How to decarbonize your life.

Casual conversation between friends. Anything goes (almost).
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Queequeg
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How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Queequeg »

One set of questions I've had the last few years is about what we, as a family, could do to reduce our carbon footprint and have a more ecologically sound lifestyle in general. There's no manual. A lot of resources out there, but I don't have the time to research everything and come up with a plan. I need an expert to give me a step by step. I'd also like guidance on how to vote, what policies to pay attention to and support.

So I'd like to tap the DW community - some of folks are very well read and up on the latest information and trends. I figure a conversation with you guys could hash out a plan as well as identify the current issues and controversies, and maybe find solutions to those.

How do I decarbonize my life?

I was promoted to ask this because of this article.

https://www.rewiringamerica.org/blog/interviewwithsam

So, instruct me please DW.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
Malcolm
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Malcolm »

Queequeg wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:23 pm One set of questions I've had the last few years is about what we, as a family, could do to reduce our carbon footprint and have a more ecologically sound lifestyle in general.
I think we need to go with silicon-based lifeforms from now on...
karmanyingpo
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by karmanyingpo »

Queequeg wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:23 pm One set of questions I've had the last few years is about what we, as a family, could do to reduce our carbon footprint and have a more ecologically sound lifestyle in general. There's no manual. A lot of resources out there, but I don't have the time to research everything and come up with a plan. I need an expert to give me a step by step. I'd also like guidance on how to vote, what policies to pay attention to and support.

So I'd like to tap the DW community - some of folks are very well read and up on the latest information and trends. I figure a conversation with you guys could hash out a plan as well as identify the current issues and controversies, and maybe find solutions to those.

How do I decarbonize my life?

I was promoted to ask this because of this article.

https://www.rewiringamerica.org/blog/interviewwithsam

So, instruct me please DW.
Car pooling, public transport, not driving or flying as much, using natural ventilation and temp control instead of AC, off the top of my head..

KN
ma lu dzok pe san gye thop par shok!
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Queequeg
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Queequeg »

Malcolm wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:27 pm
Queequeg wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:23 pm One set of questions I've had the last few years is about what we, as a family, could do to reduce our carbon footprint and have a more ecologically sound lifestyle in general.
I think we need to go with silicon-based lifeforms from now on...
According to Battlestar Galactica, they'll eventually evolve back into carbon forms.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
Genjo Conan
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Genjo Conan »

I work in a climate-related field and have spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I want to include the caveat that this is a personal list. It's not meant to dictate what others should do--some of the things on this list may be difficult or impossible for many people--and it's not a test of moral purity. Call it maybe a list for relatively well-off westerners with a little time on their hands. This also isn't exhaustive.

1) the most impactful thing you can do, IMO, is get active in local/statewide politics. Denser housing, better public transportation, food co-ops, more green space, community gardens, local gas bans, greener generation portfolios, right-to-repair laws, etc., are all far bigger deals than anything you can do personally. But, this is often frustrating, and takes time.
2) Travel less. For medium-haul trips, prefer trains over planes if you can. For local trips, prefer public transportation over private transportation if you can. In the US, emissions from the transportation sector are greater than those from the energy sector. In some states, like California, by quite a lot. If you count secondary emissions (the cost of fuel extraction/refining/transportation, etc.) the disparity is even greater. If you must use a car (and in a lot of places, there's really no choice) an EV has lower lifecycle emissions than a gas-powered car in most cases.
3) Eat less/no meat/animal products. Prefer food grown locally over food grown far away. Waste less food. Compost what you don't eat.
4) Make sure your house is well-insulated.
5) Consume less electricity. Install rooftop solar if it's feasible where you live.
6) Try to become comfortable with this: your personal actions are, on a global scale, insignificant. That doesn't mean that personal actions aren't worth taking.

edit: one trouble with lists like this is that one keeps thinking of things to add

7) Buy secondhand where possible. Learn some repairing/mending skills, and repair rather than replacing household goods.
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tkp67
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by tkp67 »

Some communities have good examples. Ithaca area in NY is pretty progressive in part due to Cornell.

The real key however is believing that while there is no clear answer that such a thing is possible. I think many people try to envision perfect solutions to problems and without a clear choice with benefits lose interest.

In order to understand reducing carbon people have to move in that direction to understand cause and effect so change needs to be less reliant on a complete road map. A good time to practice adaptability and awareness.
amanitamusc
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by amanitamusc »

I like my dark humor with a sprinkle of science fiction. :thumbsup:

In my neck of the sewer we get our electricity from a co op that burns coal.
We have some massive coal ash dumps to prove it.I can't afford solar yet.

Waiting for Biden to jump into ECO mode.
amanitamusc
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by amanitamusc »

Genjo Conan wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:58 pm I work in a climate-related field and have spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I want to include the caveat that this is a personal list. It's not meant to dictate what others should do--some of the things on this list may be difficult or impossible for many people--and it's not a test of moral purity. Call it maybe a list for relatively well-off westerners with a little time on their hands. This also isn't exhaustive.

1) the most impactful thing you can do, IMO, is get active in local/statewide politics. Denser housing, better public transportation, food co-ops, more green space, community gardens, local gas bans, greener generation portfolios, right-to-repair laws, etc., are all far bigger deals than anything you can do personally. But, this is often frustrating, and takes time.
2) Travel less. For medium-haul trips, prefer trains over planes if you can. For local trips, prefer public transportation over private transportation if you can. In the US, emissions from the transportation sector are greater than those from the energy sector. In some states, like California, by quite a lot. If you count secondary emissions (the cost of fuel extraction/refining/transportation, etc.) the disparity is even greater. If you must use a car (and in a lot of places, there's really no choice) an EV has lower lifecycle emissions than a gas-powered car in most cases.
3) Eat less/no meat/animal products. Prefer food grown locally over food grown far away. Waste less food. Compost what you don't eat.
4) Make sure your house is well-insulated.
5) Consume less electricity. Install rooftop solar if it's feasible where you live.
6) Try to become comfortable with this: your personal actions are, on a global scale, insignificant. That doesn't mean that personal actions aren't worth taking.

edit: one trouble with lists like this is that one keeps thinking of things to add

7) Buy secondhand where possible. Learn some repairing/mending skills, and repair rather than replacing household goods.
I made # 7 happen.Pried open an electric heater and fixed it and then reattached with drywall screws.
Danny
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Danny »

Don’t forget to shop at crusaTer joes.
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Kim O'Hara »

Genjo Conan wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:58 pm I work in a climate-related field and have spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I want to include the caveat that this is a personal list. It's not meant to dictate what others should do--some of the things on this list may be difficult or impossible for many people--and it's not a test of moral purity. Call it maybe a list for relatively well-off westerners with a little time on their hands. This also isn't exhaustive.

1) the most impactful thing you can do, IMO, is get active in local/statewide politics. ...

edit: one trouble with lists like this is that one keeps thinking of things to add
...
:good:
Great list!
And thanks for the laugh your 'edit' gave me.
:smile:

Edit: An extension of 6 is that your actions are amplified by the personal example you offer to others around you. Others will start bringing their Keep-cups, riding their bikes, recycling their drink cans, etc, as you help to normalise the behaviours for them.

:twothumbsup:
Kim
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by SilenceMonkey »

Source your food locally!
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Queequeg
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Queequeg »

Thanks, all, especially GC. I'm printing that list out and posting on my office wall.

I look at my life and I see waste 24/7. Its intimidating to think of all the ways we NEED to change, to the point of being overwhelmed into inaction. That's why I'm looking for a "Handbook" that this suburban dad can consult without any particular expertise. That said, TKP's suggestion that a complete road map isn't the way to go is a good way to look at it. Step by step, incremental changes. Its really about a transformation of lifestyle and culture.

A related question - a lot of the difficulty is inertia. Any advice on how to get life momentum turning in a more ecologically minded direction? SUnk in this consumerist vortex of Middle class American life - give me convenience or give me death. So, even if I know what to do, there's the difficulty of executing. Anyone willing to share stories about their experience making changes in life/lifestyle?
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
Genjo Conan
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Genjo Conan »

Queequeg wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:46 pm
I look at my life and I see waste 24/7. Its intimidating to think of all the ways we NEED to change, to the point of being overwhelmed into inaction. That's why I'm looking for a "Handbook" that this suburban dad can consult without any particular expertise. That said, TKP's suggestion that a complete road map isn't the way to go is a good way to look at it. Step by step, incremental changes. Its really about a transformation of lifestyle and culture.
I think that's right. I mean, we're westerners: the consumerism is baked in. No one can change that overnight. On the topic of waste specifically--though I think it applies to all sorts of lifestyle choices--I think this is well said:
In general, the best way to move toward a zero waste lifestyle is one small step at a time. The first question is obvious: What am I throwing out? Start being more conscientious of what you're tossing into garbage and recycle bins. Then, identify one thing that you commonly throw away and could easily replace with a reusable item (such as replacing paper coffee cups with a travel mug.)

As you continue making one change after another, you may find yourself considering a home composting setup, buying food in bulk, turning down free samples (and their associated packaging), taking steps to eliminate junk mail, and acquiring other reusable items to replace disposable products. Remember that each of these steps is only as sustainable as your willingness to stick with it long term. For example, purchasing reusable silverware for use away from home does no good if you never remember to use it and/or give up on it after a few months. (You might also ask yourself if purchasing a new item is really necessary or if you could instead use something you already own or can get from a friend or secondhand store.)

There are three basic things to consider, when looking at any choice mentioned in this wiki: how convenient it is for you, how expensive in time or money it may be for you, and the environmental impact your choice will make.
Queequeg wrote: A related question - a lot of the difficulty is inertia. Any advice on how to get life momentum turning in a more ecologically minded direction? SUnk in this consumerist vortex of Middle class American life - give me convenience or give me death. So, even if I know what to do, there's the difficulty of executing. Anyone willing to share stories about their experience making changes in life/lifestyle?
I'm reluctant to share my story because I kinda did try to do everything at once, after having what, in retrospect, was a weeks-long panic attack. So I'm not sure that I'm the best example. But honestly, from where I sit, it looks to me like you are getting the momentum turning. You're concerned enough about these issues to look into solutions and to ask for help. That's not nothing.
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Kim O'Hara »

Genjo Conan wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:58 pm I work in a climate-related field and have spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I want to include the caveat that this is a personal list. It's not meant to dictate what others should do--some of the things on this list may be difficult or impossible for many people--and it's not a test of moral purity. Call it maybe a list for relatively well-off westerners with a little time on their hands. This also isn't exhaustive.

1) the most impactful thing you can do, IMO, is get active in local/statewide politics. Denser housing, better public transportation, food co-ops, more green space, community gardens, local gas bans, greener generation portfolios, right-to-repair laws, etc., are all far bigger deals than anything you can do personally. But, this is often frustrating, and takes time.
2) Travel less. For medium-haul trips, prefer trains over planes if you can. For local trips, prefer public transportation over private transportation if you can. In the US, emissions from the transportation sector are greater than those from the energy sector. In some states, like California, by quite a lot. If you count secondary emissions (the cost of fuel extraction/refining/transportation, etc.) the disparity is even greater. If you must use a car (and in a lot of places, there's really no choice) an EV has lower lifecycle emissions than a gas-powered car in most cases.
3) Eat less/no meat/animal products. Prefer food grown locally over food grown far away. Waste less food. Compost what you don't eat.
4) Make sure your house is well-insulated.
5) Consume less electricity. Install rooftop solar if it's feasible where you live.
6) Try to become comfortable with this: your personal actions are, on a global scale, insignificant. That doesn't mean that personal actions aren't worth taking.

edit: one trouble with lists like this is that one keeps thinking of things to add

7) Buy secondhand where possible. Learn some repairing/mending skills, and repair rather than replacing household goods.
Another comment on this list, specifically on #4 and 5 - your heating or cooling energy consumption (and cost) is proportional to the temperature difference you maintain between indoors and outdoors. If you can turn down your thermostat by one degree in winter (and maybe wear a sweater) you will save 10% of your energy cost; if you turn it up one degree in summer (and take that sweater off) you will also save 10%.

And this article https://malcolmtattersall.com.au/wp/201 ... or-planet/ expands #3, surveying vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, paleo, etc, diets to conclude -
Ethical investors talk about a ‘triple bottom line’ – investments which are good for the environment, good for people and good for profit. The equivalent ‘triple bottom line’ diet is one which minimises harm to the environment and to animals while maximising benefits to our health. There is no logically necessary connection between the three objectives but there is a ‘sweet spot’ where all three happen to coincide: a plant-based diet emphasising fresh, local, seasonal food.


:namaste:
Kim
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tkp67
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by tkp67 »

Queequeg wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:46 pmA related question - a lot of the difficulty is inertia. Any advice on how to get life momentum turning in a more ecologically minded direction? SUnk in this consumerist vortex of Middle class American life - give me convenience or give me death. So, even if I know what to do, there's the difficulty of executing. Anyone willing to share stories about their experience making changes in life/lifestyle?
Maybe present the question to the kids and see if the school or community has direction or programs to support such things? My thinking is that in the practice of overcoming existing conditioning that instead of challenging existing behaviors try to discover something that revolves around something that already has an intrinsic value like one's own family. Kids are a wellspring of boundless enthusiasm and can see opportunity were adults are more conditioned against it. Either way it plants a seed of intent.
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Sādhaka
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by Sādhaka »

Malcolm wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:27 pm
Queequeg wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:23 pm One set of questions I've had the last few years is about what we, as a family, could do to reduce our carbon footprint and have a more ecologically sound lifestyle in general.
I think we need to go with silicon-based lifeforms from now on...

According to There Are No Forests on Earth—if I remember correctly—we use to be.

Carbon: 6 protons, 6 electrons, 6 neutrons, ‘the Beast 666’ the number of man it is said, or crystallized or condensed five elements.
Last edited by Sādhaka on Thu Mar 25, 2021 2:42 am, edited 2 times in total.
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kirtu
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by kirtu »

State of the Planet, Earth Institute, Columbia University

The 35 Easiest Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint from DECEMBER 27, 2018 by Renee Cho.
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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seeker242
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by seeker242 »

A July 2017 study published in Environmental Research Letters found that the most significant way individuals could mitigate their own carbon footprint is to have one less child ("an average for developed countries of 58.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent (tCO2e) emission reductions per year"), followed by living car-free (2.4 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year), forgoing air travel (1.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent per trans-Atlantic trip) and adopting a plant-based diet (0.8 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1 ... 326/aa7541


Many commonly promoted options, such as washing clothes in cold water or swapping incandescent bulbs for light-emitting diodes, have only a moderate impact (see chart, below), the team reports today in Environmental Research Letters. But four lifestyle choices had a major impact: Become a vegetarian, forego air travel, ditch your car, and—most significantly—have fewer children. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07 ... -you-about

what we, as a family, could do to reduce our carbon footprint
Birth control, #1 by far. :jumping:
One should not kill any living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite any other to kill. Do never injure any being, whether strong or weak, in this entire universe!
GDPR_Anonymized001
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by GDPR_Anonymized001 »

seeker242 wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:58 pm A July 2017 study published in Environmental Research Letters found that the most significant way individuals could mitigate their own carbon footprint is to have one less child ("an average for developed countries of 58.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent (tCO2e) emission reductions per year"), followed by living car-free (2.4 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year), forgoing air travel (1.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent per trans-Atlantic trip) and adopting a plant-based diet (0.8 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1 ... 326/aa7541
One of the authors of that study has a book just out: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/book ... holas-phd/

Not that another book for the reading list is advice QQ wants to hear, I'm sure. :D Book blurb below:
About Under the Sky We Make

It’s warming. It’s us. We’re sure. It’s bad. But we can fix it.

After speaking to the international public for close to fifteen years about sustainability, climate scientist Dr. Nicholas realized that concerned people were getting the wrong message about the climate crisis. Yes, companies and governments are hugely responsible for the mess we’re in. But individuals CAN effect real, significant, and lasting change to solve this problem. Nicholas explores finding purpose in a warming world, combining her scientific expertise and her lived, personal experience in a way that seems fresh and deeply urgent: Agonizing over the climate costs of visiting loved ones overseas, how to find low-carbon love on Tinder, and even exploring her complicated family legacy involving supermarket turkeys.

In her astonishing book Under the Sky We Make, Nicholas does for climate science what Michael Pollan did more than a decade ago for the food on our plate: offering a hopeful, clear-eyed, and somehow also hilarious guide to effecting real change, starting in our own lives. Saving ourselves from climate apocalypse will require radical shifts within each of us, to effect real change in our society and culture. But it can be done. It requires, Dr. Nicholas argues, belief in our own agency and value, alongside a deep understanding that no one will ever hand us power–we’re going to have to seize it for ourselves.
denise
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Re: How to decarbonize your life.

Post by denise »

we are the ones that are here in this as it is. we are the clean up crew and new educators....have a feeling the young people all over the globe are hearing and watching and deciding how to help this...truly believe in my heart there is much good to come....may not be able stick around to see ...but will catch up later.... :smile:
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