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The Low Carbon Living Program
MCAN's Low Carbon Living (LoCaL) Program is a friendly way to reduce the cost of home energy and the impacts of global warming. Groups of five to eight households in a community use teamwork and behavior change to “lose 5,000 pounds of carbon in 30 days.” Members of a team with eight households will lose at least 40,000 pounds of carbon in a month and slash each home’s energy bills, while developing stronger community bonds.
How the LoCaL Program Works
LoCaL households measure their carbon footprints before they begin the program, and continue monitoring as they reduce carbon emissions. Participants improve their energy efficiency and “lose” pounds of carbon dioxide by making their own choices from a suggested list of 22 items, including areas such as solid waste disposal, use of hot water, home heating and cooling, and personal vehicles. Teams make changes to their household systems and their lifestyles to reduce carbon emissions, and take other actions to become carbon neutral.
Each team meets 3-4 times to compare progress and support each other, while getting to know each other better and developing ties in their community. MCAN will monitor the teams’ progress, and will present awards for the “biggest losers.” MCAN will run a series of events and activities to support the program, as well as providing additional information, resources, and other types of support to chapters that join the program.
The LoCaL Program will run for three years. In the first year alone, MCAN plans to set up teams in at least ten towns across the state. Over the three years, MCAN plans to expand this program throughout the state, and expects Massachusetts will become the country’s “biggest loser” of global warming emissions.
Check the other pages in this section of the website for:
- News about LoCaL teams
- Information on starting a LoCaL team of your own
- LoCaL program resources
- Other resources about energy efficiency and reducing your carbon footprint
Download a short presentation about the Low Carbon Diet.
Download a press release about the LoCaL Program.
The program is modeled on the successful Low Carbon Diet, which was developed and tested by the nationally known Empowerment Institute, famous for creating the "EcoTeam" approach to a greener lifestyle.