to nature come from?
Well, I think that has to do with a trip that my mother took me with me many years ago. I was born and grew up in LA – I was somehow rooted with this place. So my mother decided to take me on a trip across the country and drove me to the Yosemite National Park. We drove through this long tunnel when you come out of Fresno and when I got out on the other side, I suddenly sat on this abyss and looked down at this valley. I thought: “God, that’s incredible. I don’t want to stand here and look at it, I want to be in it.” So I got a job in the Yosemite National Lodge as a waiter, and that captivated me in the spell of this landscape.
They campaigned very early on for environmental issues. How do you think the movement has changed over the years?
People are much more aware of the problems with which we are confronted. Unfortunately, those who deny climate change also have a stronger voice and are usually in power positions. We had to live with life what has happened in the past four years when the attitude to the environment was so strictly negative. This has done as much damage – it is like a street that needs to be repaired. We have to repair them quickly. Climate change now takes place around the clock. There is no more denial.
Are you more or less optimistic about our ability to combat these environmental disasters?
I am more optimistic than ever. My optimism comes from young people because they are inspired, committed and passionate – they are like a new group. They understand that the future is in their hands and we have to support it.
Do you think that Bidens re -entry into the Paris climate agreement is a step in the right direction?
I think bids are a clever head and I think he has with me [der nationalen Klimaberaterin] Gina McCarthy and [dem Sonderbeauftragten des Präsidenten für Klimafragen] John Kerry put together an incredible team. Certainly more has to be done, but I have the feeling that they are the right people for it.
Since the early 1970s, they have shot a number of films that shed light on social issues – do you think that there was a time when it was possible to make films, for example with environmental impacts or the questioning of our political system?
Maybe for a while. But that was an important reason why I launched a film festival that is devoted to what was later called “Independent Film”. And what led me in this direction had a lot to do with the fact that the industry was completely checked by the mainstream at that time. The mainstream focused on profit and money. I thought: Ok, I was part of it … but I already see that there are many, many voices that are not heard and that they are better off outside the system. I thought: “Well, that doesn’t pay much attention. I will shift my focus.” Then I decided to found the Sundance Institute and then the Sundance Festival-all of these areas that basically support the role of the independent film. The problem was to bring together the world of profit and the world of non -profit nature. This led to tensions through which I somehow had to maneuver myself. And believe me, I tried it.
You have withdrawn more or less from acting and filmmaking – is there something you miss to stand in front of or behind the camera?
[Pause] No, I don’t think so. I don’t believe. I think this work is now in other hands, and I’m happier when I take a supporting role.
As a producer, you have contributed to bringing “the incorruptible” onto the canvas, and you also played in it. What do you think this film can tell us about the experiences of the nation in recent years?
That history tends to be repeated. I was fascinated by the story of two journalists who were looking for the truth. And that’s exactly what I wanted to tell. It wasn’t really about Watergate. It was about journalism and truth.
What are the most important personal rules after which you live?
Take a long walk and enjoy a good tequila.
Who are your personal heroes and why?
[Meeresbiologin] Rachel Carson because she was an early advocate of nature. Jacques Cousteau, who is one of the first to open the world for life in the ocean. And finally, and I can’t emphasize that enough because we talk about current personalities, Bill Gates. I find his commitment to find solutions to the challenges that we face. He used his time and money – we shouldn’t forget that – for this thing.
What advice would you give your younger ego?
“Why did you even get involved?” [Lacht] Seriously, I would probably say: always looking for the truth, even if the truth can be difficult to find. The words of TS Eliot keep inspiring me: “For us it is all about trying. The rest is not concerned with anything.” So maybe: “Just follow your instinct and keep looking for the truth.”
The search for the truth seems to be a thread in her career.
I think so. But they said that, not me. [Lacht.]