Laurie David: Curb Your Energy Use

April 6, 2006 — -- Laurie David is a force of nature, and not just because she puts up with her husband, Larry David of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She is a tireless advocate of the environment, which she discusses in her new documentary, "Too Hot Not To Handle," about the threat of global warming.

David said becoming a mother revved up her environmental activism.

"Well of course, when you have kids, you become more protective and you think about how to give them the healthiest upbringing and the best future," David said. "But when I took time off to have kids, I had more time to read and be informed."

"I also had time to walk around a lot, at which point it hit me how many SUVs there were on the road. I got to thinking about how they doubled the carbon dioxide emissions and lower mileage standards and it was just a light bulb moment for me," she added.

David says that women are uniquely qualified to tackle the problem of global warming.

"We are natural nurturers and instinctive caretakers," she said. "We can multitask, so we're good at organizing. We can see the forest and the trees. And, this problem greatly impacts everything that matters to us -- our health, our kids, the economy, our security."

Laurie David's Environmental Tips

Conserve energy by unplugging your cell phone charger. Even though your appliances are off, they still suck electricity when they're plugged in. Now, you're probably not going to go around unplugging everything when you're not using it, but if you unplug your cell phone charger it will make a huge amount of difference.

Make an eco-friendly carpool line by asking for a "no idling" rule. When parents pick their kids up from school, they often wait -- with their cars on, for 20 to 30 minutes -- for the kids to come out. Go to the principal or the PTA and ask to institute a "no idling rule." People think it uses more gas to turn the car off and on, but after 30 seconds, that's not true.

Use energy-saving compact flourescent light bulbs instead of regular lightbulbs. If every American household replaced five regular light bulbs with five compact light bulbs, it would be the energy-saving equivalent of taking 5 million cars of the road for one year.

For more information about Laurie David's efforts to stop global warming, visit www.stopglobalwarming.org.