I am on a mission towards low impact, earth-friendly, community-minded, abundantly joyful living and have managed to change my life to become an ethical eater, live close to zero waste, minimalism, off-grid (low Co2e) living and a continuing array of ongoing eco/ethical life efforts, yet there have been some ongoing complexities/sticking points; namely driving (and flying)!
Having only taken 1-flight since 2019 (which was to see my Grandmother a final time) I recently committed to never fly again (see my exceptional circumstances clause here!).
It is time to commit to relinquishing my car ownership.
Eco-living requires all cylinders firing in environmentally friendly ways. It has become all too easy to drive because trains are expensive and unreliable and because the freedom of owning a car feels unmatched.
The true question is whether or not many of the benefits of car ownership are in fact the false perception of benefit (ie measurement as a single individual, not an interwoven ecological-self). Am I truly freer because I can choose to drive whenever and wherever I desire, or am now freer as I walk and cycle and train and bus and hitch and share my way around the world? Will selling my car limit my adventures? Truth be told, I feel more free in many ways; I feel great to be sticking to my principles and not to have a contradiction parked on my drive and I feel enormously inspired to plan my adventures and outings in ways that do not damage the earth, that involve slow moving, conversations and using this body. Extra time, some added planning, a cancelled train. Are these necessarily terrible experiences or can we approach them in a way that enhances our life?
Financially, it is true and somewhat frustrating that it is often possible to drive solo and still save money and time compared to a train. Something is wrong here. However, these are not the only measurements that matter. We should support the train system- it exists and by using it we can help support improvements- or demand them through consumer power. If my car breaks down, it’s a headache and often a huge expense that is hard to plan for, especially given my commitment to live on less than £12,500 per year. Road accidents are terrifying and commonplace. Perhaps most importantly for me, having a car is environmentally insane when it is not entirely necessary (if it ever truly is?).
So, my car is going and the funds will go into;
· A quality bicycle (plus lock, lights etc)
· One year’s cost of running my blog
· A few tanks of fuel (what a joy, my fuel is now my planetary diet!)
Now let’s consider some of my available transport alternatives, of which there are no shortage:
Trains
Probably far cheaper than owning a car, trains can be a beautiful experience, passing through countryside whilst reading a good book or conversing with others. Trains can get you almost anywhere in good time and in an environmentally friendly manner. If we use them more, we can encourage their improvement. There are train journeys so beautiful that they are holidays in themselves- check out the Caledonian and Cornish Sleepers! What’s more, you might even talk to someone interesting…
Busses
There are some insanely cheap busses around, I’ve got from Exeter to London for £1 and there are busses from the UK to most European cities. In and around most towns and cities or between towns and villages busses are a wonderful way to get around. Even better is that England and Wales recently invested £48 million in ‘eco-busses’. Transport for London has committed to the use of electric or hydrogen buses for all 300 single-decker buses in Central London, and the use of hybrid buses for all 3,000 double-decker buses in the same area.
Car Sharing/Car Club
In most bigger towns and cities, car sharing seems to be a growing pursuit. With over 31 million cars in the UK, we really need to be working on less reliance on personal ownership. With these schemes, you have access to a car when you really need it, but don’t have the huge costs associated with ownership. For every car off the road, there is an average saving of 2 tons of carbon dioxide every year. These schemes can also free up traffic and parking nightmares that dominate city life. I live rurally so these schemes do not yet exists in a reliable way here, but car sharing is still an option, especially now I can insure on a friends car via an app if I really need to.
Lift Sharing (BlablaCar etc)
OK, maybe you don’t want to give up your car. You can still support those who have. Share your journeys via apps like BlaBlaCar and you not only help the environment but also cover costs of fuel and meet awesome people. If you have no car, these are great ways to get from A to B and chat along the way.
Hitching
With some spare time, hitching can be an incredible way to get around, I am often surprised at peoples willingness to stop and even sometimes go out of their way to get me where I am heading. Obviously, it’s a relatively unreliable way to get to a meeting or work but can be a fun little adventure to go visit friends or a new place.
Walking
Ahhhhh there is nothing quite like walking, it's free, no equipment is required and the ability to take in surroundings, notice the little details, see wildlife and stay away from busy routes make it the most beautiful, free and calming method of transport. In big cities, a walk to and from work may not take much longer than a busy metro or bus, plus you will feel awesome, get fit, see new things every day and save tons of money. Replace your MOT with a spa day and make great food your fuel!
Cycling
For regular or longer commutes there is nothing like the wonderful simplicity of a person-powered bicycle. You can cover ground astonishingly quickly and bike routes in the UK are generally incredible. Bikes do not need to cost a bomb, maintenance is cheap (and learnable), you will get fit and be respected by other cyclists (but sometimes hated by jealous motorists). Within cities, a bike is no doubt the way forward, pollution rates are soaring while traffic drives us all mad.
Electric vehicles
Electric cars, bikes and motorbikes are becoming more and more affordable. They improve almost daily and the second-hand market will start to open up pretty soon. That said, let's not get carried away with assuming this is an incredible eco solution; they have enormous embodied energy and the batteries are a tricky and dirty recycling issue. If you need a car then it’s a great option but I think a cycling, walking and (electric) car sharing revolution is incomparably more friendly to the environment. Remember also that electricity must be produced to charge the vehicle- if this isn’t happening from sustainable resources, we are often deluding our eco-self with our ego-self.
Environmentally friendly adventures
I will be embarking on some eco-friendly travels very soon and will blog my experiences. We have all heard the saying that its all about the journey, not the destination. Driving destroys this potential and skips the entire journey element (even more so flying, when we can cross many month seasons in a matter of hours). Consider your next adventure from an ecological perspective, not a destination perspective. Walk around Wales, cycle to France, canoe down a local river, camp, hike, hill walk in Scotland, take the train to Rome and learn some Italian along the way- the possibility for adventure without contributing to climate change, colonisation, community degradation or biodiversity loss awaits and can often be far more nourishing than driving to an airport and flying to a faraway national park…the contradiction is frustratingly glaring.
(And..flying)
A separate issue but a quick side note- since 2009 I have been ‘neutralising’ the carbon of any flights I take but have recently come to realise that this is not a sustainable option. It has helped neutralise my guilty conscience but does not solve the root issue. I am proud to have quit my addiction to flight travel and embark on journeys of pure, sustainable adventure travel from now on.
I’ll put up a post soon about my bicycle lifestyle, living here in the rainy mountains of North Wales I guarantee it will be full of adventures!