Photo credit: www.aragostahotel.com
In several days, I will be departing for Europe with my family for a month, and for the first time, I really got to thinking about the effects of airplane trips on our environment. I’ve decided that this year, I will make a conscious effort to offset my trip on my return, as well as observe sustainable practices in the countries that I will be visiting.
I expect to see major differences between the countries I’ll visit that are within the Euro Zone, and the countries without, but overall, I think it’s going to be an educational experience. I know that, despite the fact that recycling programs aren’t as well-developed in the Balkans, the fact is that most of their food, particularly meat, fruit and vegetables, are local, which greatly cuts down on the need for transport, saving CO2 emissions there. Countries in the Euro Zone, however, are probably a lot more aware of, and able to implement, sustainable practices, as they have the capital to organize larger programs and campaigns.
Their drawback is the fact that their metropolitan areas undoubtedly have to import a great majority of their food. There are a great many other factors to take into consideration when examining the situations in the individual lands, such as economic conditions, geographic positioning, and lifestyle, but I will do the best I can to standardize the analysis. With that said, I may just be spoiled by all of the incredible efforts here on campus, but I really hope that I will be pleasantly surprised upon arrival.
As far as my contribution to offset all the emissions from my flight, I will come up with a detailed plan to continue my journey towards carbon neutrality (details to follow in the next blog).
Aufwiedersehen all, and see you at the end of July!
- vedrana