How Jeremiah Brent Keeps ‘Queer Eye’ Home Makeovers As Sustainable As Possible (Exclusive)

Even though Queer Eye home makeovers happen within the very rushed span of about three days, that doesn’t stop interior designer Jeremiah Brent from making the stunning transformations as eco-friendly as possible.

In a recent conversation with Green Matters on behalf of Almond Breeze — with whom Brent is giving away a pantry makeover to one lucky winner — Brent divulged a few ways he worked to lighten the environmental impact of his interior design work throughout Season 9 in Las Vegas.

From our conversation, it was palpable how much Queer Eye and its heroes mean to Brent, who made headlines for crying record-breaking amounts of happy tears all season long. In fact, Brent told us that the people who got makeovers this season are “all like a small piece of my heart.”

And, unsurprisingly, this good-hearted man brings the same level of compassion from his Queer Eye makeovers to all other aspects of his life, including using his platform for good, and teaching his children about protecting the planet and living sustainably.

Read on for our new Green Routine with Jeremiah Brent.

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

GREEN MATTERS: What inspires you to use your platform to advocate for something sustainable and plant-based like Almond Breeze?

JEREMIAH BRENT: Almond Breeze has always been such a staple in our household. Besides the fact that it's delicious, which I love, it's just a fantastic addition to our house. I also am a huge fan of the Shelf Stable Original Almondmilk. It's just great. I don’t have to worry about anything going bad; it makes life as a parent much easier. And the core values of what the company represents and what they care about aligns with me, which is about bettering the planet and what we put into our bodies.

GM: Are there any other ways that you and your family have incorporated sustainable living habits?

JB: We are trying to get rid of all the plastics in our household, which is shocking how hard it is to do. We actually have a farm. My husband and I and the kids, we're big, believe it or not, farmers. We’re trying to make the land self-sustaining. Everything that we do with the kids is trying to articulate to them how everything you do affects everything else.

GM: On Queer Eye this season, was there anything that you did in your home makeovers to try to make them more sustainable?

JB: Always. A lot of what I shopped was either vintage secondhand furniture, or I would find materials that were salvaged — going to stone yards, things that have been discarded because they weren’t needed, leftover materials, giving things a new life. Not only is it cost effective, but it's very eco-friendly, and it is something that I don't think people do enough. There's a lot of material out there that's wasted. And that was a real big part of this season of Queer Eye.

GM: What was your favorite makeover you did this season? Mine was Jen’ya’s.

JB: It's hard to pick one. Jen’ya made a huge impact on me personally, and what I hope people felt with the show is that design does not need to be for one class of people. You don't need to spend a ton of money to live beautifully and to live personally. Jen’ya rented that apartment, but by using some furniture that we found vintage, some paints, some personality, bringing her into it, you really felt, vibrationally, her in that space.

And that's what I love about design, and what I love about the show, is it's really about what matters. It's about connection. I've never cried as hard as I cried when I showed Jen’ya her home. The reveal was three hours long, which obviously did not make the cut. We just sobbed for three hours straight. I mean, I could barely open my eyes the next day.

GM: You're working on a pantry makeover for a winner of Almond Breeze's contest (running from Feb. 18 through Feb. 25, 2025). What tips can you share for doing pantry upgrades?

JB: The pantry’s a microcosm of what's happening in your life in some ways. Largely, pantries are about editing and prioritizing — constant editing, rotating around, and then prioritizing where things go based on your life.

For most people, the pantry just turns into a wasteland of things you purchase and don't utilize. By constantly editing and revolving it, you stay interactive with it, and you don't waste food. The best thing you can do is to program yourself to constantly edit and shift things around. It forces you to engage with it in a different way.