BONUS #43 Adopt climate smart behaviors
As I mentioned previously on the blog, I changed jobs in 2018 and came to Rare, an environmental organization focused on behavior changes to benefit both people and the environment, to work on their emerging climate program.
Our first big climate event was BE.Hive in March 2019, focused on deploying behavior change insights to combat climate change. At this event, our CEO Brett Jenks presented our "Make It Personal" campaign via the "ABCs of Climate Action." In partnership with California Environmental Associates, Rare identified seven behaviors, which if adopted by 10% of Americans, could help the U.S. reduce greenhouse gas emissions and hit our target under the Paris Agreement:
As someone who wants to practice what I preach - especially in the climate space, which has been the focus of both my studies and career - I have been considering ways to implement these behavior changes in my own life. Here are the ways I am starting this process:
This does not mean that the actual electricity that I use at home comes from a renewable source, but rather that I am buying into existing renewable projects nearby, so I can legitimately and verifiably claim that the power (and emissions associated with it) in my home is being matched by renewable energy that is generated and transmitted to the regional power pool. My payments also help cover the costs of the Green Power program, which include customer education, program promotion, tracking and verifying RECs, and program administration. Dominion Energy does not, however, make a profit from what I pay.
In April, I decided to opt into the 100% coverage option to purchase RECs to match our full monthly electricity use, costing me an additional 1.3 cents ($0.013) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity. The enrollment was very simple - I clicked on the Energy Conservation tab, the Enroll button by Green Power, chose between the 100% option, and clicked Submit!
In terms of added cost, in March 2019, we used 177 kWh of electricity for a bill of $29.01. With the Green Power program added, our bill would have been only $2.30 more.
I was also interested to see during the enrollment process that Dominion Energy will be launching a Virginia Community Solar Pilot to allow customers to purchase energy from five new solar facilities in Virginia. This program is not yet open for enrollment and will cost slightly more than Green Power at 2.01 cents ($0.0201) per kWh. I plan to keep an eye on the rollout of this one since the solar is more local than the RECs under Green Power. It's something to keep an eye on if we want to switch in the future!
I encourage everyone to just Google their local utility company to see what renewable energy or energy conservation programs they offer. It only takes 5 minutes to gain this awareness!
Item 43 Completed 4/2/19
11/43 items complete = 25%
Our first big climate event was BE.Hive in March 2019, focused on deploying behavior change insights to combat climate change. At this event, our CEO Brett Jenks presented our "Make It Personal" campaign via the "ABCs of Climate Action." In partnership with California Environmental Associates, Rare identified seven behaviors, which if adopted by 10% of Americans, could help the U.S. reduce greenhouse gas emissions and hit our target under the Paris Agreement:
- Adopt a plant-rich diet
- Buy carbon offsets
- Contract green energy
- Don’t waste food
- Electric vehicles, buy one!
- Fly one less time
- Get engaged politically
 |
| Brett presenting the ABCs of Climate Action at BE.Hive |
As someone who wants to practice what I preach - especially in the climate space, which has been the focus of both my studies and career - I have been considering ways to implement these behavior changes in my own life. Here are the ways I am starting this process:
Adopt a plant-rich diet
My New Year's resolution for 2019 was to eat less meat, and I've been experimenting with a lot more vegetarian recipes so far. Here are a few recipes I love:- Smitten Kitchen's Spinach and Chickpeas
- Smitten Kitchen's Mushroom Lasagna
- Galettes can easily be vegetarian - top with sauteed veggies, tomato sauce, and/or cheese!
Buy carbon offsets
I plan to talk to my family and friends and do some research on this in 2019. I am considering calculating and offsetting my annual emissions in December through Cool Effect, the organization that Rare uses to offset its carbon emissions.
Contract green energy
I live in a condo where installing solar panels is not an option, so I Googled other ways of greening my current electricity use through Dominion Energy. I discovered that they have a Green Power program through which Dominion Energy buys certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) from wind, solar, and biomass facilities in Virginia and the surrounding region on my behalf.This does not mean that the actual electricity that I use at home comes from a renewable source, but rather that I am buying into existing renewable projects nearby, so I can legitimately and verifiably claim that the power (and emissions associated with it) in my home is being matched by renewable energy that is generated and transmitted to the regional power pool. My payments also help cover the costs of the Green Power program, which include customer education, program promotion, tracking and verifying RECs, and program administration. Dominion Energy does not, however, make a profit from what I pay.
In April, I decided to opt into the 100% coverage option to purchase RECs to match our full monthly electricity use, costing me an additional 1.3 cents ($0.013) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity. The enrollment was very simple - I clicked on the Energy Conservation tab, the Enroll button by Green Power, chose between the 100% option, and clicked Submit!
I was also interested to see during the enrollment process that Dominion Energy will be launching a Virginia Community Solar Pilot to allow customers to purchase energy from five new solar facilities in Virginia. This program is not yet open for enrollment and will cost slightly more than Green Power at 2.01 cents ($0.0201) per kWh. I plan to keep an eye on the rollout of this one since the solar is more local than the RECs under Green Power. It's something to keep an eye on if we want to switch in the future!
I encourage everyone to just Google their local utility company to see what renewable energy or energy conservation programs they offer. It only takes 5 minutes to gain this awareness!
Don’t waste food
I want to research options for composting in a condo.
Electric vehicles, buy one!
We don't have a car and don't plan on buying one anytime soon, but if we do, we will certainly consider electric.
Fly one less time
This is more focused on business travel, of which I already do much less than in my previous job. I will, however, pledge to be smart about deciding if a trip is necessary or could be accomplished virtually instead.
Get engaged politically
I pledge to write to each of my Senators and Congressman about my support for climate change action and the Green New Deal by the end of 2019.Item 43 Completed 4/2/19
11/43 items complete = 25%
Comments
Post a Comment