(The radio version is now here.) I’m sitting in the Duluth International Airport waiting for a flight to Florida for the second time in less than two weeks. This feels horrible as far as my carbon footprint goes—after any trip, I always contribute to a non-profit like the Rainforest Trust to assuage my guilt. Carbon offsets are not the panacea travelers would like, so in addition, I find other ways to do penance. When it doesn’t impact my family, I lower or raise the temperature of my house or at least my home office into the uncomfortable range for a while, and I try to drive even more slowly than normal when it’s safe and courteous to other drivers. Virtually everything I do involves a carbon footprint, whether it’s using my computer, eating food that was grown anywhere but my own backyard, or sleeping on a bed made from natural resources next to my phone and smart watch charging on the nightstand. Being mindful about the environmental costs of so many things in my life can be depressing, but it helps me consider new ways to conserve energy.
A Chickadee Heads to Florida
A Chickadee Heads to Florida
A Chickadee Heads to Florida
(The radio version is now here.) I’m sitting in the Duluth International Airport waiting for a flight to Florida for the second time in less than two weeks. This feels horrible as far as my carbon footprint goes—after any trip, I always contribute to a non-profit like the Rainforest Trust to assuage my guilt. Carbon offsets are not the panacea travelers would like, so in addition, I find other ways to do penance. When it doesn’t impact my family, I lower or raise the temperature of my house or at least my home office into the uncomfortable range for a while, and I try to drive even more slowly than normal when it’s safe and courteous to other drivers. Virtually everything I do involves a carbon footprint, whether it’s using my computer, eating food that was grown anywhere but my own backyard, or sleeping on a bed made from natural resources next to my phone and smart watch charging on the nightstand. Being mindful about the environmental costs of so many things in my life can be depressing, but it helps me consider new ways to conserve energy.