Low-Carbon Diet --Reducing Your Environmental Footprint

I read about this progam they've started in Park City, Utah called the "Low-Carbon Diet." Basically it's a way to make small steps using a list of goals to reduce your environmental footprint. They have action items for various areas: transportation, dietary choices, recycling and home energy.n See their website for more details: www.parkcitygreen.org

Here are a Few ideas of what you can do:

Household Energy Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2 Reduced per Year
Tankless / Demand Water Heater	1,050
Use a House Fan Instead of A/C 33% of the time	674
Rainfall Sensor for Sprinkler System	489
Window Curtains Prevent Heat Gain / Loss	393
Always Use Cold Water & Moisture Setting for Clothes Washer	1,269
Refrigerator Maintenance	651
Air Drying Dishes in Dishwasher	542
Toilet (water displacement)	474
Utilize 'Sleep Mode’ on Computer, Printer & Monitor	355
Closing Off and Not Cooling One Room in the Summer	284
Eliminate 'phantom' electricity waste from the VCR & Stereo	190
Note: The above estimates assume that electricity produces 1.34 lbs CO2 / kWh. This is in line with the national average and also the estimate used by the Low Carbon Diet workbook. Due to high amounts of coal usage, Utah’s electricity is about 58% more carbon intensive than the national average so efforts to conserve electricity prevents even more CO2 emissions than indicated.

Transportation Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2 Reduced per Year
Eliminate One of Your Household's Vehiclesa	9,312
One Less Round Trip Flight per Yearb	2,166
Two Less Round Trip Flights per Yearb	4,332
No Personal Vehicle Use for One Day per Weekc	1,330 per Vehicle
No Personal Vehicle Use for Three Days per Weekc	3,991 per Vehicle
aAssumes 25 MPG and 12,000 miles travelled per year for vehicle. Estimate assumes no additional travel in other household vehicles. The CO2 reduced estimate does not consider alternatives pursued in place of personal automobile travel (e.g., walking, biking, carpool, bus, rail, etc.).
bAssumes 1,658 miles per round trip flight (roughly the distance between SLC International Airport and Seattle). Assumes 1.3068 lbs CO2 per passenger mile per the Colorado Carbon Fund.
cAssumes 25 MPG and 12,000 miles travelled per year. The CO2 reduced estimate does not consider alternatives pursued in place of personal automobile travel (e.g., walking, biking, carpool, bus, rail, etc.).

Dietary Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2Reduced (Everyday Adherence)	Lbs of CO2 Reduced (Three Days per Week)	Lbs of CO2 Reduced (One Day per Week)
Purchase All Food Locally	304	130	43
Replace Red Meat and Dairy with Chicken/Eggs/Fish	1,628	698	233
Replace Red Meat and Dairy with Vegetables and Vegetable-based Products	2,702	1,158	386
Note: the above CO2 reduction estimates are based on one individual making these dietary changes. Multiply these figures by the number of individuals participating in your household to get a total estimate of emissions reduction potential.

Recycling Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2e Reduced		Energy Saved
Material Recycled	Per lb of Material	Per Itema	Million BTU Saved per Ton Recycled Instead of Landfilled
Glass	0.35	0.19	2.13
Aluminum	15	0.56	206.42
Steel	2.02	0.28	19.97
Plastic	1.74	0.16	53.23
Residential Mixed Paper	4.18	0.04	22.94