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MNN.COM > MNN BLOGGERS > Melissa Hincha-Ownby's Blog

Melissa Hincha-Ownby

Atlanta family downsizes and donates to charity

The Salwen family downsized their Atlanta house and donated half of the proceeds from the sale to hunger relief projects in Africa.
Mon, Feb 01 2010 at 3:00 PM EST
Read more: CARBON FOOTPRINT, GREEN FINANCE, VIDEO

 
 
Downsizing a too-large house is good for the environment. In the case of the Salwen family's downsizing, it was also good for hunger relief projects in Africa. The four-person family downsized their 6,500 square-foot Atlanta house to a 3,000 square-foot house and donated half of the proceeds from the sale, a reported $800,000, to charity. Okay, so the 3,000 square-foot house is still large, especially for a family of four, but the fact is this family considerably downsized. They’ve likely made a big reduction to their carbon footprint and helped African communities dealing with hunger.
 
Although the family began this process a few years ago, they are back in the media again thanks to a new book, The Power of Half, which is available on Feb. 10. The book highlights the family’s journey to do something and make a change thanks to then 14-year-old daughter Hannah.
 
Obviously not everyone is in a position to give such a generous amount of money to charity, but the message is that everyone can do something. If you have a family, get your children involved in the process.
 
via [NRDC]
 
Photo: loufi
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