Honda Unveils Smart Home US for Zero Carbon Living and Mobility
Honda's ultra-efficient, carbon neutral smart home is capable of producing more energy on-site from renewable sources than it consumes annually—and it comes with a specially modified Honda Fit electric vehicle
Though the first official assessment that climate change was caused by human activity came in 1988, with NASA scientist James Hansen's famous testimony to the U.S. Congress, the "carbon neutral" concept, which refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions, is a relatively new one. The non-profit Climate Neutral Network, which developed the Climate Neutral Certification, was incorporated in 1999; the first company to receive certification was the California-based nutrition supplement producer Shaklee Corporation, in 2000. The United Nations pledged to work towards climate neutrality in 2007.
The phrase "carbon neutral" was the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2006. That same year, Honda became the first automaker to announce voluntary carbon dioxide emissions reduction targets for its worldwide fleet of automobile, power sports and power equipment products, as well as its global network of manufacturing plants. And now, the company has unveiled a compelling new solution that seeks to address emissions reductions on the consumer level: the Honda Smart Home US, a combined house and electric vehicle that together enable zero net energy living and transportation.
FOR ZERO CARBON INNOVATION, AMERICA MATTERS
Several countries have made pledges to become carbon neutral, including Costa Rica, Iceland, Maldives, New Zealand, Norway, Tuvalu, Vatican City and Bhutan. But while these pledges are important—and provide excellent examples for other countries—they are small potatoes in the larger scheme of global warming. The main emitters are China, which contributes 26.43% of global emissions, followed by the United States, at 17.33%. The third biggest emitter, India, is not even close, at 6.41%.{1}
Reynard Loki is a Justmeans staff writer for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. A co-founder of MomenTech, a New York-based experimental production studio, he maintains the blog 13.7 Billion Years and is a contributing author of the publication "Biomes and Ecosystems," a comprehensive reference encyclopedia of the Earth's key biological and geographic classifications, published in 2013 by Salem Press.
