Even though I’ve had this love for nature my entire life, it wasn’t until I visited the Amazon rainforest for the first time in 2004 that I realized that, although vast, it’s so much more fragile than I thought. I spent time with the Kisêdjê tribe in the Xingu region. These incredible people are so respectful of, and in tune with, nature. They live off of nature, yet they don’t take more than they need. Still, their survival was under threat because of deforestation and mining, which was contaminating their water supply.

I felt I needed to do something to help, so I began supporting projects to help indigenous people living in the region, those who understand the value of natural resources. The only reason we’re alive is because Mother Nature is giving us everything we need to survive. What do we do? We just take. We, as humans, believe everything is here to serve us, but that’s not true. Earth is a living being. It’s important for us to understand how lucky we are that we get to live on this beautiful planet with all these incredible resources.

The reason I’m working to protect the planet is that I want to serve human survival and the health of all species. If we don’t take care of the gifts that the planet is giving us, and if we don’t live in harmony with all the different creatures on this planet, we’re going to be the ones who are gone. The planet doesn’t need us to survive—we need the planet. As humans, we need to be awakened to that.

Leaving the world in a better place

Having my own children has made my environmental work a lot more urgent. We take nothing with us, so what truly matters is what we leave behind. I want to make the world better for all children, and leave them equipped with the right tools so they can continue to enjoy all of Earth’s treasures and have a positive impact in our world.

With kids, the most important thing is to lead by example. We have a garden at home, where the kids get to see and understand how long it takes for life to grow. They learn about eating seasonally. They’ve learned that I won’t buy strawberries when they’re out of season. They know plastic is a big issue: they see it on the beach; I have shown them videos of whales being found in the ocean with plastic inside their bellies. Like me, they’ve become sensitive to these things. It’s important they understand how nature works. Once they feel the magic of nature, they’re going to love it and as a result, they’ll protect it.