People: Eco Star KT Tunstall
Fifteen questions with the singer we live calling Wolfhound West Acres
By Colleen Kane
Photograph by Perou
A vegetarian and dedicated eco promoter both on the road and at home, Tunstall converted her house into an energy-efficient sanctuary this spring with the help of Global Cool, whose fans include Orlando Bloom and Tony Blair. (Her favorite feature recommended by the enviro campaigners is the sheep’s wool roof insulation.)
But even if her career reads like a rousing success to date, it’s far from over—Tunstall believes the title to her memoirs, if she wrote them now, would be “I Am Aware I Haven’t Got Enough to Say Yet and Should Wait at Least 30 Years.” Until she gets around to writing that book, though, Tunstall helps debut our Eco Star segment with fifteen facts on her story so far.
AND THE STORY GOES . . .
Her future Eco Star name (favorite animal plus childhood street): Wolfhound West Acres.
The hotel that knows her best: The Hotel on Rivington in New York City.
On childhood: I did a lot of writing and drawing. I really liked writing rhyming poems and plays.
That one indispensable album: Hunky Dory, by David Bowie
Her biggest environmental sin: Flying.
Her dream carpool partner: Sir David Attenborough (the naturalist).
The merch she hawks on tour: I use a company called Sandbag, which was partly set up by Radiohead, and do a complete set of eco-aware merchandise.
Her favorite place on Earth: The Isle of Skye in Scotland.
What road meals on the biodiesel bus look like: We use recycled plates and cutlery and eat Soya hot dogs. They taste exactly like real ones.
Her favorite eats in Scotland: You can get the most amazing veggie haggis, neeps, and tatties at the Ubiquitous Chip on Ashton Lane in Glasgow. Such a gorgeous place to go and eat dinner.
Her tattoo count: A winking cat on my left shoulder.
The environmentally friendly product she can’t live without: Ecover laundry liquid.
The sustainable fashions she most likes to wear: Katharine Hamnett T-shirts, Linda Loudermilk dresses.
Toys she used to make the new album: They are both vintage Gretsch electric guitars. Let’s face it—the electric guitar is way sexier than the acoustic. My little Silver Jet hasn’t got a name yet, but my big White Falcon is called Daddy. Because it’s totally the Daddy.
Her self-penned fortune-cookie wisdom: Enjoy eating this with all your heart, then follow your own path with cookies in your teeth.





