Five teams consisting of seven participants each participated in the most recent iteration of Jefferson County’s favorite carbon footprint reduction contest.

Organizers for 2021’s Taming Bigfoot competition — dubbed “Recovering Greener” — switched things up a bit by simply asking for competitors to achieve as low a carbon footprint as possible through February, without having first measured their natural footprint and then working to reduce it. For the purposes of 2021’s measurements, organizers stuck to measuring participants’ home energy and water use, production of non-recycled garbage, transportation activity and food purchases and consumption.

The Carbonites, led by Marley Loomis, took first place in the competition with a team equivalent of 2,203 pounds of C02 emitted through the month. For their efforts, each of the team members were awarded a cubic yard of biochar, courtesy of Olympic Biochar.

Team winners were also recognized for particular achievements to reduce their emissions in each of the individually-measured categories.

The Sustainable Wannabees, led by Carol Cummins, managed to reduce their home energy carbon footprint the most. Feral Nephilim, led by Jefferson County Commissioner Greg Brotherton, managed to be the biggest reducer of transportation-associated carbon emissions. Food and shopping emissions were most reduced by The Fixations, led by Ben Bauermeister. The Planet Protectors, led by Janis Inman, were also recognized for their second-place finish in the total footprint reduction.

The competition also recognized the single-smallest carbon footprint out of all the competition. Carol Cummins walked away with this green distinction after emitting a little more than the equivalent of 78 pounds of C02  and was awarded an Earth Machine Composter, courtesy of Jefferson County Public Health.

In honor of Taming Bigfoot 2021: Recovering Greener, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition will be planting 600 western red cedar and Sitka spruce trees.