
Lauren Santo Domingo, Oscar de la Renta, Hillary Clinton, and Andres Santo Domingo at the CI gala.
Image: Conservation Int’l / Jack Hartzman
The environmental movement does not always get the attention it needs, but there are some high profile players who are working to change that. Celebrities, business moguls and politicians alike are forming alliances to speak up for oceans, forests, and endangered species. Organizations that need extra attention—like Conservation International, H2O Africa and the World Wildlife Fund—are getting it from the support of popular people.
Conservation International is a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit that promotes environmental conservation all over the world. Harrison Ford, who is in the board for CI, famously waited outside of Hillary Clinton’s hotel for days so he could show her a report on the state of the oceans. Conservation International recently held a star-studded gala dinner, hosted in part by long-time activist Andres Santo Domingo. The Santo Domingo family has been involved in Conservation International for many years, and Andres’ father, Julio Mario Santo Domingo, was honored at the dinner by chairman and CEO Peter Seligmann. The dinner was also attended by fashion icons Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch and Lauren Santo Domingo.

Actor Matt Damon co-founded H2O Africa.
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H2O Africa was cofounded by Matt Damon, and works to create and protect clean water sources in African countries. The organization created the website Water.org to help raise funds and create awareness about the water crisis. The organization focuses on helping women and girls become leaders for community sanitation and including them in developing water solutions. In most of these countries, it is the sole responsibility of a woman or daughter to supply households with water for washing, drinking and cooking. This spring, Water.org organized a “Toilet Strike” to protest the lack of sanitation in developing countries. Celebrities Olivia Wilde, Richard Branson, Bono and Jessica Biel have all voiced their support for the strike.

The World Wildlife Fund has long been supported by Leonardo DiCaprio.
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Leonardo DiCaprio is a big promoter of the World Wild Life Fund. He has supported the foundation since 1998, and is a promoter of WWF’s annual Earth Hour for awareness on climate change and other environmental dangers. In 2010 DiCaprio produced a media campaign for the fund. Other celebrities that support Earth Hour include Sienna Miller, supermodel Miranda Kerr and British pop band McFly. Jessica Alba’s Honest Company participated in this year’s “I Will If You Will Challenge,” where they promised to let their kids dress them for work if 10,000 people pledged to use nontoxic products in their homes.