Kelly Rutherford on the Three R’s
March 10 2008
As den mom Lily van der Woodsen on “Gossip Girl,” Kelly Rutherford is the ultimate fashion plate in stiletto skirts and spike heels, but in person she’s way more down-to-earth, a regular yogaphilic mom to two-year-old son Hermés (like the Greek messenger, not the bag). With her husband, Daniel Giersch, Kelly recently built a home in Los Angeles that’s green from soup to nuts, but she took time out to talk with us about making your life sustainable—on your own terms—and how her personal role as a mother changed her perspective completely.
ES: How did motherhood change your outlook on the environment?
KR: Being a mother is what demands that we are Green! How can you not want to do your best to keep your children’s environment at home and on the earth as clean as possible? Motherhood has given me a voice.
ES: How do you find time to be more green while managing the demands of motherhood?
KR: I am a late bloomer so I thank my son for focusing me on what is important. I drive a Prius. I buy cosmetics and cleaning products, shampoo and skincare at Whole Foods. I do not waste as much. That’s really the best way to describe how motherhood has changed my outlook on the environment. It has given me more awareness of the importance of my actions. To be awake and in the moment is the gift of motherhood—really the magic of it. We set an example that will last a lifetime for our children.
ES: What is your secret for staying centered and balanced while juggling work and motherhood?
KR: Priorities are the key to balance. We should be grateful to be blessed with healthy children. Take the time to be with them and hold their hands, nurse them and listen to them. Feed them the healthiest food and talk to them about things. They get more than we think if we don’t always put ourselves above them.
I like to think about how they go to some village and choose a child and say he is the next Dahli Lama. Of course no matter who they choose will be raised to believe he is here to do great things and will be given the time and attention that every child deserves. They can all be as profound as he is and as much of a leader if raised to believe this.
ES: When did you first become aware of the green movement?
KR: Obviously, the green movement’s been around for a long time. My mom used to take us to health food stores when I was a kid but then it was all hippies, this was the late 70s. But I’ve always loved health food stores—I love to try all the different things! And then as an adult I started seeing it with Mrs. Gooch’s and Wild Oats—being in California we’re so much more aware of these things. But the way that we’re seeing it now is totally new. In the last 10 years, people started getting hybrids and talking about the environment—but first we had to go through the whole blonde ambition tour where everything was about more and more of everything.
ES: What kinds of green changes have you made or do you plan to make in your life?
KR: Our whole house is eco! [We built it to be] completely green: gray water system, denim insulation, clean air and heat, water filtration, compost, eco-paint, solar, drip irrigation—the works!
ES: Okay, wait, what’s denim insulation?
KR: Denim insulation is just what it sounds like—they take old blue jeans and shred them and use it for insulation. It’s amazing!
ES: That is so cool! Tell us more.
KR: Well, I drive a hybrid. We use all Seventh Generation products—I have been for a while, even before I had my son. I’m trying out biodegradable shampoos and soaps because we’ll have to use those in the new house with the gray water system. Obviously, we eat organic foods—the more you read about that, the more you have to do it. And we have organic mattresses from Green For Baby—we got ours there, too! We don’t dress our son completely organic, but we do have some things.
Basically, everything we’re doing, we do it the most natural and non-toxic way possible. But our house doesn’t look like an eco house. It looks like a nice house. You don’t have to sacrifice style to be green!
ES: What are a few of your favorite green Beauty or Lifestyle products? Green fashion designers or labels?
KR: Oh I’m so out of the loop when it comes to designers. I really don’t know that many! I know that cotton is one of the most sprayed crops, just like coffee and chocolate and peanuts. But I’d love to know more about alternative fashion designers—I love the ones that are on your site!
But it’s funny, I don’t shop as much as I used to. The whole idea of consuming isn’t as much of a big deal. We used to have to have more and more and bigger and bigger—it’s a lot more relaxed if you just think of being conscious all day of what you’re doing. If there’s a way that I can have less, it’s great. I’m not against anything, I’m not against fur, or meat, I’m just about what makes sense in your life.
ES: How about about stores or websites?
KR: Treehugger! We love Treehugger, so much good stuff. GreenForBaby is a great resource. I also like to look for the European sites for toys. My husband is from Hamburg so when we’re there we pick up a lot of non-toxic things. They just make them that way naturally.
ES: What’s your favorite eco-friendly tip our readers should know about?
KR: Pay attention to plastic. If I really think about how much plastic we use as a family, I’m amazed. And we do a lot! We save our bottles and bring them back to Whole Foods—it’s a great way to be aware of how many we’re throwing away. I like Urth Café because they have these cups now that are made from corn that decomposes. Every day, all day, it’s the little things we do all day long—from the things we do with our children to driving a hybrid to not taking so much stuff to go. Especially aluminum containers—if I have a salad to go and if comes in a plastic container I rinse it out and use it again, instead of using zip lock bags or buying new plastic. I try and just use what we have, and that makes me feel a little less guilty. Oh we also have this cool electric Gem car that we drive around in the summer when we’re doing our local errands. It goes into a normal plug!
It’s becoming easier—even at your job you can ask them to recycle. It’s just about getting conservative about the amount that you’re using. I reuse towels, when my son’s t-shirts get ripped we use them for cleaning. Little things like that.
ES: And, finally, what’s the best green advice you ever got and who gave it to you?
KR: Hmm. I think about people in other countries, like China—this isn’t necessarily advice, but I see how they reuse things. They reuse things because they have to, because they’re so many people and there’s so little space. I think that whether it’s bringing your lunch to work with you so you don’t have to throw so much away, or buying non-toxic cleaning products, it’s all about doing what you can.
