VIENNA — Arnold Schwarzenegger credited his simple upbringing amid the lakes and hills of Austria for a recent conversion to fully fledged green activism, the latest stage in his varied career. The former body-builder, star of the “Terminator” action films and governor of California grew up in Thal, a small village in the Austrian province of Styria, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 21. “Growing up in my house, we knew about sustainability before it was hip. We called it ‘necessity',” Schwarzenegger told an environmental conference he hosted in Vienna this week. “We didn't have video games, televisions or iPhones. We had the rolling hills, the castles, the ruins, and the beautiful lakes,” he said. “Even after I made it big and became governor of California, I held on to this love of nature.” — Reuters
