For Earth Week 2001, actor Woody Harrelson has decided to take a long trip — on his bike. And at 3 p.m. today, he will take a slight detour to stand in the EMU Amphitheater, talk about the environment, and explain what people can do to save it.
Riding down the Pacific Coast Highway from Seattle to Santa Barbara, Harrelson is stopping at several colleges and universities with a hefty list of topics to touch on. Harrelson will speak about “the need for ecological reform,” “the need to halt the destruction of the rainforest,” and the “need for people to rinse themselves from the corporate grid,” according to posters advertising his arrival.
Following Harrelson as he rides on his bike is a bio-fueled bus called the “Mothership,” which runs on hemp oil and vegetable oil.
Harrelson’s visit will also help kick off the annual HOPES conference, “Fostering Environmental Literacy,” which runs through this weekend in Lawrence Hall.
“Woody is kind of a last-minute add-on,” said Jessica Ellingson, the logistics co-chair for HOPES. “He just happened to be rolling through Eugene the weekend of our conference.”
Sometime before he speaks, Harrelson will feast on some food provided by the Holy Cow restaurant in the EMU.
“We’re feeding him a meal,” said Holy Cow co-owner Kathee Lavine, explaining that because Harrelson is speaking for free, “one of his demands is that he be fed organic, vegan food … That’s us.”