Ian Somerhalder hailed as UNEP ambassador
Actor, model and environmental activist continues to support and engage in the pathway to greener living through The Ian Somerhalder Foundation
The Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF), established in 2010, is now supporting environmental conservation through raising awareness about biodiversity and the impact of deforestation as well as engaging young people in environmental issues and supporting renewable energy projects.
The ISF exists to empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures.
Somerhalder also assisted in cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster while supporting the It Gets Better project in preventing suicide among LGBT youth and testified before Congress to support species.
The actor and activist was labeled the Most Responsible celebrity at the International Green Awards in London, after receiving 50 per cent of the public vote for the greenest international media luminary for 2012.
In a speech at the World Environmental Day 2014 a UNEP-led initiative, Ian Somerhalder, designated as Goodwill Ambassador for UNEP said: "Humans are currently consuming far more than our planet can provide or sustain. We are polluting our air with carbon emissions, destroying our forests and species, and filling our seas with plastic and waste. The time is now to go greener by making choices that are good for people and the planet."
Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner: "Ian Somerhalder is a committed environmentalist who has the capacity to inspire millions of fans worldwide to support conservation and green living."
He added “We are proud of Ian Somerhalder's affiliation with UNEP and we look forward to his active involvement in our initiatives and campaigns. By becoming a Goodwill Ambassador, he will join the ranks of a distinguished group of UNEP supporters, the likes of Gisele Bündchen, Don Cheadle and Yaya Touré, whose work has contributed to raising awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability and green practices worldwide”.
Somerhalder’s recent activities involve a video with Conservation International (CS) on ‘Nature is talking’ collaborating with Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Harrison Ford, Kevin Spacey, Edward Norton, Robert Redford and Lupita Nyong’o.
He is also involved with a start-up called Go Green Mobile Power, making mobile solar, wind and bio-diesel generators with hopes to provide off-grid power for everything from the film industry to disaster relief overseas.
