Mariposa's 'Double Rainbow' star urges green living at UC Merced

Paul Vasquez probably wouldn't be the first person you'd expect to find leading a lecture at UC Merced.

But Vasquez, a Mariposa resident who in July became an Internet sensation for his "Double Rainbow" YouTube video, has spent the past six months turning his notoriety into a campaign for the environment.

He was in Merced at the invitation of UC Merced lecturer Ray Winter, who thought his environmental literature students would show interest in Vasquez's perspectives on sustainable farming practices and his environmental worldview.

And judging from the packed room at the back of the Kolligian Library, Winter was on to something.

"I was really happy to see him because I could see how much pure emotion he has," said junior Kelsey Gustafson, a literature major who was among the roughly 40 students who watched the hourlong lecture. "Here in class it was just like that. It was just himself, being here and sharing all his special things with us. It's really good to have that, especially in Merced because we're so close to Yosemite. You really need that kind of inspiration these days."

Vasquez bought his property just east of Mariposa in 1988, where he grows his own food, breeds dogs and works as a photographer to make a living. Until last year, he lived on about $5,000 a year.

Vasquez's 3½-minute video, filmed in January 2010, shows a double rainbow over the Sierra foothills, while he can be overheard shouting, "It's a double rainbow all the way across the sky!" And "It's so bright!" And "What does it mean?" It ends with him laughing and sobbing. The video rose to prominence last summer, thanks to a Twitter post by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, and since has received more than 25 million views.

Vasquez said the rainbows were a sign to expect big things ahead.

Today, a good portion of his income originates from the "Double Rainbow" video. He's appeared in television commercials and started an online store selling rainbow-themed merchandise.

He's been a guest on a number of talk shows, including "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and Comedy Central's "Tosh.0," and his video was nominated for a People's Choice Award.

"I'm asked to come all over the world, I've been on all kinds of TV. I saw myself on Nightline and thought that was pretty amazing. The things I say in the video keep coming up. What does this mean? Why is this happening? I just have to keep questioning myself -- what is my role in this? It's a pretty important question. It's pretty powerful."

That role, he said, is to be an advocate for the Earth.

"In some of the interviews, the message I've refined is that I'm supposed to tell humanity to love your fellow man, walk gently on Mother Earth and connect to spirit."

He encouraged students to become self-sufficient by buying land and putting money into alternative energy.

"There's a Hopi prophecy that says something like, 'People who are materialistic will fade off into nothingness, but the people who will still be around are people who are farming and who know where their water comes from.' My advice to anyone who has a lot of money is to turn those dollars into land. If the lights go out, I want to know that I can still function. I think that this whole thing came about so that I could get my farm's alternative energy up."

With many more deals in the working stages, Vasquez is certain that his green dreams won't be lost somewhere over the rainbows.

Online Editor Brandon Bowers can be reached at (209) 385-2462 or bbowers@ mercedsun-star.com.

This story was originally published February 10, 2011 at 12:37 AM with the headline "Mariposa's 'Double Rainbow' star urges green living at UC Merced."