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Five Celebrities Making the Environment Their Business What do a Lincoln Continental, a Victoria Secret model and Kevin Costner have to do with each other? Environmentalism. Duh.

By Jason Ankeny Edited by Frances Dodds

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The future of renewable energy may depend on solar power, but in the here and now, don't discount the importance of star power. Here are five celebs who are bridging entertainment and the environment.

Neil Young's LincVolt
Longtime environmental advocate Neil Young funded development of the LincVolt, a 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV reconfigured to run on battery power. The 2.5-ton, 19.5-foot Mark IV was a notorious gas guzzler. Post-makeover, the LincVolt closes in on 100 miles per gallon. Unfortunately, the LincVolt's image took a hit in November 2010, when the car's charging system caused a fire in the warehouse where it was contained. It's doubtful that's what Young had in mind when he sang "It's better to burn out than to fade away."

Kevin Costner's Ocean Therapy Solutions
Kevin Costner threatened the serenity of the Earth with his megaflop Waterworld, but in 2010 he got the chance to atone for his cinematic sins. BP turned to his Ocean Therapy Solutions to help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Costner spent more than 15 years developing a centrifuge that can extract 2,000 barrels of oil from water per day. BP spent $16 million to deploy 32 of the machines--a bargain next to the $80 million Warner Bros. blew on Costner's The Postman. We're still waiting for you to make up for that one, Kev.

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