On Thursday, Oct. 25, 35 citizens took the high road to Volunteers Hall, foregoing the opening innings of the second World Series game to learn about the Low Carbon Diet. Harvard Local, a grass-roots group dedicated to reducing dependence on fossil fuel, organized the meeting.
Developed by David Gershon of the Empowerment Institute, the Low Carbon Diet (LCD) is a 30-day program to help households shed 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in a year. In late September, five Harvard families set out to achieve this goal, forming Harvard’s first LCD team. The team members were there to offer advice and even some humorous anecdotes about their energy-saving efforts.
“The team meetings were fun. We did a lot of confessing!” said team member Josie Carothers.
Carothers led off the evening with a presentation about the harmful effects of climate change, underscoring the motivation behind implementing the Low Carbon Diet.
“Our climate is migrating south,” she noted, adding that the climate of the Northeast is becoming akin to that of southern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. “I wonder what will become of South Carolina?” she mused.
Bill Blackwell described the program, emphasizing the importance of individual action. “Households can lead the way and start now,” he asserted, “whereas industries can take five to 10 years of lead-time.”
Blackwell also acknowledged the pilot team’s synergy, highlighted by members speaking about their own experience with the Low Carbon Diet.
“I have a dream of being carbon neutral,” stated Carothers, who said the LCD meetings helped her find even more ways to reduce her already low carbon dioxide output. For her this included offsetting 40,000 air miles for a mere $64.
Eric Broadbent, another pilot team member, related a different obstacle he encountered during the program. “It takes the shared commitment of family,” he said. “That’s a challenge in a big old farmhouse.” Using alternative fuel for his car and carpooling were the measures that worked for him.
Joe D’Eramo completed several action items, including lowering the temperature of his hot water heater, combining errands, getting set-back thermostats, and putting the family computer into hibernation mode each night.
Sydney Blackwell’s testimony highlighted the inspiration and pride she took in harvesting the garden planted by her husband, Bill, learning about kilowatt hours, and rediscovering the clothesline.
“The diet makes you feel better, and you save money. Harvard can make a difference,” she said. In fact, she added, if 200 households sign on to the Low Carbon Diet, the town could shed one million pounds of carbon dioxide this year.
After the meeting, Pete and Kathy Jackson described their conservation efforts.
“We already do a lot,” said the Jacksons, citing a new furnace, attic insulation, and a switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). “A CFL is meant to last 10,000 hours,” said Pete Jackson, pulling a bulb from his jacket pocket. The library uses CFLs to great advantage, he said, but the burned-out bulb in his pocket was going back to the manufacturer. Jackson was quick to point out that the fixture was likely at fault, not the bulb.
Harvard Local pioneer Bill Blackwell summed up the philosophy behind the diet, emphasizing the impact of each conservation measure, no matter how small.
“It’s not where you are that counts,” he said, “It’s where you’re going.”
For more information on the Low Carbon Diet visit the website www.harvardlocal.org.
