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December 19, 2009
Bree Turner Sheds Light on the Small Stuff
Bree Turner is taking it one day at a time. The dancer turned actress, who co-starred with Katherine Heigl in this summer’s rom-com The Ugly Truth, has resolved to make her lifestyle a little greener, day by day. Sometimes that means switching out her incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents; sometimes that means heading to Malibu to help the good folks from the Surfrider Foundation clean up the beach. And sometimes, Turner does the Los Angeles unthinkable: She walks. Here, she talks to us about her sustainable style.You grew up in the Bay Area. People always think about that part of the country as being really progressive on the environment; was eco-consciousness something you grew up with?
God, not at all. My upbringing was very typically all-American. We ate fast food, we went to Costco. And I have three brothers, so for my parents, it was all about, how do we feed our family? The environment wasn’t on my radar at all. I mean, it’s not like I was out clubbing baby seals and burning tires, but…. [Laughs.] Now, finding ways to reduce my carbon footprint, that’s part of my day, everyday. I figure I can take one action each day to be more carbon-conscious. And even if it’s a small thing, it’s still relevant.
What are some of the changes you’ve made?
It can be as simple as, today, every time I walk out of a room, I’m going to make sure I turn off the lights. I’ve switched the bulbs out in my house, I’m eating more locally grown foods, I’m driving less. In L.A., that can be hard, cutting down on the driving. But there are bonuses to walking. Like, if I walk to the market, I’m getting exercise and fresh air, and I’m meeting my neighbors. I feel like I’m part of a community when I walk.
Have you noticed other bonuses to living more sustainably?
Absolutely. If you’re turning off the lights, you save money on electricity. If you eat fresher food, you feel better. And the food tastes better—I taste the difference now. I think that a lot of these choices make for a nicer lifestyle, really.
I know you’re involved with the Surfrider Foundation, which works to conserve the ocean and the beaches. How did you get interested in that cause?
This sounds kind of silly, but honestly, I saw a bunch of bumper stickers. Bumper stickers—they work! I was curious, so I went online and looked up Surfrider, and what really appealed to me was the fact that it was this local startup launched by a few surfers in Malibu, and initially, it served the beaches I actually go to. I’ve been involved for, I guess, five or six years; now Surfrider is global. And that’s great, but it was the local-ness that made what they were doing so meaningful to me. I started out donating money, but then I decided I really wanted to donate my time, too—they really need manpower. So when I can, I go to Malibu and do weekend beach clean-ups.
What’s your biggest challenge, in terms of "going green?"
Well, sticking to the little things, on the one hand, and on the other hand, not getting overwhelmed by the idea that I have to totally remake my life. I’m redoing my bathroom right now, for example, and I bought all green materials for the bathrooms, but then I see these brand new, all-green homes in the design magazines and I start to panic about the fact that I live in a 1974 condo with poor insulation. Not getting stressed out about all the thingsthat are out of your control and instead embracing the changes that you can make—that’s my biggest challenge. I have to keep reminding myself, the small stuff counts, too.
To get Bree's eco-friendly style, shop the Alternative Earth collection.
Source: Alternative Blog
