A Taste of Tropicalismo On Earth Day 2014

LT Staff

April 22, 2014

By: David Puente Casal

Ana Paula Tavares wants you to be inspired by the same musical living legend who helped make her the woman she is today. She is a woman determined to share her ideals about society, culture and the economy with, well, all of humanity.

“I am who I am, with the values that I have today because of him,” says Tavares from her Manhattan office where she is senior vice-president for the Rainforest Alliance.

He is multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Caetano Veloso, honored as the “Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year” just two years ago and a long-time activist for social justice.

“Growing up in Brazil, we were very fortunate to have artists like him who were changing what was going on,” she says. “There was a dictatorship, censorship, people getting killed. He stood for human rights, freedom of speech, liberty, in a very inspiring way through the poetry in his music.”

On Earth Day the Rainforest Alliance teams up with Veloso for an inimitable Brazilian music/film experience. Veloso and other Brazilian artists recorded the video for the song “I’m Alive inside the Tijuca Forest,” in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. Excerpts from Veloso’s classic tune “Nine Out of Ten” and original material from the other artists combine in “I’m Alive”. All inspired by their relationship with the forest. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the rainforest and to ensure viable employment for local communities by transforming consumer behavior, land-use practices, and business practices.

In addition to the song and music video, a behind the scenes film was shot documenting the musical collaboration. The complete project is called “I’m Alive –Rainforest Alliance Sessions – Floresta da Tijuca,” produced by Andres Levin and Paula Lavigne. “I’m Alive” debuts on this, Earth Day 2014. It features a voice narrative by Brazilian supermodel and environmental ambassador Gisele Bündchen.

“I’m Alive” is part of the Rainforest Alliance’s initiative to raise awareness about the importance of mindful consumption around the world. Ana Paula Tavares shares more about mindful consumption in the June magazine issue of LatinTRENDS.