Follow a family's effort to reduce their carbon emissions by six tonnes

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Follow the Lindell family's progress online as they participate in the "One Tonne Life" project and attempt to reduce their carbon footprint from seven tonnes per person per year to a mere one tonne.

In order to prevent climate change, it is estimated that emissions of greenhouse gases have to decrease from current levels of around seven tonnes* per person per year to an average of one tonne per person per year.

In an attempt to demonstrate that this level of emissions can be significantly reduced without a dramatic alteration in lifestyle, three Swedish companies - house builder A-Hus, Smart Grid company Vattenfall and Volvo - created the One Tonne Life Project.

Using existing technology, the companies created a purpose-built house and supplied specialist equipment, including solar panels and a Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric car to help the family achieve the "one tonne" goal.  

The Lindell family from Hasselby, Sweden, includes father Nils, mother Alicja and teenagers Hannah and Jonathan. The family moves into the house, where they will stay for six months, on January 19.

The family's carbon emissions will be calculated by experts from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and the City of Stockholm's Environment and Health administration.

Members of the public can follow the family's progress online through video sharing site YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/theonetonnelife, on Twitter @One_Tonne_Life or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OneTonneLife.

Tips on how to reduce your family's carbon emissions are available in the National Geographic's Green Guide ( http://www.thegreenguide.com) and a means of calculating your family's carbon footprint is available online at http://www.carbonfootprint.com.

More information about the project can be found at: http://onetonnelife.com

*1 metric ton = 1 imperial tonne