Gisele Bundchen isn't just a supermodel - she's also a superhero. Sort of.
The world's most sought-after supermodel and new mum has created a new animated web series called Gisele and The Green Team, right here on AOL, about a cause close to her heart.
ParentDish sat down with the Brazilian beauty and new Green Goddess to talk about her concern for the environment, how she loves doing the dishes and how she'll happily give her son second-hand toys.
PD: What message do you want Gisele and The Green to send to viewers?
GB: My motto is the three Rs: Reduce, reuse and recycle. The less garbage we produce the better. It was shocking to me to see how much a bottle of water costs. Not only do those plastic bottles equal waste but if we don't take care of our planet, we will soon have no fresh water left to drink.
PD: You have such a busy life. With all you have going on, what made you take on a project like this?
GB: I wanted to find ways to educate kids and adults about a subject very important to me and which should be to them; saving the planet. Aside from the personal environmental projects I am working on through my website giselebundchen.com, I am also an ambassador to the UN for the environment. In addition to teaching people about how we can save our earth this program will also teach girls about empowerment and self-esteem.
PD: Why is this series targeted at only girls and not boys?
GB: I know, considering I am surrounded by the three gorgeous men in my life. I love my men!
PD: That's true, so why not gear it towards them too?
GB: I grew up in a household with five sisters and having that experience I wanted to teach girls about empowerment, confidence and self-esteem. This series centers on five female characters who are best friends/supermodels and heroes. These band together because it is their mission to educate viewers about team work and how they all need one another to help fight the evil that is destroying the plant. On this show, no one is better than the next. I want to enforce equality and how everyone who plays on a team is equal.
PD: What is it like being a cartoon character?
GB: It is funny. I wanted my character's name to be GG since that is what my stepson calls me, but we wound up naming her Gisele and she kind of looks like me and encompasses the idea of me. It was funny to see myself in the form of a cartoon.
PD: Tell me about the characters on this program.
GB: They are all different and I created them that way because I wanted to represent all of the different countries and continents that make up our world. Everything that happens in one place affects the other.
PD: Why a cartoon?
GB: It's a great way to draw in kids and then eventually get them to sit down and watch it with their parents. Each episode, which is about 2-3 minutes long, will teach viewers about ways we can conserve and be more eco friendly.
PD: At what age should parents start educating their kids about the environment and going green?
GB: This series is great for children aged seven and up.
PD: Now aside from the show, the site will also offer interactive games to teach kids about being eco friendly. Tell me about that.
GB: Yes, we created an area on the site where people can share their ideas on how to save the planet, interactive games that will teach people about what we can do to be more proactive and tips on what you can do to embrace these suggestions.
PD: Can you provide our readers with some tips/suggestions on what they can do to save the planet?
GB: Take shorter showers; don't leave the water running while you are brushing your teeth; only run the dishwasher when it is full; if you wash dishes like me and have a double sink fill the other side with water to rinse off the soap; buy your produce from local farms so we can cut down on fuel use; use hydrogen light bulbs in lamps and buy a filter system instead of buying bottled water.
PD: So saving the environment has been a passion of yours for years?
GB: Yes. As a matter of fact I have a flip flop line in Brazil. For the past five years we have been in business a percentage of all sales goes to different environmental organizations there and has allowed us to plant over 150,000 trees in one region of Brazil.
PD: You mentioned before that you wash dishes. I find it hard to believe the world's biggest supermodel washes dishes.
GB: Are you kidding me? I love it. Cleaning the house is actually very therapeutic for me. Becoming a parent has given me a whole new perspective on life. I can't put into words how much I love it.
PD: Speaking of being green - what are you and Tom (her husband, pro football player Tom Brady) doing for the environment?
GB: We are building a home in Los Angeles and for light we bought hydrogen light bulbs because they use less electricity and last longer, we have solar panels, we are using recycled wood so we are not cutting down new trees.
PD: What will you teach your son Benjamin about being eco friendly?
GB: Our house in Costa Rica is powered by solar panels and wind. We have a water collection system since it rains between four and five months out of the year and I gave him toys from his older brother Jack as opposed to buying all new toys and creating more waste. Hand me downs work well in this case.
PD: Is it hard to be eco friendly when you have a baby like Benjamin?
GB: I had my first munchkin, Jack (Tom Brady's son with Bridget Moynahan), before I gave birth to Benjamin. After spending so much time with Jack I saw how he wanted to play with the stuff I was using instead of the toys we bought him. In terms of clothes, I bought Jack so many clothes and I'm now using them for Benjamin. Look when I was growing up my sisters I wore hand-me-downs and now I'M doing the same thing. This all goes back to my motto: Reduce, recycle and reuse. The more we buy the more we encourage the manufacturers to produce more stuff.
PD: Do Jack and Benjamin get along?
GB: Yes they love each other. They have a lot of fun together.
PD: How has life changed since you had Benjamin?
GB: I have to get my time really organised right now. I don't have a lot of free time. I am on a strict schedule so I can get everything done. Since I became a mom I make a list of my priorities and making time for family is No. 1.
PD: So what's on your list?
GB: I make time for work, my husband and my kids. Those three things are on my list every day. Those are the things that my life embraces.
PD: Your job and Tom's job tends to take you on the road a lot. How do you keep your marriage intact?
GB: It is good to have a date night. I love date night and it is a great thing I promote. We always have date night at least once a week. Benjamin goes to sleep around 7:30 pm, and if Tom is home, we always have dinner together so we have time to talk. You have to make time for what I call a couple's relationship.
PD: How old is Benjamin?
GB: He is 11 months and so delicious. I try really hard to be the best mom I can be and I also try not to be too hard on myself.
PD: What about Jack. Is it hard being a stepmom?
GB: No. He's great. I love having him in my life. He is a great kid.
PD: When I met you 4 years ago you said your goal was to get married and have a family. Mission accomplished?
GB: Yes. I am very grateful and very happy to have them. I am so blessed.
PD: Since you come from a big family is that the next goal – to have one of your own?
GB: Yes, we are working on that one.