Climate Change: What is your Sustainability Score?
Climate Change: What is your Sustainability Score?
Are you concerned about climate change? Are you curious to understand what part you play in climate change? Are you looking for ways to reduce your impact and to become more sustainable?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to download our Sustainability Score checklist to understand your current position (score) and to find ways to become more sustainable.
The Sustainability Score checklist is divided into 6 categories – 5 of them related to home sustainability and 1 related to transportation. The 6 categories are:
- Water
- Transportation
- Home Heating
- Food / Food Waste (in the home)
- Product / Product Waste (in the home)
- Electricity
Let’s look at each category individually.
Water
Our home’s water consumption is not a significant contributor to emissions and climate change, but it’s front and center relative to the global water shortage. 40% of our global population is affected by water scarcity and the average American household uses 200 gallons of water daily directly and 2,000 gallons daily indirectly; indirect water usage being the water that is used to produce the food that we eat, the products that we buy, and the gasoline that we put in our cars.
There are a number of ways to reduce a home’s water consumption. Some of them are free or relatively inexpensive and others are larger expenses. The trick to investing wisely is to find the actions that provide the biggest bang for the buck.
For example, a traditional shower head will use 5 gallons of water per minute. If you can reduce a 20 minute shower to 5 minutes, you will save 75 gallons! And, if you use a low-flow shower head, you’ll save another 12.5 gallons (for the 5 minute shower). Essentially, you’ve gone from using 100 gallons for a 20 minute shower (with a regular shower head) down to 12.5 gallons (with a low-flow shower head). That is a significant water savings!
Check the items on the Sustainability Score checklist that you do today and acknowledge the items that you could do in the future to improve your sustainability.
Transportation
Our transportation in the US accounts for 29% of the emissions that impact climate change.
Transportation is tough – it seems like we’re always on the go, always driving somewhere. We have daily commutes to work, we have groceries to get, we have our kid’s activities to attend, we have shopping to do, and so on. Believe it or not, there are many inexpensive ways to reduce our emissions and our effect on climate change.
For example, if you can reduce the miles driven with a gas-powered car, you are reducing emissions. Most common ways to reduce miles driven is to walk, ride a bicycle, take public transit, consolidate trips, and carpool. You may not be able to walk to work, but if you have a corner store or market within a 10-20 minute walk, why not walk instead of drive?
Beyond that, if you are in the market for a new car, we’d recommend that you look at an electric car or a hybrid. If you can completely eliminate your dependence on gasoline, that is the best.
Check the items on the Sustainability Score checklist that you do today and acknowledge the items that you could do in the future to improve your sustainability and reduce your impact on climate change.
Home Heating
Believe it or not, 58% of our homes in the US are heated with gas or oil (source: US Census Bureau) and in most homes, the heating fuel is the largest ‘hog’ and has the biggest impact on climate change.
Similar to water consumption, there are a number of ways to reduce or eliminate our home heating emissions and the trick is to find the actions that provide the biggest bang for the buck.
For example, using a programmable thermostat to reduce your average home temperature by 5 degrees will save approximately 20% on heating fuel and the resulting emissions. This does not necessarily mean that you have to freeze, you can lower the temperature when you are at work or in the middle of the night while you are sleeping (believe it or not, I actually prefer to sleep in cooler temperatures).
Check the items on the Sustainability Score checklist that you do today and acknowledge the items that you could do in the future to improve your sustainability – and reduce your impact on climate change.
Food / Food Waste
Our household’s food consumption and food waste contributes significantly to climate change. According to the book Drawdown by Paul Hawken, “Reduced Food Waste” and “Plant Rich Diet” account for the #3 and #4 positions on the top 100 list of solutions to reverse climate change.
When we talk about Food and Food Waste in the home, we’re actually talking about 3 primary components that impact climate change:
One is the waste itself, on average the American household wastes 11% of the food that is produced. If this food goes to the landfill, it produces methane gas which is 28-36 times more potent than Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in relation to climate change.
Two is our diet. Meat – especially red meat – requires a considerable amount more energy to produce and hence, has a much bigger impact on climate change. Therefore, reducing our consumption of red meat reduces our impact on climate change.
And finally, three is related to our buying habits. By buying food which is grown or produced locally, we can dramatically reduce the transportation associated with transporting food across the country or around the world. A study shows that a meal sourced regionally (within 75 miles) will reduce CO2 emissions by 5-17 times compared to a meal sourced via traditional food sources (grocery stores).
So, as you can imagine, ways to reduce your impact (and increase your sustainability score) is to reduce your food waste, compost the waste that you do have, buy locally grown and produced food, and reduce the amount of meat (especially red meat) in your diet.
Check the items on the Sustainability Score checklist that you do today and acknowledge the items that you could do in the future to improve your sustainability and your impact on climate change.
Hawken, Paul. Drawdown: the Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
Penguin Books, 2018
Product / Product Waste
Similar to Food and Food Waste, our household’s product consumption and product waste can also have a significant impact on emissions and climate change.
By buying products that are created or manufactured locally we can dramatically cut down on the transportation that is required when we purchase products from across the country or around the world. And what’s more, by buying products that are packaged in materials that can be recycled (or better yet composted), we are reducing the amount of garbage that is going into the landfills and producing that toxic methane gas (as discussed above in component one under Food and Food Waste).
Check the items on the Sustainability Score checklist that you do today and acknowledge the items that you could do in the future to improve your sustainability and your impact on climate change.
Electricity
Last but not least – electricity. In the US, electricity comes in a close 2nd to transportation at 28% of the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions (impact on climate change). Our homes also use a considerable amount of electricity – even more than heating fuel in the South.
Electricity in itself is not the issue. The issue is in the manner in which the electricity is generated. Unfortunately, 62% of our electricity in the US is generated using coal or natural gas and only 17% is generated with renewable sources (wind, water, solar, etc.). The remaining 19% is from nuclear.
As it relates to electricity usage, there are two primary strategies to reducing our impact on climate change. One, we can reduce the amount of electricity that we use/require, and two, we can get our electricity from renewable sources.
There are many inexpensive ways to reduce the amount of electricity that we use. For example, look for appliances or ‘gadgets’ that are on 24×7 and do not need to be. Beyond air conditioning, these are typically the biggest ‘hogs’ in our homes. These 24×7 items include computer monitors, DVD players, cable boxes, lights, etc.
If you want to migrate to electricity generated with renewable sources, you’ll want to look at installing solar on your roof or buying electricity from a community solar farm. Other options are starting to appear as well, but solar is the predominant source today.
Check the items on the Sustainability Score checklist that you do today and acknowledge the items that you could do in the future to improve your sustainability and your impact on climate change.
In Summary:
As every home is different and everyone’s lifestyle is different, the Sustainability Score checklist is not a “one size fits all” type of rating, but it will provide you with a general feel for your position. To get a personalized assessment of your sustainability – and a plan for becoming more sustainable, check out our Home Sustainability Plan on our website. Our Home Sustainability Plan considers your home’s specific characteristics, the way that you live in your home, and your location to develop a personalized plan that you can use going forward.
If willing, please share your Sustainability Score in the comments section below – we’re curious to know where people fall on the spectrum of sustainability.