Last month we spoke out in praise of Sophia Bush’s public condemnation of Urban Outfitters “Eat Less” clothing campaign — but social activism is nothing new for the actress. She was heavily involved with youth voter registration initiatives, the NOH8 organization and anything that lends animals a voice.
Now the 28-year-old is turning her activism attention towards the Gulf as BP’s oil spill continues to wreak havoc on the ecosystem … regardless of what the corporations or media tells you. After seeing firsthand how the citizens of the South (two-legged, four-legged and sealife) were being impacted by this environmental disaster, she partnered with Crowdrise with the intention of running her very first fund-raising marathon this November.
I chatted with the human rights crusader about the origins of her activism, how its driving her to conquer some big fears and how you can get involved in your community.
PopWrap: You’ve been doing charity work for years, what makes this cause different for you?
Sophia Bush: The crisis in the Gulf is a hot button issue because it’s not a natural disaster – it’s not an earthquake or tsunami where we’re looking at dead bodies piled up outside a morgue and really being bombarded by these images of horror. A lot of it is sight unseen and that’s due in large part to the fact that BP went ahead and ordered the use of the disbursement at the well head and spraying it on the surface of the ocean even though in reports it was deemed that it should only be used in incredibly rare occasions.
PW: Right, there seems to be so much deception.
Sophia: Essentially they have hidden the problem by breaking up the oil and not allowing it to come to the surface where it could be burned off or collected, they have allowed it to seep into other ecosystems, that we don’t know nearly enough about, and they’re able to make it look like it’s not as bad as it is.
Via Sophia Bush running marathon to benefit the Gulf, talks social change – PopWrap.
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