Ending my Addiction to Aviation Fuel

I’m writing this on the bus from Wellington to Auckland. Its 5pm, and I’ve been on the road since 8am. This is the Naked Bus service, and the ticket cost me $38, even though I booked it late in the piece. I’m traveling up to Auckland to do a TV appearance with my band - the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra. We will be on air for maybe 20 minutes, and then we are going to take the opportunity to do an in-store appearance at Real Groovy before coming home. Sure, love the fame and opportunities for exposure - but the carbon cost is killing me. Well, if not me - some family in a town in Bangladesh, or someone in a typhoon in Asia. MSN reports that some 300,000 deaths occur each year as a result of climate change. Climate Change Kills - and because Air Travel is the biggest source of personal emissions - Air Travel is becoming an ethical issue.

My good friend and fellow trustee Nick did an impressive audit of his personal emissions and showed 1990 levels as well as the levels required to ultimately achieve a 40% reduction in emissions by 2020 (which is the safe upper limit of CO2 in the atmosphere). Nicks emissions are likely less than mine - because I have done so much air travel with the band. He calculates that 80% of his emissions come from air travel. Mine might be as high as 95%!

So it seems to me that there is only one way to solve this - to ditch air travel. Do-able? Actually, yes!

I’ve recently requested that I don’t do any more air travel with the band. We have a tour coming up, and I have opted for driving and bussing. There is one flight that can’t be avoided, but other than that, I will be getting around more slowly in future. It’s pretty annoying for management to have to organise yet another form of transport, but I felt surprised by the amount of support that my move made. Other band members have opted to travel with me, so that’s a great result. Before long, we might all be ‘easy riders’.

I have had such a lovely day. I sat at the front of the comfortable bus, with good leg room, and a charming driver, enjoying impressive views across the sweeping landscapes. I brought my sewing with me and made a sock monkey…

I have read a book and cleared all my emails, written a communication strategy and done a bit of tweeting. I’ve had a little nap too. I have had a relaxing day in a mobile office, meeting really interesting people and seeing more of our beautiful country.

I figure that all we have to do to reach the target of 40% reduction of 1990 levels requires a 5% reduction year on year. That’s do-able if we susbstitute as many of our flights for driving. So go on, just try it, you might find it just the break you needed from your busy life…