Taye Diggs on Living Sustainably and Showing His Son How It’s Done – GWC Mag

Having starred in hit Broadway shows like Rent and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, TV shows like Private Practice, and films like How Stella Got Her Groove Back, actor, producer, and author Taye Diggs is a legend of stage and screen. The SAG Award winner hasn’t always lived super mindfully, telling Green Matters that when it comes to awareness of environmental issues, “I’m not proud to say I haven’t been as vigilant as I probably should have been.”

That said, Diggs recently started exploring a more sustainable way of living for both himself and his son, Walker Diggs.

Diggs tells us that his recent partnership with eco-friendly home cleaning product brand Tru Earth “opened up” his mind to environmental issues and eco-friendly living.

Diggs and Tru Earth are kicking off Earth Month 2024 with a campaign that “strips what you thought you knew about laundry,” specifically celebrating the brand’s Laundry Detergent Eco-Strips. These hypoallergenic, vegan, paraben-free, and phosphate-free strips — which come in recyclable cardboard packaging — replace traditional plastic jugs of detergent.

And, as seen in photos of Diggs for the campaign, strips is right. The actor went nude for a cheeky photoshoot for the campaign, and the photos are everything.

In conversation with Green Matters, Taye Diggs discussed the importance of awareness, his health and wellness journey, and his partnership with Tru Earth. Read on for Taye Diggs’ exclusive Green Routine!

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

GM: Can you tell us more about your partnership with Tru Earth?

TD: Tru Earth wasn’t judgmental, they didn’t make me feel like I was doing anything wrong. They didn’t intimidate me. They knew just what to say to let me know how easy sustainable living can be — it doesn’t have to be this huge undertaking. There are simple ways to make difference and also feel good about yourself. They showed me these little Eco-Strips — when it comes to washing your clothes, instead of using those big plastic containers, they came up with these sustainable little laundry strips.

They mentioned composting, reusable containers and using fabric towels around the kitchen instead of paper towels. I can spread this news to my son and he can feel like he’s helping.

GM: The 2024 Earth Month theme is Planet vs. Plastics. How do you personally minimize your use of virgin plastic?

TD: I’m recycling a lot more and I’m just much more aware of what I’m buying and where it’s going to end up. You get used to doing things the way that you’ve always done it. And once you make that little change, it’s pretty incredible the difference you can make.

Right now I’m just hyped up about these Eco-Strips, because it’s so easy. And I can get my kid to wash his clothes too!

GM: We understand you’re passionate about spirituality and meditation. Can you tell us about it?

TD: I was in a really low place in life and didn’t have anywhere else to turn. I just started trying things, and they were working. Meditation and being self-aware — everybody’s got their own thing. It’s easy to get discouraged when someone is barking at us telling you to do a certain thing. I was gracefully allowed to find my own way.

Because my brain is so overactive, guided meditation works for me. I’m able to focus on someone else’s words. I like mantras.

GM: What tips would you give to someone embarking on their own health and wellness journey?

TD: Try something as opposed to nothing. What I’m realizing, especially in my older years, not everything works for everybody. And we have to respect that.

I’m always reading, and that in itself makes me feel good. Constantly searching for more answers helps with my anxiety. I like the idea that I can still learn things and that the world isn’t one set way, it makes me feel more in control.