The ground-breaking One Tonne Life project has successfully proved that a climate change-busting lifestyle is possible through a combination of altered human behaviour and innovative technology.
For the past six months, the project, which saw one ordinary Swedish family relocated to a new climate smart house, sought to drive down the average carbon emissions from 7.3 tonnes per person per year to just one tonne. Six months later the Lindell family, through their own actions and the latest technological advances, successfully reduced their carbon emissions to 1.5 tonnes per person, per year-a reduction of 80 per cent.
The family – father Nils, mother Alicia and children Hannah and Jonathan – moved into the super-efficient house back in January and were provided with a C30 Electric car supplied by Volvo to help slash their transport-related CO2.
The journey to 1.5 tonnes has not necessarily been an easy one. The family report that, with their energy smart house, appliances, energy meter and electric vehicle, reducing their emissions to 2.5 tonnes did not require any major compromise in their everyday lifestyles. After that, however, things got tougher and living at the 1.5 tonne level was a tough compromise.
The family made most progress in transport and electricity consumption. Emissions from transport dropped by more than 90 per cent, mainly due to the family’s Volvo C30 Electric being recharged with electricity from hydro-power. The family’s house, built by A-hus, produces its own electricity and, with supplementary renewable electricity from hydro-power, carbon dioxide emissions from purchased electricity reduced to almost zero. All told, carbon dioxide emissions from the family’s home were more than halved.
The family also made immense progress through their eating habits. By not throwing away food and by choosing wisely, varying the choice of meat and eating more vegetables, anyone can reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Towards the end of the trial period, the Lindells ate only vegetarian dishes, and dairy produce was replaced with soya and oat-based alternatives.
In order to reduce their emissions still further, in the final 1.5-tonne week the family reduced the size of their home by closing off one room. They went without TV, shopping and eating out. However, their “rucksack” of 900 kilograms stopped them from reaching the one tonne target. This “rucksack” consists of the CO² emissions that take place when various products are manufactured, such as the house, solar panels, car, furniture and clothes. However, they demonstrated that, with the right know-how and motivation, it’s possible to get very close to one tonne.
The wooden “One Tonne Life” house has triple-layer walls with exceptional insulation, minimal air leakage and low-energy windows and doors. Through its solar photovoltaic system the house is a net producer of energy. All electricity not consumed by the family was fed into the national grid or used to recharge the electric car. The family’s Volvo C30 Electric emits no carbon dioxide at all when recharged with renewable electricity.
