Nigel barker: "it's incredible how quickly children learn"

Fashion photographer NIGEL BARKER is passionate about his career, his family, and now, more than ever, the environment. Selected in January as the spokesman for the Humane Society of the

United States’ "Protect Seals" campaign, Nigel, 36, is using his role to call for an end to seal hunts that take place in Canada each year. "I want my son to grow up in a

world where we respect the planet, and the animals," Nigel said in a recent interview with CBB. "He should inherit a world that has the same animals I grew up with." In his

role as spokesman — a post previously held by Sir Paul McCartney — the _America’s Next Top Model_ photographer took an entireproduction crew to Canada earlier this year to document the hunt,

and presents the images he collected in a new exhibition, "A Sealed Fate?" running through Sundayin New York City. (The exhibition will travel to Los Angeles, Miami and other U.S.

cities later this year.) Nigel will be meeting with local schoolchildren and their families throughout the weekend, to discuss ways they can learn to protect the environment. "We just

want to educate children on how amazing the planet can be, and is," he says. As for the reaction and awareness of Nigel’s son JACK, 2 ½, "There’s only so much he can take in. But

it’s more about general respect for the animals." Nigel and his wife, model CRISTEN CHIN BARKER,33, are expecting a daughter on December 1st, and are teaching bigbrother to-be Jack

about how he can make a difference on this planet."You’re never too young to start," says Nigel. "Your children watchyou, and it’s incredible how quickly they learn. They see

how aCoca-Cola can goes into the recycling bin, not into the trash can, andso on." Photo courtesy of Nigel Barker.