Celebrating women
Whether they’re campaigning for a greener planet or animal rights, these celebrities are inspiring us to be cleaner and kinder
NATALIE PORTMAN
In 2011, Oscar-winner Natalie, 41, turned vegan after reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals, a thought-provoking look at the effects of industrial farming. She has also made the commitment to not wear leather, fur or feathers, and has even created her own vegan shoe line. In 2017, the passionate celeb received the Ongoing Commitment Award from the Environmental Media Association for her work in this area.
STELLA McCARTNEY
Like her late mother, Linda – who was a passionate vegetarian and animal rights activist – fashion designer Stella, 51, has spoken out about animal welfare. Her hugely successful designer lines are stocked across the world, but you’ll never find a product containing fur, leather or any type of animal skin in her ranges.
MERYL STREEP
Not only has she excelled in acting, scooping up three Oscars over the years, but Meryl, 73, has also shown a heartfelt commitment to bettering the environment. In 1989, she became a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council to publicise the risks of pesticides on fruit and vegetables. In the years since, she’s campaigned in support of organic agriculture, and continues to be involved in environmental and food movements. celebrating women
MICHAELA STRACHAN
Michaela, 57, is one of the most recognisable faces for environmental conservation on UK TV and has dedicated her career to raising awareness of such projects, as well as hosting much-loved shows like Springwatch and Countryfile. Over the years, she has fronted documentaries about everything from orangutan conservation to penguin rescue, and how tourism and climate change is affecting the coral reefs of the Maldives.
ZOE BALL
Not only does she help wake us up in the morning with her breakfast show, Radio 2 star Zoe, 52, also wants to make sure the nation’s bees are being looked after. In 2021, she launched the station’s Big Bee Challenge, which asked listeners to do what they can to help the bee population. ‘I feel so passionate about this campaign,’ she revealed, ‘it’s already got me thinking about what I can do for them in my garden!’
JANE FONDA
From fitness sensation to anti-war protester, actor Jane wears many hats. And one of those is her fervent environmentalist stance. The star, now 85, was arrested four times in 2019 for protesting against climate change. Speaking of her activism, Jane explained, ‘Young people like Greta [Thunberg] were calling on older generations to step up and, well, I’m definitely older. It made sense to me: why should the burden of fixing this problem be on those who didn’t create it?’
