Living a more sustainable life isn’t always the easiest choice, doing with less when you could have more. But, actress/entrepreneur/blogger Genevieve Padalecki makes it seem effortless. Being more conscious of the environment doesn’t mean you have to follow a playbook to the letter. You don’t have to go vegan or never use a leather handbag again. It can be as simple as making a few tweaks, like buying only what you need rather than giving the Costco card a workout. That was part of the impetus behind TOWWN (Take What We Need), a company Gen launched in the Fall to make it easier for people to learn ways to live a little better, as a community.
In the Fall Gen also went back to her first love, acting. She has a reoccurring role on Walker, Texas Ranger where she plays the deceased wife of the title star, played by her real-life husband Jared Padalecki, with whom she has three children and recently celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary. We chatted with Gen about TOWWN and sustainability and got the scoop on working with her husband.
When did you start being conscious of living a more sustainable lifestyle?
Genevieve: I’ve always been aware of the environment and Mother Earth kinda vibes. I grew up with parents who, at the time, were outdoorsy and adventurous. When we vacationed it was usually someplace that required hiking, fishing, skiing or camping. We were always taught to respect the outdoors and look after it
What are some changes you’ve made over the years to be more eco-friendly that you feel good about?
Genevieve: For me, it’s in my fashion. I love to shop and love clothes but I realized pretty quickly how wasteful the fashion world is and was. I started making habits about checking in with wants and needs and making purchases with a more eco mindset.
Tell us more about "TOWWN".
Genevieve: I love this quote by Edward Abbey,
Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.
Nature and the outdoors have given me so much throughout my life. I wanted to find a way to bring that to my everyday life and my children’s lives and find a way to encourage others to depend on and defend nature, to find solace in her and ways in which we can holistically take care of ourselves, make empowered purchases with eco-consciousness in mind and give back to our community.
TOWWN stands for Take Only What We Need. I wanted to find a way to learn from nature, to simplify and reconnect within ourselves, to put our oxygen masks on first and take better care of ourselves and in turn take better care of the environment. There are so many resources for sustainability and the environment, but when I would go down a rabbit hole to learn how to be better I would get caught up in the doom and gloom. It made me feel powerless a lot of the time and it wasn’t realistic to 100 percent completely change my life. I knew I needed to make incremental changes. I wanted to create a non-judgmental space that would encourage and uplift others to do better and be better, living a more sustainable life by taking only what we need and giving back where we can. We aren’t perfect and the irony is we can’t or usually don’t take only what we need, but we can sure try.
What do you hope to achieve with TOWWN?
Genevieve: I hope to inspire and encourage others to think about sustainability differently. It’s not just about taking care of our planet, it’s about taking care of ourselves as well. Everything is in a balance and everything is moving. What is right for me to make a change and impact is different than my neighbor, but we can each try to use fewer carbons, shop in a more environmentally friendly way, etc. I hope to encourage others to simplify, change habits and create a community where we don’t need all the things. We can reuse the things we have.
What are some fairly simple tweaks people can make in their own lives to live more consciously?
Genevieve: I would make easy swaps like using reusable bags, stay away from single-use plastics, support local businesses, use products that won’t deplete the ecosystem, or have harmful chemicals, look into regenerative farming, compost and try and use all food in the fridge and pantry before buying more.
What are some fun ways you teach your kids to live more eco-friendly?
Genevieve: Encourage their curiosity. Respect the environment. Get them to go outside as much as possible, develop their senses and let them explore.
Living more sustainably is something people are still learning. What resources do you use to get informed?
Genevieve: Gosh, there are so many good ones. I love Zach Bush and his stance on our soil. I love Roam Ranch for lessons in regenerative farming and how to eat. I love Green Dreamer for her incredible insight on how to live more sustainably and look at micro and macro and always digging deeper. I love Paul Stamets and learning about mycology mushrooms, which are truly magic. Trisha Sutton and Natasha Nicholes are gems on all things gardening.
What kinds of things do you grow in your garden?
Genevieve: I love to experiment. I usually grow a few staples that I know will be successful, like beans or cucumbers, but I really enjoy purchasing seeds I’ve never grown before. Usually, I buy with the Baker Creek Seed catalog.
Do you still have chickens? If so, how many?
Genevieve: Seven. Unfortunately, we lost a bunch during the pandemic. We had 10 and got a few more grown chickens after the pandemic to help with our neighborhood egg supply, but they ended up having Mareks Disease and gave it to the flock.
How are you liking returning to acting?
Genevieve: I love acting. It makes me feel so good and so free.
What is it like playing the on-screen love interest of your real-life husband?
Genevieve: Complicated: (laughs) Kidding. It’s really fun. I fall in love even more. He makes me feel really secure and safe on set. I love working with him.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Genevieve: Wake up around 5:45 am and work out or get kids ready for school. I get them dressed and fed and off to school and then I’ll start working on TOWWN ideas and figuring out ways we can get the message across. Or, I’ll prepare to shoot some Walker. After meetings I like to pick up kids and shuffle them to sports and after we cook dinner and sit down as a family. Then I get them to bed, it's really important to me they get individual time each day so I will usually scratch their backs and catch up. Then I head downstairs and read.
You have three kids. Any hacks for working moms on balancing it all?
Genevieve: Honestly no. I feel like I do a crappy job most of the time, but I’m trying, and I let them know when I make mistakes. And, every day I let them know how much I love them. (Pauses) Well maybe I’d tell moms to give themselves a break.
If you had three hours to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?
Genevieve: Hike or ski in the mountains with my family.
You regularly recommend book club books, what’s your favorite book ever, and that you’ve read lately?
Genevieve: I honestly really loved "Breathless" by Jennifer Nivens. I didn’t realize how much I enjoy YA books, so it was a real treat. I am loving " Under a White Sky" by Elizabeth Kolbert, it’s eye-opening and she has a knack for tackling a tricky subject and making it incredibly entertaining. I love anything by Lisa Tadeo, or Jaqueline Woodson, and David Sedaris! I’m currently reading "Hamnet" which is good.
What are some of your favorite places and/or things to do in Austin?
Genevieve: The music scene. This last year has been really tough on this musically rich city. We love taking our kids to the ACL Live shows at the Moody Theater. It's been really fun for our family and we have missed it. And of course, a great taco!
Who inspires you?
Genevieve: My children. They are each rockstars in their own way and I love watching them be who they are and navigate the world.
What’s something you know now you wish you knew 20 years ago?
Genevieve: Not to apologize so much and doubt myself.
What advice would you in 20 years be giving you now?
Genevieve: Don’t be afraid.
Fun Facts About Genevieve Padalecki
Actress: Currently has a reoccurring role opposite real-life husband Jared Padalecki on Walker, Texas Ranger
Entrepreneur: Founder of TOWWN, helping people incrementally live more sustainably
Blogger: Check out NowandGen for recipes to book club recommendations.
Some of her favorite eco-friendly beauty brands are Rms, Rahua, Ren, By Humankind, Axiology, No Tox Life, Bite, Neighborhood Botanicals and Lina Hanson
Some of you’re her favorite sustainable clothing brands are Outerknown, Boyish, and Zero + María Cornejo
She met her husband when she played his love interest on Supernatural
Her team for this shoot included: Skylar Reeves (photographer), Ange Bebbington (hair), Billy Mercer (make-up), and Cristina Facundo (stylist)
Find her at @genpadalecki and @towwn on Instagram and follow her blog at https://nowandgen.com/