Exclusive: Zooey Deschanel Swears by These Tricks to Keep Her Home Eco-Friendly

As a mom of two, Zooey Deschanel knows running a household and being eco-conscious is kind of difficult. But whether she’s gardening at home with her 3-year-old daughter, Elsie, and 2-year-old son, Charlie, or on set, she tries to do her best to lessen her family’s carbon footprint. So, how does she do it? 

When the 39-year-old 500 Days of Summer star chatted with PureWow about her Come As You Are campaign for Crocs, she was happy to offer up some tips for making motherhood a little bit more green.

“Being a mom, you value convenience,” Deschanel explained. But there are subtle ways she tries to lessen her environmental impact. For instance, “Instead of using a million paper towels, I try to use dish towels. There are so many ways I try to cut down on waste,” she said.

Like what else? Well, Deschanel said, “I try not to use plastic bags that are disposable. I got silicone reusable bags. [The kids also] have their own reusable water bottles.”

On top of that, Deschanel reduces waste and water usage in her home thanks to the new hydroponic gardening system she created with her husband, Jacob Pechenik. It’s called Lettuce Grow and it uses—wait for it—95 percent less water than growing food in the ground. Lettuce Grow uses recycled plastic pods as a self-watering, self-fertilizing means of growing greens, veggies, fruits and herbs inside or outside your home. All you have to do is choose the membership you’d like and buy your pod, then Lettuce Grow sends you sprouted seedlings with specific instructions and nutrients to help them thrive. There’s even an app to help you out along the way. 

Deschanel explained the background behind her latest endeavor, saying, “It was sort of an organic progression. When I was pregnant with my daughter we were trying to eat really well and trying to make the best, healthiest baby. Everything you eat, the baby absorbs, and it’s all nutrients that go to the baby.”

It was then that Deschanel realized “how many people don’t have access to fresh food and how hard it is to be healthy—you almost have to make it a full-time job.” So, she and Pechenik set out to make leading a healthy, sustainable lifestyle a little easier for everyone.

But when the convenience of Postmate-ing dinner or using a plastic water bottle seems tempting, Deschanel says she considers the long-term impact.

“Having kids, I think, ‘I don’t want my kids to inherit this giant problem that’s completely insurmountable.’ We have to do something now,” she explained. “No one would say they value the convenience of a plastic water bottle over the happiness of their children. If you think about it that way, it really hits home.”

Ain’t that the truth.