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From the Hartford Courant

Green living? It's only natural for a TV Host and "Crazy recycler"

At home with Sara Snow, host of two natural living shows on the Discovery Channel.

By Elaine Matsushita, Chicago Tribune

March 14, 2008

Some folks talk the big talk when it comes to living the greener life. But peek in their garages and you find vehicles in all shades of the eco-spectrum but green. Peek in their garbage cans and there are cans and bottles and plastics. Oh my.

Not so with Sara Snow, host of Discovery Channel's two natural living shows, "Living Fresh" and "Get Fresh with Sara Snow."

At Snow's Indianapolis home -- shared with her husband, Ryan, and their German shepherd, Makana -- you'll find a Prius, a Subaru, bikes and a recycling zone in the garage. (You'll find another recycling collection zone in the laundry room in the basement.)

"I'm a crazy recycler," she told us in a recent e-mail interview. "When I open the mail, every envelope and piece of paper without personal information goes in recycling. Every cereal box, soup can, glass or plastic bottle -- nothing gets by us. ... And while we usually have two full recycling bins every week, between that and composting, we often don't even have one bag of garbage."

The green lifestyle is the only kind she's ever known.

"When I was young [in the '70s], we lived in a house that my parents built in the sticks outside of Ann Arbor, Mich. It was a green house with solar panels, big organic gardens, compost piles, a greenhouse and the woods as our playgrounds. We didn't have a furnace, so we heated with a wood stove and passive-solar heating. It was the best. I can't imagine a better way to grow up."

While her own Colonial is very different in physical style from her childhood homes, it embodies the same earth-friendly values.

Snow's home "is filled with living plants, natural fiber rugs, healthy cleaning products. The pantries are stocked with organic and natural foods. And the house feels healthy."

Not bad for an 87-year-old "recycled" house. That's one of the things Snow loves most about it -- it's recycled-ness.

"Seriously," she said, "although we were really tempted to build a new modern eco home out in the sticks somewhere, my husband and I felt strongly about not contributing to urban sprawl and the waste that comes from new home construction. Instead we took an existing house and breathed new life into it. So we live in a 'recycled' house and I'm pretty proud of that."

Q:What item in your home most reflects your personality?

A:We have a piece of wall art made from a recycled oil barrel that was cut, carved and molded into a "tree of life" by artists in Haiti. It's like me because it's simple but … beautiful. Not that I think I'm exceptionally beautiful, but I like the way it shines through without trying to.

Q: What is one thing we would find on your nightstand?

A: Moon Valley natural lavender mint body balm. It rocks me to sleep. A picture of my grandpa (who passed away a few years ago) with my grandma, and a picture of my other grandma (who passed away last year). My grandpa was a huge environmentalist, and my grandma knew how to enjoy life. I keep them near so I'll never forget their best qualities.

Q: Tell us about one thing on a wall in your living room.

A: We have this cool carved wood mantel over and around the fireplace. We hardly noticed it when we bought the house because it had been painted a lovely grayish-yellow color, but it's been cleaned up and we love it.

And above it is an amazing print -- a beautiful nature scene with trees in a field.

Q: What is one thing you have in your house from your childhood?

A: We have irises in our backyard that are third generation. My grandma brought them to Michigan from their house in Princeton, then some went to my mom's, then they came to me. My grandma started the collection from ones that she bought and ones her friends and neighbors gave to her. She used to call them by the name of the people who gave them to her, "this one is Gertrude, and that one is …"

So I have a whole flower patch of heirloom irises. From a longevity and sustainability standpoint, I think it's pretty cool.

Q: What is the most high-tech gadget or appliance in your home?

A: Our French press coffeemaker. I'm joking, because it's very low-tech, and I'm proud of that. It makes up my electricity-free coffee station. But because I don't drink coffee I use it every morning to brew my yerba mate tea.

Q: What is the biggest collection in your home?

A: Tea! I'm a tea junkie. I started with one large drawer in my kitchen that was designated just for tea. But now my tea collection overflows into the two drawers below that and another backup stash in the basement.

I have medicinal teas for all that ails me (or my husband or anyone else who I encounter -- runny nose, constipation, achy heart), soothing teas and energizing teas. I drink tea from morning to night.

Q: Who is the maker of your fine china?

A: I don't have fine china. I have everyday dishes and an eclectic collections of sushi plates and wooden or bamboo bowls. And lots of cutting boards. I have a strange affection for cutting boards.

Q: What is the most embarrassing thing in your home that you hide when guests come over?

A: I'm kind of an open book. Come on in!

Q: What is the scariest thing we'd find in your fridge?

A: I don't buy stuff that isn't going to get eaten, both because I travel a lot and because it's wasteful.

So the worst thing right now is some organic celery that is starting to look a little sad. Or maybe some organic salad dressing that I tried but didn't like -- I'm a big salad fan but not a big dressing fan. Flax seed oil, soy sauce and a few cranks of pepper is all you need.

Q: If we came unexpectedly, would we find your bed made -- or not made?

A: When I'm out of town: not made. (My husband's a bachelor at heart.) When I'm in town: made.

Q: What is the best furniture bargain you ever got?

A: "Hand-me-down furniture from my husband's parents. They love to redecorate, and we love to take their castoffs. It's recycling at its finest.

Q: What would you say is your favorite housecleaning chore?

A: Wiping the kitchen counters. I love a clean work space. But I don't use a counter spray, because I think it's disgusting to put chemicals on your kitchen surfaces. So I use just water on a cloth. Maybe a little vinegar water -- if it's really dirty.

Q: Where in your home do you feel most creative?

A: In the kitchen, because I love to cook.

Q: Where in your home do you feel most calm and at peace?

A: In the little sitting area off my kitchen. I can see the backyard and through to the front of the house, and I feel peaceful there. It's where I read in the morning and hang with my husband at night.

Q: What would be the biggest surprise we'd find in your closet?

A: How many cool clothes there are made out of organic cotton, hemp and other eco-fibers.

Q: And what is the color of the walls in your bedroom?

A: A buttery yellow color that was the color of the glue on the plaster walls when we pulled wallpaper down. It glowed in the sunlight so we replicated it with paint.

Q: What is your favorite place to watch TV?

A: In the sitting area off the kitchen. That's where my husband catches up on news while I'm making dinner. So I like to sit there and have a glass of wine before we eat, or after, or both!

Q: Do you do any snooping when visiting friends?

A: Yes, underwear drawers and to see what illegal drugs they have! Just kidding. I mostly check out what food they have to see if they eat organics.

ematsushita@tribune.com