Back from the land of wind turbines

Though the steps I took while travelling won’t add up to reductions equalling the greenhouse gas emissions of my flight, every choice we make that results in less waste helps. And more importantly, the way we live our lives at home, rather than the exceptions we make while away, are what add up to the bulk of our carbon footprint.

The little steps I took to reduce my impact while travelling included: opting for tapwater when possible, saying no to plastic bags when buying food on the go, and taking public transit rather than taxis in the cities I visited, when possible.  

Taking public transit is one of my favourite things to do when visiting, so it wasn’t hard to choose this option. Whereas in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, there is no direct public transit route from the downtown core to Pearson International Airport, my travel mates and I were able to take a subway from downtown Munich to the Munich Airport with ease- even with our guitars and keyboards in tow.

As far as shopping goes, I bought myself two articles of clothing: a vintage orange jacket, and a second hand silk scarf, which I wore out of the store. I won’t list here how many chocolate bars I purchased for friends and family at home, that could lead to some harsh feelings amongst those who did not receive such items upon my return. But most of the chocolates were organic and fair trade.

 Of course, buying organic chocolate, used clothing, and veggie meats instead of schnitzel don’t amount to much of an ‘offset’ against the jet fuel used to propel my band mates and I across the Atlantic. But in carrying on with the Good Life choices I am making here, I hope to take many positive steps that will counter the contrails left by my flight.  As I head home from the office to gather my clothes up for a cold-water wash at the Laundromat, I will be thinking of the wind turbines we frequently passed as we travelled in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. The long, elegant structures blended in well with the blue skies, and green and yellow fields, just as smoothly as the climate friendly choices The Good Life offers are blending into my routine at home.

by Maggie MacDonald