Gretchen Wilson Seeks ‘A Better Way of Life’

Gretchen Wilson may take pride in her redneck image, but she'd also like to be known as an advocate for environmentally-friendly, health-conscious issues. The singer, who has already raised more than one million dollars for various environmental causes, spoke out at this year's Farm Aid about what makes her so passionate.

"A couple of years ago I got involved in a campaign to help fight obesity in this country," she tells Mother Nature Network, "and that's when I really started to learn more about foods and the bad habits we set up for ourselves, and that we're teaching our children in this country."

The proud mother of an eight-year old girl, Gretchen is determined to do her part to create a better world for the next generation. "I watch her, and she's so smart," the singer says of daughter Grace. "I know we love to look at our children and say, 'Look how smart they are,' and 'Look how much they can do on a computer,' and of course sitting still and reading is always a great thing, but we've lost the exercise. They're not really moving like they used to, and they're just eating whatever's convenient for them, and it's a huge problem. I've heard statistics that we might be the first generation to outlive our children because of obesity."

Gretchen also expresses concern that technology and innovations might ultimately hurt more than help. "I remember when I was young, I went outside all the time and picked blackberries off the bushes. And my grandma would make pies and we ate what we hunted and we ate what we grew ... it was a different lifetime. It was a different way of life. It was a better way of life."

The singer concedes that she doesn't have all the answers yet, but she hopes to continue to learn and evolve. Asked if she uses bio-diesel for her tour buses, Gretchen admits she doesn't. "I didn't even know about any of that! But I'm open to anything. And we definitely use a lot of fuel so ... anything we can do, we'll do. There's a lot of stuff that I don't even know yet."

Gretchen is readying the release early next year of 'I Got Your Country Right Here,' the first album on her own label, Redneck Records. The debut single, 'Work Hard, Play Harder,' will be used next week for NASCAR's Ford 400 season-finale Sprint Cup race.