Harrison Ford. You hear this name and you automatically think “actor.” His body of work includes over 40 feature films, eleven of which have grossed more than $100 million at the box office. Nominated for an Oscar for best actor for his performance in Witness, he is most widely known for as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy, and as the title character in the Indiana Jones series. Five of his films have even been inducted into the National Film Registry, which is a selection of films for preservation in the library of congress. 

Mr. Ford is not only a well respected and known actor, he is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Conservation International and has been with them for over 15 years. Organized by Conservation International, Team Earth will unite students, non-profit organizations and major corporations including Starbucks, Dell, SC Johnson, Harrah's Entertainment and Wrigley, in an international action campaign to address the most pressing environmental issues facing humanity. ePals is Team Earth's global education partner with Conservational International.

On September 20^th and 21^st Conservation International had a Climate Week Event in New York City’s Greeley Square, which some students were fortunate enough to attend and serve as ePals reporters. The conference was to address the issue of deforestation and to announce the organization Team Earth. During the Press Conference on Monday September 21^st I was fortunate enough to interview actor and Vice Chair Harrison Ford.

SM: You have been working with Conservation International for over 15 years. What first got you interested in working with CI? 

HF: Well I’d have to say my love of nature along with wanting to work with a sincere group of people who are as devoted as I am to protecting the environment for my kids, their kids, even their kids’ kids, and to protect life on earth for our own well being.

SM: Do you believe that Team Earth is a worthwhile cause? Why do you think that this will succeed when so many other projects have failed?

HF: I do believe that Team Earth is worthwhile because what has happened in the past have so far not been sufficiently effective and have been too focused on individual activity which sends a fractured message. What we need is to come together in one mass movement. Think about past movements Martin Luther King, Gandhi, separate youth movements, they have all transformed society and now it is time for a new team such as this one, to get both students and adults involved so we can make a greater impact then we have in the past.

SM: Why do you think that student involvement is important to the success of Team Earth?

HF: Student involvement is crucial because past environmental projects have failed, we need new ideas and the younger generation will be able to not only bring in new ideas but they will also be able to influence some of the older generations.