SOURCE A Distinctive Style Magazine Spring 2009. Written by Angel Morris
Actress Finola Hughes Adds Environmentalist to Credits
Actress Finola Hughes—currently the host of the Style Network’s No. 1-rated makeover series, How Do I Look? – has succeeded on stage as well as on the big and small screens. In the last five years, Hughes has added environmentalist to her list of credits and believes it may be one of her most important roles to date.
“I have always been aware of waste, landfills and such. When I married my husband 16 years ago, he began a vegetable garden on our front lawn in a suburban neighborhood – very unusual!” Finola said. “That’s how we began our journey to be green.” Moving from New York to California, the transition to a more earth-friendly lifestyle wasn’t easy. “It was much harder for me when we returned from New York City. I literally moved back in my Manolo Blahniks to be confronted with a full-on fruit tree orchard, vegetables and complete rural living in Santa Barbara,” Hughes said. “It is still hard for me, but I am utterly committed.”
Over the past five years, Finola and her husband have been creating an environmentally sound life for their family. Today they grow all of their own vegetables, utilizing four rotating plots, and they maintain over 50 fruit trees. They do not use any pesticides, allowing the birds to take half in exchange for eating preying insects.
When it came to building their home, Finola and her husband chose no air conditioning, large windows for light and ventilation, radiant heat floors for economy and efficiency and ecologically sound insulation between walls. They also invested in eco-friendly appliances. “The biggest challenge has been in building our home. For example, we wanted to use recycled denim for insulation, but we came across resistance (within building codes). We had to compromise,” Finola said.
Since the arrival of their three children, they have passed on their environmental awareness. “Children are natural conservationists if given the chance. We explained about water and they are very diligent with their baths and even brushing their teeth. They switch off the faucet,” Hughes said. The children attend a Waldorf school which uses only natural products and nothing plastic. “So our children never ask for the latest plastic toy,” Finola said.
The children play with only natural materials and use nontoxic paints and recycled paper in their art room. They take lunch to school in Bento boxes with linen napkins. Together the family maintains two composts and “recycles everything.” Even the family nanny is in on the green act, driving a hybrid vehicle. Finola realizes that families without the luxury of a nanny or some of the benefits fame can bring might believe going green is simply too difficult, time consuming or expensive. To them she says, “Stop thinking that!”
“You don’t have to become ‘Green Acres’ for goodness sake, (but) it is cheaper to buy a ton of vegetables and cook your own food than buy awful prepackaged goods. Trust me on this,” she said. “There is no mystery to any of this, just get on board and do it. Every little thing helps.” For starters, Hughes suggests recycling, examining one’s mode of transportation and using natural cleansing products. Ironically, the host of a show that tends to throw out its guests’ wardrobes also recommends “shopping in your own closet,” before purchasing more garments.
Up next on her own “to-do” list are more home improvements and perhaps some eco-friendly TV. “We want to dig a well and put up solar panels on the hill. Our goal is to be off the grid in five years … we’ll see!” Finola said. “I have also been trying to make a green show for about a year now. I have an incredible environmentalist out of New York and a network of smart, creative peeps around me and we all think about this everyday.” In the meantime, Hughes will debut Running in Heels, a docu-soap centered around women working at a top fashion magazine in New York City, which Hughes co-created and co-produced.
Finola is also in production on the docu-series Cool Girl Hate Club. Co-created by Hughes and Matt Boren, the series follows Indiana University graduates to New York City as they embark upon the real world outside the sorority lives they most recently knew. The culture shock experienced by its cast is somewhat parallel to Finola’s switch to environmentalism. “Since I grew up in London, part of me can be, ‘If you want greenery, order the spinach!’” Hughes joked, only to reinforce her belief in a green lifestyle. “Every single thing in our lives starts with one simple step,” she said. “We are leaving this legacy to our children. What is the alternative?”
