Conservation News: Which Celebrities Give Back?
Celebrities aren't all about glitz and glamour. These six A-listers have one goal in mind: to show support for our oceans.
Sydney Alford/AlamyWhen Leonardo DiCaprio speaks, 20 million people listen. Such is the power of his voice on social media: He founded his charity, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, to give away millions — including $3 million to Oceana — and to inform fans about earth-saving causes, such as ending overfishing and establishing marine reserves. leonardodicaprio.com
Everett Collection Inc/AlamySAM SIMON
When the co-creator of The Simpsons _learned of his terminal-cancer diagnosis, he began bequeathing his fortune, including the tens of millions per year from show royalties, to charities. In addition to programs that rescue shelter dogs, the benefactor paid for the M/V _Sam Simon, now part of the Sea Shepherd Fleet. samsimonfoundation.com
Oceana/Eduardo SorensenTED DANSON
The _CSI _star helped found American Oceans Campaign, which, in 2002, merged with Oceana; the star still serves on Oceana’s board of directors. Danson is vocal about over-fishing. “A third of what the world catches is thrown away dead or dying because it’s not the fish that they were after,” he says of current fishermen practices. oceana.org
Everett Collection Inc/AlamySHANNEN DOHERTY
This past September, Doherty teamed up with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to return to Taiji, Japan, the setting of the documentary The Cove, where she aided in live-streaming the dolphin hunt and slaughter. Says Doherty, “The suffering continues for those who are taken from the ocean and imprisoned for captivity.” seashepherd.org
Tony RathCOBIE SMULDERS
The How I Met Your Mother _star visited Belize with Oceana this past August, as did Rashida Jones and Angela Kinsey of _The Office. Smulders, a diver and ocean lover, filmed a PSA in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve to educate viewers on the importance of preserving coral-reef habitats, saying, “We can turn things around.” oceana.org
Kristoffer Tripplaar/AlamyJACK JOHNSON
The longtime Surfrider Foundation supporter has created and funded a few charities of his own, including All At Once, which supports plastic-free initiatives. He donated all the profits of his 2008 concert tour charity, and used his 2010 tour to educate fans about ways to help prevent the ocean from becoming plastic soup. surfrider.org, allatonce.org
