7 Celebrities Who Support the Rainforest ...

Of all the celebrities who support the rainforest, this was no surprise. The former Police front man has been quite vocal on the subject for a number of years now and his wife Trudie Styler is also a huge advocate. They started Rainforest Foundation International in 1989 after seeing firsthand the impact the destruction of the rainforest had on indigenous tribes in Brazil. Since then, the foundation has been working with the Amazonian peoples to protect their rights and the environment and to educate the world on why the rainforest should be looked after.

Many people make the assumption that the rainforest means the Amazon, but this is so wrong. There are rainforests outside of the Amazon Basin, and some of them are more endangered than the South American regions. One of the celebrities supporting the rainforest who has brought the plight of the Congo forests to our attention is Marion Cotillard. The gorgeous French actress made a documentary for Greenpeace highlighting the massive and often illegal logging operation in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Not only are huge swathes of land cleared for trees, but the logging companies pay the workers a pittance while charging highly for prized woods.

Another of our rainforest crusaders is Aussie actress Cate Blanchett. Australia too has its own region of rainforest, and in fact, the Daintree rainforest in Northern Queensland is the oldest rainforest in the world. Ms. Blanchett is well known for her support of environmental causes in her homeland. She is a member of a lobby group for eco-issues and attended the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Denmark in 2009. She has also made donations to Forest Guardians which works to protect forests of all types, all over the world.

I have grouped these two together because of their passion for the same cause. Prince Charles is often lambasted in the British press about the fact that he talks to plants, but they also praise him for his support for the rainforest. He is one of the world’s great figures with a very loud voice advocating the protection of the rainforest. Although he didn’t set it up until 2007, the Prince’s Rainforest Project is forging strongly ahead with “working to make the forest worth more alive than dead”. The projects aims to find incentives to slow deforestation, find alternatives and to raise awareness of the link between rainforests and climate change. Richard Branson stands shoulder to shoulder with the future King of England on this issue and regularly visit rainforests. He also – somewhat controversially – introduced lemurs which are native to and live solely in Madagascar (and are endangered) to his Caribbean island of Necker. 2013 saw the birth of the first Necker lemur baby.

This is another pair of celebrities who support the rainforest who are joined by the hip in the same cause. I never understood the fuss about Avatar. I started watching it and could never get past the first 20 minutes! Now I know the movie’s connection to the Brazilian rainforest I will have to give it another try. Avatar is an allegory of the plight of the indigenous people of the Amazon and since its release, Cameron has continued his support for the preservation of the rainforest. The Avatar website keeps fans updated with news on environmental issues and for Earth Day it sponsored the planting of a million trees. As the star of Avatar, it’s logical that long-term-environmentalist Sigourney Weaver supports Cameron’s project and indeed, has accompanied the director on his visits to protest against the Belo Monte Dam project. Latterly, Ms. Weaver has provided the voiceover to the Google Earth animation about the project.

Proving he’s not just a pretty faced, fit bodied, talented actor, the Vampire Diaries’ star is so passionate about his support for the rainforest he set up his own foundation. The Ian Somerhalder Foundation is a non-profit organization with the main aim of educating the world about the rainforest as well as about renewable energy and wildlife conservation, and of course, it raises money to support the cause and implement projects.

Yes, you might imagine this is an unexpected pairing of celebrities who support the rainforest, but a cause has the power to unite and make unlikely people bedfellows. Dame Viv, doyenne of the British fashion industry, has advocated the protection of the world’s forests for decades. She is a vociferous supporter of Prince Charles’ Rainforest Project and contributes to other projects using her name and fame and prodigious fashion skills, such as when she paired up with Anvil Knitwear, producing a line of t-shirts spreading the message of environmental awareness. So where does buxom beauty Pamela Anderson fit into this picture? Well, for Dame Vivienne’s 70th birthday the former Baywatch babe paired up with Cool Earth (a UK charity) to hand back a 70 acre plot of the rainforest to its indigenous community, thereby protecting it from deforestation.

Kudos to these people giving their backing and voices (and time and money) to what I believe is a vital cause. Did any of these celebrities who support the rainforest – or maybe just even the extent of their passion – surprise you?

If you’d like to understand more about the rainforest please read lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com