Ecorazzi

You can say that Danny Seo has had a pretty busy past couple of years. From launching two new books to appearing on television and radio shows to co-guest editor of Elle Magazine’s 2007 annual Green issue. He even recently gave the commencement address at Berkeley University in California. Indeed, Seo’s expertise on modern green living has created a perfect storm of opportunities for the 30 year old.

Ecorazzi recently talked with Seo about his latest projects, his involvement with Hollywood’s green and famous, and why Paris Hilton may have saved millions of seals.

E: You’re everywhere lately! How does it feel to have made it into the public spotlight?

DS: Oh gosh, what an unusual thing to think about. It has never really been my goal to be a known person; it has always been my goal to continue to teach people how to live a greener, more stylish life. I’ve been working as an environmentalist ever since I was the age of 12. On my 12th birthday (the same day as Earth Day!), I started an environmental group with a few friends and $23. When I was 18, I was leading the country’s largest eco-group for young people. It wasn’t until I got a chance to write a book for Random House about my experiences in running an activist group, did the whole green lifestyle idea organically come into my life. My first home, in Washington DC, was all decorated using recycled and found objects. I sourced organic and artisan food before there was a Whole Foods. I threw parties using inventive and resourceful ideas.

It was just over time, I thought other people might like to know some of the useful tips, ideas and solutions I’ve tested and come up with over the years. My own home and life is a big laboratory to test new projects, recipes, and techniques and then I present the best of the best to people through out books, TV shows, website, magazine columns and public events. In reality, it’s pretty cool to reach so many people and get feedback from folks saying, ‘I’m going to paint my house this way!’ That’s really the best reward.

Click “more” below for the full interview!

E: Of the many roles you have, you’re also an eco-stylist to the stars. Do you find more celebrities are becoming excited about sustainable fashion? Are they into the “green” ideas behind the fashion as well as the style?

DS: The whole celebrity thing is really funny to me. It’s about 5% of my work that gets 95% of the attention. But we’re a celebrity-obsessed culture, so I figure if I can get attention for positive, green ideas with the help of celebrities, what’s wrong with that?

I do find that people in Los Angeles — the stars — are a bit ahead on greening their lives than the rest of the country. The reality is, they have the financial means to buy the first-generation hybrid car, install the integrated solar panels on their roofs, buy the $300 organic cotton jeans and Stella McCartney shoes. And, unfortunately, people then mistaken that green living is expensive, too.

The reality is, all BIG IDEAS start somewhere. You see a $10,000 dress on the runway, and pretty soon variations of that appear in discount shops like H&M in a matter of months. The same philosophy goes for a lot of green items. Remember when you had to mail-order your green cleaning products? You can now go into Target stores and buy those incredibly yummy METHOD cleaning products for very little money. They are biodegradable, non-toxic and not tested on animals. $6 for a soy candle? That would’ve been impossible 5 years ago.

E: Any recent celebrities that you know that are getting a green home makeover? Any great gossip or inspiring stories you would like to share?

I don’t really talk about my celebrity clients or projects, and I think that’s why they keep coming back to me. Decorating or renovating someone’s home is such a personal thing and for me to divulge information and inside gossip would expose their home to the whole world.

But there are celebrities out there who want to share their homes as living, breathing examples how green can be gorgeous, too. My favorite client is Kerry Washington. We did a photo shoot together for the green issue of ELLE magazine shopping at some of our favorite eco haunts in LA for furnishings and accessories. She is someone with an interesting, global outlook on life. She travels the world and collects small treasures here and there; she could spend months in a foreign country filming a movie and come back with just a set of raw wood bowls. Then it’s my job, as a curator of her belongings, to pull her home together to reflect her travels, and journey around the world. Her home is a living, evolving reflection of who she is, what she believes in and where she’s been. It’s pretty cool and she totally appreciates it.

E: Do you believe celebrities are doing a good job representing the issues?

DS: Absolutely. You know, a few years ago I placed a sweatshirt on Paris Hilton that read, “Club Sandwiches not Seals.” People thought I was nuts to do this, because Paris doesn’t have the best reputation. But the media trailed and followed her everywhere, so I thought it was a good opportunity to get a message out there about the tragic clubbing of baby seals in Canada. Well, the results speak for themselves: That one photo of her wearing the sweatshirt resulted in 1 billion media impressions. It was so popular, even the chain Abercrombie and Fitch started making Club Sandwiches not Seals t-shirts.

But there are many celebrities who have done so much more to push the green agenda forward. I remember Cameron Diaz appearing on The Tonight Show and talking about her hybrid Prius. It was a first-generation Prius and people still thought you had to plug it in at night to charge up the battery. But she explained to millions of folks how the hybrid engine worked, how much fuel she was saving and why it was so user-friendly to drive. She literally re-educated millions of folks in a matter of minutes.

E: Do you have a favorite eco-fashion designer at the moment?

DS: I know this will ruffle some feathers, but I am a big believer in quality, not quantity. So every piece of clothing I buy is from the perspective that it’s an investment piece that will work with everything else in my wardrobe.

I remember as a child going to the department store in August and having to pick out Back-to-School clothes. These clothes HAD TO LAST an entire school season. Today, I see people going to chain stores and saying things like, “Oh, if I get sick of it, I can just throw it away. It’s cheap!” I never thought we’d get to such a disposable mentality that we think of clothes as throwaways.

So, I go buy a pair of very, well-made shoes or a perfectly tailored suit and I’ll pay a premium for these things upfront. When I’m in LA, I shop at Decades Two in Melrose, too. It’s a consignment shop selling lightly-worn designed clothes for a fraction of the cost. I bought a pair of once-worn Gucci dress pants that fit me absolutely perfectly. They cost about $50. Four years later, they are still one of my favorite pair of pants. I’d rather spend $500 on a pair of shoes that’ll last 10 years then 10 “eco” shoes that cost $50.

Click Here To View Part II Of Our Interview With Danny Seo!