While many are resolving to lose weight or save money in the new year, some residents are committing to cutting their carbon emissions.
Between Dec. 5 through Dec. 15, more than 100 people took a pledge to reduce their carbon footprint after the Environmental Center at Fort Lewis College put out the call, the center’s Coordinator Rachel Landis said.
The center encouraged people to take the pledge after showing the documentary Chasing Coral in early December. The film, available on Netflix, focuses on the world’s disappearing coral reefs and changing ocean temperatures.
“The film is pretty striking and it really inspired people to take additional action,” she said.
The pledge includes a link to a carbon footprint calculator that shows people what they can do to cut their own emissions, the difference it makes and how much it would cost.
“It helps fill that need that a lot of people have to do something meaningful,” she said.
For example, an average family of four earning between $50,000 to $60,000 a year is responsible for 59.2 tons of carbon emissions each year, according to the calculator.
Taking personal responsibility for carbon emissions can also help people get plugged into larger causes and advocating for policy change, she said.
The pledge also encourages resident to pay a bit more for renewable energy through La Plata Electric Association and participate in the co-op’s April election.
The pledge is available online at www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalCenterFLC/
mshinn@durangoherald.com
