Light green beginnings lead to a bright green future

When Star Wars starlet, Natalie Portman, attended a naming ceremony in support of Rwandan Mountain Gorillas she dubbed her gorilla “Ahazaza” or “Future” in the Rwandan native tongue. Portman’s kind, earth-friendly ideals began in childhood – and she’s hitched them to her rising star ever since. All to create a greener, healthier future for the world we live in.

Natalie’s Great Green Childhood

Portman’s environmental efforts began young. An environmental advocate since childhood, she sang and danced with the eco-themed “World Patrol Kids”  – crooning lyrics like “Recycle it, renew it, if we can reuse it, why should we lose it? Show you care!”

A devoted vegetarian since witnessing a video on animal testing at the age of 8, Natalie’s vegetarianism has blossomed into a full blown, eco-conscious vegan lifestyle.

Natalie Portman’s Green Initiatives

Like fellow actress and vegan, Alicia Silverstone, Portman is all about animal welfare. Aside from her 2007 visit to Rwanda, PETA’s 2002 “Sexiest Vegetarian Alive” reportedly insists that film and television producers choose leather free, animal friendly synthetics in her costuming. When challenged to find fashionable vegan footwear, she took action and designed her own for specialty retailer, Té Casan.

Oh, and did we mention she donates 100% of the proceeds to the Nature Conservancy?

Portman embraces opportunities to lend both name and voice to worthwhile environmental initiatives. She appeared in the “This Bulb”  campaign with Kyra Sedgwick and Chloe Savigne, and during the 2008 presidential campaign she joined Senator Hillary Rodham to endorse President Obama’s environmental position.

Natura’s Green Beginnings

Like Natalie, Natura World’s eco-ideals took root early. Founded on a belief that “using natural materials is the best solution for ourselves and our planet” Natura World vigorously pursues greener, more eco-friendly manufacturing practices and office procedures. And like Portman’s vegan shoes, when an eco-logical answer isn’t readily available, we create one for ourselves.

When we couldn’t find a natural replacement to highly allergenic feathers & down, we created our own exciting, eco-friendly alternative. Natura was the first North American manufacturer to develop the granulated latex pillow by mincing down the scraps from our latex mattress ends. The result: huggable, squishable, hypoallergenic pillow perfection that’s good for the planet too.

For turning a childhood awareness of eco-logic into a full blown green lifestyle – and encouraging the same in others, we salute Natalie Portman in this week’s Eco-Celebrity Beat.

Do you speak up for the environmental initiatives that matter to you? We’d love to hear about the environmental organizations that are close to your heart!

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