A Swedish family is taking living green seriously as they enter a year-long carbon-reducing experiment. The family of four have set themselves a challenge; to radically reduce their carbon footprint of 7 tonnes a year down to just one tonne. In an inspirational move Nils Lindell and his wife, Alicja with their two children Hannah and Jonathan have pledged to live in a solar powered house.
For people around the world who are at a loss as to what changes to make in their daily lives to life an eco-friendly and environmentally aware life, this experiment will hopefully give new insights into the ‘green’ world.
The catch of the experiment is that the Lindell family are not doing it alone; the house they will be living in is especially designed to help people use less energy and the technology afforded to the family is not easily acquired in a normal household setting.
The house, located in Stockholm’s suburbs, is equipped with support from Sweden’s top brands. Volvo has supplied an electric car, along with the solar-powered car-port. And other names include A-Hus (housing experts), Vattenfall (Sweden’s largest energy provider), Siemens and the local supermarket chain, ICA.
The family are ready to take on the challenge of reducing their carbon emissions so drastically but the real challenge would be to successfully complete an experiment like this without such overwhelming backing. While the data to be collected from the experiment will be used to ascertain whether a one-tonne life is plausible, it is still a far cry from having every man and woman on the street equipped with the tools to do so.
For most the cost of an electric car and charging portal as well as installation of solar power panels, energy-saving lights and plumbing is just too much to even think of. However major corporations that can afford such technology will benefit from the experiment as it will shed light on the possibilities of living ‘green’.
It will be interesting to see how much the Lindell family will have to change their daily routines to fit into the new lifestyle, and what effect that may have on the way that they are accustomed to living.
For now, not everyone is expected to spend a fortune on reducing their carbon footprint but remember the little things count; unplug appliances that aren’t in use, try use public transport as much as possible and take shorter showers. You’ll already be doing something towards making the world a healthier place.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
