Kristen Seymour: Eco Celebrities of 2008

I've been telling you about celebrities who go the extra mile to be green or help those less fortunate for several months now, and while all of these celebrities certainly deserve a pat on the back, who is the greenest of them all? Well, Oprah is getting major props for her good work in 2008, and Peta has named her their Person of the Year.

When Oprah speaks, the world listens, and this year she used her voice to bring attention to a couple of really important causes. On her show, she did an incredible exposé on the horrors of puppy mills, which undoubtedly convinced plenty of people to adopt their dogs from shelters and pounds instead of breeders and stores. Additionally, she followed a vegan diet for 21 days, and shared the benefits (and challenges) with her viewers.

Smart2BeGreen will be announcing a full list of their greenest celebrities on Dec. 31, but they've leaked a few names already. Rachel McAdams made the cut for making it "sexy to be green," and she'll be joined by Robert Redford, who's made being green a lifelong mission. Additionally, we can expect to see the band Radiohead on the list as well as HGTV's green carpenter and DIY guy Carter Oosterhouse.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton make my list, too — both are members of the board of directors for Global Green, and have spent their spare time doing all kinds of good deeds, from lobbying Governor Schwarzenegger about environmental causes to promoting low-income housing to energy-efficient vehicles for the Academy awards.

Ed Begley Jr. is another one you can't ignore when talking about the greenest celebs this year. He's always been an eco-warrior, but his show, Living With Ed, has brought him straight into all of our living rooms, allowing him to make even more of an impact on the general public. Of course, there are loads of other famous faces that deserve recognition — Harrison Ford comes to mind, along with Adrian Grenier. Who else would you add to the list?

Photo source: People.com