NEED TO KNOW
- Drew Barrymore is lending her voice to Garnier’s latest cause, a partnership with the National Parks Foundation
- The talk-show host and brand spokesperson shares her passion for nature
- Barrymore also discusses how she’s made her routine more sustainable
Drew Barrymore soaks up moments in nature any way she can.
On a weekday in October, for The Drew Barrymore Show host, 50, that means observing the clouds through her open sunroof as she heads from one errand to another.
“In New York City, it feels like you get sort of slivers of nature. I do go to Central Park and I do leave the island,” she says of spending more time outside. “I try so hard.”
Barrymore’s love of the outdoors makes today’s conversation easy: the Garnier spokesperson of nearly five years is helping the brand get the word out about its work with the National Park Foundation.
In January, the beauty brand and the organization came together “to boost nationwide conservation and restoration initiatives,” according to a release.
This includes Garnier helping the NPF fund 200,000 service hours during which Service Corps crews will enhance park infrastructure, plant trees and other native plants, preserve historic structures, restore trails, support disaster preparedness and response, and so much more, “in their efforts to maintain and protect” millions of acres of land.
Drew Barrymore.
Garnier
It’s an ambitious mission, but Garnier is up to the task. From its planet-friendly packaging to its responsibly-sourced formulas, sustainability is part of its DNA.
“I’m proud and honored to be associated with anyone that is doing right by the planet,” Barrymore explains, adding, “As much as I want to try to do my best, I don’t always know where to start.”
From the start of her collab with Garnier, Barrymore says the brand has been helping her “be more conscientious” of the world around her.
“They’re just in a green mind frame,” she says. “And, I think [the partnership] came at a time where I was trying to change a lot of habits in my life and they helped me make those.”
Barrymore might be an acting pro, but when it came to living a more eco-friendly life she “needed guidance,” she says. “Unless a company is providing you with the solutions, you really don’t know where to go or what to do.”
Today, she leans into feel-good products like the brand’s Shampoo Bar, which she lauds for having zero plastic packaging, and its reusable Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads, which she takes her makeup off with daily, washes, and repeats again.
Being a part of this campaign, however, is extra “special,” she says.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
For her part, Barrymore is not only helping to inform about Garnier and the NPF’s initiative, but also to encourage people to connect with nature more, even if it proves challenging for her these days.
“Nature is my teacher. It is my calming space. It is my humbling space. And it’s definitely where I go and gravitate towards,” she says.
“We’re kicking off my favorite season in the world, she adds, admitting, “I didn’t even know what seasons really were because I lived in California my whole life. We’re the perennial place. And so I’m looking at a yellow tree right now out the window that we’re passing by, and watching the colors of fall has become my favorite pastime since living in New York.”
It’s not just about her, it’s about her children, Olive, 12, and Frankie, 11, who she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelman.
She says while it’s “challenging” living in the city, they get to the beach and park as much as possible. They also spend a lot of time in the car, during which they admire trees.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Drew Barrymore.
Garnier
“One day I hope to have a lake house,” Barrymore says. “That’s my dream because I love lakes so much.”
For now, her “miniature greenhouse” (a.k.a. the bathroom she’s converted into a plant haven) will have to do. “I’m not that good,” she says of the saturation of her green thumb. But, thanks to her motherly instincts “I did just get those amazing tube lights that keep your plants alive,” she says.
“I was dying for some nature, and so I was like, ‘I’m going to get some plants.’ I’m not growing much, but I’m trying to keep plants alive with the right lights. If it wasn’t for them, they’d be dead.”
Barrymore says, “It’s the best I can do.”
To learn more about Garnier’s partnership with the National Park Foundation, visit garnierusa.com.
