About Change The World

Change the World. Start at Home is a community revitalization and environmental cause effort launched by HGTV in partnership with Rebuilding Together, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The campaign focuses on revitalizing communities across the country and helping consumers make smart choices for the environment within their homes and daily lives.

Voters from across the country showed support by casting their votes at hgtv.com/changetheworld for communities in need. On January 1, 2008, HGTV announced the winners of the Change the World. Start at Home initiative live at the Rose Parade. The following cities will be revitalized by HGTV and its partners during the first annual Change the World. Start at Home week starting April 28, 2008:

Baltimore, MD
Denver, CO
Twin Cities, MN
Washington D.C.

These cities join New Orleans, LA, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as beneficiaries of the first annual Change the World week. A home, an educational facility and an outdoor space in each of the winning markets will be completed through the help of volunteers and HGTV partners to help enable a sustainable change in each community. In addition, renovation projects will include environmentally-friendly improvements as well as restoration of historic sites.

In the eyes of HGTV, all the communities identified to be part of the Change the World. Start At Home campaign are worthy of our support. For those markets not selected by the public, HGTV contributed funding to help support ongoing work in each community and provided opportunities for local volunteers to get involved. These cities include:

Atlanta, GA
Boston, MA
Long Island, NY
Portland, OR
San Francisco, CA

We hope you enjoy learning more about the winning communities, projects and families who are part of the Change the World. Start At Home campaign. Please visit volunteermatch.hgtv.com to explore volunteer opportunities. By getting involved, you can help us Change the World.

Green Tips

TIP 1: choose wisely

Don't leave a trail of plastic water bottles in your wake! Choose water bottles made from renewable resources or reuseable materials, such as aluminum.
TIP 2: reuse

Carry a reusable bag with you for groceries, shopping, and take out food. But if you forget, choose paper and recycle it or plastic and reuse it.
TIP 3: recycle

Recycle whatever and wherever you can. The energy saved by using recycled instead of raw materials to manufacture goods ranges from 40 to 95 percent!
TIP 4: save energy

Do not stop with changing your light bulbs! You can also set the refrigerator thermostat to maintain a temperature between 38 and 42 degrees.
TIP 5: save energy

Start by turning off your screen saver and cut even more energy that your computer uses by putting it in sleep mode when it isn't in use.
TIP 6: switch it off

Plug electronic equipment into power strips that can be switched off at night or when not in use.
TIP 7: buy recycled

Buy toilet paper, paper towels and paper napkins that are made with post-consumer waste. Many brands are available in grocery stores, often at comparable prices.
TIP 8: go natural

Clean your home with non-toxic, natural cleaning products. Just about anything can be cleaned with white vinegar and baking soda.
TIP 9: your vehicle

Check your tire pressure. Replace the air filter and tune up your engine regularly. A tune-up can boost miles per gallon from 4 to 40 percent.
TIP 10: buy local

Buy locally grown food that is in season. Food that hasn't traveled thousands of miles to your plate is fresher, tastier and drastically cuts down on pollution.
TIP 11: save a tree

Grab that stack of catalogs and log on to Catalog Choice to put a stop to unwanted catalogs--and yes, save trees!
TIP 12: go low flow

Install low-flush toilets. More than 4 billion gallons of water get flushed down the toilet every day in the United States.
TIP 13: fix it

Fix leaky faucets. A faucet that drips once each second can waste over 8 gallons of water per day and more than 3,000 gallons per year.
TIP 14: put it to sleep

Avoid screen savers. Those moving images on your monitor can cost an extra $50 or more of electricity a year!
TIP 15: replace

While you are in the garage, replace the air filter in your car. A new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon.
TIP 16: slow down

Ease up on the pedal. Slowing down from 75 to 65 miles per hour will drop your highway gasoline consumption about 15 percent. That's money in your pocket.

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