+ Edward Norton's $9 billion green housing project

I'll admit that I'm a pretty big fan of celebrity gossip, so I was pretty surprised to come across this piece about Edward Norton on Fast Company:

Edward Norton, the two-time Oscar nominee, stood at the podium at the Hilton Washington this past May and tried to be humble. The actor was in the capital to present a major civil rights award to someone he knew well -- his grandmother. It was gearing up to be a nice moment. "I work in a profession," he told the crowd of social workers, lawyers, and community organizers, "that gets a totally disproportionate amount of attention relative to its true contribution to our culture."
...
Norton's appearance wasn't merely a cameo, a movie-star drive-by. On the contrary, he has been an active participant in Enterprise since he was a kid. His first job after college was an analyst spot there; he sits on the board and has donated more than $1 million. What's more, he has played a key role in encouraging Enterprise to embrace green building -- a shift that has enabled the business to keep moving despite the housing crisis and mortgage meltdown. In fact, Enterprise is arguably the one bright light in an industry dominated by excess and foolishness. Its model offers clues to how we all might climb out of our real-estate mess.

It's always great to see people like Norton, Brad Pitt, and Oprah acknowledge and use their profile for a meaningful cause like this. It's also a good reminder that you can't judge a book by its cover!

Read the full piece here