Robert Redford joins Angwin debate

By JILLIAN JONES
Register Staff Writer

Actor and environmentalist Robert Redford stepped out against the controversial Angwin eco-village last week, announcing that he is joining the local group Save Rural Angwin.

An eight-year resident of the Napa Valley, Redford is going to serve on SRA’s 13-member Advisory Council, leading the group in its efforts to defeat the eco-village proposal made by Pacific Union College.

“I believe that the citizens of Napa Valley, from American Canyon to Calistoga, care about preserving our beautiful agricultural and rural heritage,” Redford said in a prepared statement. “That is why I am happy to join the Advisory Council of Save Rural Angwin in its efforts to preserve this naturally carved land-basin from development.”

Redford — an Academy Award-winning film director, actor, producer, businessman and philanthropist — has championed various environmental causes for the last 35 years. He was named one of TIME magazine’s Heroes of the Environment in 2007, and is being honored later this week by Duke University for his efforts to promote environmental stewardship.

The Angwin eco-village, proposed by the Seventh-day Adventist college and developer Triad Communities, would feature 380 homes, including a 105-unit retirement center.

Check back later today for more on this story.

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