Berkeley nudging residents to cut the carbon

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Some cities urge residents to go on citywide exercise kicks. Others promote municipal book clubs. Berkeley wants its citizens to go on a collective low-carbon diet.

To meet its ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Berkeley is encouraging all 100,000 residents to join support groups to help individuals fight global warming.

Like Alcoholics Anonymous and Weight Watchers, the groups are part social, part confessional and partly about accountability.

“It does sound like AA,” said Timothy Burroughs, Berkeley’s climate action coordinator, who is helping to start the program. “But it’s in the context of a policy goal of the city’s. In order for us to achieve our goal, individuals have to change their behavior. This is a way for them to do that.”

The city kicks off the program with a workshop Jan. 28. Residents will learn simple things they can do at home, work and school to reduce emissions, and be encouraged to start groups with neighbors, friends and co-workers.

The idea originated with a 2006 book by Portland, Ore., writer David Gershon, “Low Carbon Diet: a 30 Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds.” Berkeley bought 50 of the books, at $10 each, for the first residents who enroll.

The program encourages participants to meet four times over a month to calculate their carbon footprints, create individual goals and help each other meet those goals. The goals can range from giving up driving to insulating one’s hot water heater to eating more vegetarian meals.

Some residents have already started low-carbon groups. Linda Currie, a graphic artist and mother of two, joined a group in 2007 and was so moved by the experience she’s helped start 10 more.

“I was searching for a way I could make a difference without being a policymaker or a scientist,” she said. “I wanted something that would help an average citizen do something about climate change.”

By giving up a car, adjusting the refrigerator and hot water temperatures, bringing their own bags to the grocery store and making other changes, Currie’s family was able to reduce its carbon output from 55,000 pounds a year, which is about average for an American family of four, to about 27,000 pounds a year.

The program allows much leeway with the details. Some groups meet for wine and cheese or a potluck, some meet during an office lunch break, others meet after church services.

Participants share tips, such as where to find dimmable fluorescent lightbulbs on sale, and encourage each other to persevere.

The Ecology Center in Berkeley has been hosting groups for a year or so for residents throughout the Bay Area.

“The beauty of this program is that it addresses climate change but also builds community networks. And it’s fun,” said Debra Berliner, the Ecology Center’s climate action coordinator. “There are so many temptations and obstacles, it really helps to have a team of cheerleaders behind you.”

In 2006 Berkeley voters approved Measure G, which sets the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide 80 percent by 2050. The City Council is scheduled this spring to approve its climate action plan, which details ways the city can meet that goal.

“We’re not saying individuals are the biggest part of the problem. Obviously, industry has to change,” Burroughs said. “But this is a good way for individuals to get involved and make a difference.”