MALIBU, Calif. – When movie director Sam Hargrave decided to shave his beard, what he actually planned to do was shave just half of it.

It might seem like a crazy idea, but there's a method to this madness.

Hargrave cares deeply about the environment, so he teamed up with the nonprofit HalfCut, to raise money and awareness that over half of the world's rainforests have been lost.

"That's where the half-cut comes in. You can cut the beard in half, or braid half your hair, or whatever, to start the conversation that this is a global issue,” said Hargrave.

Every August the social movement encourages folks to go "half cut" for at least a weekend. The striking visual's intention is to get people talking about the importance of forest protection and regeneration.

"You know, if you go half cut, it's not normal. If you're walking down the street, people are going to wonder, if not ask, what is going on there? And that's the first step. It opens the door, and you say, 'Hey this is what we're all about. This is what you can do to help,'” said Hargrave.

HalfCut's goal in 2020 is to save a section of the Daintree Rainforest in Australia, and return the land to the original owners.

Donating even just $2.50 could help save one square meter of the world's oldest rainforest.

"If you put down $2.50 in an account that gets you compound interest or whatever, that's smart to do with the money. Now if you invest in the planet, so that we have air to breathe, and it's fighting the climate crisis because as we can see things are changing,” said Hargrave. 

While on the set of his directorial debut Extraction, Hargrave learned about the HalfCut movement and wanted to get involved. After growing up surrounded by nature in North Carolina, and now living amongst the flora and fauna on his Malibu ranch, he said protecting the planet is something we can all agree on.

"Your politics may be different than mine, and you may have a different viewpoint on the world, but the planet is all of our concern. It's something I think can bring people together and unite us in a common cause, which is to save the planet,” he said.