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July 14, 2008
Kreuk's big, beautiful old house needs an energy upgrade
Smallville TV star Kristin Kreuk laughs hard when asked about her attitude toward energy conservation. She admits she's got a long way to go.
"I'm far from perfect and I think that a lot of us are in the same position and we want to do something," says Kreuk. "So I think we can all take those little steps."
"Maybe I am a poster girl for conservation," she continues, again with laughter. "But I just want to encourage other people my age and I think young people are taking on this cause anyway."
The 25-year-old lives in a big heritage house in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver. The house has just undergone a Power Smart audit, which revealed a need for double-pane windows, blown-in insulation and a new hot water heater.
When asked if her "big old house" is in need of energy improvements, she responds, "Dude, totally – it's beautiful, but there's a lot of air coming in and losing heat."
In other words, its level of efficiency is turn-of-the-20th-century.
A daughter of environmentalists
Kreuk was up for the sustainability challenge because she's been a recycler since she was a kid, and her mom was the keen type of environmentalist who would sew cloth grocery bags.
"I think growing up in Vancouver a lot of people are this way," she says. "I totally grew up with that."
Kreuk recently returned from three and a half months in Thailand where she finished playing Chun Li in the Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun Li, based on the video game. Kreuk, who was a competitive gymnast and practices yoga, trained for the movie for five weeks.
Until a few years ago, the 25-year-old actress starred in the teen drama Edgemont. She continues to play Lana Lang in Smallville, shot on location in Vancouver, and she's also been a spokes model for Neutrogena. She had no reservations about embracing her newest role as a Team Power Smart member.
"I thought it was a great idea – It's almost like raising awareness about sustainability. And it's the little things you can do to make a contribution because a lot of what we need to do to change everything is so big, it's really hard to wrap your mind around it. But focusing on the small things, keeping it really simple, you can incorporate it into your lifestyle and it will get us to that point instead of going, 'Oh my God. It's so big.'"
Saving energy, one tip at a time
For Kreuk, areas of improvement include unplugging electrical devices such as her mobile phone and DVD player. She'd like to bundle up more in the cold months instead of just "bumping up the heat," as she usually does. She'd also like to be more diligent about composting organic matter instead of merely throwing it out.
"I think it's easy to throw your apple core in the garbage. It just takes a little more effort to go out to the compost – all those little things."
She's also quick to point out that her profession is not exactly the most environmentally conscientious one.
"The lights are fricking huge," she says. "They're massive. We use a lot of energy in our industry and I don't think there's technology for things that size. Then it gets so hot we pump the air con. We're using so much energy to create something that lasts an hour.
"And then the TV [you watch it on] uses energy."
That said, a lot of celebrities are becoming environmentalists, she adds. High profile names such as Leo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz are flying the sustainability banner.
"Trying to change the industry, to raise awareness, that would be cool."
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