A nicely written article in a Vancouver publication called “Save the Planet, Save the Earth” describing the benefits of sharing housing. What caught my eye was the information of the ecological benefits of sharing housing.
The author, Chris Cannon, cites statistics that lead to the statement that if everyone lived in shared housing the gains in reduced CO2 emission would “make the Kyoto targets quaint.” He writes, “Our structures account for the greatest portion of CO2 emissions in North America; more than a third of the carbon released into the atmosphere is the product of electricity from our residences and workplaces, and for every kilowatt hour used in a home, twice as much is lost in generation and transmission. The average North American household produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day, nearly five times the global average, and twice that of Europe.”
Wow! So if, in North America, you move from living alone to living with one other person, you have eliminated 54,750 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere in a year. Probably a pittance in terms of the amount of green house gases generated daily, but still it’s a solid way to reduce your carbon footprint on the planet.
If you want to live sustainably – choose to share housing. But find a home that suits you. That’s the point of this blog, so keep reading.
