Gisele: “Let’s stop it now!”

This article is published in issue 4 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until January 27, 2020

The end of his early life comes soon. At 20, Gisele Bündchen goes at 300 per hour: she is the highest paid model in the history of models, the most envied woman in the world (for her perfect body, her hair combed by the wind and her then boyfriend, Leonardo DiCaprio). Always on and off a plane, ready for a shooting. Quick, Gisele, there is an event! Quick, quick, the red carpet doesn’t wait. For lunch burgers and fries, for dinner a bottle of wine, in the middle a pack of cigarettes (Parliament, his favorites). Today he is in Paris, tomorrow in Los Angeles, who knows the day after tomorrow. Then, suddenly, the abyss. At the age of 24, she experienced her first panic attacks. He thinks he is dying. The doctor prescribes a sedative. Instead, she decides to calm her life down.

He goes home to Brazil for a while. He spends ten days in the Xingu region where he meets the tribe of Indios Kisêdjê, whose life is profoundly damaged by deforestation and groundwater pollution. He decides that this will be the new epicenter of his existence. When he returns to town, he turns his life upside down. Starting from the hair, which cuts to the shoulders: first and only time. Other more significant cuts follow. Spring, in order, wine, cigarettes and boyfriend. And he puts order in his daily routine: wake up early, meditation, yoga, healthy eating, especially based on vegetables. Find another man, as far as possible from the genius and recklessness that had enchanted her until now. She gets engaged to a very disciplined American football player: the quaterback of the New England Patriots Tom Brady whom she defines “a person without an ounce of evil in the body” and who, within three years, becomes her husband and the father of her two. children, Benjamin, now 11, and Vivian, 8.

She leaves the catwalks at the peak of her career, and another one begins, that of ambassador for the environment. Alongside the rankings of the “most beautiful women in the world”, the “most desirable”, the “most paid”, her name begins to circulate in different contexts: on the board of directors of the NGO Rainforest Alliance; among the financiers of special projects for the reforestation of the Amazon; in the cast of Years of Living Dangerously (years lived dangerously), the feature film on climate change signed National Geographic; among the executive producers of Kiss the Ground, a documentary dedicated to explaining the benefits of regenerative agriculture in recovering soil fertility, increasing biodiversity, reducing environmental impact, improving water quality and feeding the planet; among the founders, together with his father, ofÁgua Limpa Project, an initiative «born from the desire to do something good for my places of origin, in the hope of improving the quality of local water for future generations. Under the coordination of my dad, we planted 40,000 trees and reclaimed the banks of one of the city’s major aquifers “.

She was called the “Queen Midas of fashion” because everything she touched was transformed into gold: at a certain point a “Gisele Bündchen Stock Index »to evaluate how the prices on the market of the products she sponsored rose (spoiler: they went up, a lot). In just over ten years, it has become the “Midas Queen of sustainability”. Chosen as Ambassador of UNEP, the United Nations Environment Program in 2009, in 2011 she received the Global Environmental Citizen award and immediately after was nominated The Greenest Celebrity at the International Green Award in London.

Last year, it celebrated its first 40 years by promising to plant another 40,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest. And declaring that she has never been happier. The record times, of the more than two thousand covers shot, of the almost a thousand walks and 500 advertising campaigns, of the short and good nights, of the days punctuated by one coffee after another, are not lacking at all. He much prefers this second life of his where, instead of going to bed when it’s already dawn, he wakes up at dawn. And where he decided to take care of himself and the world. Because, as she says, «Nature is vital for the survival of all of us. Human beings are part of nature and when we hurt the environment, we hurt ourselves. Even from a pragmatic point of view, the calculation is simple: it takes much more time and more resources to restore nature than to preserve it “.

These are issues that she thinks about every day, with her children and for her children. In fact, since she became a mother, her commitment to the planet has intensified. Among her wishes is to leave Benjamin and Vivian a better world than the one she has known. To do this he starts from the little one, from home, where, in his own words, he does everything “so that the children come into contact with nature since they love and protect what they know best”. Specifically, he dedicates himself to numerous activities: from separate collection to beekeeping, from the use of solar panels to the botanical garden. “The latter, in particular, represents an excellent learning opportunity because it allows my children to closely observe how much effort it takes for a seed to grow and transform into the food they find on their plates”. On the other hand, when the menu includes meat, there is a ritual to which Bündchen does not give up: a silent prayer of thanks. “I deeply believe that everything is energy. Animals are living beings that deserve our appreciation. Praying before eating them is my way to show my gratitude towards these creatures and my reverence towards nature».

In addition to all this, Gisele teaches Benjamin and Vivian “the rule of the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle”. A simple approach that allows you to find eco-friendly alternatives to every daily activity. And that, taken together, make a difference. Some basic family rules Bündchen-Brady: limit the use of paper and plastic, drink tap water properly filtered and stored in water bottles (disposable bottles are prohibited), go shopping with your own bags, thus avoiding supermarket bags, favor bulk and zero km products so as to give up any form of packaging. And then, play as much as possible in the open air: the time allowed with smartphones and tablets is limited, while the exploration of nature is encouraged, with walks and gardening. Not only that, she gives her children a few toys: «In this way they learn to share them and to appreciate what they have. Moreover, each time they receive a new game, they must choose an old one to donate. I try to explain to them that when we throw something away, it ends up somewhere: in a field, in the ocean, maybe even in the stomach of a whale.»

The results are already tangible: since his tenth birthday, Benjamin has stopped asking for gifts. After seeing photos of an elephant orphanage her mum had visited in Kenya, she was so sad about those cubs whose mothers poachers had killed, that she decided to forgo the gifts in exchange for donations for them.

Such a revolution would also be desirable within the production chain of large industries. “Consumerism is deeply rooted in our society. Many of us grew up thinking we needed more things. But what are the things we need? The truth is that we must become aware of the consequences of our choices. We must ask ourselves questions such as: where do the products we buy come from? Were they made by companies that respect the work, health and well-being of workers? Who take into account nature and therefore minimize the environmental impact of their actions? I believe that, in primis, we must start thinking about how to consume less. I know it’s not easy, but you have to start somewhere. in the second, it is important to demand more transparency from companies that are committed to the development of a more equitable, sustainable and therefore less dangerous production chain for the ecosystem and for human lives».

A good example of this is provided by the Champions of the Earth, «young entrepreneurs, artist scientists awarded by Unep for their initiatives in defense of the environment. They are all people who have a clear principle: qwhen it comes to the environment, the most insidious danger is doing nothing».

A principle that should be applied to all sectors, including the fashion industry. Don’t worry, Gisele is already working on it. For years to tell the truth. Since, in 2002, she had accepted to be the testimonial of a fur brand. The following season, while parading on a New York Fashion Week runway, she was severely attacked by four activists from Peta, the Association for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They dodged security and surrounded it with lots of signs. Instead of resenting what could have been read as a gesture of violence against him, he made amends with a letter of apology. She publicly explained that she doesn’t wear fur first, she loves animals. At the time he had four dogs and two horses and fought for the conservation of the Siberian bear. The one for Bündchen was a reality bath: he would never again sign a contract to please the agency. He would decide, each time, following his own conscience.

Purpose never betrayed: still today he collaborates only with fashion houses that show a sensitive approach to the issue of sustainability. In other words, they are willing to “minimize carbon dioxide emissions, to use natural colors and recyclable materials such as algae, hemp and bamboo”. For a grand gala in 2018 she has already managed to convince Donatella Versace to create a responsibly dyed organic silk dress for her. And, we bet, that many others will follow. On the other hand, it is difficult to resist his appeal: «If we understood that our survival depends on the Earth and its gifts, surely we would take better care of the air we breathe, the soil we tread on, the food we eat. The change has already begun. The real revolution, however, will happen when sustainability becomes a priority for all consumers. The means to change are there. We just have to want it».

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Donald Westbrook

Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.