Gisele Bündchen celebrates 40th birthday by planting 40,000 trees

‘I feel that this is the best way I know to give back to Mother Earth’, says supermodel

Gisele Bündchen is marking a milestone birthday by giving back to mother nature

Over the weekend, the supermodel, who turns 40 on 20 July, announced that instead of celebrating the occasion with a glamorous party, this year she has decided to plant 40,000 trees.

Bündchen shared a series of photos of herself and her family planting trees on Instagram, including her husband, NFL player Tom Brady, and children, Benjamin, 10, and Vivian, seven.

In the caption, the mother-of-two revealed that she wanted to mark her 40th birthday in a “meaningful way”.

“As some of you know, my birthday is coming up on July 20th. And it's not just any birthday! I can't believe I am turning 40!” she wrote.

“I feel like a whole new chapter of my life is starting, and I wanted to celebrate it in a meaningful way, so I decided to plant 40,000 trees.”

Bündchen also explained that she has been “planting trees for different projects for years” and believes it is the best way she knows “to give back to Mother Earth.”

The model added that she had originally planned to celebrate by planting trees with her family in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, however, the trip had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, Bündchen said she got her family and friends on board in helping her reach her 40,000 birthday goal.

“Then I had another thought! What if I could come up with a way for others to help me plant trees there?” she wrote before sharing a link where her followers can donate to plant a tree.

“I've already talked to my family and my friends—and they will all turn their gifts into trees. That way, we can all help give something back to our planet.”

Bündchen has long been an advocate for sustainability and recently revealed how she teaches her children about the importance of giving back.

“As a family, we also each have our reusable water bottles, and the kids understand single-use plastic is really hurting our planet,” Bündchen said.

“I see them talking with their friends about it and showing them their water bottles in hopes they might join them and use them too.”

She also said that she teaches her children “the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.”

“When we go grocery shopping, we always bring our own bags, and by buying from local farmers we reduce packaging waste,” Bündchen said.

“We do our best, but it can be challenging when it comes to living completely green — and that’s okay. I always remind my kids that every choice we make has an impact on our planet and that we always need to try our best; that’s what matters.”