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Walking Lightly and Leaving a Small Footprint
In a unique experiment, more than a dozen Cowichan residents are foregoing many modern contrivances and attempting to live carbon neutral as part of the Great Climate Challenge.
The experiment kicked off during a launch meeting in a private home off Herd Road in September.
With assistance from Guy Dauncey, president of the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association, the Cowichan Carbon Busters meet Mondays to compare notes about their progress in Dauncey’s 10-step path toward carbon reduction.
For example, one week saw the busters calculate their annual household carbon footprint.
Some scientists report the average Canadian produces 20 global-warming tonnes of CO2 annually and the busters are changing parts of their lifestyles — such as walking or biking where a car might have been used — to reduce CO2 output.
Dauncey said he doesn’t believe the Busters will reach an absolute zero footprint, but said it’s a start and may lead to others following the cleaner path.
“A meat-eater on a bicycle has much less of a carbon footprint than a vegetarian in a car,” he said.
To calculate your own carbon footprint visit http://calc.zerofootprint.net/calculators/.
