This Is How Leonardo DiCaprio Outshines Thousands of Other Hollywood Celebrities

Be like Leo, speak for the change

Leonardo DiCaprio. Photo from WallpaperUse

We all admire Leonardo DiCaprio as a phenomenal actor for his magical performances in numerous films, including What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Titanic, Shutter Island, Blood Diamond, The Wolf of Wall Street, Catch Me If You Can, Inception, etc. But in this post, we will talk about none of them.

There is another parallel world of Leonardo DiCaprio which is equally exciting and eventful. There Leo is more beautiful than any of his films. In that world, with his constant dedication and works, he has become one of the most prominent voices who inspires many.

Yes, I am talking about the environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio who tries hard to make the world a better place. And here, he outshines every other celebrity in the world.

How it started

We all have heard his famous Oscar acceptance speech in 2016 for The Revenant, where he said, “Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.” But that’s not when his journey towards change started.

It started in 1998, long before his Oscar speech, when he was a 24-year-old Titanic star. At that early age, Leo founded an organization named Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) to raise awareness about environmental issues, including ocean preservation, global warming, and wildlife conservation.

That was the actual beginning. A brave step that eventually made Leo an outspoken advocate for top environmental concerns. And it separates him from thousands of celebrities who walk on the red carpet.

Leo’s love and concerns for the environment

Leo developed a deep love for the natural world from childhood, watching numerous documentaries on wildlife, rainforests, and endangered species.

Environmental issues have always been one of his top priorities. He has even taken a few breaks from films to work as an environmental activist. He traveled to different places in the world to have a first-hand experience of how much damages have already been done to the environment.

Over the years, Leo has been trying effortlessly to protect biodiversity, endangered species, and the earth’s ecosystem.

Grants

You would be happy to know that — over the last two decades, LDF has awarded over $80 million in grants to more than 200 environmental projects in 50 countries and all five oceans.

In 2010, through his foundation, Leo donated one million dollars to a Nepalese conservation project to preserve its wild tigers. The foundation also helped protect the Black Rhino in Tanzania and the snow leopard and the lowland gorilla in Central Asia.

Leo is also committed to saving the marine environment. His foundation pledged $7 million of funds towards marine conservation initiatives at the Our Oceans conference in 2014.

In 2019, When the fire destroyed a large part of the Amazon rainforest in July and August, DiCaprio’s environmental NGO Earth Alliance pledged $5 million to protect the Amazon rainforests.

Even Leo donated $3 million to Australia bushfire relief efforts in 2020.

Documentary films on climate change

Leonardo DiCaprio loves to make documentaries on different environmental issues like the water crisis, global warming, the earth’s ecosystem, and so on. Some of the notable documentary films are The 11th Hour, Before the Flood, and Ice on Fire.

The 11th Hour In 2007, Leo made the documentary The 11th Hour to show how human actions are causing damages to this lovely planet. The film was directed by Nadia Conners and Leila Conners and narrated and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio himself.

Later, Leo organized a charity gala to raise funds for his organization. And it worked tremendously well as the “11th Hour” fine art auction raised almost $40 million for the LDF, which made it the highest-grossing environmental charity event ever held.

Before the Flood In his brilliant documentary Before the Flood, directed by Fisher Stevens, Leo tries his best to explain what’s causing climate change and how we still can save our planet.

At the European premiere in London in October 2016, DiCaprio said, “Before The Flood is the product of an incredible three-year journey that took place with my co-creator and director Fisher Stevens. We went to every corner of the globe to document the devastating impacts of climate change and questioned humanity’s ability to reverse what may be the most catastrophic problem mankind has ever faced.”

This 2016 film was aired on the National Geographic Channel on October 30 and received several world recognitions, including Hollywood Film Awards and Evening Standard British Film Awards.

Ice on Fire In this documentary film, Leonardo depicts how ice and glaciers are rapidly melting and what we can do to mitigate climate change and minimize climate-related disasters. Leila Conners directed the film, and Leo himself narrated and produced it.

Moreover, Leonardo DiCaprio has worked as executive producer on several feature-length documentaries, including “Cowspiracy” and “Sea of Shadows.”

Leo inspires others

Leo, in this endeavor, traveled the world and met experts, environmentalists, scientists, entrepreneurs, presidents, and even the pope. He is trying hard to bring positive changes and inspiring people to speak up for environmental issues.

In 2014, Leonardo DiCaprio has been named as a messenger of peace by the UN, with a special focus on climate change.

Leo states, “I feel a moral obligation to speak out at this key moment in human history — it is a moment for action. How we respond to the climate crisis in the coming years will likely determine the fate of humanity and our planet.”

He attended the People’s Climate March in 2017 to protest against President Trump’s inaction on climate change.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays important role in different environmental boards, including Global Green USA, Natural Resources Defense Council, World Wildlife Fund, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

From promoting awareness, donating money to protesting on street, Leonardo DiCaprio has become one of Hollywood’s most influential environmental campaigners.

With his stance on environmental issues, he is inspiring a generation to be mindful of their actions and speak for the change.

Thank you for reading

References

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