The latest diet trend has Lexington residents counting carbs - not carbohydrates, but carbon emissions.
The town's Low Carbon Diet, detailed in a book by environmental behavior expert David Gershon, is a 30-day program that advises households on how to reduce their energy consumption by 5,000 pounds of carbon emissions a year.
According to the book, the typical American household generates 55,000 pounds of carbon emissions annually.
Lexington's program, launched last fall, has about 50 participating families, says Keith Ohmart of the town's Global Warming Action Coalition; the goal is to get 200 families involved.
The program details 22 actions a family can take - from recycling more to installing a solar water heater to buying a fuel-efficient car. Each action taken is then scored. Turning down the thermostat - to 65-68 degrees during the day, 55-58 at night - gives you an annual CO2 reduction of 1,400 pounds. Buying a programmable thermostat is also recommended.
To supplement the "diet," the Global Warming Action Coalition offers monthly seminars at the Cary Memorial Library about carbon-reduction measures such as solar panels, wind power, and composting.
Changing behavior is the hardest part, says participant Ken Karnofsky. He credits his daughter, who took an inventory of the household's energy consumption for her 9th-grade earth science class, for motivating the family.
"First, we cut down on our electricity use, buying compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning the lights off when we left a room," Karnofsky says. They also bought a power meter to find out where they were using the most electricity and conducted a test to detect air leaks. The leaks, in some cases coming from the recessed lighting, will be fixed by adding insulation in the attic.
Karnofsky estimates the family of four has already cut their annual carbon emissions by 2,500 pounds. And so far the diet hasn't been all that painful, he says: "The first steps are pretty easy."
Find out more about Lexington's Global Warming Action Coalition at lexgwac.org.
For more information on the Low Carbon Diet, visit empowermentinstitute.net.
[Harriet Blake]
GREEN TIPS: Send questions and ideas to hlblake@aol.com
