She’s not just another pretty face. Super hot model Gisele Bundchen has been named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program.

Bundchen told reporters that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva should propose better laws to stop Amazon deforestation. Her comments were published Monday in major Brazilian newspapers. However, Silva argued that he is committed to the preservation of the Amazon and that his new proposal to limit sugarcane production in the Amazon exemplifies that.

“The environment has always been my passion,’’ Bundchen said. “I grew up in a small town and I had the opportunity to live surrounded by nature. I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. We must act now, so future generations have the same opportunity. Mother Earth is our fundamental life-support system, and by becoming aware and responsible now, we can assist in preserving the planet.’’

Burger-crazy America imports over 200 million pounds of beef from Central America every year. Aside from the fossil fuels used for transporting those animals, grazing land is also needed. The only way for grazing land to appear in a densely forested region is from clear-cutting the forests and the rain forest. A recent Smithsonian study claims that the need for more grazing land means that every minute of every day, a land area equivalent to seven football fields is clear cut in the Amazon basin.

For each cheeseburger that’s been obtained from animals raised on rain forest land, about 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed. That’s just in Central America. The problem hits America closer to the heartland as well. In the United States, more than 260 million acres of forest have been clear-cut for animal agriculture. With increased per capita meat consumption, and a constantly growing population, there will only be more deforestation in the future. This is likely to accelerate faster as the economic downturn continues, and many lower income families turn to fast food as an alternative fresh food (which is more expensive) to feed their families.