Since it’s a new year, we’ve decided to tweak our Eco-Celeb of the Week series. Instead of focusing on just one green celeb, we’re going to post about our favorite eco-friendly celebrity couples for the next month or so. Many famous couples out there contribute all the time to Mother Earth, so we want to honor them and plus you’ll get double the goodness! This week, we focus on Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
If you could name one couple who had an immense passion for veganism and animals, who would it be? Well, for us it is Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
They’ve made their mark in the film and television business, from Ellen hosting her own talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and lending her voice as the hilarious, yet forgetful Dory in “Finding Nemo” to Portia starring in hit shows such as “Arrested Development” and “Nip/Tuck,” these two continue to inspire people worldwide, especially when it comes to animal activism and maintaining a vegan diet.
Even though Ellen is an advocate for the vegan lifestyle, she wasn’t always keen on eating healthy and cruelty-free. However, in 2008 she took the plunge and became a full-fledged vegan.
She is truly committed to this lifestyle that she recently launched her own website Going Vegan With Ellen. Ellen provides delicious vegan recipes, helpful vegan tips and information on other famous vegans. It’s a great way to become educated. You may be asking yourself, “Why go vegan?” Well, Ellen has the answer: do it for the planet, do it for the animals and do it for yourself. It’s as easy as that!
Ellen’s wife Portia is also an adamant vegan, but sometimes it’s not easy for the blonde beauty.
In an interview with VegNews, the 38-year-old revealed it’s harder to be vegan than gay. “Listen, I think it’s more difficult to be vegan than gay. I think people have a harder time accepting it; people feel more uncomfortable with a vegan at their dinner table than they do a lesbian. It’s confronting. It’s kind of suggesting that what someone else is doing is bad or wrong, and it hits them on a more personal level.”
Just like she fights for equal rights, Portia hasn’t let this stereotype set her back. She and Ellen, 54, are reportedly opening a vegan restaurant based in Los Angeles. Allegedly, it will be located in the San Fernando Valley, on Ventura Boulevard. The two will have some help from musician and former lead singer of The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde and producer Steve Bing. Also, the food is said to be cooked by top vegan chef Tal Ronnen, who made the couple’s wedding cake when they tied the knot in 2008.
Besides veganism, Ellen and Portia both have a love for animals. Ellen has her own wholesome, holistic and natural pet care line called HALO and is said to be creating a vegan pet food line, as well.
The two are huge animal activists and support the rescue of every animal. Just one of many animal-friendly organizations they love is The Gentle Barn, which Ellen talks about in depth on her website.
“Portia and I recently learned about an incredible organization called The Gentle Barn. It’s located in Santa Clarita, California and it’s home to 120 farm animals that have been rescued from abusive situations. At The Gentle Barn, these animals are loved, cared for and rehabilitated,” she wrote on her website.
Be sure to watch the clip below, to see them in action!
To see all of the organizations the two support including animals, anti-bullying, the environment and just plain helping others, click here.
These two are a remarkable couple. Both have revealed some of their darkest times to the world, in order to help others and that says a lot. Together, they’ve shown its okay to be gay, it’s okay to have your struggles and of course it’s okay to love the environment and animals.
-Allyson Koerner
Photo Credit: Ellen (Flickr/ronpaulrevolt2008), Portia (Flickr/Pulicciano)
