Eco-awareness is a way of life for Laura.  As daughter of CNN founder and philanthropist Ted Turner, she saw firsthand how ecologically devastated many areas of the world are. Now, as a national environmental activist and eco-living expert, Laura's mission is to educate families, youth and individuals alike about the opportunities and benefits of earth-friendly living.

Learn more about Two Minutes for the Planet. 

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Laura: Reducing your carbon footprint starts with the very foundation of your home. If you think about trying to save the planet, it can be a daunting task. But if you look at your environment, the one that’s immediately around you, you realize that you can make a big difference in your world.

Today we’re focusing on the home. As a consumer, you always have a choice. You can start by paying attention to the materials around you. Wood may be the most environmentally friendly material available, and it’s cost effective. A study of two almost identical homes, one framed with steel, the other with wood, showed that the steel home costs 14 percent more to build. One of my favorite woods is Western Red Cedar. This unique wood meets the green building standards as renewable, natural, and recyclable. All products are naturally durable and don’t need any chemical treatments. Also, for every tree that’s harvested, eight or more are planted in its place.

If you are considering installing a new deck, you can find yourself a little overwhelmed by the variety of materials to choose from. There are a lot more plastic and composite decks now. Some companies boast that their product is produced with recycled resources. But what they don’t tell you is that because it’s made from plastic, it’s petroleum based, which as we know is non-renewable.

Being good to the environment is about saving and conserving. For example, change the placement of your sprinklers. Make sure you aren’t wasting water by letting it hit the driveway. Keep the setting on moderate. You can also buy an inexpensive rain detection device. It can be attached to your irrigation system and it cuts off automatically when it’s raining.

 

I’m Laura Turner Seydel with your Two Minutes for the Planet.