10 Sustainable Eco-Influencers to Inspire You
10 Sustainable Eco-Influencers to Inspire You
Written exclusively for Thechayahmovement.com
By Amethyst Browning
Sustainability has taken over a lot of industries and more and more people are starting to be aware of the impact of their actions on the environment. In the fashion industry, designers are starting to pay more attention to how they create their clothes and how they source their materials. If you’re looking to start your journey to becoming more environmentally friendly, our very own Bailee O'Connell has a few helpful tips like going back to basics and shopping smart. Apart from that, you can also glean inspiration from a few people who have made it their life’s goal to care for the environment. Here are some of the best sustainable eco-influences that will inspire you:
Stella McCartney
Using new technology to create beautiful clothing and using recycled or sustainable fabrics is nothing new for Stella McCartney. “One of the things you have to do, and the most sustainable thing you can do as a designer, is to create pieces that people want and won’t want to throw away,” she said. “There’s $500 billion worth of waste in the fashion industry every year, and that, to me, is a business opportunity,” she adds. “The next generation will look at all this waste and say, ‘Let’s create something new out of it.’ That’s going to be the next exciting thing.”
Madelynn De La Rosa
De La Rosa is one of the vegans on this list who makes an effort to share her passion for sustainable fashion and vegan beauty products through her beautifully shot vintage-style videos. She has over 200,000 followers on her social media account, and her popularity is growing.
Greta Thunberg
This girl is only 16 years old but she’s already known as one of the ultimate environmental campaigners and influencers of her generation. Thunberg is the brains behind the recent UK school climate strike, which aims to urge the Swedish government to act on climate change. Since she was too young to vote in the general elections, she resorted to a protest instead, inspiring other young people from all over the world to follow suit.
Lauren Singer
Lauren Singer is an environmental activist, entrepreneur, and blogger known for living a zero-waste life in New York City. Her blog “Trash is for Tossers” aims to educate readers on how to achieve a zero-waste lifestyle. One of the most popular parts of her blog is her Easy Changes segment that focuses on simple ways to begin living waste-free. Tips range from common kitchen items you need to swap for zero waste ones, to decorating and shopping without generating any trash.
Shannon Buckley
Her social media account showcases mainly eco-friendly brands and plenty of style tips, as well as ethical clothing for “not-quite-plus-size” women. She feels strongly about brands that do not make an effort to be inclusive—both in sizing and pricing.
There are plenty of fashion brands that are already trying to produce quality sustainable clothes. Stylish Curves’ list of sustainable plus-size fashion brands include Bacaal by Cynthia Vincent, Chromat, Eileen Fisher, and Girlfriend Collective.
Gisele Bündchen
The supermodel is known to have a great passion for planting and has been recognized many times for her long-standing commitment to the environment. At home, she has chicken coops, beehives, compost heaps, and vegetable gardens. In an interview with Elle, Bündchen said she wants her children to have the same connection to nature that she had growing up. She’s a goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme, fighting to plant more trees and restore wildlife. “An immeasurable heritage is threatened by illegal deforestation and the squatting of public lands,” she said.
Natalie Portman
Portman supports Global Green USA, which is an organization fighting global climate change through green affordable housing initiatives. Her passion for environmental sustainability started when she was a child. She was a member of the environmental pop group World Patrol Kids. Last year, she co-produced a powerful documentary with novelist Jonathan Safran-Foer that addresses how farming hasn’t changed over the past century and how to move towards a more sustainable future.
Christine Kobzeff
Switching to a vegan diet and lifestyle can be very difficult, but Kobzeff’s YouTube channel aims to make it easier. She puts vegan beauty products and recipes in the spotlight, teaching her 765,000 subscribers how to finally make the switch to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Taking care of the environment and making the switch to a more sustainable lifestyle can be very challenging, but these women prove that small changes can make a huge difference.
Rachael Wang
In an interview with Teen Vogue about her collaboration with Fair Trade for a lookbook entitled ‘We Wear Fair Trade’, Wang said it’s very important for her as a member of the fashion industry, to make it more transparent, more ethical, and more sustainable. “Fair Trade USA is an organization that I’ve always admired for upholding rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards, so collaborating with them was truly an honor,” she said. “Brands that weave ethics and responsibility into their business model are becoming more and more common. It’s so exciting to see the industry starting to really prioritize using and developing sustainable and recycled materials, zero-waste manufacturing processes, and employee income sustainability,” she added.
Emma Watson
The English actress stole everyone’s hearts when she played Hermione Granger in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter film series. She has since become a woman’s rights advocate and the queen of eco-friendly red-carpet fashion. Watson supports ethical and sustainable fashion movements and brands like 'People Tree'. “What we wear signifies who we are and what we stand for.” For Watson, Good On You’s guides to ethical clothing are her benchmark for sustainable fashion. Her wardrobe choices are also varied and inspired, showing how sustainable fashion doesn’t have to be limiting. Pretty Me highlights how Watson can shift from modern chic to preppy and fancy, as she is often seen wearing dress and coat combinations, cute jeans, and leather jacket combos. Moreover, her clothes are often handmade and recycled pieces from environmentally friendly materials that emphasize her environmentalist spirit.