Closing the Gender Gap in Environmentally Friendly Behavior.

According to research, women are more environmentally friendly than men. 

While this may surprise some of you, there are a few reasons for this imbalance.
1. Women perceive a greater vulnerability to risks.
2. Women are more likely to purchase "green" products. (Women also make more of the purchases for home-goods). 
3. Women are more likely to feel guilty over not "going green"
4. Women are also socialized to be nurturing and to participate in care-taking behaviors.

Concern=Action.

 
A study that I conducted found that concern for the environment is directly linked to the performance of activism behaviors. If a person is not in any way informed about the dangers of climate change, they are less likely to try to make a difference. What better way to get men and women informed and concerned about the environment than to get celebrities to speak out and take action for environmental issues?
 
Celebrities Leading The Way. 
In Hollywood, celebrities have a platform and strong presence through media to effect different types of social change. Although many of us would like to "go green" it can be very costly for the average American. Not only do celebrities have the platform to be leaders in the environmentally friendly community, they also have the money it takes to fund these actions. Celebrities can also help to close the gender gap. If young men and women see their male and female role models expressing "green" behaviors it may influence them to do the same.

 The Incredible Hulk Speaks Out for Climate Change.

 Mark Ruffalo is known to many as The Incredible Hulk. But, when Mark is not busy playing a giant green super hero he is busy being the founder of two projects working towards environmental activism. The first is known as Water Defense and is a non-profit working with the belief that clean water is a universal human right. The second is The Solutions Project, this project founded by Mark has a mission to engage all people to transition to using renewable energy sources. Mark is an important environmental activist because his fan base is so large. Mark is also known to reach out to people on twitter and social media to spread the word about environmental issues. Follow him @MarkRuffalo. 

The Invisible Woman Makes Visible Impact.  

 Jessica Alba may be best known for her role as the "invisible woman" (a damaging subliminal message to girls? I think, yes) in the film Fantastic Four but she has made many contributions to environmental activism outside of her acting career. She is the founder of The Honest Company which is a company that produces household products that emphasize the importance of their products being Eco-friendly and non toxic. Jessica has also gone to Washington D.C. to lobby for the Safe Chemicals Act which has been proposed to call for a stricter protocol to be put in place regulating which chemicals are safe to go into products. Jessica is the perfect example of a celebrity using their platform to create change. She saw a lack of availability of safe products for families so she developed a company to make those products available. For more information about her cause check out her twitter @JessicaAlba. 
Let's Get "Happy" About Environmental Activism! 

                   Pharrell Williams is a man of many hats... 
Pharrell has won grammy's for his work in the music industry and has recently added environmental activist to his to-do list. Pharrell has worked with the conference "Parley-For-The Oceans" whose cause is to remove harmful plastics from the oceans. Pharrell has also co-founded Bionic Yarn which is a clothing line that uses recycled materials to make it's products. Pharrell can also be seen as featured in a documentary called "The Plastic Age" the main focus of the documentary is to conceptualize how much plastic is used by the population and explain the harmful effects this excessive use has on the environment. Follow the movement on twitter for more information @i_am_OTHER. 

From the Wizarding World to the Sustainable Fashion World. 

Emma Watson is widely recognized for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. Since the series has come to an end Emma has used her platform to advocate for sustainable fashion. Emma has teamed up with clothing lines such as People Tree, to create fashion lines that use biodegradable and recycled products wherever possible. Emma has also taken part in an Instagram campaign for sustainable fashion in partnership with The Green Carpet Challenge. For information about the cause follow Emma on Instagram @emmawatson. Along with her advocacy for sustainable fashion Emma has also been appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for her humanitarian work.

Why This Matters.
I believe the gender gap in environmental concern and activism exists for many reasons. One of the reasons I see as most important is that people are not made aware of the negative affects that climate change and environmental issues can and will have on us as a population. I believe that celebrities have the power to influence the people, specifically a young generation. Most young people get all of their news and information online. They are constantly bombarded with headlines about Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. If more emphasis was put on celebrities who are making a difference as environmentalists and other social causes it may make these causes more appealing and spike concern. If concern is raised then activism behaviors will also be raised. I chose to write about two female celebrities and two male celebrities to show that there is no need for gendered environmentalism. Men and Women have to work together to make a difference in the environment. No singular group can do it alone. 




Written by:
Chelsea Malone
1 May 2016