What We Talk About When We Talk To Laurie David
Q: YOU'VE ENDURED HARSH CRITICISM FROM CERTAIN RIGHT-WINGERS.
A: Rush Limbaugh criticizes me a lot on the air. I take that as a badge of honor. Bobby Kennedy, Jr., always says you can't change the world without pissing people off.
Q: WHY IS THE PERSONAL NOT POLITICAL WITH GEORGE BUSH? HE SEEMS TO LOVE THE OUTDOORS, HAS A "GREEN" HOUSE ON HIS RANCH, LIKES TO BIKE . . .
A: I can't get into his head. All I can say is, he is going to rue the day that he did not engage on this issue. He was asked, "Will you see [An Inconvenient Truth]?" and he made a joke about it. It was the least gracious thing I've ever seen.
Q: IS IT HYPOCRITICAL FOR PEOPLE WITH LAVISH LIFESTYLES TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE?
A: Nobody's a better critic of myself than me, and I try to do the best I can. That's all I ask everyone else to do. If you come to my house for a dinner party, it looks like a Toyota dealership, because every single person I know drives a hybrid now.
Q: DOES YOUR HUSBAND, LARRY DAVID, SUPPORT YOUR ACTIVISM?
A: This guy has put up with so much. I literally put this relationship as close to the edge as is physically possible for two people to stay together. Look, he supports everything I do, financially and emotionally. I'm in New York, he's home with the kids. He plays a curmudgeon on TV, but he's really an amazing partner.
Q: WHAT DO YOUR DAUGHTERS, WHO ARE 10 AND 12, DO FOR THE CAUSE?
A: I'll tell you what they don't do: They don't run the water when they're brushing their teeth, and they don't leave lights on when they leave a room. If we're in the car and they see a Hummer go by, they're screaming in the back. So they're engaged.
Q: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO SAY, "MY WORK HERE IS DONE?"
A: Oh my God. It's a nice fantasy, isn't it? Well, here's what we would need: We'd need an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions; we'd need carbon-dioxide polluters to pay a price. When that happens, I'm retiring to Martha's Vineyard.
For more information, visit Laurie David's website: www.stopglobalwarming.org.
