Canadian Geographic is launching a new national challenge inspiring Canadians to reduce their carbon emissions at home.

Live Net Zero will follow five households from across the country as they compete in challenges to drastically reduce their carbon emissions and try to live a net-zero lifestyle.

Each household has been provided with $10,000 to help reduce their carbon footprint. They will be put to the test through themed bi-weekly challenges, starting September 19, 2022.

Each of the challenge themes will help the families identify their greatest sources of carbon emissions, prioritize retrofits and educate them on behavioral changes that can reduce emissions.

“Getting Canada to net-zero will be a huge challenge for us all, and that’s why we’ve created this challenge. It is designed to help participating families significantly lower their household’s carbon footprint while inspiring fellow Canadians to join the journey to net-zero,” said Aran O’Carroll, Canadian Geographic’s National Director, Government Relations and Environment.

The households competing in the Live Net Zero challenge include:

• The Loewen-Nair family from London, ON
• The Pistor family from New Westminster, BC
• The Leung family from Vancouver, BC
• The Richmond family from Red Deer, AB
• The Lai family from Stouffville, ON

“Working towards living more sustainably, while finding ways to lower our carbon footprint is important to us,” said Jen Pistor, one of the program participants whose family resides in New Westminster, BC.
“Participating in the Live Net Zero program is an opportunity for our family to learn how we can do more. Sustainable living is about progress over perfection for us, and we’re excited to share what we learn along our journey.”

Each of the five households will be documenting their efforts along the way and use social media to share their journeys to inspire and teach fellow Canadians what they can do within their own households to reduce energy consumption, shrink their carbon footprint, and lower their spending on energy.

The Live Net Zero challenge themes include:

• The Commuting Challenge — families explore different strategies and ways to get around with the lowest carbon emissions impact.
• The Electricity Challenge — families find ways to reduce their electricity use, explore options for lower-carbon sources of energy, and evaluate various appliance upgrades.
• The Home Envelope Challenge — families consult with experts to conduct a home energy audit and identify retrofits and upgrades to improve the air-tightness of their homes.
• The Heating & Cooling Challenge — families consult with experts to conduct an audit of their home heating and hot water systems and evaluate greener solutions such as heat pumps and tankless water heaters.
• The Holiday Challenge — families evaluate the environmental footprint of their gift-giving and travel and explore less carbon-intensive options.

Additional information and links to follow the households as they embark upon their journeys to live net zero can be found at www.canadiangeographic.ca/live-net-zero.