Leonardo DiCaprio Totally Deserves an Oscar for Saving Oceans
By Cameron Bullock
Did you know that only 2 percent of our oceans are fully protected?
Does that make you frustrated? It sure worked on me and Leonardo DiCaprio. As if I needed another reason to love Leonardo DiCaprio, just this week he has donated $2 million of his considerable wealth to a conservation group called Ocean 5.
DiCaprio has always been an outspoken supporter of the ocean’s health and a leader in the conservation community.
Where is his money going? Ocean 5 is a foundation dedicated to protecting marine reserves and constrains overfishing. This foundation has stated that the use of Mr. DiCaprio’s funds will go toward “establishing new aquatic parks across the Pacific Islands and the Arctic.”
Why this location specifically? The Pacific Islands and Arctic are conservation hotbeds, and many species that are severely threatened by climate change, illegal fishing, and invasive species reside there.
This isn’t DiCaprio’s first conservation pledge either. DiCaprio founded the “Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation” whose purpose is “dedicated to protecting Earth’s last wild places and implementing solutions to build a more harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world.”
His past donations has included:
- $1 Million to the Elephant Crisis Fund to stop poaching and end the trade of ivory
- $7 Million dedicated to ocean conservation
- $3 Million to WWF to save tigers
The most successful fundraising event came in August 2014 when the foundations annual fundraiser raked in $25 million for conservation. It seems that DiCaprio is a perfect embodiment of his character Jay Gatsby, minus the mental breakdown.
To you, Mr. DiCaprio, I raise a glass and say from the bottom of my heart, in a time when many Hollywood figures are focused solely on themselves, it is truly refreshing to see someone of your caliber take a stand for conservation.
You are a role model, and I thank you for what you have done and will continue to do to our oceans.
If you are interested in learning more about the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, please check out their website.
