By Ted Wells
Only 50 you say, why stop there? I agree, and I will tell you that story!
If you are looking for actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint, we have 50 ideas for you. Please see the links below to download the ideas and get started. We have one document with 50 carbon-reducing ideas tailored for families and another for businesses. Please use and share them with anyone you wish.
Now for the story. At one of the greatest companies I have worked for -- well alright, the best hands down -- I was pitching ways to fight climate change and save money at the same time. Working with company leaders and one of the owners, we were discussing potential carbon footprint reduction goals for the company. My position was to tie the company’s goal to the IPCC's global plan of 50% reduction from baseline by 2030.
Difficult, you say? Well yes, there’s no doubt that would be hard for any company or individual working on their carbon footprint reduction. I had a plan that could get us in the ballpark of 30%, but there was no guarantee we could get a 50% reduction without additional cost implications. But just think, by switching from fossil fuel power to electrical power and adding key operational efficiency measures, you can get quite far in your reduction plan.
As expected, a debate followed about committing the entire company to a goal with no clear guaranteed path. Did we know how to do it? How much would it cost? What would we have to change in the way we do business? What were the benefits? What would all the stakeholders think?
Then, at the stroke of a pause in the debate, the company’s owner shined through with one short quote: “Well, you have to start somewhere.” Those five words won the day and will sit in my memory as the fulcrum of action. “You have to start somewhere” birthed and shaped a climate reduction program that has both reduced the companies carbon footprint very substantially and solidified the company’s course to be able to meet a 50% reduction by 2030.
I share these words because they were what inspired the creation of our lists of 50 ideas to save the planet. Whether as an individual or company, you have to start somewhere. As you take steps to reduce your impact on the world, have fun with the knowledge that you are making a difference and share your success with others. Every reduction you make in your carbon footprint will help shape a better tomorrow for the generations to come.
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