What can one person do about climate change? Part 1: Start at home

• Rachel McDevitt
  BioRecent Stories

  

  I report on energy and the environment for StateImpact Pennsylvania at WITF.
  
  My work focuses on responses and solutions to climate change in the state legislature and communities around the state. I trace my interest in these issues back to my time as a Girl Scout and this episode of Rocko’s Modern Life.
  
  I look forward to winter just for the chance to ski a few times each season. I try to keep myself from doom-scrolling on my phone by keeping my hands busy knitting and learning to play the piano.
  
  I grew up in Cambria County, Pa. and graduated from Temple University. I started at WITF just after Christmas in 2014.

The State College Community Land Trust and Envinity are working to retrofit this home in State College into a highly energy efficient "passive house." They built an "envelope" around the exterior of the home that will be filled with insulation. (Jeremy Long - WITF)

Home energy and electricity use make up an estimated 20% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, and it’s often our biggest source of personal emissions.

That doesn’t mean you need to shell out a ton of money to renovate your house. Simple efficiency measures can go a long way.

Find the rest of the series:

• What can I do about climate change? An introduction
• Part 2: What we (don’t) eat
• Part 3: Dig in the dirt 
• Part 4: Getting around 
• Part 5: Shop smart 
• Part 6: Upgrade your home 
• Part 7: Speak up 

Listen to the stories:

Home energy

Shopping and traveling

Food waste and gardening

What efficiency upgrades can you make in your home?

An energy efficient home helps people save money on utility bills. It also plays a role in lowering climate-warming emissions. About 20% of the country’s emissions are because of energy and electricity use in homes.

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About StateImpact Pennsylvania

StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, and the Allegheny Front. Reporters Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan Phillips cover the commonwealth’s energy economy. Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania.

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