She's arguably one of the most famous supermodels of all time, having appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue three times. These days, though, Cheryl Tiegs would rather knock your socks off with her message of sustainable living.

Raised until age 5 on a farm in Minnesota, she's long been a supporter of the environment, beginning with a commitment to recycle in the '70s.

"Minnesota farmers don't just throw things away," she explains with a Midwesterner's sensibility during a telephone interview from her home in Los Angeles. "If something is broken, they fix it."

A trip to the Arctic a few years ago further cemented her desire to live as eco-friendly a life as possible. During her stay there in an Inuit village of 200, she says, she experienced firsthand how global warming is affecting the Barnes ice cap, the last vestige of ice-age Canada.

"There's no question the weather is changing things up there," she says. "You can see how the ice cap is shrinking."

Little surprise, then, that Ms. Tieg's California home is a cornucopia of earth-friendly initiatives. Her recently remodeled kitchen includes Cambria natural quartz countertops, backsplash and floors, a product that so fits her definition of Earth-friendly that she became its spokeswoman in 2007. She'll be singing its praises -- and also give Pittsburghers a bit of a green education -- Friday at the 29th annual Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Introduced to the market in 2000, Cambria is created from natural quartz, one of the world's hardest nonprecious stones. (It's twice as strong as granite.) Non-porous and heat- and scratch-resistant, quartz also is difficult to stain, even with lemon or red wine. Cleanup is as simple as washing the surface with warm water. There's no need for sealants, polishes or waxes.

Ms. Tiegs removed Italian ceramic tile from her own kitchen floor to make way for Cambria quartz. The tile was beautiful, but it was hard to care for, she says.

"I have four very large dogs, and they're constantly slopping up water and leaving their footprints everywhere," she says, laughing. "With Cambria, all I need to clean is a mop. It's so easy."

It's available in 64 colors that range from pearly white to roasted coffee to bright blue. The dusky tan, monochromatic look Ms. Tiegs chose for her contemporary kitchen remodel comes from Cambria's Desert collection, which includes 15 muted colors inspired by nature. There's also a Classic collection that includes a colorful Baltic blue and cardigan red, and a warmer Quarry collection of 28 colors that captures the random variation found in natural quartz stone. Edges can be fabricated in a variety of profiles, including rough chiseled.

What really impressed Ms. Tiegs was Cambria's green practices. That, and the fact that its state-of-the-art production facility just happens to be located in her home state of Minnesota.

The company recycles and recovers 100 percent of the water used in its production processes. Also Cambria surfaces do not give off gases because they're completely absent of formaldehyde or other volatile organic compounds. And because it's made in the U.S. from North American quartz, it has a lower carbon footprint than stone products that are shipped overseas from Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

"And all the company cars are hybrids," adds Ms. Tiegs.

Cambria surfaces, which can be used in the bathroom as well as the kitchen, are GreenGuard certified. That can help projects achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design points under LEED green-building rating systems -- something that can help make your house more marketable when it comes time to sell, Ms. Tiegs notes.

"People really are looking for green these days," she says.

And how. Sustainability in home design is a growing trend, with more manufacturers are offering nontoxic, energy-efficient or recycled products for the home.

But what if you're not in the market for a major remodel? It's still possible to make lifestyle changes that are kind to the Earth, says Ms. Tiegs.

Start small by changing your incandescent light bulbs and fixtures to energy-efficient LED lighting. Other eco-friendly measures she advocates are drinking filtered instead of bottled water and recycling. She's so committed to keeping paper and paperboard products out of landfills that she even carries out newspapers and magazines that have been stuffed into seat pockets of airplanes.

"The question 'Plastic or paper?' is irrelevant to me," she says. "I don't do that anymore."

You might also consider making your next auto purchase a hybrid car. For the record, Ms. Tiegs, who is good friends with actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr., has two gas-electric models, along with an experimental SUV powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

"He's the one who really got the ball rolling and has been a great mentor," says Ms. Tiegs. "I love the Earth and the planet we're on."

Although she's hoping to answer questions about sustainability at the home show, she realizes she'll also hear many questions about her cover girl past.

"Even if people are coming to see me as a model, it doesn't matter, she says. "Hopefully, I'll inspire them to take care of the environment, too."

Cheryl Tiegs will talk about kitchens, cooking and keeping fit at the Pittsburgh Magazine Cooking Center at 3 p.m. Friday. She'll sign autographs afterward at the Cambria booth, No. 2737 (Level 2, in the Kitchen & Cooking section).

For more information on Cambria natural quartz, visit www.cambriausa.com or call 1-866-226-2742.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.