Carbon Neutral Strategies

Delawn

From  "CALIFORNIA  Greenery sucking up more of state's water" by Patrick Hoge, San FranciscoChronicle Staff Writer

Thirsty home landscaping, particularly lawns, will suck up an increasingly burdensome amount of water in California over the next 25 years unless big changes are made, according to a new report by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The state is expected to add 11 million new residents by 2030, and at least half are expected to locate in hotter, inland areas where single-family homes with lush lawns are popular, according to the report.

"Do the math,'' said study co-author Ellen Hanak, an economist with the institute in San Francisco. "We're facing the prospect of many more people with more lawns and gardens in the states hottest, driest regions. That adds up to a lot of water."

Landscaping currently accounts for at least half of all residential water demand, according to the report.

Without new conservation efforts, the amount of water going to outdoor landscaping is predicted to rise by 1.2 million acre feet a year -- enough to serve roughly 4.8 million people. California cities and suburbs currently use about 9 million acre-feet of water a year.

One option is to create an edible yard instead of lawn, sometimes called an Edible Estate.

From http://pruned.blogspot.com/2005/09/edible-estates.html:   Edible Estates pits Thomas Jefferson against...Thomas Jefferson! It's the farm against the lawn, arguably the two most indelible landscape expression of Jeffersonian democracy.

“Edible Estates proposes the replacement of the American lawn with a highly productive domestic edible landscape. Food grown in our front yards will connect us to the seasons, the organic cycles of the earth and our neighbors. The banal lifeless space of uniform grass in front of the house will be replaced with the chaotic abundance of bio-diversity. In becoming gardeners we will reconsider our connection to the land, what we take from it and what we put in it. Each yard will be a unique expression of its location and of the inhabitant and their desires. Valuable land will be put to work.”

It's the heroic farmer vs. the consumerist suburban dweller, Thoreau vs. modernity. Who will come out victorious? Stay tuned.

Actions Taken

1.  Turning off printer after use.

2.  Join The National Arbor Day Foundation

3.  Buy 30 trees for every domestic flight; 60 for international flight.

21 Tree Salute

Why not plant a grove of trees as a memorial to a loved one or to honor your entire family?  Not only will you create a lasting memory, you'll remove 21 tons of carbon from the atmosphere over the life of the trees.

Depending on how you do it, this could be a minor investment or a major one.  Most cities have beautification projects and might be open to an idea such as this ... or find any public open space and propose a memorial grove.  Be sure to talk to a arborist to find out the best choice of trees for your area ... as well as the water requirements.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has a wealth of information and for $10 they will plant 10 trees in a national forest and send you a certificate.

Check Appliances

Measure the Watts. Find out which appliances are truly sucking energy and money right out of your pocket. Simply plug your appliance into the Kill A Watt and a large LCD display counts consumption by the Kilowatt-hour just like your utility company.

Figure Electrical Expenses You can figure out your electrical expenses by the hour, day, week, month, even an entire year. Monitor Quality of Your Power Monitor the quality of your power by displaying Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor.

Kill A Watt

Plant a tree

Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

Idea:  what about a "tree scholarship?" -- donate trees to people or organizations who might not be able to afford them but would be able to take care of them.

Recycle

Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.

Buy recycled paper products
It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

Insulate your home

Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home.

Run dishwasher full

Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving setting
You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

Unplug electronics

Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them
Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

Turn off electronics

Turn off electronic devices you’re not using
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.