Gisele Bundchen Celebrates Amazon Day With Powerful Message
Supermodel Gisele Bundchen rose to fame in the early 1990s, part of what became a wave of Brazilian models that made it big internationally. Still one of the highest-paid models in the world, she spends her time modeling, taking care of her family, and supporting her husband, Tom Brady, who is the quarterback of the NFL’s New England Patriots. However, many people are unaware of Bundchen’s philanthropic tendencies.
On Wednesday, she posted a heartfelt message to Instagram celebrating Amazon Day, which is commemorated every September 5. Her message was first in Portuguese and then in English so that all of her followers could understand. She first discusses how this day is meant to celebrate all the natural wonders the Amazon has to offer. Then she delves into issues threatening the rainforest, specifically deforestation, and implores her fans (and fans of the Amazon) to stand up, make a difference, and help to protect it.
Environmental awareness is incredibly important to Bundchen and has been for years. She is particularly dedicated to protecting threatened environments in South America. She has partnered with such organizations as the Rainforest Alliance and World Wildlife Fund in the past. Bundchen was also named Harvard’s 2011 Global Environmental Citizen for her efforts in promoting wildlife conservation and the Greenest Celebrity at the 2011 International Green awards at the National History Museum of London that same year. She was also appointed a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador in 2012. And as recently as 2016, Bundchen became a celebrity correspondent on the climate change documentary show Years of Living Dangerously.
“I feel privileged to be a U.N. ambassador. It gives me an opportunity to use my voice to help raise awareness about important social and environmental issues,” Bundchen has said.
Bundchen does not just talk the talk either. She truly makes big strides as an activist for environmental causes. She even has a section on her personal website that is dedicated to helping educate people about environmental issues and encouraging them to make a change.
“The environment has always been my passion. Mother Earth is our fundamental life-support system, and by becoming aware and responsible now, we can assist in preserving the planet,” Bundchen said on her UN Environmental Goodwill Ambassador profile.
Amazon Day is particularly important to Bundchen as it is most widely celebrated in Brazil, her home country.
“Amazon Day is commemorated most of all in Brazil with special celebrations. The date was established in 1850 to mark the creation of the Province of Amazonas; later to give rise to the present-day State of Amazonas,” explains the World Wildlife Fund.
