The Cowichan Carbon Busters meet regularly with the objective of helping people make a plan for their families to reduce their carbon emissions as quickly as possible.
We want to show that anyone can start a carbon reduction journey. Some families may try to reduce carbon emissions quickly, perhaps 50 per cent in a few years. Others may need to take longer, depending on our different situations and financial resources.
Our common goal will be to make the unknown and possible scary concept of carbon reduction familiar and acceptable to others in the community. It is clear that the twin crises of fossil fuel depletion and climate change will force everyone to reduce their carbon emissions, perhaps quiet soon.
Those of us who voluntarily reduce carbon emissions stand to save and even make money. We will save because the price of scarce fossil fuel energy is certain to increase and so buying less fuel will be money in our pockets. And we can make money, since taxes and government regulations on carbon emissions are inevitable.
In the Cowichan Valley, the subject of climate change was discussed at an Official Community Plan meeting recently, as well as within municipal committee meetings. In addition, the draft Environmental Strategy for the CVRD mentions the words climate change several times and ends with a commendable list of actions that individuals should take to reduce their carbon emissions.
So words like climate change and carbon reduction are in the wind, but it is important to recognize bafflegab when you hear it from politicians who talk of 20 per cent reductions by 2020, or whatever formula they give. The simple truth from science is that we must reduce our carbon emissions as completely and as fast as we can if we want our children to enjoy a high quality of life.
However, will the public see carbon reduction as something that somebody else does, something that governments do, something that big corporations are forced to do? Or will they see change as a personal responsibility?
The Cowichan Carbon Busters will meet weekly for 10 weeks to prepare individual carbon reduction action plans. The fact that the mayor of North Cowichan, Jon Lefebure, is a participant is a real act of leadership for the community.
Our first task was to use a carbon calculator to find our how much carbon dioxide each family produces.
On my first try, I came up with a personal emission of about five tonnes (5,000 kg) using the calculator at www.calc.zerofootprint.net, but there are many others out there on the internet.
We have been using more wood for home heating (instead of fuel oil) and our gasoline consumption is way down since we bought a hybrid car.
We will be getting a more accurate estimate of our familys carbon footprint. In this way, we will have an initial standard to measure our progress in reducing overall carbon emissions in the future.
We also are to start a Carbon Reduction Diary to record our thoughts, choices and difficulties, and read the text for next week which covers the topic of
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