Adrian Grenier is best known for playing irresponsible Hollywood star Vincent Chase on Entourage, but his home and garden prove the guy has serious green credentials. A longtime believer in sustainable living, the 34-year-old Grenier has been quietly renovating the Victorian house in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood he bought in 2005 to suit his sensibilities. Along with insulating the walls with recycled denim and installing solar panels, he enlisted Brook Landscape to design an "eclectic and resourceful" outdoor space, which included hand-carving an urban-milled log into a bespoke bench and planting a roof garden on top of the recently converted carriage house adjacent. With the eighth and final season of his hit HBO show currently airing on Sunday nights in the US, Grenier is spending more time on his off-screen activities––producing documentaries, playing music, and concentrating on SHFT, his Webby-award-winning site promoting eco-friendly living. Amidst the wisteria and paperbark maples shading his reclaimed bluestone patio, Grenier gave NOWNESS a piece of his green mind.
Tell us about your roof garden.
I have a little garage that I converted into a carriage house, a guest retreat. It has a green roof that is basically succulent, with self-sufficient plants and gravel. They need very little maintenance, but they provide great insulation and prevent water run-off, which is responsible for carrying contaminants within cities to the oceans. A green roof helps to insulate the property better so you don't need as much air conditioning in summer or heat in the winter.
Do you still have a place in Los Angeles?
I do, although I might be letting it go simply because Entourage is over. I'm doing SHFT.com, a lifestyle website bringing you the coolest things in sustainability. It’s trying to nudge my sustainable ideas and lifestyle choices into pop culture by using art and design as the vehicle. It’s about building partnerships with bigger brands, while at the same time putting forth our message of sustainability through living well. Living long by living well.
“Living long by living well.” Is that your mantra?
Yeah. We're essentially trying to show that in order for life to be worth preserving, it has to be a quality life. We need to re-connect with who we are as human beings, how we live on the planet and find greater respect for ourselves and the wider world by starting to appreciate every moment.
Why do you see New York as a good place for a sustainable lifestyle?
One reason I love New York is that it's so primed for green growth. I've been lucky enough to have a lot of green around me growing up. I always envision the city having more around: utilizing rooftops, ripping up sidewalks and planting trees.