What are your alternatives to flying?
Train and videoconferencing, walking, bicycling, poetry, and drL--an un-technology that slows us down instead of speeding us up
I pledge to have less frequent air travel and to be more intentional and grateful for the ability to travel when I do. Primarily as a climate action and also as a way to commit to living fully in my local region, being more connected with my community, and experiencing the beauty and natural wealth of the fragile habitats we reside in. I work on solid waste policy and methane emissions mitigation projects and believe there is no limit to the ways we can all be climate activists!
I have taken a class with Josh Spodek and used a carbon calculator to determine that I had contributed 20 tons in 2023 by flying alone. I realized I wanted to change that. I live in Mexico and my children and grandchildren are in the US so I'm pledging to do one flight a year to Houston and to use busses and trains from there to visit family.
Eliminating even one long-distance flight saves more carbon than my family generates at home and from the car for an entire year. I love lowering my emissions by doing less and saving money! Meanwhile, I am working for systemic change through Citizens' Climate Lobby. We need changes big and small to get to net zero - and we can do it!!
I plan on flying 1-2 trips only, in 2024, saving them for family needs. Retired, I can drive my car only every other day, as best as I can, walking to grocery, drug and park nearby. When someone tells me high handedly, that the plane will fly anyway I respond that I can live with myself, and lighten some of my climate despair. I've been involved in climate actions for 10 plus years in my career, so it’s part of who I am. I've scheduled a train vacation to Glacier National Park in June.
We MUST ALL do something. So happy to find this community.
I strongly believe that everyone, especially those with financial means, must do everything within their personal power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this climate emergency, every action taken to end the use of fossil fuels matters. I have an all electric car, so I have no excuse not to stop emitting carbon for travel. It's on my bucket list to plot out interim destinations for car charging (and recharging myself from driving) along the 1000 mile road trip to visit my daughter. Embracing slow travel as my new normal makes complete sense, since I am slowing down as I age. It would be nice to live by Emerson's words "it's not the destination, it's the journey".