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Meet the Lindells, your average Swedish family, with your average carbon footprint; 7.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per person per year to be precise. That was until January 2011 when overnight, the family became anything but average. Father Nils, mother Alicja, and teenagers Hannah, 16, and Jonathan, 13, embarked on an ambitious project to reduce their annual emissions to one tonne each – the level scientists believe will be needed to curb global warming.

It was Hannah who spotted the flyer looking for a family willing to take part in the six-month project. “Who wouldn’t want to live in a climate-smart house with solar cells, green electricity and an electric car in the driveway?” she says. It didn’t take much to convince the rest of the family.

Nils, an organisational consultant for a management company says he was pleased to be able to act on his concerns. “So far we’ve been well-intentioned ‘wannabes’. We’re aware of the climate problem and we want to make a positive contribution but without any systematic choices available, all we’ve done is made well-meaning efforts here and there,” he says. “What made us curious was that these were solutions which we believed in. It wasn’t about leaving your normal life and living in a very different way but these were things that could work in a normal life.”

THE FUN BEGINS

After being chosen from a pool of 50 hopefuls, the Lindells exchanged their 1970s home and two decade-old petrol-powered cars for a newly built, climate-smart wooden house on the outskirts of Stockholm and a battery-powered Volvo C30 Electric. The house, equipped with solar panels and cells, which produce enough energy for the house and to charge their car, as well as providing a surplus that can be put back into the grid, would be theirs for the next six months. 

Throughout the project emissions from three different greenhouse gases were calculated – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. As well as the emissions produced by the family, emissions created by the companies providing goods and services were also taken into account.

EARLY LIMITATIONS


The family’s ability to reduce their emissions to one tonne was limited from the outset by what is known as a ‘rucksack’. This ‘rucksack’ contains carbon dioxide emitted when products are made, such as the house itself, the solar panels and the car, and amounts to 900 kilograms per person per year.

“Researchers generally say that manufacture of cars, white goods and buildings is a minor problem. They cause more emissions during usage than production. But this doesn’t apply to us. Since the house, car and white goods are so energy efficient, most of their emissions took place during their manufacture,” Nils says. “That aspect is something we cannot affect and with a fixed ‘rucksack’ of 900 kilograms, it will be tough to get all the way down to one tonne.”

The house, a climate-smart structure built by wooden house experts A-hus, was designed to keep the heat in during winter and keep the house cool in summer. Solar panels on both the roof and the south-facing façade were integrated into the construction. The house also features distinctive cubes around the windows that save energy from heating by deflecting high summer sunlight and letting low winter sunlight in.

Meanwhile, the interior is fitted out with a range of energy-saving appliances including a centralised Energy Watch system that registers power usage in electrical appliances. The system compiles data so the user can see how much electricity is used for heating and hot water, and how much is used for other appliances in real time or over a selected time period.

Three months into the project it became clear to the Lindells that they would have to make further behavioural changes to achieve their goal. “On our way down to 2.5 tonnes we didn’t have to make any major compromises in our everyday lifestyles. After that, things got tougher. Living at the 1.5 tonne level was an extreme experience for us,” Alicja says.

THE TOUGHEST WEEK


Travel, hot showers, clothing purchases, food and drink were pushing the family’s emissions up and by week 20, the family adopted what they called the ‘Robinson Crusoe’ approach.

 “We had to make serious changes including cutting out meat and milk products. We basically became vegans. We also closed off the room upstairs and lived in a smaller space. Our commute changed as we stopped taking the bus and tried to only take the electric car,” says Hannah.

Alicja says she wasn’t prepared for the level of sacrifice it would take to reach the one-tonne level and says it took meticulous planning to ensure no food was wasted and they car-pooled at every opportunity. “For the family, the process became a bit extreme and we ended up adding in a few things at the end, such as fish in an effort to monitor the results and develop a more comfortable climate-friendly lifestyle.”

But the family’s hard work paid off and during week 20, they reduced their emissions to 1.5 tonnes per person per year, compared with the 7.3 tonnes with which they started when the project began.

When the family emerged from their house in summer, how had they fared?  Transportation and electricity consumption were the areas in which the family made the most progress.

Emissions from transport accounted for the largest reduction – more than 90 per cent.

Emissions from accommodation were reduced by 60 per cent and through careful planning (so as to ensure there was no food waste and by making wise choices such as buying in-season produce) the Lindells made a significant cut in their food-related emissions with a reduction of 80 per cent. Overall, their total emissions shrank by 75 per cent – meaning when the family crossed the finish line after six months, they managed to do so at just 1.5 tonnes.

Nils says he learnt a lot during the project. “Our behaviour had to change in a number of ways. First we had to learn to use the smart technology. And then it was up to our daily habits – to commute differently, eat differently, do different things in our spare time. We have learned a lot during this half-year, both on a personal level and how different behaviours impact society and the climate issue.”

And despite having to give up her clothes shopping habit, Hannah left the project feeling positive. “This type of living is not only for us, this life can be for anyone, for everybody. Everyone needs to live this life, so it’s better to start now. Why wait when we know we have to be there in 50 years?”

THE VOLVO

The Lindell family gave up their two ageing family cars to drive the new Volvo C30 Electric.

Powered solely by electricity, when charged using emission-free sources, the car produces no exhaust emissions whatsoever. A lithium-ion battery that is recharged via a regular wall socket powers the Volvo C30 Electric. A full charge takes about eight hours and can power the car for 150 kilometres, much further than the average commuter covers in a typical day.

The car can reach a top speed of 130 kilometres per hour and accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 10.5 seconds