0005. You go, glenn coco
Where else could we go?
Unfortunately, I'm not talking travel destinations. I mean if Earth became uninhabitable. Every human’s home. Where else would we go?
Space? "I want to go to there." The stars + view, our delicious, little planet from above…definitely do not want to live there though. I’ve read + seen enough sci-fi to imagine that it has nothing on Earth.
This giant, looming question is the reason I think twice about everything. Especially the waste I make and the way I spend. Nature (so unique to our planet) makes me want to go big. But, right now, given our linear economy of consumption and production, what can we do?
Tiny changes in action and mindset, multiplied by millions - it adds up. Big time.
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| Ancient domes - a reason to go big. |
Most of my trips involve nature. This travel is inherently amazing, eye-opening, inspiring and ... not green.
You have to get there somehow - carbon emitting trains, planes or automobiles. But, if you think of it that way, you’d never leave your house. To me, seeing new places is the reason I want to make changes and inspire others to do so too.
So ... small (yet powerful) ways to be sustainable while exploring (or anytime really):
+ Consider your airline. Contrary to what you would think, budget airlines tend to be more eco-friendly. They typically fill their flights and have younger, more fuel-efficient fleets. They also waste less by not giving out free snacks and drinks.
+ Be prepared. Bring your own water bottle, straw, utensils, jar, shopping bags, toiletries, snacks, etc. Be ready when thirst or hanger strikes. I've had lots of luck with kind businesses (and even airport McDonald's) refiling my water bottle. Assume you'll be given a straw and warmly preempt that.
+ Don’t touch plane stuff. Kindly ask staff to use your bottle instead of a cup. To avoid plastic-wrapped items (headphones, blanket, food) I always bring a snack, dress warmly, and wear my Turkish towel as a scarf or pack it in my backpack (hello, blanket).
+ Once there, walk everywhere. Take bikes or public transportation when too far.
+ Leave it better than you found it. Pick up trash, especially at water ways and nature spots, donate your time.
+ Shop local. Empower locals and communities by shopping from artisans, bodegas/corner stores and small businesses vs. chains.
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What would you add to this list? Can you apply any of the above to your everyday routine? What motivates you to implement changes?
Steph, beautiful photos, what an inspiring place. Good ideas here as well. I don't travel much, but when I do, always out in nature, at the beach. It feels so good to pick up trash while walking. It's also mind blowing how much washes up on an otherwise pristine beach.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about a post discussing how our food choices affect the environment? I just caught a listen to the podcast Science VS about alternative milks. The final verdict is that they have an impact as well (almond uses a lot of water for example), but are still much better than dairy. In my own life I'm mostly vegan except for eggs, we raise our own hens. They eat scraps, produce manure for compost for our garden and are part of our home preschool curriculum. In a world where it's really hard to control many things that negatively contribute to the planet, what I put in my mouth is my small part. At least I can feel good about that.
Thanks again for a great post!
Thank you, Sasha! Food choices are so important and I will definitely be writing a post on that in the future - at first I was feeling ill equipped (I avoid dairy but do still eat meat, not often and always trying to source from local farms that treat their animals humanely and practice sustainable farming), but then I remembered that the whole point of this blog is to inspire people to make those small changes in ways that work for them. I've read that oat milk has the least environmental impact and making it is easy and zero-waste if you can get bulk oats. By the way, you have my future dream life - chickens and a home preschool! My grandma always had chickens and I've wanted my own forever. Thank you for reading! I feel less like I'm talking to myself out here and so happy to communicate with someone who cares about these issues as I do.
DeleteSteph, I bet lots of others are reading too. And it's ok to do it just for yourself. But I think many are being inspired.
DeleteI think there's a saying something like, don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. It means don't fail at doing what you CAN just because you can't be perfect. Even small positive changes can have big impacts. I think if everyone on the planet just ate less meat and animal products that would have a big impact. And less, vs none, is probably an easily attainable goal for most. I would hope if many people focused on less, over time they would reap some very tangible positive personal benefits and it might inspire even less consumption. If they could just get started......
Thank you for the kind words about my *dream life* - giggling a bit at that! For me, it sure is, but I hadn't thought that it might look that way to anyone else. The things that make me happiest in my life (after my loving and kind husband and kids) are my animals and doing work that positively contributes to children's lives. I'm grateful I get to tick both those boxes.