Lately, the environment has become a popular topic. The world is still arguing whether or not the earth needs saving and if we should save it. The science behind it is controversial and it’s hard to believe anyone these days. But, there is one thing I believe in, whether or not the earth is dying we should still take care of it and continuously urge people to do the same. The earth is what brings us together, metaphorically and literally. Watching men, women, children, and adults alike fight for Mother Nature is inspiring, effective, and beautiful.
One of the most influential people who is still fighting for the earth is Leonardo DiCaprio. I read up on his intentions and acts of selflessness towards the environment, and I have to say that this man pretty much knows what he’s doing. Leonardo DiCaprio started learning about the ecosystem when he was fairly young, reading and watching documentaries about rain forest depletion and the loss of species and habitats. He established a foundation in 1998 called the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. It’s a non-profit organization devoted to promoting environmental awareness. Of course, his foundation works on many different things all over the world but the main focus of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is global warming, preserving the earth’s biodiversity, and supporting renewable energy. In addition to the praise he received from around the world, he was given the Martin Litton Environment Award in 2001 from Environment Now and the Environment Leadership Award in 2003 from Global Green USA. DiCaprio has sat with the board of the World Wildlife Fund, Global Green USA, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
In the year 2000, he interviewed Bill Clinton and talked about ways to deal with global warming and the environment. Leonardo DiCaprio, till this day, owns environment-friendly electric-hybrid vehicles and his home is powered by solar panels. In November of 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio donated $1 million to the Wildlife Conservation Society at Russia’s Tiger Summit. And then, in 2011, he joined the Animals Legal Defense Fund’s campaign to free Tony, a tiger who spent the last decade at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tête, Lousiana. Three years later, he was appointed as a United Nations representative on climate change and made an opening statement to members of the UN Climate Summit. His statement sounded a little something like this: “This is not about just telling people to change their light bulbs or to buy a hybrid car. This disaster has grown beyond the choices that individuals make. This is now about our industries, and governments around the world taking decisive, large-scale action.”
Shailene Woodley, like Leonardo DiCaprio, founded an organization with her mother in 2010. This organization is called All It Takes. It’s a youth leadership program that aims to educate young people to practice empathy, compassion, responsibility, and purpose in hopes to foster sustainable, positive change for themselves, others, and the environment. Woodley stirred up a lot of attention in 2016 specifically when she protested against the Dakota Acess Pipeline and was arrested for criminal trespassing. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year of probation. She even met Caline Lawrence, another activist whom she met during that same protest, and brought her to the 75th Golden Globe Awards as her guest. During that same year, she supported Bernie Sanders during the election and joined the board of Our Revolution. Our Revolution is a political organization aimed to educate voters about issues, get people involved in the political process, and work to organize and elect progressive leaders. On September 29, 2016, Shailene Woodley was honored at the 20th Anniversary Global Green Environmental Awards receiving the Entertainment Industry Environmental Leadership Award for co-founding the All It Takes organization. Woodley was also given the Female EMA Futures Award during the 26th Annual Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards in October of that year. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Shailene Woodley said, “I exclusively buy used clothes. I’m going to be a citizen of this planet, and I’m going to do my responsibility and live in stride with nature instead of constantly fighting against her.” In July 2019, Woodley became an Oceans Ambassador for Greenpeace and embarked on a three-week-long expedition to the Sargasso Sea to study the impact of plastics and microplastics on marine life, and to document the importance of the ecosystem for protection under a new Global Ocean Treaty that is being negotiated at the UN.
When asked what religion Shailene mostly affiliates with, her response was, “My religion is the Earth, man. I believe in trees.” Shailene Woodley does her best to live an eco-friendly life. She told Flaunt Magazine “I think everything about my lifestyle is fairly alternative. I gather my own water from mountains every month. I go to a farm to get my food. I make everything from my own toothpaste to my own body lotions and face oils. I could go on for hours.” Even her fellow actors such as Theo James is inspired by her and all that she does.
Steve Irwin, who was a famous TV personality, was a passionate conservationist and believed in promoting environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than preach to people. He once said, “I consider myself a wildlife warrior. My mission is to save the world’s endangered species.” By practicing what he preached, he bought large tracts of land in Australia, Fiji, and the United States. Steve Irwin, who is famously known as The Crocodile Hunter, co-hosted his television series The Crocodile Hunter, a wildlife documentary, with his wife Terri. They also co-hosted the series Croc Files (1999-2001), The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002-2006), and New Breed Vets (2005). Steve Irwin founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which became an independent charity and was later renamed Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. He also helped found International Crocodile Rescue, the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund, and the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility. Terri and Steve co-owned and operated Australia Zoo. After Steve’s death, Terri continues to operate the zoo while raising their two children.
Robert Irwin, the son of The Crocodile Hunter, seems to have no trouble following in his father’s footsteps. He hosts Robert’s Real Life Adventures. He currently stars on the Animal Planet series Crikey! It’s the Irwins with his mother, Terri, and his sister, Bindi. Both Bindi and Robert were homeschooled at Australia Zoo. Robert made his late-night television debut when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He presented an African dwarf crocodile, a screaming armadillo, a red-tailed boa, and a sloth to Jimmy Fallon and the audience. After that, Robert has appeared on the Tonight Show many times, eleven times as of April 2019 to be exact. Along with his mother and his sister, he has been caring for the injured animals during the bushfires in Australia. He even made an appearance on television with his mother to announce that koalas need to be considered endangered. From watching Terri and Robert’s announcement, it’s pretty obvious that Robert was doing his best to hold back tears while letting his mom give the devastating news to the world.
I saved the best for last when it comes to influential eco-warriors. Greta Thunberg was first known for her activism in August of 2018 when she would spend her school days standing outside the Swedish parliament to call for stronger action on climate change by holding a sign that said “skolstrejk fӧr klimatet” which translates to “school strike for the climate”. Inspired by Greta, other students started participating in climate strikes as well and called it Fridays for Future. In 2018, Greta Thunberg addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference and then student strikes began to take place at least once a week all over the world. Can you believe that a movement like this started with just one girl who had the bravery to speak out and preach about what she believes in!? How are people not inspired by Greta? I mean, she’s younger than me and she’s done so many amazing things!
At home, Greta convinced her parents to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle by giving up air travel and not eating meat. When showing them graphs and data didn’t work she reminded them they were stealing her future away from her and every other child like her. Because her mother gave up flying, she also had to give up her international career as an opera singer. Greta’s father told BBC in an interview, “To be honest, (her mother) didn’t do it to save the climate. She did it to save her child because she saw how much it meant to her, and then, when she did that, she saw how much (Greta) grew from that, how much energy she got from it.” Her mother really sacrificed her career and luxurious lifestyle for her daughter and her future! Now that is called dedication!
Because of her passion and leadership that caused her to rise to fame, Greta Thunberg became the youngest individual to be featured on the cover of Time magazine in May of 2019, and they noted that many people see her as a role model. She was also named one of the 100 most influential people. Thunberg and the school strike movement were featured in a 30-minute Vice documentary titled Make the World Greta Again. In September 2019, she addressed the UN Climate Action Summit. In her speech, she said: “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope? How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.”
Greta, unsurprisingly, was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. During her TED Talk she told the audience this: “I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it is necessary. Now is one of those moments.” She said she first heard about climate change in 2011 when she was eight years old and could not understand why so little was being done about it. As a small girl, the situation took a toll on her. She became depressed, stopped talking, and lost 22 pounds in two months because she couldn’t eat. Eventually, Greta was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism. Greta Thunberg has even said that she doesn’t view her Aspergers as an illness but her “superpower”, even though she acknowledges that it’s limited her before. Wow, she’s just so awesome! Greta, my superhero!
Greta won a climate change essay competition, went on strike all by herself when her classmates decided against it, and even published a collection of her speeches called No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference! And even though she took a sabbatical from school to work on her climate activism, she is successfully juggling school work which results in less spare time to do other things! The dedication that that shows is incredible and so inspiring! I can barely juggle school work alone!
Greta Thunberg has honestly done such a great job by making the world aware of the environment. She’s battled it out on Twitter, sailed the ocean, and made sacrifices to prove her point! What a powerful teenager.
All these people have done incredible things for the environment and have inspired me personally to do my best when it comes to being eco-friendly. I hope they can do the same for you.
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