Conscientious Living
4/15/24
Living on the road in 112 sq. ft. comes with some unique challenges. How long can we make 68 gallons of fresh water last? What happens if our batteries run out of power after several days of snow and clouds? How do we stretch two 30 lb propane tanks? Where do we find potable water and grey water dumps in the winter?
All of these questions are fundamental to successful trailer life. But these also have direct parallels to sustainable living. Many people don't think about their energy and water consumption or waste generation in modern America. It has become so easy to just open a tap and get hot water or turn the AC down a few degrees when you get warm. This makes it too easy to consume without considering the environmental impact of modern life.
Our Consumption
I wanted to do a deep dive into our footprint and compare it to "typical" American consumption, as well as evaluate options to reduce consumption. Overall, our emissions footprint is not as favorable as I expected, largely due to the amount of miles we're putting on our gasoline powered truck. Living in a stationary tiny home would be much, much more efficient, but vehicle fuel use is a major part of the typical american footprint. While this isn't flattering for us, it's important to be transparent in emissions accounting, particularly for corporate emissions reporting. And measuring is the critical first step to determine where and how to take action towards reduction.
Electricity Use
The beautiful thing about running on a 100% solar and battery powered system is that we can use as much electricity as we want without contributing to climate change! That being said, a reduction mentality is critical, especially since we don't always have sunny days. On the cloudiest of days, we use ~25% of our 6,000 Wh batteries, or ~1.5 kWh/day. This excludes the AC, which uses ~800 W. Assuming on we run the AC 4 hours a day on a hot summer day, that would add up to another 2,400 Wh for a total of 3.9 kWh/day, which we expect will be fully powered by our 1,260 W solar system. Given we're off the grid, we do not produce CO2 (with the exception of embodied carbon in the hardware).
Per the EPA, typical American household electricity use is 33kWh per day, almost 9 times our usage, with ~16% used for each of space heating and space cooling. This breakdown can help inform where efforts should be focused at both the individual and government policy level. When converted to climate impact, this contributes 5.1 metric tons of CO2 per house per year.
Fuel Use
The EPA evaluates all household fuels (natural gas, propane, and fuel oil) and vehicle gasoline use. While not every household uses all three types of household fuels, the average household uses 38,567 cubic feet of natural gas, 41.9 gallons of propane, and 24.2 gallons of fuel oil per year. This adds up to an average of 2.6 metric tonnes CO2e per household per year.
In the trailer, we used about 7 gallons of propane a week during the winter, and are now using about 7 gallons a month during the spring. Extrapolating this out through the year, we will likely use ~140 gallons of propane. We are not using natural gas or fuel oil, so our household fuel use produces 0.8 metric tonnes CO2e per year—roughly one third of a typical household.
The average U.S. car is driven 10,746 miles per year at an average of 22.9 miles per gallon. This works out to 470 gallons per year, or 4.2 metric tonnes of CO2e/year. We've put ~13,000 miles on the Tundra in 4 months, which at an average of 12 MPG (towing kills mileage!), will clock in ~3,250 gallons per year. This works out to 28.9 metric tonnes of CO2e/year.
Unfortunately, this is one area that we fall short. But we should not be surprised, given transportation constitutes 67% of U.S. petroleum use. It's exciting to see Rivian and Lightship starting to develop solutions which may work for a year long roadtrip, but these weren't viable options when we kicked off our journey.
Water use
Per the EPA, the average American uses 300 gallons of water per day. Living in a trailer with a 68 gallon water tank, this stat blows my mind. Even considering ~30% of that 300 gallons is used for irrigation, 200 gallons is an incredible amount of water.
We've found that if we really stretch it, our 68 gallons lasts about a week. That breaks down to less than 5 gallons per person, per day, although this is largely enabled by very quick showers a few times a week. Even with longer showers, we wouldn't come close to 300 gallons of water per person per day.
Waste Generated
According to the EPA, the typical American produces 4.9 lbs of waste every day, with a breakdown shown at right.
We've been much more conscientious about what we buy and how much we use, largely because we are space constrained on both food storage and where to put trash. I estimate the two of us produce roughly 2 lbs of trash a day, with effectively zero food waste. Unfortunately, we have not found a means to consistently recycle or compost on the road, but are producing 1/5 the trash of a typical American.
What about pre-trailer life?
As discussed earlier, whenever reporting on sustainability metrics, transparency is key. As such, I also wanted to compare how we compared to typical American consumption before hitting the road. I'm only considering scopes 1 and 2 (on-site combustion and electricity), and the summary remains eye-opening. However, measuring what matters enables action, and we took major action on our electricity use by installing solar in January 2024, which should cut our net electricity use to zero. We'll also use this exercise to evaluate our next actions when we return to working life.
Conclusions
This exercise surprised me at first—how could I, as a sustainability professional, have a footprint so much larger than average? But after a few passes through the data and an evaluation of the travel associated with our active, outdoor lifestyle, it makes sense. Prior to this exercise, I did not appreciate just how much transportation weighs into your footprint. And, while methane is nowhere close to sustainable, natural gas is a relatively small driver compared to vehicles and electricity generation. We're proud to have installed 8.4 kW of solar on our roof in January 2024, which should reduce our total scope 1 and 2 to below the U.S. average. And we'll be buying an EV the first chance we get!
What can you do?
Whenever I consider taking action on reducing climate impact, whether personally or professionally, I focus on two areas: heavy hitters and low hanging fruit. Heavy hitters address the most significant impact areas but typically take considerable time, effort, or budget. Low hanging fruit may not have the biggest impact, but are often easily implemented.
Regardless of lifestyle changes you implement, it's important to avoid "sustainability fatigue" or excusing major issues because you focused on smaller items. An example of this would be using eliminating plastic straws as an excuse to own an unnecessarily gas guzzling car. We can't lose the forest through the trees.
Heavy Hitters
Install Solar
This is a big one in terms of both cost and impact. Installing solar panels can immediately reduce your footprint, and save money in the long run. The 30% tax credit doesn't hurt either.
Xeroscape
Lawn irrigation is ultimately a waste of water and money, especially in draught struck regions and natural deserts. Consider replacing with natural landscapes and low water use plants.
EV Adoption
We haven't done this one yet, but as soon as we're employed again, this will top our list as the next "heavy hitter". I'm particularly excited for the all-electric Jeep Recon, expected in '25.
Eliminate Natural Gas
I was surprised to learn 39% of American households don't use natural gas. We haven't switched yet, but we'll phase out our gas stove, gas boiler, and gas furnace for electric alternatives.
Low Hanging Fruit
Compost and Recycle
Methane emissions are an even more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, which can be avoided through composting. And you're already recycling, right?
Repair, Don't Replace
This one is easy and saves money, although modern consumerism society supports buying new. Throwing a quick patch on a jacket or taking a ripped tent to a seamster reduces waste.
Reduce Water Usage
There are plenty of resources on this, but based on data, irrigation, toilets, and showers are the place to start. Smart watering schedules and reduced flow plumbing are an easy start!
Vote Climate
Individual action can only go so far. We need to vote for politicians who will enact policies to reduce the green premium and ensure corporations are accountable for their emissions.
Parting Thought
While there are many individual actions that can be taken to reduce your footprint, it's important to realize corporations are most responsible for emissions. A now famous 2017 study found that 71% of global emissions since 1988 can be attributed to just 100 companies. While this should not be an excuse for excessive personal consumption, it's important to realize that it's the oil majors and other major corporate polluters who must be held culpable. The best way to do that is at the ballot box. Check out Citizens' Climate Lobby and the Environmental Voter Project to learn more.
Maybe I should have led with this, huh?