Harrison Ford environmentalist or ?

National Geographic Adventure Magazine profiles Harrison Ford with the sub-headline: "The offscreen adventures of an eco-action figure."

The interview with Mr. Ford, starts out well, saying that his real life is just as adventurous (yet eco-conscious) as his Indiana Jones onscreen persona. He has been "moonlighting" for Conservation International since 1991!

But what does this have to do with travel?

Ford spoke to the magazine about his supposed environmentalness through his "high stakes, hard landings, lost worlds, and why he prefers his adventures unscripted." Hmm... as an airplane pilot, how environmental can this actor be?

"[Adventure Mag. question]: You've visited some untrodden places with [Conservation International] over the years. Any recent trips that really affected you?
HF: I went down to Venezuela and ended up renting a helicopter and flew with my sons to the tops of the tepuis, these freestanding jungle mesas, "lost worlds" as it were. In fact, it's almost impossible to access them without one. So we were able to land and spend some time there. We were trapped for about six hours by clouds that came in. Unbelievable. Spectacular environments. Very likely places where no other person had ever set foot before."

OK, so he says he's an environmentalist but in order to get to an untrammeled place, he rented a HELICOPTER to get there. Does this guy understand that helicopters are not good for the environment?... and he doesn't stop there:

"A: You own two hybrid cars. But it sounds like you prefer going airborne.
HF: Basically. I fly myself everywhere. I like all kinds of flying, including practical flying for search and rescue. And I also like to fly into the backcountry, usually the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. I go with a group of friends, and we set up camp for about five days and explore little dirt strips and canyons."

Camping is good, but flying is not.

The most disappointing thing about the interview was the fact that NG Adventure did not even question Mr. "eco-action figure" about his unenvironmental hobbies. The media has a responsibility to its readers/followers to not get so ga-ga over a celebrity that the real issues get lost in the shuffle. Tim Russert of Meet the Press had this problem in the 1990s when he interviewed baseball player/alleged steroid user Mark Maguire. Mr. Russert was so overcome by Mr. Maguire's persona that he did not question him once about using steroids... I do think that IMHO Russert got an autographed souvenir from the interview...

Read the full un-environmental interview: Harrison Ford: the next crusade