At Postconsumers, it’s become a bit of a tradition to give a “shout out” to celebrities we think have done a great job of advancing environmental or postconsumer causes throughout the year. We know that a lot of postconsumers take issue with the idea of an eco-conscious celebrity (after all, their average lifestyle is not exactly known for its downplayed nature). But there’s also the reality that, whether we like it or not, celebrities have a great ability to inspire and encourage the behavior of others. You can be Charlie Sheen, or you can be Leonardo Dicaprio. Even celebrities have personal choices to make. That said, here are the celebrities we’d like to give a tip of the hat to for 2014.
Ben Affleck (With an Extra Hug of Love)
Ben Affleck is high on our celeb love list anyway right now because a) Gone Girl was an amazing movie and b)We cannot tell you how much we adored his calling Bill Maher to the carpet for his unacceptable views on Muslims. But adorable Affleck also spends a great deal of his time and energy actually being hands-on with his nonprofit, The Eastern Congo Initiative. He’s also quick to join his buddy Matt Damon in supporting causes that raise awareness about clean water initiatives. We remember a time not so long ago when Hollywood had written Affleck off (remember the movie with J-Lo?). So it’s great to see that he’s made a comeback that’s not only about cool films, it’s about using his celebrity to help make the planet better.
Shailene Woodley: We Heart Her Media Diet
If you don’t know who Shailene Woodley is, then you don’t have a teenager in the house who was obsessed with Divergent or The Fault in Our Stars. But part of why we want to draw attention to some of her eco-causes is because she is a younger actress with an ability to influence a younger generation. Her social media feeds are full of information about environmental and food health issues within the United States and across the globe, but why we love her the most is that she doesn’t own a cell phone. We’re big on needing to disconnect to a certain degree in order to separate out from the consumer media machine, and she’s a great role model for that concept (though not everybody can have that luxury, admittedly). Oh yes, and Postconsumers founder Carol Holst doesn’t have a cell phone (or any mobile device) either, even though she’s not a celebrity.
Jessica Alba: Yes, We Admit It!
We’ve done this list for several years now without mentioning Jessica Alba, and the truth is that we were a little biased against her. Yes, the sci-fi nerds in us loved Dark Angel, but we fell into the trap of the popular perception that she’s just a pretty face who makes bad movies (though even that is unfair!). Then a Postconsumers staff member got pregnant and realized exactly how hard it actually is to find eco-friendly baby products. Honestly, why is it so hard for diaper companies to use some actual postconsumer materials? It’s baffling. And that’s why suddenly our respect for Jessica Alba went up. She realized the issue and solved it by starting her own line. Yes, we wince a little bit at the consumer trap subscription service that The Honest Company offers. But on the other hand, we want to acknowledge her for offering up more eco-friendly baby alternatives and for (no pun intended) being honest about the limitations of those products.
Ian Somerhalder: “The Most Generous Guy Around”
That quote is what many writers and news outlets refer to Somerhalder as, and with good reason. The slightly older among us will remember Somerhalder for his all-too-brief role on Lost. But he’s most well-known to the younger set for his role on the popular CW show, The Vampire Diaries. He also runs his own charitable foundation that tackles just about any issue you could think of. So we’ve really got the best of both worlds here – a celebrity with a great eco- and social conscious who appeals to a hot, young demographic.
And…Finally … will.i.am
Firstly, if you did not see will.i.am when he was on Meet the Press earlier this year, you need to go and find it on YouTube. Truly amazing and probably honestly why he made our list. But we’re going to say that the reason he made our list is because he partnered with Coca Cola on an eco-friendly recycling initiative that, given the scope of both the Coca Cola brand and his personal brand, could have a huge impact. We’re all about reaching the mainstream.
Of course, everybody from our list last year was equally amazing this year and deserves another shout out as well!
Did we miss a celebrity you think we should have mentioned? Tell us about it using the social media channels below.
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