I stated earlier that my stretch goal is to get to carbon negative by 2030. Scratch that. I would like to get to carbon negative this year through offsets, and reduce the amount that I need to offset each year by about 7%.
So, to get going on this trek, I used the EPA's Carbon Footprint Calculator (still online, thankfully).
Turns out that Miriam and I have a smaller than average carbon footprint for two U.S.ians. We put about about 11 tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere between the both of us (couples usually average around 14 tons). This likely has to do with living in an apartment that is well insulated, and owning one car--a Honda Civic (and flying often, on the negative side of the ledger). So, bully for us starting at a not-as-terrible place.
So, to kick this off, I'm going to get us to carbon negative the easy way--through buying carbon credits via Terra Pass. To be safe, I'm going to buy double the offsets our consumption merits (by their calculations, at least). They will take our monthly payments and use them to build renewable energy installations or to methane flaring.
This is really just the start, though. We're going to keep trying to switch our primary consumption to renewable energy sources, to decrease consumption where possible, and increase efficiency of our consumption. Additionally, we are going to look for ways to support environmental remediation, and to advocate for local, regional, national, and international change in addressing climate change. So, we're on the road, and the prospect of a very long journey seems a bit brighter today.
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