“Disclaimer: I am pregnant…and this means that all of the blood goes to my belly and not my brain.” This was said by a very rotund-bellied, but nonetheless vibrant, Alicia Silverstone, as she began speaking at the University of Central Florida’s Pegasus Ballroom on February 3rd. As part of UCF’s Global Perspectives series, Knights were given a unique opportunity to talk the planet with the star. The event proved effective in both giving insight into the famous actress’ life, while simultaneously offering motivation to a healthy lifestyle, and reduce your negative impact on the planet: think Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth meets a sleepover with your best girlfriend-and a couple hundred other people-and you have “An Afternoon With Alicia Silverstone on the Environment.”
After watching Alicia graciously sipping from what looked like a very healthy shake, handed to her by former Mr. UCF Michael Newman as “fuel,” and praising our school on being so “groovy,” it became clear that we were not going to be presented with another stuffy interpretation of graphs on carbon emissions. Her animated, conversational way of speaking combined with her position behind the podium, was reminiscent of her debate scenes in the movie Clueless; leaving me to wonder when she would start playing with her gum, but Cher has come a long way from the “Pismo Beach Disaster” food drives. Valley girl fillers such as “like” and “whatever” found their way into her speech only sporadically. Alicia humorously addressed her own slips of the tongue and tangents, making her all the more endearing, and her story even more real.
A vegan since 1998, Alicia Silverstone took on a plant-based diet for the animals, but ended up reaping a lot of personal benefits. “I just felt lighter…and the great thing is, you really are treading more lightly on the earth…you know, it’s not like ugh…but more like mmm.” She shook her head at herself, apologizing for her sexual sigh and continued. “People would say ‘You’re glowing,’ and I’d be like, ‘That is so cool! What do you mean?” Alicia realized after passing medical tests with “flying colors” that the physical results were more than just good karma. Readers of her book, The Kind Diet, have the advantage of her hindsight to propel their own efforts to sustain the environment. You can look your best, feel your best, and oh yeah-help save the planet in the meantime. Along with never having to visit the doctor’s office, kind dieters also experience everyone’s favorite eating-right perk, shedding unwanted pounds. So if you ever find yourself resentful of famous vegans’ (including Alicia, declared one of the “Sexiest Vegetarians Alive” in 2004) mostly-nude PETA ads in the name of feminism, think of them more as a realistic testament to the hot body gained from eating flowers instead of faces.
Evidently, an icon of the vegetarian world, Alicia Silverstone is not always perfectly eco-friendly. She emphasizes the “baby steps” in becoming green and doing the best you can. “It is empowering to realize that your choices actually do have an impact…it is empowering as a woman…as a human being, really.” Her sincerity is enough to give you goose bumps as well as the impulse to run out of the room and start saving your Earth, but Alicia, knowing firsthand how difficult major lifestyle changes can be, provides some realistic assurance. She wants everyone to realize it is not all or nothing, and for that reason, The Kind Diet gives you options. You can “flirt” with the diet, “Go Vegan,” or learn how to become a “Superhero,” as the star of a Batman film should know.
For those shocked by the notion of giving up meat, Alicia mentioned some eco-friendly habits that are easily accessible for the college student. An easy first step is to buy a reusable water bottle. The UCF bookstore carries Bobble, which actually filters water for you as you drink it. On the topic of water, Alicia also takes baths instead of showers, while periodically adding some warm water to conserve, and need I mention the effect this could have on the infamous student-living overages? More simple tips can be found on her website, thekindlife.com, which goes beyond The Kind Diet, and into the realm of environmentally conscious buying, dressing, and even do-it-yourself projects. Look forward to my blog as I try to go gregan (vegan with some going green on the side) for a whole week for all of the challenges, and hopefully sexy advantages, of being “kind” to Mother Earth.
In spite of her celebrity status, Alicia continued to joke through out her presentation. Nearly letting an expletive escape her mouth while addressing us, and repeatedly hitting the microphone as she talked with her hands, made it apparent that she was undoubtedly human. Whether you believe in the healing power of The Kind Diet (and she asserts that her footnotes show she’s “not just making it all up”), love animals and think veganism is the way, or neither, her conviction and accomplishments will leave you feeling much more capable of making a difference. If she can do it, so can you. Even in her hormonal state, self-proclaimed “spazz” Alicia Silverstone is becoming a hero, and this time it’s more than just a role.