The Conservation Issue

Jun 6, 2019

photographed by Chris Colls

Sustainability is a buzzword these days. But at ELLE, it’s always top of mind. For our July issue we partnered with Conservation International to celebrate and raise awareness of women making a difference in climate change—from marine biologists to supermodels.

When deciding whom to feature on our four covers, we sought out women who live at the intersection of style and substance—whose work in service of a better planet is as impressive as their runway résumés. From Gisele Bundchen’s passion for the rainforest and Doutzen Kroes’s fight to protect elephant populations, to Naomi Campbell’s green humanitarian work and Anja Rubik’s crusade against plastic pollution in our oceans, they are as passionate as they are picture-perfect.

We also highlight 27 of the brightest female minds leading the way to a sustainable future—including the congresswomen working to pass the Green New Deal and an app developer who’s found a way to crowdsource cleaning our oceans. Also on the list: 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, whose words to a crowd of adults at Davos apply to us all: “I want you to act as if the house was on fire. Because it is.”

There is no more waiting for tomorrow. The time is now.