'Vampire Diaries' Star Ian Somerhalder Talks Green Summit In D.C.

CW heartthrob opens up about giving a speech on alternative energy at 'really cool' conference in nation's capital.By Kara Warner





Ian Somerhalder

Photo: MTV News




Although Ian Somerhalder is in the thick of a busy filming schedule for season two of his obsessed-over CW show "The Vampire Diaries," he's taking a day off — and for a good cause. Somerhalder is heading to Washington, D.C. where he's attending the Washington Energy Summit on Thursday.
Somerhalder will meet with members of both houses of Congress to discuss the importance of green/alternative energy and technology. The actor has been vocal about the effects of the BP oil spill and recently partnered up with the portable energy company Go Green Mobile Power. When we caught up with him on the eve of his big trip, Somerhalder was brimming with excitement over getting to be a part of the conversation at a national level.
"It's really, really cool," he told MTV News about his participation in the summit. "I think there's a lot of anger and frustration and fear and determination in this exact moment in our country in the wake of this huge oil spill. But the government, they know enough to figure it out and they're taking steps to do that, so I'm really honored to be invited to go and speak with these people. I'll try not to screw up," he joked. "I can't wait to put my thinking cap on and get to Washington and have really structured and really inspiring conversations with people and hopefully something comes out of it."
As for his partnership with Go Green Mobile Power, Somerhalder said the company has generated much attention and he hopes to have one of their green-energy generators on the "Vampire Diaries" set soon.
"Warner Bros. [loves them] and the network are figuring out right now how to get that thing on set," he explained. "There has been a lot of interest from the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Villaraigosa; there's a lot going on. It's really exciting stuff, we're going to go full bore and get these things out there producing green power."
Somerhalder is a man with a plan. For information on how you can get involved, visit WashingtonEnergySummit.com. But don't think we cornered the star and didn't get any "Diaries" dish. Stay with MTVNews.com for more on what's next for Damon.
What do you think of Ian tackling green issues? Is it a cause important to you? Tell us in the comments!

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