On being carbon neutral: Being carbon neutral typically means having a zero carbon footprint, or achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset. Best practice for people seeking carbon neutral status entails reducing and/or avoiding carbon emissions first so that only unavoidable emissions are offset. We do this the following ways:

• we start with a home that is extremely well insulated
• we use novel lighting techniques (no carbon filaments here...) and ultra-energy-efficient appliances
• we use solar panels and batteries to provide most, if not all of our energy
• we are completely off the electrical grid so that no electrons generated via carbon atoms sneak into the home inadvertently
• we grow trees to assuage whatever guilt remains

Carbon neutral is so passé ...
Well, being carbon neutral just isn't good enough anymore, we have to be carbon negative to offset Al Gore's home. So, we've embarked on a local program to sequester all that bad carbon. You can read about it here and here.