eco18 Questions: Matthew Modine

Each month we will ask a new eco-maven 18 questions about his or her life, occupation and advice for other like-minded people. This month we were able to sit down with Matthew Modine, actor and green activist and founder of Bicycle for a Day, at the NYLCV event at Revision Lounge in NYC.

1. What is your name (and age)?
My name is Matthew Modine. Although I would prefer to be named, Abraham. For no other reason than because I love the name. As for my age, well, I’m as young as my tongue and older than my teeth.

2. What is your occupation?
I am an artist. I write, make movies, act in the theater and on film.

3. Do you have a “green” memory growing up?
I grew up in the west and witnessed the disappearance of open land. The disappearance of small family farms in communities. Witnessed first hand the industrialization and creation of factory farms and GMO foods.

4. What’s your favorite meal?
Beans and rice

5. Who/What inspires you to be more “green” in your life?
My wife. She talks the talk and walks the walk. She continues to make me a better person everyday.

6. Where on the “green scale” do you fall?
I didn’t know there was a scale! I have green blood. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I’d no doubt ride my bike to the Oscars.

7. What are the most rewarding and most challenging parts of your job?
The rewards of my profession are too many to list. The challenges too painful to mention.

8. Where’s your “green-spot”:
Love a sandy beach with waves to surf. I Love a deep dark woods with thousands of hundred year old pines.

9. Where do you turn for your news?
The NYT’s

10. What is one environmental change you vow to make in the next year?
I have a new project called the DO-ONE CAMPAIGN. The goal is to DO ONE thing everyday to reduce your carbon foot print and consumption of precious earth resources. There are hundreds of things each of us can do. The campaign explains how in simple, beautiful 30 PSA’s.

11. If you could trade places with one person from any time in history (past or present) for one day—who would it be and why?
Abraham Lincoln. Because he had to make really hard moral decisions.

12. You have a meeting with the leader of every country in the world. You have 30 seconds to tell them anything you want. Go!
War is over. If you want it. The important, simple, part of this statement is DO YOU?

13. You have the chance to send one tweet to all the tweeps in the world. Let’s hear it in 140 characters, or less!
WAR IS OVER. IF YOU WANT IT. John and Yoko. FORGIVE.

14. If there was one industry/product that you could make more eco-friendly, what would it be?
Dish washing and laundry detergents.

15. Where in the world would you most like to be right now?
The beach, surfing.

16. What is the best book you have read recently?
Marcus Aurelius MEDITATIONS (re-reading)

17. What makes you cringe?
Cruelty

18. What do you want your legacy to be?
That I did what I could to leave this world in better shape than the way I came into it.