Though most people know me for my role as the host of the HGTV home improvement shows Carter Can and Red Hot & Green, they may not know that I pursued a degree in nutrition in college, or that my career as a carpenter began at age 12. Even at that young age, having a well-nourished and healthy body was very important to me. It’s only natural that my views on health and well being extend to the way we treat the environment, and I try to help HGTV viewers find ways to make their own lives healthier and more environmentally sustainable on Red Hot & Green. To me, it’s simple: When choosing building materials, why not select products that aren't harmful to the environment? With all of the new eco-friendly products available today, there are many ways for people to take simple steps to be green at home.   

People are looking to increase the “green” in their everyday lives, but are often confused and overwhelmed by how to achieve it. To help clarify and show people how easy it is to become more eco-friendly, HGTV has partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council on a new initiative that aims to revitalize communities and provide easy steps for reducing our collective impact on the environment. The campaign is called HGTV Change the World, Start at Home, and I’m proud to be helping get the word out.

Simple actions, such as recycling or carrying re-usable bags, can truly make a big difference, and that’s what this campaign is all about.  For instance, if Americans recycled 32 percent of their garbage, it would save 49 million metric tons of carbon from being emitted into the air – the energy equivalent of saving 11 billion gallons of gasoline.  Carrying reusable bags for groceries, shopping and take-out food would save our oil consumption and reduce waste.  Think about this statistic -- twelve million barrels of oil were used to make the 88.5 billion plastic bags consumed in the United States last year.

This is where I come in…I’ve designed a re-useable bag for Whole Foods Markets.  It’s available now at stores in the Midwest. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the bags will benefit the NRDC, and of course, actually using the bag will benefit the earth by keeping plastic bags out of landfills!  So drop by a Whole Foods Market or any place where you can get re-usable bags and start doing your part to change the world.