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32
Frankfort Area Households Cut Special
to Capital Living To
address climate change, nine Frankfort and
Franklin County organizations partnered last fall on a household
greenhouse gas reduction project called “Lighten Up, Frankfort!” In
mid-December the organizations and participants celebrated their
accomplishments to date at the Kentucky Coffeetree Café in downtown
Frankfort. Sixty-one
households joined the effort last fall and 32 of them had reported their
carbon reduction action plans to the Frankfort Climate Action Network (FrankfortCAN)
coordinators in time for the celebration.
The 32 reporting households made cuts in their annual greenhouse
gas emissions totaling 317,700 pounds and pledged to make further cuts of
209,600 pounds within a year of completing their plans.
Actions completed and pledged amount to more 263.6 tons of
greenhouse gas pollution that will not go to into the atmosphere in the
coming year as a result of the changes made by the Lighten Up
participants. When all of the participants finish their meetings and turn
in their results, FrankfortCAN organizers are confident that the totals
will exceed 300 tons. Lighten
Up, Frankfort! is organized by FrankfortCAN, an all-volunteer group in the
community. Members or employees of the participating organizations formed
teams of three to ten households that met
four times and committed to actions that reduced each household’s
greenhouse gas emissions by anywhere from 2,000 to 80,000 pounds per year.
The teams used a workbook called “The Low Carbon Diet,” and the
quantities used to project households cuts are based on estimates provided
in the book. In
addition to FrankfortCAN, Lighten Up teams were formed at First Christian
Church, Frankfort Chapter of the United Nations Association, Franklin
County Cooperative Extension, Frankfort Electric & Water Plant Board,
Kentucky State University, South Frankfort Neighborhood Association, South
Frankfort Presbyterian Church Frankfort and
the Unitarian Universalist Community of Frankfort. Teams
leaders for the fall pilot were recognized for their leadership.
They are Robin Antenucci, Mike Bomford, Bruce Cassidy, Kim Cowherd,
Vent Foster, Brenda Gardner, Irma Johnson, Connie Lemley, Fonda
McWilliams, Paula Miller, Larry Moore, and Jackie Sue Phillips.
Franklin County Extension’s Kim Cowherd received special
recognition for organizing the most teams:
four through her work and two at her church – First Christian.
Two of these teams will begin meeting in 2010. “We’re
heartened by the success of the pilot program this fall, and we applaud
the organizations that stepped up to lead the community in this effort,”
said Lighten Up Coordinator Tona Barkley.
“We set a goal of cutting 100 tons of CO2 through the fall pilot,
and we more than doubled that. Now
that we’re rolling, we expect participation to take off in 2010. In
fact, we know six teams are forming for next year, and we are actively
recruiting organizations and team leaders to join the effort.” “The
workbook provided advice and simple actions to take to help reduce CO2
emissions,” commented Sharmista Dutta, a water engineer at the Frankfort
Electric & Water Plant Board who was on the Plant Board’s Lighten Up
Team. “Both the workbook and the meetings helped show just how easy it
is to cut emissions. Discussing the actions taken with other team members
and realizing that others are doing the same actions helps create a sense
of ‘making a difference.’” Actions
participants chose to reduce their carbon emissions ranged from installing
low-flow shower heads, increasing recycling, reducing the number of
clothes-dryer loads each week, and installing compact fluorescent light
bulbs to planting trees, purchasing Energy Star appliances, sealing air
leaks in the home, and eating vegetarian meals one or more days each week.
“The
‘Low Carbon Diet’ book and web site give a systematic way to determine
your carbon footprint and show ways that are easy and practical to reduce
the footprint,” said Dick Watkins, a retired Lexmark engineering manager
who was on the team Frankfort Chapter of the United Nations Association
USA Team. “Working in a group . . .yields new ideas and
accountability.” Watkins
added, “It stuns me that German families have a carbon footprint
one-half of ours, and the Swedes have one-fourth of ours.” “The
kids in our group [with their parents] were excited about
participating,” said Fonda McWilliams, team leader of the First
Christian Church team. “Children really care about this issue and
have a vague sense of what ‘they are supposed to do,’ but they don't
really know how to put it into practice in their own lives. This
program gives them specifics that empower kids to make real changes themselves.” Working
through local organizations and using an all-volunteer planning team,
FrankfortCAN launched Lighten Up, Frankfort! on a budget of less than
$1,000, but hopes to raise funds
in 2010 to increase awareness of the project throughout
Frankfort, Franklin County and surrounding counties and perhaps to hire
one staffer to coordinate the project and volunteer work. “As
this project grows, it is going to require some more manpower, and we
welcome anyone who would like to join our planning team,” said Jim
Pierce, one of fewer than a dozen FrankfortCAN planners of the project.
“That we and the organizations that joined with us were able to
accomplish this with so little money indicates to us that people are
hungry for ways to reduce their carbon footprints and for leadership to
help them do it.” A
recent study for the city of Frankfort showed that household operations
produce 56 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the city. According
to the study, 13.8 tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases per resident are
released into the atmosphere each year. Americans
make up 5 percent of world population but generate 25 percent of world
greenhouse gas emissions. With
CO2 in the atmosphere currently above the level that scientists consider
safe, scientists believe emissions must begin to decrease immediately if
the world is going to avoid the catastrophic consequences of unchecked
climate change. “The
fall pilot was only a beginning,” said FrankfortCAN organizer Connie
Lemley. “With something on the order of 18,000 households in the city
and county, just imagine how many tons of greenhouse gas emission we could
cut if hundreds or thousands of people join Lighten Up teams!” Information
about Lighten Up, Frankfort!, including how to contact FrankfortCAN, is
available on the organization’s web site at www.frankfortclimateaction.net. |
