MNN - Mother Nature Network

Just a kid of 11 when she debuted as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Emma Watson is now 18 and concerned about the environment. “I drive a Toyota Prius. I recycle. I’ve got those [CFL] light bulbs. And I don’t know why every single product isn’t fair trade,” says Watson, who can be heard as the voice of the princess in the new animated movie The Tale of Despereaux. “There are more things that I’d like to do, but we lead such busy lifestyles,” she muses, “But it’s important.” Watson returns as Hermione in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this July, and wraps up movie adaptation #7 with the two-part Deathly Hallows in 2010 and 2011.

 

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While video game prowess or the lack thereof were major topics on the red carpet at the sixth annual Spike TV Video Game Awards, we got several celebs talking about their green living habits. “We recycle heavily,” said skateboarder Tony Hawk (pictured right, with Eliza Dushku). “My son just turned 16 and we got him a hybrid, a Prius.” Smallville alumna Kristin Kreuk brings her own cloth bags to the store, and model Marisa Miller refills water bottles at home to cut down on plastic waste. Stacy Keibler (Dancing With the Stars), who just signed a new deal with ABC, installed dimmers on her light switches, and Odette Yustman (pictured left), who stars in next month’s thriller The Unborn, switched from incandescent to energy-saving CFL light bulbs. Eliza Dushku, star of Fox’s midseason series Dollhouse, recycles, uses energy-efficient appliances, and plans to buy a fuel-saving car. Last year, even her gifting was green: “I brought carbon offsets last Christmas for everyone.”

 

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The host of HGTV’s Carter Can and a green construction specialist, carpenter Carter Oosterhouse has a few steps to share with do-it-yourselfers, with increasing degrees of difficulty.  He suggests that beginners start with CFL lighting and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. Then, “if you really want to get more serious, seal up the cracks underneath your doors and windows.” Step three involves updating the infrastructure of your home, “the water system, the ventilation system, adding solar panels. You can be like Ed Begley, or like most people,” he says. “I always applaud people who can do a little thing here and there, because it goes a long way.” Oosterhouse offers up some timely holiday advice as well: “A simple green tip for Christmas is using LED lights. You’re going to save a lot of money and they look just as good.”