Lloyd Alter and The Story of Upfront Carbon

Lloyd Alter, the writer, thought leader, and author of Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle, has a new book out called The Story of Upfront Carbon: How a Life of Just Enough Offers a Way Out of the Climate Crisis. Lloyd will give us an overview of the book and then will dive into a detailed conversation with PHN Executive Director Ken Levenson and with questions from the audience. It should be a probing and illuminating hour for us all working to make sense of the climate struggle.

About the book, from the book jacket: Think that buying an electric car or switching to a heat pump is going to save the planet? Think again.

“Upfront carbon” refers to all emissions involved in making your car, hour home, or any other item. These invisible embodied carbon emissions matter a lot. As we weed out fossil fuels and incorporate more renewables into our energy supply, upfront carbon becomes increasingly dominant compared to operating emissions, yet it is often ignored.

Featured Presenter:
Lloyd Alter has been an architect, real estate developer, prefab proselytizer and writer, and is a Past President of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. He teaches Sustainable Design at Toronto Metropolitan University. He has contributed to many publications, including The Guardian, Green Building Advisor, Corporate Knights and Azure Magazines, and was a contributor and editor at Treehugger.com for 15 years. Lloyd is the author of Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle, from New Society Publishers. His new book, The story of Upfront Carbon, examines the carbon emitted while making everything in our lives, from iPhones to hamburgers (and yes, buildings).