Summing up green progress in 2007

Happy New Year from Brave New Leaf!

We are just back from a friend's wedding, and still recovering from a very busy holiday season. As I watched the Space Needle fireworks fail to go off at the stroke of midnight, I had ample time to contemplate the year behind me, and how different my lifestyle is already from three short months ago when I embarked on this project in October 2007.

1. Energy Use - down by 39%!
Through a few very targeted energy projects, facilitated by an energy audit, our energy consumption plummeted a full 39% in just 3 months! :::dances with joy:::  We now are using 343 kwh/month, and all in green power credits.

 

2.  Waste - down by 60%!
Our adoption of a reasonable recycling system in our home has reduced our garbage by at least 60%, perhaps more. Another waste audit is forthcoming to figure out how much we actually went down by.

3.  Water - holding steady
I know water is an important natural resource to conserve, but water availability is not a huge problem in the Pacific Northwest, so it's something I've been putting off doing projects around. Water usage remains constant.

4.  Yearly Carbon Footprint - down 12.8%
The gains that we made in electrical use and garbage have impacted our carbon footprint significantly already. We've sold one of our cars, and are preparing to purchase a more fuel-efficient vehicle. So far, we are saving about 3 tons of CO2 a year, which is a 12.8% reduction in our yearly carbon footprint.

 

This takes our progress in December, forecasts it out over a year, and makes a guess at how we're faring.

2007 was a good, if slow, start. There was, and still is, a lot to learn as these changes are put in place. In 2008, I hope to go further. Much further.

Read about the environmental goals that I am setting for 2008.