10 Ways to Lower Your Carbon Footprint

10 Ways to Lower Your Carbon Footprint

What You Can doThat Makes a Difference

Elton SherwinExecutive Director

Carbon Zero Institute

Century Club of California

November 18, 2015

Your Carbon Footprint

Good News ≈80% related to just TWO human activities*

Bad News We are addicted to both and dependent on one

Turn to the person next to you and guess

6

* Anthropogenic Sources

Where do Greenhouse Gases Come From?

Burning Stuff Wood Coal Oil Gasoline Diesel Clear forests Crop residue Garbage Dung

Agriculture & Livestock Beef Lamb

8

Beef 2 to 10x Footprint

9

15

http://revelle.net/lakeside/lakeside.new/understanding.html

19

1/3 to 1/2 Red Meat Size of Your Home

Mostly drivingAnd flying

Optimal Way to Lower Your Carbon Footprint

1) Move into a studio apartment in the city2) Become a vegetarian3) Give up air travel4) Sell your car(s) and use only public transit5) Buy everything used at GoodwillYou will have a tiny carbon footprint

I shared those with you so the next set of recommendations

seem easy…

23

Elton’s Top Ten Recommendations to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Countdown from#10 to #1

10

Switch from Hamburger to Quinoa BurgerOr other Veggie Burger

On average, Americans eat three hamburgers a week, nearly 50 billion burgers per year ≈15 to19 million pick-up trucks and SUVs

Finally, Veggie-burgers that taste great! Add avocado, onion… 25Also on

Munchery.com

10

Best for frying Best for grilling

26http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/meateaters/pdf/methodology_ewg_meat_eaters_guide_to_health_and_climate_2011.pdf

Carbon Footprint of Food

Compared to Beef 2x better: Pork & Salmon 4x better: Chicken 5x better: Eggs 10x better: Milk, grains, veggies

Pou

nds

of C

O2e

27http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/meateaters/pdf/methodology_ewg_meat_eaters_guide_to_health_and_climate_2011.pdf

#9 Minimize food waste – smaller portion sizes of red meat

#8 Switch from beef to chicken or fish once a week

#7 Meatless Mondays or Fridays (or both)

Pou

nds

of C

O2e

#9

#8

#7

28

Pou

nds

of C

O2e

http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/meateaters/pdf/methodology_ewg_meat_eaters_guide_to_health_and_climate_2011.pdf

Elton’s Fan Club

Move from Food to Utility Bill

29


Lower Your Utility Bill

Replace Lightbulbs

Turn off the lights

30

Replace pre-2000 Refrigerators• All of them

Unplug stuff use infrequently• Game units• Old TVs• Chargers• Desktop PCs• Tower PCs

#6

Move from Utility Bill to Transportation

31


Skype, FacetimeGoToMeeting…

32

Sometimes, skip the drive Don’t visit relatives you don’t like Don’t go to meetings you don’t

want to go to Make a phone call, skip the flight

#5

Next Vehicle Hybrid, Plug-in, ZipCar or Uber

33

Try it for a Month

HybridFord, Toyota, Lexus, Honda…

Plug-in HybridVolt, some Prius…

All ElectricLeaf, Chevy, Fiat, Tesla, Focus…

TAXI

Gas or electric

#4

Avoid Buying Another100% Gasoline

or100% Diesel

Vehicle

34

Gas

HybridNo plugPlug in

Hybrid100%Electric

California’s Electric Emissions

http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/02/08/myths-and-facts-about-electric-cars/185798

#4

Move from Transportation to The Stuff You Buy

35


Buy Used, Buy Less

Buy Used Online Buy Used Locally

Family Holiday Spending Limits

84¢

JOY = $25 max

100% local

#3

The Worst Possible Way to Heat Your Home or Cook a Meal?

38


Is Burning Wood or Charcoal

39

www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/wood_burning_handbook.pdf

Or paper, leaves, cardboard, garbage,

plastic, dung orgift wrapping

Stop Burning Wood and Charcoal Switch to Propane or Natural Gas

40

www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/wood_burning_handbook.pdf

#2


41

#1

Downsize orRent Out a Room

How?

Place of worship Teacher University or

College Word of Mouth

42

Why? Reduce utilities per

person Reduce commute Spread building’s

footprint over more people

#1

Downsize orRent Out a Room

Place of worship Teacher University or

College Word of Mouth

43

#1


Healthier and Wealthier

1. Downsize or rent out a room or two 2. Stop burning wood or charcoal and

switch to propane or natural gas3. Buy used, buy less4. Next vehicle a hybrid, plug-in—or Uber 5. Skype/Facetime occasionally instead of traveling6. Lower your electric/utility bill (CFLs, LEDs, EnergyStar)7. Meatless Mondays or Fridays (or both)8. Switch from beef to chicken or fish once a week9. Minimize food waste – lower portion sizes of red meat10. Switch from hamburger to Quinoa burger

45

Handout

Download from www.EltonSherwin.com

46

Checklistswww.EltonSherwin.com What are Your Home’s Top

Energy Wasters? How Do I Find the Energy Hogs in

My House? What are Your Company’s Top

Energy Wasters? Use this checklist for schools

CFLs in the Sherwin Household A lighting tutorial

www.Amazon.com

Download from www.EltonSherwin.com

Bigger Picture

How can we have significant

impact?

Rest of the World?

47

http://www.cgdev.org/page/mapping-impacts-climate-change

12

25

Extreme WeatherImpacts of Climate Change

49

Overall Vulnerability

http://www.cgdev.org/page/mapping-impacts-climate-change

Human losses from floods, droughts, extreme heat, wind storms and wild fires

Impacts of Climate Change

What is Different About These Countries?

50

Another 2,000,000,000+ Coming…

51

Projected growth to 2050Image: Anthony Marr


52


53

The Challenge

Children having children

Teen pregnancies

Unwanted pregnancies

Unplanned

Child brides

54

800 million tobillion+ childrenby mid-century

“Education for women and family planning information and services, would cost 1,000 times less than any of the other technical options to reduce carbon emissions”

Population Media Center

55

56

Came Expecting• Organic lettuce• Recycling• Grass fed beef• Locally grown

Jarring Leap• Population• Teenagers• Our NGOs

It took me a long time to be convinced by the data

There is new news

Game changing developments

Two Game Changing Developments

What venture capitalists call existence proofs1. Population Media Center - www.populationmedia.org

Radio and TV: Educational Entertainment; “Soap Operas”

Very effective, very inexpensive, vastly underfunded2. State of Colorado Pilot

Teen pregnancy -40%; teen abortion -42% Long lasting reversible methods (3+ years)One visit, no permission slip FreeDonor cost: $28m Medicaid savings: $49m+

57www.nytimes.com/2015/07/06/science/colorados-push-against-teenage-pregnancies-is-a-startling-success.html

www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17820571 and www.populationmedia.org

58

I started working on• Reforestation• Energy efficiency• Building

efficiency• Green agenda

Eventually realized• 800 million

children unwanted or born to teen parents would dominate the ecosystem

If we want to Fight climate change,

Empower women,Reduce poverty,

Protect ourselves from failed states and terrorism

one of the simplest, fastest and cheapest thing we can do is make sure that as few

people as possible become parents before they actually want to

59Adapted from remarks by Isabel Sawhill Economist at the Brookings Institution

This is the Wrong Time in HistoryTo Stand on the Sidelines and

Let This Happen

60Projected growth to 2050Image: Anthony Marr


61

This is Not the Planet We Want to Give to Our Children and

Grandchildren

Influence Existing Programs Many donors, NGOs and governments Education Poverty Healthcare

Leverage their effectiveness by funding Colorado model PMC model of Educational Entertainment

Dramatic increase in effectiveness of existing programs

62


63

If not us

Then who?

Summarize Learned Today

1. Burn too much stuff2. Eating too much beef (and lamb)

3. 2B to 3B more children on the way Over 800 million from child brides, teen

parents, unwanted or unplanned

64

In ConclusionRecommendations

1. Rent out that spare bedroom2. Cut back on the red meat3. Donate the rent to:

Population Media Center or other organizations focused preventing teen pregnancies and child brides

4. Think about How to have California follow Colorado Africa, India and Pakistan

65

In Conclusion What are we going prevent another

800+ million unwanted children and teen pregnancies, child brides?

Who do we know? What boards are we on? How do we prevent this:

66

What are we going prevent another 800+ million unwanted children and teen pregnancies, child brides?

Who do we know? What boards are we on? How do we prevent this:

67

2