Conscious consumption – more and more people are confidently joining this trend, from Hollywood stars to ordinary citizens. What do celebrities who care about environmental issues do, and how can we ourselves help the wildlife of the Earth?
On March 27, Russia will take part in the annual environmental action “Earth Hour”. This year it is dedicated to the openness of environmental information. The World Wildlife Fund and other organizations encourage people not only to talk about problems in this area, but also to act. This is what not only activists, but also stars have been doing for a long time.
What are they doing to support nature and reduce the negative human impact on the environment? How do they practice mindful consumption? How do you limit yourself to save the planet? And can we use their life hacks?
Celebrities who support nature
Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio became an investor in plant-based meat and vegan snack companies. The promotion of vegetarian diets is believed to reduce the carbon footprint of the meat industry.
The actor actively supports green energy, the foundation he created restores the ecosystems of mangroves, rainforests and wildlife populations around the world.
In 2014, the actor became the UN Climate Ambassador for Peace. This honorary title was preceded by work on the National Geographic film “Before the flood”. There, Leo played himself and visited all six continents, including Antarctica, in search of evidence of global warming.
Mobi
The American musician and DJ gave up meat as a teenager and opened his own vegan restaurant in 2015. And all profits from it go to charitable assistance to animals.
For many years, Moby has not used his own car and travels only by public transport, lives in an apartment building, sorts garbage, buys only local products and has recently stopped touring to minimize his carbon footprint.
Stella McCartney
The desire for an ethical and environmentally friendly lifestyle was also supported by the fashion industry over time. Designer Stella McCartney has become the main ambassador here. She was the first to launch a sustainable clothing brand, where all models are made from eco-leather and synthetic silk, regenerated cashmere, organic cotton and recycled polyester.
In 2017, the designer released an advertising campaign where models in luxurious outfits posed against the backdrop of mountains of garbage. A great way to make people think about how much they need everything they buy.
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa, best known for starring in Game of Thrones and Aquaman, has ditched plastic and switched to aluminum cans, which can be recycled multiple times in a closed loop. By the way, in support of the campaign for aluminum, Jason shaved off his beard on camera in 2019, which he had been growing for 12 years.
Joaquin phoenix
At the time of the 2020 Golden Globes, the Joker star announced that he plans to wear one suit to all such events of the season in order to reduce the amount of clothes in his wardrobe. In addition, Phoenix actively expresses its position on the issues of animal protection and the reduction of the meat industry for the sake of climate protection. For participating in a rally dedicated to this problem, the actor was even arrested.
What can you do?
There is no need to go to protests to contribute to the protection of the environment. It is enough to start with simple but important steps. They will at least help make the world around you cleaner, and at the most inspire other people to follow your example.
In addition, following the ideas of the eco-agenda, you will find yourself in the same company with Emma Watson, Rooney Mara, Pharrell Williams, Meghan Markle and other bright people.
Where to start?
sort garbage
In Russia, waste processing is not as well developed as in European, especially Scandinavian countries, where up to 98% of all solid waste is recycled. However, we also have factories that are ready to accept and process recyclables.
The simplest thing is to divide all your garbage into 2 categories: recyclables (plastic, glass, metal and paper) and organic waste, as well as what did not fall into the first group. Collected is important to throw into special containers with the appropriate labeling.
Don’t throw away good food
Yes, it happens that the products were bought a week in advance, something is left, but the expiration date has not yet expired. Or relatives gave their harvest of zucchini – but do not eat zucchini alone, and now they disappear.
For such and many other cases, there are special communities on social networks where you can exchange products with other participants. They can be found by the keyword “foodsharing”. Help in the form of food is also accepted by charitable foundations that distribute it to those in need or prepare food for the homeless.
Purchase household items on the secondary market
You can save a lot and help preserve nature by purchasing interior items, appliances, clothes and even furniture, especially for children, using free ads and marketplaces such as Dumps, Charity shop, Rezonu and Localmart.
If used goods are not your option, then when buying new wardrobe or interior items, you should pay attention to the quality of materials, durability and classic style, rather than chasing fashion that quickly becomes outdated.
By the way, you can give away the accumulated unnecessary things to the same Charity Shop, the Second Wind project. Clothes collection bins are located throughout Moscow and in 25 regions of Russia. Residents of the capital can take clothes to one of the points of the Good Things project. In many regions there are similar places, often at religious organizations and churches.
Reduce plastic consumption
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely abandon this material in our time. More than 80% of packaging and household items are made of plastic. But what we can do is to reduce its consumption at the household level.
Get into the habit of always and everywhere carrying a soft fabric shopper and fruit, a bag for vegetables or fruits. After all, we often buy products on the way from work or a walk and are forced to take a plastic bag at the checkout. The shopper will solve this problem, and you can put vegetables and fruits in the fruit box when weighing, carefully sticking the price tag on the fabric.
Other helpers in saving resources are a thermos, tumblr or eco-cap. They will allow you to refuse disposable cups and even get a discount in eco-responsible coffee shops, which are becoming more and more every year.
Take part in volunteer projects
The most relevant today are the district subbotniks, which are held by youth and non-profit organizations throughout the city. You can find out about their conduct in the groups of your district on social networks by writing in the search “Neighbors …” (and then the name of the district), on the website of the district administration or council. In Moscow, traditional subbotniks this year will be held on April 11 and 25.
It would also be a great step to participate in the Plant a Forest campaign, where anyone can join the planting of trees in their region and see how they take root. If there is no time and energy for physical participation, you can help financially. You will receive a certificate and an e-card, and after planting a tree, a photo and GPS coordinates of the new forest.
Making your life and the lives of your loved ones a little greener is not so difficult. It is not easy to give up the car or plane when making long trips, to completely stop buying new things and switch to only weight products. But each choice we make can encourage manufacturers to become more environmentally involved, and governments to emphasize the environmental agenda, and others to follow a good example.
About the Developer
Ksenia Toporkova — Head of Eco-City Services Navigator .