Kate Power – Transport Troubles

What things did you enjoy the most about your experience this week?

I really enjoyed sharing the experience with others through the Slack channel, seeing the questions, stories, experiences of everyday life of different types of people in different parts of the world.  I am also much more aware of my carbon-freebies and how these are the most fun parts of my life! 

What were the main challenges you faced during the week?

I needed to attend a medical appointment in another town which I thought I could reach by public transport (I have just moved to a rural area and don´t know my way around yet) but in fact, the bus only runs 2 or 3 times per day. I would have had to find a place to wait in the town for two hours before my appointment and two hours afterward. It is 9km, a distance I could have cycled if I wasn´t going to a medical appointment, so in the end, my husband drove me there in his van. It was only a short journey – disappointing that public transport is so limited in rural areas. 

What were your main lessons learned of the week?

The carbon footprint of buying anything new is bigger than you think! I bought a book (about 2kg) and a pair of tights (about 4.5kg) – if you are on a carbon budget of about 6.8kg per day, these purchases take on a new significance. Before doing this experiment, I would not have thought about the impact of buying these things, as I have been more focused on food, housing and transport – but buying the tights had a bigger impact than the journey in the van, which surprised me. It is very good to become more aware of the impact of everything we buy. 

What would have made it easier for you to achieve your target this week?

Regular public transport between rural towns!