Actress and Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos manages to balance her need to stay chic & trend-conscious (after all, she lives her life in front of the camera) with a deep-seeded environmental interest. It’s a mix that’s not always easy in Hollywood. Coco Eco magazine talked to Maria for its latest issue and found out that her green values run deep!

“I’ve always been conscious of waste since I was young. I think growing up as we did with little means, you’re always conscious of that, but I didn’t know I was being green before going green…There were things I didn’t realize, like water bottles, so now I don’t have any water bottles in my house because I realize how many don’t get recycled, and how bad it is for the environment. Little things like that which make a big difference,” she says.

“Everything I buy, I try to buy green, whether it’s a hot water heater, furniture, anything, and I try not to be gluttonous in always wanting to buy new things, so I recycle old things…”

Maria needed some assistance putting in her own organic garden, but with the knowledgeable eye of a professional, she now has a flourishing crop and is able to eat whatever organic veggies her plants bear.

“Now, when I’m home, I eat everyday right out of the garden. I’ve been making tomato cucumber salads with scallions, and green peppers and chili peppers, and grilling zucchini and okra, so it’s exciting and I love it.” 

Maria names her favorite eco-conscious designers as LIV GRN (for which she designs and consults), Linda Loudermilk and Mr. Larkin. Josie Maran Cosmetics and Cargo (for its PlantLove lipstick) are two of her favorite beauty lines.

We’re impressed to see such a successful, sought-after tv professional like Maria setting an example for others who have yet to go green. And we applaud her great green values!

Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to contribute to this issue of Coco Eco as Guest Beauty Director- check out my contributions on the beauty pages!