Habitat for Humanity’s solar efforts shrink carbon footprint

As travel and back-to-school routines ramp up, many of us are looking for practical ways to shrink our carbon footprint. One simple step is to keep our “offset” dollars local through Habitat Solar, an Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity effort that installs rooftop solar on Habitat homes. Donations through habitatsolar.org both cut lifetime carbon emissions and permanently lower utility bills for families building stability here at home.

Habitatsolar.org even offers a quick calculator. Estimate a flight’s emissions using the ICAO tool, then donate about 22 cents per kilogram of CO₂ — turning a routine trip into long-term energy savings for a neighbor. That’s a far better bargain than generic offsets whose benefits can be hard to verify or far away.

Before your next flight — or as a monthly habit — visit habitatsolar.org. It’s a small act with durable, local returns: cleaner air, lower bills, and stronger households in our own community.

Eric Johnson

Iowa City Citizens' Climate Lobby