Your House Has A Carbon Footprint

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

I KEEP WORRYING ABOUT MY CARBON FOOTPRINT. I picture it looking like that old Sasquatch footprint: HUGE.

Although driving a Prius has become the de-facto symbol of sustainable living, the single largest source of CO2 emissions — 41 percent — comes from electricity generation.

In fact, here in the United States our homes are responsible for one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from electricity, heating and waste. While petroleum is the principal resource involved in transportation, coal is the primary resource driving electricity use, followed by natural gas. And it is the use of coal that produces the greenhouse gas emissions.

There are two ways to reduce our dependence on coal-driven electricity:

• Change the source from coal to wind, geothermal or solar, at the municipal, regional or state level. Lots of people, organizations, companies and governments are already working on this.
• Increase the energy efficiency of our homes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says this is a key way to make a significant impact. Reducing our own home’s energy usage by two-thirds can reduce our carbon footprints as much as driving that Prius can.