Nina Dobrev Proves She’s Just Like Us With Her Dog Mom Attitude and Sustainability Habits

Nina Dobrev proves she’s just like Us by wanting to help make the planet a better place.

“There’s so many small things we can do every day,” Dobrev, 35, says exclusively in the newest issue of Us Weekly of living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. “I recommend reducing plastic use and single-use containers as primary ways to be more sustainable.”

Dobrev chatted with Us while attending the 4th Annual SHISEIDO Blue Project Beach Clean Up, in partnership with WSL One Ocean and WILDCOAST, at the 2024 WSL US Open of Surfing earlier this month, at which she pitched in to clear trash from California’s Huntington Beach.

“Recycle and clean us trash/litter wherever you see it,” she says of helping the environment.

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Dobrev participated in the clean-up amid recovery from a knee surgery she underwent in June. She was hospitalized one month prior after getting into a motorbike accident . “I am just taking things one day at a time, being really good about my rest and recovery and doing everything I can to speed up the process,” she tells Us of her recovery.

Keep scrolling to see how Dobrev is just like Us :

Us: What’s the last thing you waited in line for?

Dobrev: Does a virtual line for concert tickets count?

Us: What’s the one task that you keep putting off?

Dobrev: I’m not a fan of putting away my stuff when I come back from traveling.

Us: What’s the last thing you ordered online?

Dobrev: Probably my Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Spray. It’s my favorite new product because it’s so easy to use.

Us: Do you treat your dog like a baby?

Dobrev: Maverick is such a mama’s girl, she definitely has me wrapped around her fingers and gets whatever she wants.

Us: How competitive are you when it comes to playing games and what’s your game of choice?

Dobrev: I am super competitive and I love a good game night. I love a Charades moment.

Us: What’s one bad habit you’re currently trying to break?

Dobrev: I’m big on balance, so I don’t know that I have “bad” habits at the moment.

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Us: What are your got-to sustainability habits?

Dobrev: I’m mindful of my waste, I’m mindful of what I’m wearing when I go in the water, I use reusable water bottles and coffee cups, I use my own shopping bags and not plastic ones at the grocery store, eat organic when I can.

Us: What makes environment advocacy a personal cause?

Dobrev: I have always been a water girl. I love going to the beach, I love watersports, I’ve always loved marine life. It makes me so sad to see how negatively human behavior affects the ocean and the creatures in it. I think if people were more aware of the damage we do we could actively try to be better.