Sara Paxton Does Green for Teens
Maybe there’s something about playing a mermaid that makes actresses become environmentally aware.
This month Sara Paxton, best known for the title role as “Aquamarine,” joins the EcoCelebrity ranks to disprove the perception that young adults are apathetic in their eco-activism. Paxton is a Disney, WB and Discovery Kids regular who’s growing up onscreen with recent roles in Lifetime’s “The Party Never Stops,” about a college freshman who encounters binge drinking, followed by a remake of the Wes Craven classic “The Last House on the Left” (Spring 2009), where she’ll presumably face the more adult problems of murder and mayhem.
As a 20-year-old, she proves the point of research recently compiled by The Intelligence Group, which found that Americans age 19-24 saw the environment as the single-most important issue of their generation, nearly 61% had recently donated goods to a cause and 49% of young people considered themselves “very environmentally conscious.” We met up with Sara Paxton at L.A. Fashion Week in October, and got her thoughts on going green.
ES: When did you start getting involved in eco-consciousness?
SP: I am a recent convert but for years I had been thinking about unnecessary chemicals in food and other products and the tremendous waste generated by everyday living.
ES: How important do you think these kinds of changes are for you, personally?
SP: On a personal level I have become much more selective in what I ingest in my body, and what I use in my home. Also, I now recycle, and I take my reusable shopping bag to the grocery store. These may seem like small changes but I think they are important because the more people who make these changes, the better it is for everybody and our environment.
ES: What about for the planet?
SP: When fewer harmful chemicals are used and disposed of into our waste disposal systems, and when biodegradables are used, it reduces the overall pollution, which helps our planet.
ES: What are your favorite green fashion labels?
SP: I really love the eco friendly fashion line eco-ga-nic. They have really cute stuff.
ES: What are the best eco-friendly beauty finds?
SP: Both Smashbox, and Cargo have great eco-friendly beauty products that have biodegradable packaging.
ES: What’s the biggest green change you’d like to make in your life—even if it’s impossible right now?
SP: I would like to get a car that is more environmentally friendly. I drive a SUV right now and I have a guilty conscience about it but I have to keep it a few more months and then I will make the change.
ES: What’s your favorite eco-friendly tip our readers should know about?
SP: [Find] a dry cleaner that uses eco-friendly products. The regular dry cleaners use very harmful, cancer-causing chemicals that can be absorbed into the skin. Very unhealthy, not to mention the hazardous waste that is produced!
ES: Who’s your eco-idol?
SP: Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz are my eco- idols.
ES: What’s your worst eco-sin?
SP: My car! Grr!
ES: What’s the best green advice you ever received—and who gave it to you?
SP: Probably when my friend Martha yelled at me for leaving my TV and lights on when I’m not home. I realized then how much energy I was wasting just because I was being lazy. And I noticed the difference on my bill too!
