March
1st
2008
Ecorazzi reporter Margaret Teich recently caught up with Missy Higgins for an exclusive interview.
1. So, you are a rocker. What instrument did you start with and how old were you when you started jamming?
I started playing piano when I was six. My parents put me into lessons and my Dad used to sit with me for half an hour every night and make me practice. I guess that’s why at the age of 14 I decided that piano wasn’t for me and electric guitar was! I was listening to bands like Nirvana and Hole at the time and I think all I wanted to do was be an angsty teenager and use my distortion pedal. Then a couple of years late I stumbled across a piano in a room somewhere and started improvising, playing my own music. That’s when I realized that playing piano didn’t have to be a chore, it could be whatever I wanted it to be and I’ve been playing it ever since.
2. We in the US have a penchant for Aussies and their laid back, cool kids vibe. What do you think is the sweetest thing about Australia?
I think the sweetest thing about Australia is the pace that everybody travels at. More so when you get out of the cities but even our cities, compared to somewhere like New York, are incredibly laid back! I really notice it when I go home after being in America for a while; you can’t help but feel like Australia is this little country town on the edge of a big crazy world. Bless it.
3. I like to drink organic beer. What is your favorite eco-tip or activity?
I have a little, but very sturdy water bottle that I take everywhere so I never have to use plastic water bottles. Most places have drinking fountains or access to water that you can fill it up at. I also take my own body wash and shampoo whenever I travel so as not to have to use all those tiny little containers they have in hotel rooms.
4. I’m 24, close to your age. Do you think our generation is greener than other generations? Why?
I think our generation is more willing to change their ways than a lot of the older generation, even if it means living a little less comfortably. We’re still blessed with impressionable and open minds. Regardless of whether it is naive or not, we still have the hope and eagerness that youth allows us. And I think a lot of us feel it’s our responsibility to be pro-active about climate-change, as it is our immediate future that’s in jeopardy.
5. You were on Jimmy Kimmel’s show last week. Do you have any odd pre-performance rituals or superstitions?
Not really! Although if I’m nervous which I most likely will be, I do like to get a bit of alone time. Just a few minutes before the performance in a quiet room beforehand is enough to calm my jitters.
5. Where is the coolest green place you have stopped so far on a tour?
The Mountain View Montessori school in Reno. They had solar panels on the roof, a wind turbine that had just been installed, compost bins outside of every classroom, a veggie and herb garden and two very happy goats! It was really inspiring to see such a wonderfully practical and Green educational system in such a happy and colorful environment.
To see more, check out Missy Higgins’ video mini-series Missy Takes the Wheel.
It seems that nowadays every magazine has a “Green Issue”. And why not? Let’s be honest, green is the new EVERYTHING!!! 
