Celebrities And Polar Bears
Post by Erica Wills of Polar Bears International
Photo: Actor Josh Duhamel and PBI Ambassador Erica Wills at the 2012 Indianapolis Prize Gala. Photo Credit to Don Reynolds.
With the Oscars coming up next Sunday, I thought I’d write a piece about the powerful voice of celebrities. Though they are regular people like you and me, celebrities hold a unique position in society. Their actions are constantly scrutinized, their private lives are rarely private, and they hold an incredible amount of influence over their fans.
Many celebrities have voiced their support for various conservation efforts around the world, including polar bears. Josh Duhamel, pictured above with yours truly, traveled to Churchill with Polar Bears International in 2008 and quickly fell in love with the great white bear of the north. He has voiced his support numerous times for both the polar bear and Polar Bears International itself. At the 2012 Indianapolis Prize Gala, he served as co-host for the event with Saba Douglas-Hamilton.
Martha Stewart is another well-known celebrity who traveled north with PBI, as well as singers Chantal Kreviazuk and Alex Wolf. In Great Britain, several celebrities have signed an open letter to the UK’s Environment Minister Richard Benyon urging him to back a US proposal to ban trade on the polar bear and its individual parts, including Joseph Fiennes, Joanna Lumley, Martin Clunes, Bear Grylls, Brian Blessed, Chris Packham and Mark Carwardine.
In 2012, Jude Law and the band Radiohead teamed up with Greenpeace to bring awareness to the plight of the polar bear through a deeply moving film short as part of Greenpeace’s “Save the Arctic” campaign.
Additionally, dozens of celebrities have signed their names to Greenpeace’s “Arctic Scroll,” voicing their support to protect and preserve the Arctic. To name just a few: Annie Lennox, Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, Javier Bardem, Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel, Emily Blunt, Woody Harrelson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Penélope Cruz, Pamela Anderson, and Sir Paul McCartney.
Around the world, people are standing up in support of the Arctic and its magnificent ecosystem. If they can do it, so can you! International Polar Bear Day is next week and is a great opportunity for you to get the word out and start making a difference for our beloved bears.
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