Leonardo DiCaprio Is an Environmental Activist and 'Green' Investor

Leonardo DiCaprio has played the lead character in some of our favorite productions—Titanic, The Great Gatsby, and The Wolf of Wall Street. While DiCaprio hasn’t exactly quit his day job, he has added “investor” to his portfolio, which also contains being an Academy Award-winning actor.

DiCaprio has invested in various businesses over the last few years that aim to protect the environment and make the world a better place to live in. In honor of his birthday, which happens to fall on Nov. 11, we'll shed some light on DiCaprio’s green investments.

In 2019, DiCaprio joined Aspiration’s board of advisers after investing in a Series B round of funding. Aspiration identifies itself not as a company but as a “community” with a mission to “build a better world” by “bringing the best financial solutions to everyone.” Aspiration is an online bank that “keeps your money clean.”

While many banks reportedly use customers’ money to fund “dangerous fossil fuel projects” or “build oil pipelines,” Aspiration promises to never use deposits to finance projects that are harmful to the Earth and environment.

So far, Aspiration claims that it divested $167,447,175 from fossil fuels. The company projects that every $1,000 that's transferred from a “Big Bank” to an Aspiration account contributes in some way to saving the planet from the damage that vehicle emission causes.

Aspiration says that it plants a tree every time a customer rounds up their purchase to the nearest dollar. The environment-driven company also uses 10 percent of the monthly fees customers pay for their Spend & Save account to donate to “worthy causes.” Aspiration even gives its customers 10 percent cash back when they shop at retailers that support the same causes (like TOMS and Warby Parker).

Climate change is one issue that DiCaprio thinks needs to be addressed and Princeville Capital shares that same vision. The Princeville Capital Climate Technology Fund “invests in proven, growth-stage technology companies that are driving a positive impact on Climate Change in a variety of sectors.” This includes energy efficiency and mobility.

After being accepted as an adviser, DiCaprio said, “Tackling climate change requires an urgent, broad-based shift in our energy use—and technology and private sector investments will play a critical role in securing a healthier future for our planet.”

Bluon Energy supplies the HVAC industry with replacement refrigerant that's more energy-efficient. It also fights against climate change—a cause Leonardo DiCaprio heavily supports. In 2017, the company welcomed DiCaprio as both an investor and a strategic adviser to Bluon’s bBoard of advisers.

In September 2021, Reuters reported that DiCaprio expanded his portfolio once again by investing in Aleph Farms and Mosa Meat. The two start-up companies “offer new ways to satisfy the world’s demand for beef,” while working to resolve issues affecting industrial beef production,” DiCaprio said in a statement.

DiCaprio developed a green thumb at an early age. When he was just 24 years old, he created The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation “with the mission of protecting the Earth’s last wild places,” according to the United Nations website. DiCaprio’s foundation supports more than 35 conversation projects happening around the globe.

In 2014, DiCaprio received the Clinton Global Citizen Award for his philanthropic work. He was designated by the Secretary-General as a Messenger of peace “with a special focus on climate change.”