Leveraging Lifestyle for Systems Change

Introducing the Happy Planet Index: The True “Happy Place”

For this January 2023 newsletter, and in the spirit of self-actualization, I want to share how a recent metric of national success has inspired me to keep improving this year. The Happy Planet Index measures a country’s sustainable well-being by the ability to deliver longer, happier lives (using life expectancy and self-reported measures of well-being) while using fewer resources. It was proposed in 2008 as a replacement metric for Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures economic growth regardless of health outcomes for people and the planet.

In essence, we want to live better, healthier lives that don’t cost the Earth, ultimately so that future generations can also live better, healthier lives. The HPI website even offers a “Personal HPI Test”, which showed me that while I live an active and healthy life, I could use more time in 2023 to slow down and intentionally connect with others and my surroundings.

I can proudly say that the personal test results compare me to the country of Costa Rica, which is the reigning champ of HPI. However, even with a lower than average ecological footprint, I’m still a net polluter.

So, I’m looking for ways to address that footprint without guilting myself into unhappiness (which could ironically lead to a cycle of filling the void with more consumption). Naturally, my mind leads me to measurement as a first step. The important thing here isn’t perfection of measurement, but reflection and correction of action – even if that means honoring the “non-action” of doing less so that I can connect more and slow down to appreciate life!

Estimating my Ecological Footprint

To refine my understanding of my personal ecological footprint, I wanted to see a basic breakdown of my carbon footprint. So, I looked up a list of possible apps to download, and the Klima app popped on my radar. Klima asks a brief seven-question survey about lifestyle, which then adjusts the average carbon footprint of a resident from your country based on where you live.

Klima estimates that my carbon footprint is just below that of the average American, but as comparison is often the “thief of joy”, the average American is responsible for 19.5 tons of CO2 emissions each year (which is roughly 4X the world average). I am apparently responsible for 17.17 tons. Here is how that likely breaks out and I’ll offer some quick takes on improvement:

Housing: 5.4T

Klima bases this estimate on my smaller two-bedroom apartment. In honesty, my carbon footprint from the home is fairly optimized at the moment, and I’ll explain below how that came to be.

Flying: 3.5T

I will be taking several trips throughout the year, because 1.) I love to travel, and 2.) Both sides of my family live in Vermont, including my mom, dad, brother, aunts/uncles (five on each side) and dozens of cousins. From Florida, Vermont is rarely if ever a direct flight. It’s upsetting to see how much air travel can increase my carbon footprint as someone who aspires to travel the world, but when income allows, I will also have the option to offset my travel as Rory McIlroy has pledged.

Mobility: 2.8T

Along with air travel, I plan to look more closely at my emissions from mobility in general. Living in Florida, many of the things and people I want to see live far away. Between visits to Orlando and Miami last year (both of which are long drives with dangerous traffic), I probably made a dozen trips last year with my inefficient 2012 Nissan Altima V6 sedan. Not only is the danger of such trips decreasing my life expectancy, they also increase my stress level and definitely increase my carbon footprint. So, I will be looking for ways to cut back here in 2023 while also improving my safety.

Diet: 2.5T

My inputs here are unlikely to change. I disagree with the general prescription from Happy Planet Index that reducing meat consumption will improve my HPI. My diet follows one main rule: I listen to my gut’s response to what I give my body. When I eat too much protein, my gut usually responds unfavorably. However, I seem to feel lethargic if I only eat plants. As a young man who enjoys a lot of intense physical activity, there seems to be a right amount of animal-based protein (from quality, ethical sources) that seems right for boosting my sense of well-being. Though I seldom eat it, I am careful to buy beef from regenerative sources like White Oak Pastures.

Spending: 1.5T

The best achievement of my carbon footprint (if I can call this an achievement) is that I’m generally good about spending less. I prioritize needs over wants, while investing my time, money, and energy in experiences rather than things. For me, life satisfaction comes from deep learning and connecting with movement-oriented activities through jiu jitsu, yoga, and dancing. I shop very rarely and prefer the minimalist approach while making the things I own last as long as possible.

Deeper Drive: Optimizing the Home

FPL Energy Analyzer Survey Results

According to the FPL Energy Analyzer survey, most of my home’s 900-1000 kwH per month result from laundry and cleaning. Here’s a chart on my home’s energy usage breakdown directly from my FPL account:

I’m thinking more about using appliances during off peak hours. Doing so could decrease my bill (as rates are variable, based on demand) while also sourcing electricity from cleaner sources (utilities turn up the fossil fuel plants to meet peak demand, as they need), whereas off peak hours with lower demand can source from a greater percentage of renewables.

Aside from making this subtle cost-saving change in the home, I have already replaced light bulbs with smart LEDs (which happens to be a life hack for having a “natural” alarm clock – my lights turn on gradually to mimic a sunrise so I’m not jolted awake). Despite having few changes in the home I can make to reduce my impact, luckily FPL has a program to help me offset those remaining emissions!

The FPL Solar Together program offsets footprint for Florida residents:

The FPL Solar Together program allows Florida residents to subscribe to solar panels that are part of community arrays. This proves very useful for the large portion of the population that rents rather than owns their home (you can’t put solar panels on your roof if you don’t even own the roof!). According to the Solar Together dashboard, my subscription to 4 kW of solar (13.3 panels) has helped me avoid 3.75 tons of CO2 emissions with an average cost of just $10 per month (the difference between my $27/month subscription and a $17 solar credit paid back by FPL). All this to suggest that my emissions from home are likely lower than what the Klima model proposes above! If I want to bring that number to zero, I can look into upgrading the subscription (though at a slight cost).

How I Plan to Upgrade My Well-Being While Decreasing My Footprint

I’ll preface by listing some pros and cons of my current lifestyle, starting with the cons (from the HPI perspective):

Cons

My car gets less than 20 mpg (which my wallet certainly felt with gas prices in 2022)
I eat… a lot
While I have an active lifestyle, I do probably 5 loads of laundry per week (thanks to jiu jitsu and hot yoga)
Flying costs a lot to my bank account and the planet
The biggest con of all: even with my education on these subjects and making changes to optimize, I’m producing significantly more carbon emissions than the average global citizen

Pros

My career positions me to help reduce the footprint of broader systems. Working for NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light (FPL) puts me in position to help decarbonize the grid in Florida, propagating that positive impact to the rest of the country and simultaneously my own home.
The FPL SolarTogether program has offset 3.5 tons of CO2 emissions for me in the past two years
I live a relatively minimalist and waste-free lifestyle
I clean and sort my recycling, regularly bringing empties to their correct bins at the local solid waste plant just down the road
I am careful to prioritize needs over wants, and thus limit unnecessary spending

Goal #1: Using more public transportation

I have yet to use the Brightline since I have lived in Florida the past three years, but for just $15 (minus 25% as a NextEra/FPL employee), I can take the train from West Palm Beach to Miami in just under an hour and twenty minutes. Not only does this save me a slight amount in money (gas), but it also helps me avoid interstate 95 in a highly congested area. Moreover, Brightline claims net zero carbon emissions. If the personal Happy Planet Index is based on living a happier and healthier life, then this simple change just makes sense. According to the CDC, accidents are the 4th leading cause of death.

Higher life expectancy plus Cost savings minus stress minus carbon emissions =

Happy Self, Happy Planet

Goal #2 Buying a hybrid vehicle

Here I confront a tradeoff: I want to cut my mobility emissions without increasing my emissions from spending. Despite the low fuel efficiency of my 2012 Nissan Altima, it is fully paid off and still runs ok despite nearly 130,000 miles. However, it’s been making noises and flashing warning lights for well over a year, and I recently spent $1,100 to fix the salt-eroded brakes on all four tires. This combined with high fuel costs has me considering cutting my mobility emissions while buying a new toy for myself. Do I make this car last as long as possible to save on spending? Or, do I get a fuel efficient vehicle as I know it will cut my emissions and likely contribute to my peace of mind. Fortunately, the August 2022 Biden IRA bill provides a $7,500 tax credit to purchases of new EVs and hybrids. The choice to buy a hybrid vs EV is perhaps the subject of a different article, but the cost and convenience of a hybrid (particularly from its extended range) has me convinced to go in that direction.

Goal #3 Shifting my mindset from “Doing-in-Separation” to “Being-in-Connection”

n her book “Thinking in Systems”, Donella Meadows explains how paradigm shifts (or changes to mindset and beliefs) comprise the greatest change in systems behavior and outcomes. In 2023, it is my conscious intention to continue a shift that has unfolded over the past three years, wherein I have broken free from a paradigm of overdoing and busy-ness. Productivity is a better goal than “busy-ness”, as it invites one to work smarter rather than “harder”, focusing on better outcomes without overdoing the inputs. For me, even better than productivity is the goal of giving and allowing for myself the thing that I hope productivity will ultimately provide me: connection -- with others, with my my authentic Self, and with something beyond myself (which is seeing beyond the illusion of separation, thus further motivating my drive to give to others and the planet). I might not be thinking in these terms if not for the game of golf!

Conclusions

In summary, we can reduce, reuse, refuse, and recycle when it comes to reducing ecological footprint. Adding to that increasingly common wisdom, I would add two questions that I can consider going forward to continuously improve my HPI:

What does this contribute to my happiness, well-being, and longevity?
What does this contribute to my net ecological footprint?

The Happy Planet Index recommends five ways to boost well-being without costing the planet.

Consider playing more golf in 2023 as a way to:

Connect
Be active
Take notice
Keep learning
Give

My Own “Happy Place”