Angela Lindvall for NRDC Ocean Initiative
Angela at Chanel for NRDC. Photo: Angela Lindvall
The Chanel event benefitting the National Resources Defense Council’s Ocean Initiative was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. I got to go with my third sister and we dressed like gypsy Chanel. I’ve been blessed by the universe to have visits from all three sisters in three weeks! My sister has been working so hard to put herself through college on a scholarship, and she just got accepted to a residency in Chicago to teach special education in low-income areas. So to take her out for a fun night was amazing, especially for a good cause.
My sister was blown away when she saw we were sitting at a table with Drew Barrymore, Owen Wilson and Rick Rubin. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Hudson sat at the table across from us with Barbra Streisand. We got up and danced—just us!—when Jeff Bridges jammed a few tunes. We couldn’t help ourselves! It was so fun, and so nice to see no pretension at an event like this. I admire the stars that get behind causes and help bring awareness to them.
I was so proud of Chanel for hosting an initiative like this. So many companies are afraid to get behind an environmental cause, thinking they will be ostracized. But Kudos to them! Chanel brings a sexy element to a great cause. Chanel is not perfect, but their pieces are investments that last, and they realize where they can improve, beginning with packaging. Small steps can take you a long way.
NRDC’s Ocean Initiative is bringing awareness to the damage we are causing to the sea and its inhabitants, as well as finding ways to reveal solutions and put them into action. It’s a big issue that is a result of the way we live. Creating marine protected areas—essentially national parks for the sea—and stopping destructive fishing practices would increase the resiliency of marine ecosystems and help them withstand acidification. Reducing the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed into the oceans may be the only way to stop acidification. The same strategies needed to fight global warming on land can also help in the seas.
These are not problems that will be solved overnight—maybe not even in our lifetimes. But we can start planting seeds now, and live more harmoniously with nature, leaving a better world for future generations. We all must do what we can to educate ourselves on these matters, take action, and support those making change.
Check out Leo’s eco site, which has a lot of great information about his environmental work. I’m on the board of another great initiative of the NRDC called Clean By Design, which focuses on finding ways for textile industries to reduce the pollution they create through the manufacturing process.
Finally, check out this video by LNDM: Ocean Protection Marine Conservation Group. A picture says a thousand words.
I think supporting causes like is about seeing where we can improve to have a better outcome. We have come a long way to create the world we have, and we have the power to create whatever we want. Ultimately, we all want what’s good for us.
Love & Light,
