Suppose you belong to an organization or household that isn’t desperately
in denial of the emerging and accelerating climate crisis. You know
that the greenhouse gases we’re pumping into the sky will remain in the
atmosphere for decades to come, trapping heat, warming the land and
oceans, weirding the weather, and generally making the world less
habitable for future generations.
Good folks that you are, you and your organization want to do the right thing by reducing your carbon emissions – to zero if possible. And you suspect that airing up your tires and using less toilet paper are probably not going to make the critical difference in shrinking the size of your carbon footprint. You want to do something more significant without dramatically diminishing your quality of life or busting your budget.
Is there a fast and affordable way to reduce your carbon footprint to zero? Or better yet, to become admirably carbon-negative, withholding or withdrawing more CO2 from the atmosphere than you’re putting into it? This is the question I recently asked myself as a member of a climate action team at our church, as we looked for ways to reduce the church’s carbon footprint dramatically within the constraints of a limited budget.
The solution I’ve proposed, and which is currently under review, is a simple two-step process. First, I’ve suggested that we replace our “traditional” electrical utilities (generated mainly from coal and other hydrocarbons) with electricity from 100% renewable sources (typically wind or sun). This step alone would eliminate most of our church’s carbon footprint.
Second, I’ve proposed that we negate our remaining carbon emissions (e.g., from natural gas or transportation fuel) by purchasing reputable and affordable carbon offsets, which go toward funding wind, solar, efficiency-enhancement, reforestation or other projects that would not otherwise have been undertaken. Such projects either reduce the amount of carbon that would have been emitted, by substituting cleaner for dirtier energy sources, or by absorbing CO2 currently in the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Either way, carbon offsets would have the net effect of compensating for our current carbon emissions – perhaps at a tree, wind, or solar farm located elsewhere.
For those who might be considering this approach for your own households or organizations, here’s my proposal in a bit more detail:
I hope the approach I’ve outlined here is applicable to organizations and households of all sorts. I happen to belong to a Unitarian-Universalist church. We’ve been a prophetic congregation and denomination in the past on major social issues such as civil rights, and I hope we’ll continue to be so in the future as new challenges arise. As our national UUA President Rev. Peter Morales has written, “Climate change is the gravest challenge facing humanity today…. We cannot remain silent.”
We can either act now to reduce and reverse our carbon impacts on the world’s ecosystems, or be prepared to explain to future generations why we didn’t.
Comments and critiques of the approach outlined here are welcome.
originally posted on Danagram at opensalon.com
drigney3@gmail.com
Twitter: @danagram
This post may be freely reproduced and circulated without permission. Please share it with others who’d like to shrink their carbon footprints.
Good folks that you are, you and your organization want to do the right thing by reducing your carbon emissions – to zero if possible. And you suspect that airing up your tires and using less toilet paper are probably not going to make the critical difference in shrinking the size of your carbon footprint. You want to do something more significant without dramatically diminishing your quality of life or busting your budget.
Is there a fast and affordable way to reduce your carbon footprint to zero? Or better yet, to become admirably carbon-negative, withholding or withdrawing more CO2 from the atmosphere than you’re putting into it? This is the question I recently asked myself as a member of a climate action team at our church, as we looked for ways to reduce the church’s carbon footprint dramatically within the constraints of a limited budget.
The solution I’ve proposed, and which is currently under review, is a simple two-step process. First, I’ve suggested that we replace our “traditional” electrical utilities (generated mainly from coal and other hydrocarbons) with electricity from 100% renewable sources (typically wind or sun). This step alone would eliminate most of our church’s carbon footprint.
Second, I’ve proposed that we negate our remaining carbon emissions (e.g., from natural gas or transportation fuel) by purchasing reputable and affordable carbon offsets, which go toward funding wind, solar, efficiency-enhancement, reforestation or other projects that would not otherwise have been undertaken. Such projects either reduce the amount of carbon that would have been emitted, by substituting cleaner for dirtier energy sources, or by absorbing CO2 currently in the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Either way, carbon offsets would have the net effect of compensating for our current carbon emissions – perhaps at a tree, wind, or solar farm located elsewhere.
For those who might be considering this approach for your own households or organizations, here’s my proposal in a bit more detail:
- 1. Wind and solar power have recently become price-competitive with hydrocarbon energy sources in many regions. I’ve urged that we review the church’s current utility contracts to determine how quickly we can make the transition to 100% renewable energy on our three campuses. Our own small household recently made this switch, and we’re surprised to be paying less for 100% wind (9.4¢/kW hour) than for our previous “traditional” energy (11.7¢/kW hour). The church may actually save money by doing the right thing for the environment. But even if renewable energy were modestly more expensive, values-driven budgeting could surely find a way to make it happen.
- 2. As the church moves to renewable sources of electricity, we can then calculate our remaining annual carbon footprint using simple online tools such as the University of California’s CoolClimate Calculator (http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/carboncalculator). Any remaining carbon footprint can be compensated through the purchase of carbon offsets, as noted above. (Our household purchased offsets from Conservation International. Reputable non-profits like CI offset emissions by underwriting new renewable energy, energy conservation, and reforestation projects. CI sells carbon offsets for a modest $12 per metric ton of CO2 emissions.)
- 3. By buying renewable electricity and carbon offsets, we can drop the church’s carbon footprint to ZERO almost immediately. We need only the will to do it. It appears to me that this is our simplest and most direct path to carbon neutrality, at relatively little or no net financial cost (assuming rates for renewable power are comparable to those for traditional energy, as they increasingly are).
- 4. Any additional measures the church takes to reduce carbon emissions, such as solarizing the church roof or purchasing additional carbon offsets, would make us carbon negative (in a cool and cooling way). Other measures to reduce church energy use (renewable or not) might include sealing leaks, improving insulation, and investing in smart thermostats, thus reducing the church’s overall energy costs.
- 5. When we reach or surpass carbon neutrality, we might then consider challenging other religious congregations, schools, businesses, and other organizations to do as well or better than we’ve done in shrinking their institutional footprints. Imagine a church-sponsored “Cool Climate Challenge.” A little friendly (and earth-friendly) competition couldn’t hurt, and might motivate others to review the environmental impact of their own energy usage and respond accordingly.
- 6. Finally, individual members and households in the church, if they’re able and motivated, might consider following steps 1 and 2 above and purchasing 100% renewable energy and carbon offsets for their homes, and even taking additional measures (composting, solarizing, insulating and sealing leaks, driving less, supporting public transit, walking and bicycling more, supporting political and research initiatives that promote renewable energy, etc.) to further promote a more renewable and sustainable world. We should recognize and applaud the achievements of those in our congregation who are walking the talk on climate change, and ask them for tips on how we can all do better.
I hope the approach I’ve outlined here is applicable to organizations and households of all sorts. I happen to belong to a Unitarian-Universalist church. We’ve been a prophetic congregation and denomination in the past on major social issues such as civil rights, and I hope we’ll continue to be so in the future as new challenges arise. As our national UUA President Rev. Peter Morales has written, “Climate change is the gravest challenge facing humanity today…. We cannot remain silent.”
We can either act now to reduce and reverse our carbon impacts on the world’s ecosystems, or be prepared to explain to future generations why we didn’t.
Comments and critiques of the approach outlined here are welcome.
originally posted on Danagram at opensalon.com
drigney3@gmail.com
Twitter: @danagram
This post may be freely reproduced and circulated without permission. Please share it with others who’d like to shrink their carbon footprints.
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