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JAY LENO likes anything that rolls and explodes and makes noise, and his Big Dog Garage offers proof. Its 17,000 square feet are packed with rolling, exploding and noisy things -- most of them four-wheeled, rare and expensive.
But lately, the 57-year-old host of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" is showing an interest in things that act quietly. Things such as solar panels and wind turbines and grease-eating microbes. He's systematically taking stock of his garage and greening it, with self-generated power, energy-efficient heating and nontoxic cleaners.
"My thing with the green situation is: Even if you don't believe in global warming, don't you want to screw the oil company or gas company or utility company?"
Leno said he believes in global warming. And judging from the 54-kilowatt solar-power system he installed atop his garage last month, he also believes in putting it to the utility company, but that isn't quite what's happening. On a recent weekday morning, his solar panels were generating 33 kilowatts -- enough electricity to run the air conditioning, overhead lights and power tools and to return some power to the city, in effect assisting Burbank Water and Power.
When he isn't hosting "The Tonight Show" or performing stand-up (160 dates a year), Leno spends his spare time here, at his garage adjacent to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.
When I met him for our interview, he looked more like a mechanic than the wealthy host of the country's No. 1 late-night talk show. His button-down shirt was wrinkled. His gray hair was smushed into a lopsided, bed-head 'do. He had the appearance of a man who'd just awoken and rolled in to work. Only this isn't work for Leno. It's play.
"I like projects," said Leno, who was futzing with the plumbing on a newly acquired 1907 White Steamer. The steam car is one of about 150 vehicles in his collection, which run the gamut from 100-year-old motorcycles and European coupes to 1960s muscle cars and high-performance exotics, such as a McLaren F1.
"There are people who say, 'Well, you should sell all your cars and ride your bicycle,' " Leno said, adopting a whiny voice to mimic his critics. "No. I'm not going to do that, but what else can I do?"
Leno drives a different vehicle each day, but he tries to minimize the environmental impact. He lives only eight miles from work. He recycles. And, in addition to the solar panels and a wind turbine on his roof, he's implemented a number of other systems inside his garage that are designed to reduce toxic waste.
His parts cleaners are eco-friendly -- one uses microbes to eat away grease and grime, the other employs ultrasonic cleaning bubbles. Instead of a gas-operated plasma cutter to saw parts out of sheet metal, a water jet does the job using sand. And refillable canisters of brake and carburetor cleaners take the place of throwaway aerosol cans.
"It isn't just one thing," said James Meigs, editor in chief of Popular Mechanics magazine. "I think that's a really important issue a lot of people have to accept in terms of reducing environmental impact. A lot of times, it's a lot of little things that add up. Very rarely is there just one magic bullet that's going to substitute for the old ways of doing things."
In a bimonthly column he writes for Popular Mechanics, Leno has written about many of his garage's green systems. Like Leno's sprawling vehicle collection, the topics have roamed far and wide -- from the nuts and bolts of specific car restorations to musings on obscure technologies -- but it's only been in the last year that his columns have begun taking on a green hue.
Credit where it's due
LENO attributes at least part of his awakening to fellow comedian and TV star Ed Begley Jr., who's been at the vanguard of the celebrity eco movement for so many years that he long ago became the butt of jokes. Now, Begley is the one who's laughing, with a successful show on the Home & Garden Television cable channel and line of biodegradable cleaning products, some of which were on hand at Leno's garage.
"I give people like Ed a tremendous amount of credit. When he started it was like, 'That's interesting.' But then, as more and more proof comes along, you go, 'Hey, this guy was right,' " said Leno, who began investigating alternative power sources for his garage in mid-2006.
Eighteen months later, he's a frequent visitor to the Fat Spaniel computer system that monitors his homemade power. At various points during our interview, he wandered into his office -- yes, his garage has an office, as well as a gourmet kitchen -- to see how many kilowatts were being generated.
"We're up to 33," Leno said, running his finger along the monitor. "The energy to power 40 homes. And it's not even peak."
Walking over to the power meter to confirm what he'd just read on the computer, he tapped the screen.
"Right now, I'm using all the power I want, and I'm generating more power than I'm using. Why would anybody get mad at you for that? To me, you want to be a good citizen. It's important to try and be a good citizen. And you can."
It's just expensive.
But lately, the 57-year-old host of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" is showing an interest in things that act quietly. Things such as solar panels and wind turbines and grease-eating microbes. He's systematically taking stock of his garage and greening it, with self-generated power, energy-efficient heating and nontoxic cleaners.
"My thing with the green situation is: Even if you don't believe in global warming, don't you want to screw the oil company or gas company or utility company?"
Leno said he believes in global warming. And judging from the 54-kilowatt solar-power system he installed atop his garage last month, he also believes in putting it to the utility company, but that isn't quite what's happening. On a recent weekday morning, his solar panels were generating 33 kilowatts -- enough electricity to run the air conditioning, overhead lights and power tools and to return some power to the city, in effect assisting Burbank Water and Power.
When he isn't hosting "The Tonight Show" or performing stand-up (160 dates a year), Leno spends his spare time here, at his garage adjacent to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.
When I met him for our interview, he looked more like a mechanic than the wealthy host of the country's No. 1 late-night talk show. His button-down shirt was wrinkled. His gray hair was smushed into a lopsided, bed-head 'do. He had the appearance of a man who'd just awoken and rolled in to work. Only this isn't work for Leno. It's play.
"I like projects," said Leno, who was futzing with the plumbing on a newly acquired 1907 White Steamer. The steam car is one of about 150 vehicles in his collection, which run the gamut from 100-year-old motorcycles and European coupes to 1960s muscle cars and high-performance exotics, such as a McLaren F1.
"There are people who say, 'Well, you should sell all your cars and ride your bicycle,' " Leno said, adopting a whiny voice to mimic his critics. "No. I'm not going to do that, but what else can I do?"
Leno drives a different vehicle each day, but he tries to minimize the environmental impact. He lives only eight miles from work. He recycles. And, in addition to the solar panels and a wind turbine on his roof, he's implemented a number of other systems inside his garage that are designed to reduce toxic waste.
His parts cleaners are eco-friendly -- one uses microbes to eat away grease and grime, the other employs ultrasonic cleaning bubbles. Instead of a gas-operated plasma cutter to saw parts out of sheet metal, a water jet does the job using sand. And refillable canisters of brake and carburetor cleaners take the place of throwaway aerosol cans.
"It isn't just one thing," said James Meigs, editor in chief of Popular Mechanics magazine. "I think that's a really important issue a lot of people have to accept in terms of reducing environmental impact. A lot of times, it's a lot of little things that add up. Very rarely is there just one magic bullet that's going to substitute for the old ways of doing things."
In a bimonthly column he writes for Popular Mechanics, Leno has written about many of his garage's green systems. Like Leno's sprawling vehicle collection, the topics have roamed far and wide -- from the nuts and bolts of specific car restorations to musings on obscure technologies -- but it's only been in the last year that his columns have begun taking on a green hue.
Credit where it's due
LENO attributes at least part of his awakening to fellow comedian and TV star Ed Begley Jr., who's been at the vanguard of the celebrity eco movement for so many years that he long ago became the butt of jokes. Now, Begley is the one who's laughing, with a successful show on the Home & Garden Television cable channel and line of biodegradable cleaning products, some of which were on hand at Leno's garage.
"I give people like Ed a tremendous amount of credit. When he started it was like, 'That's interesting.' But then, as more and more proof comes along, you go, 'Hey, this guy was right,' " said Leno, who began investigating alternative power sources for his garage in mid-2006.
Eighteen months later, he's a frequent visitor to the Fat Spaniel computer system that monitors his homemade power. At various points during our interview, he wandered into his office -- yes, his garage has an office, as well as a gourmet kitchen -- to see how many kilowatts were being generated.
"We're up to 33," Leno said, running his finger along the monitor. "The energy to power 40 homes. And it's not even peak."
Walking over to the power meter to confirm what he'd just read on the computer, he tapped the screen.
"Right now, I'm using all the power I want, and I'm generating more power than I'm using. Why would anybody get mad at you for that? To me, you want to be a good citizen. It's important to try and be a good citizen. And you can."
It's just expensive.
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