Daryl Hannah: Eco Activist
September 24 2008
On a scale of light to dark green, Daryl Hannah is forest. Probably most famous for playing fantasy creatures such as the mermaid Madison in “Splash” and the replicant Pris in “Blade Runner,” Daryl now works to bring to reality her vision of a carbon-neutral world sustained by organic and biodynamic foods and fueled by biodiesel. In 2006 she was arrested for chaining herself to a walnut tree for three weeks in protest of the demolition of the nation’s largest urban farm, a site in South Central Los Angeles that had been established after the 1992 riots. A vegetarian since childhood who now lives in a solar-powered green home, Daryl regularly vlogs about green issues on her website http://www.dhlovelife.com, and appears in mainstream media like “Ellen” and “Fox News” to promote sustainability efforts such as the use of clean biodiesel fuel, which she effectively demonstrated by licking her gas cap. We caught up with Daryl at the EcoStiletto Kids Launch Party, where she sported a fabulous recycled pull-tab purse and graciously agreed to an eye-opening interview, which showed us just how much more we could be thinking about in terms of darkening our shade.
ES: Tell us how you’re going green(er)?
DH: I have to say, the word “green” has been frustrating me quite a bit lately. There are no set standards associated with the word “green.” No governing body assuring the integrity of the interpreted meaning. The newfound popularity of this word has led so many companies to adopt and co-opt it solely as a marketing tool.
The other intrinsic problem with these words “green,” “eco,” “organic” and “environmentally-friendly” is that they do not necessarily take into consideration the wellbeing of other species, including human welfare. For example, it is possible to have “organic” or “eco” jeans made by slave labor. We already have “organic,” “free-range” mono-cropped factory farms.
It’s crucial to consider the interconnectedness of our daily choices and actions. But a good basic rule of thumb is: Less is more! Live beautifully but simply. Reject disposable items, shop less, make more, grow more and spread love!
ES: What are the best eco-friendly beauty finds?
DH: It’s kind of shocking to think that the FDA would allow over 1,500 cancer-causing carcinogens in our beauty and body care products. So once again I stay with a “keep it simple “ rule of thumb. I use a pure cacao (raw chocolate) oil on my body and hair, and olive oil based salve on my face. Vegan biodegradable soap by Dr. Bonners.
(Find Daryl’s favorites on “the goods” section of www.dhlovelife.com.)
ES: What’s the biggest green change you’d like to make in your life—even if it’s impossible right now?
DH: I’ve been growing a lot of my own food and now I‘d like to grow my own fuel as well. I’m thinking sunflowers as a fuel crop. I’d love to use hemp because I could grow all my fuel for the year with one acre, but it is, ridiculously, still illegal to grow hemp in the U.S. Too bad, as it is such a useful crop for every reason: food, fuel, non-petroleum biodegradable plastics, etc. And there’s no THC in it!
ES: Who’s your eco-idol?
DH: Dr. Sylvia Earle, Lester Brown, David Suzuki, Bill McDonough and Paul Stamets
