In an exclusive interview with HELLO! Magazine in March 2018, Jo Wood and her daughter Leah have spoken about their shared passion to help save the planet. "I've always loved nature, but back in my rock and roll days it wasn't something we talked about. We didn't have any idea about what damage was being done," Jo exclusively told HELLO!
"We've messed up the planet and we've got to do something about it now, not five years down the line," Jo told the magazine as she joined her daughter Leah as Cool Earth ambassador for a campaign to save the world's rainforests. "If someone had told me during my rock'n'roll days that I’d be spearheading a campaign to protect rainforests, I wouldn’t have believed them. But now it’s my passion."
© Photo: HELLO!The original party-loving rock chick, who was married to Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood for 24 years, adds: "As a mother I feel that it's up to us to mother this planet and take care of it. So far the men haven't been doing such a great job."
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The grandmother of ten, who often accompanied The Rolling Stones on their world tours, recalls one memorable moment in California that offered a glimpse of the future she would share with Leah. "I took Leah for a walk in a forest of giant redwoods. As we looked up in awe at these amazing trees, we put our arms around a huge trunk and gave it an almighty hug. In that moment I could really feel the energy and the vibrations inside. That ancient tree was pulsing with life." More than two decades later, she and Leah are endeavouring to extend a protective hug to forests in Amazonia, the Congo and Oceania.
Leah adds: "It must be in our blood. I love that we're pulling our weight to mend the world. With every fourth breath we take, we inhale oxygen that would have come from a rainforest," says mum of two Leah. "These trees are vital to our ecosystem, but the more loggers chop them down, the worse the quality of air will be for us and future generations."
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And Jo and Leah aren’t the only members of the Wood family to care about conservation. Ronnie has been a patron of the wildlife charity Tusk since 1991 and Leah’s younger brother Tyrone is a director of Project Zero, which is working to restore and protect the world’s oceans. "I love that we’re pulling our weight to mend the world. It must be in our blood," says Leah, whose daughter Maggie is nine years old, adding: "My little girl is very aware of her carbon footprint. When we go shopping she understands why we bring canvas bags instead of buying plastic carriers." Jo adds: "Together we can make a big impact. Women together helping to change the world."
