A year ago, I launched this journal with two thoughts in mind:

1. My wife Alisan and I must reduce our carbon footprint, which we have.
2. I've got to share our experiences, learnings and thoughts with others.

Over the course of the year, among other things, I explored many of the choices available to folks interested in becoming carbon neutral, I applauded individuals and organizations that are doing their part, and I ranted about those who are not doing their part.

Of course, I was not alone in either my efforts to become carbon neutral, or to blog about them. In fact, my commitment pales in comparison to at least one carbon neutral blogger (No Impact Man) and my measurable results fall short of another blogger's (Donnachadh McCarthy).

While many of you may have heard/read about No Impact Man, a New York writer who set out to live without having a net impact on the environment in 2007 (no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilet paper…), I suspect Donnachadh McCarthy's story is unknown to you.

McCarthy is a writer too, author of Saving the Planet Without Costing the Earth: 500 Steps to a Greener Lifestyle. His tale is told in The Independent.

I fulfilled my dream of making my home not only carbon neutral but actually carbon negative for energy. After installing various gadgets and making some key changes to my lifestyle, my home actually reduced the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, rather than adding to it. I exported more green electricity than I imported fossil fuel (gas) over the year. And I don't live in a state-of-the-art new build but a normal Victorian terrace.

Indeed, The Independent piece is well worth reading for tips on conserving electricity, installing a wind turbine and solar panels, and heating a home with a flueless gas-fireplace and/or wood burning stove.

Even though I haven't followed No Impact Man's story closely, I have often wondered what he's learned this past year. As I scanned his blog for this post, I discovered one particularly thought provoking post, titled Happiness versus Consumption. To support the thought that "there comes a point where using more resources actually reduces your quality of life," No Impact Man has come up with a graph that depicts the relationship between the quality of life and the consumption of our planetary resources. It's a fascinating snapshot on one man's point of view and well worth consideration.

Of course, I realize that y'all probably don't aspire to be No Impact Man, and probably won't go to the length's Donnachadh McCarthy has; y'all may even think my modest efforts are over the top.

So, I thought I'd share with you a link to a modest set of New Year's resolutions and hope that there are at least a few ideas that you'll find worth pursuing.

Happy New Year!

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