What one ton of CO2 looks like

It’s become an annual tradition for us now to sit down at year’s end, calculate how much carbon we use from daily activities, then partner up with Carbonfund to offset those emissions. Many people don’t realize that just about every action we do has carbon implications where emissions go into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.  This includes everything from daily commutes, to turning on the computer, to transporting packages.  As a committed green business, Re:modern donates money every year to offset what we generate, and more!

For 2012, we’ve contributed enough to offset 36 metric tons of CO2 emissions that would otherwise have gone into the atmosphere. How much is 36 metric tons of carbon dioxide, you ask? Well, this model (see photo) by a science teacher and his students at Cohasset High School measures 27′ x 27′ x 27′ and demonstrates just one metric ton of C02. That’s a lot of carbon!

Re:modern offsets 36 tons of carbon dioxide emissions

For more information and to offset your own carbon emissions, visit out Carbonfund.org.

Xray House Exterior, originally uploaded by re-modern.com.

Behind the modest exterior of this California home is an exciting new resource for anyone considering an eco home improvement. The Green X-Ray House is a collaborative effort between the City of South San Francisco and a number of local green businesses affiliated with Greenv, a sustainable showroom of green building technology. Our friends, Gary of Rudolph’s Interiors and Tom of Hargens Construction, were both involved with the project and invited Re:modern for a tour of this recently completed remodel.

Every room of this 3 bedroom/1 bathroom house, along with exterior landscaping, features demonstrations of built components chosen with energy, the environment, and resource conservation in mind. Over 30 types of special green products and systems were donated to the project, including:

- Solar panels to offset electrical usage
- Irrigation and landscaping that is native or drought resistant
- Energy Star-qualified double pane windows
- Tankless water heater for on-demand hot water
- Water filtration system to remove the need for bottle water
- Radiant heating that is more efficient than baseboard heating
- Low-VOC and No-VOC paint
- Kitchen cabinets from responsibly harvested FSC lumber
- Energy Star appliances
- Recycled glass and concrete countertops
- Dual flush toilet that regulates water usage
- Salvaged and repurposed furniture

The deceptively typical appearance of the house (it fits right in to the neighborhood) is probably its strongest testament to how easy it is for any homeowner to make greener choices than conventional construction.

See more photos of our Green X-Ray House tour on Flickr.