Eco-building named after green Redford

Robert Redford has named a ski resort and a film festival after his famous film character, the Sundance Kid, but now his name graces the front of an environmentally friendly building.

The 66-year-old film star and long-time conservationist helped inaugurate the Natural Resources Defence Council’s new Southern California office by cutting a green ribbon.

The building in Santa Monica is one of a handful of structures nationwide built to the US’ highest environmental standards.

“Right now it’s a very unusual building, but I hope in a few years it will be ordinary,” said Redford, a Santa Monica resident who has been a member of the council’s board since 1975.

Redford, who co-starred with Paul Newman in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, is known for using his fame to push causes such as protecting the environment and encouraging organ donation.

The 15,000sq ft “Robert Redford Building” is among a host of self-sufficient buildings sprouting across the country that use recycled materials and renewable energy sources.

“We went whole hog with our renewable energy,” NRDC senior scientist Rob Watson said.

“We have zero carbon dioxide imprint from use of the building. No oil, gas or coal was used to power our light bulbs or our computers.”