In Isabel Losada’s The Joyful Environmentalist, she dedicates a chapter to her experience taking a flight. She plays a game – avoid the plastic – and during my flight home from Edinburgh, I decided to give it a try.
I started at the packing process: a water bottle (refillable), deodorant (refillable), a crochet project (with a bamboo hook) and Losada’s book.
Credit: Unsplash/Mark Stukey.
At the airport, there were dispensers of little plastic bags which we were instructed to put any liquids in. I stopped only to finish my water as I already had an old zip-loc bag, which has been travelling with me on many school trips and hikes, and happily advanced my position in the queue with one less plastic bag on my conscience.
Next was Edinburgh’s World Duty Free. Some of my companions from the queue peeled away, drifting towards perfumes and tartan patterned merchandise, but I remembered what Losada said: ‘it’s so pleasing to walk blissfully through all those shops [at the airport] pushing purchases onto you and buying nothing.' There is something joyful in recognising World Duty Free’s aim to have you spend as much time as possible weaving through the entire shop and thinking ‘I see what you want me to do, and I am not going to do it’.
I refilled my bottle at one of Edinburgh Airport’s many water refill stations; there feels a kind of solidarity amongst the people refilling their colourful bottles. Then, I found a café. However, I realised while ordering that there would be a plastic lid on my cup.
‘Eat in or takeaway?’
The former presented an immensely pleasing opportunity, it had been a while since I had taken the time to sit with my coffee rather than scampering off. Not only would I be dodging more plastic, but I would be able to see the foam art on my drink. Unfortunately, I ended up with a takeaway cup, but by that point I had begun to realise that Losada’s game was not about always acting perfectly, but being conscious of your actions, particularly habitual and mundane ones.
I passed the time in WHSmith’s bookshop, grabbed a sandwich (vegetarian) and refilled my bottle again before my flight. The flight itself was easier. It was short, so no risk of plastic packaged meals or cutlery or earphones or blankets, and I didn’t need to buy a drink in a plastic cup, as I already had my own.
Credit: Unsplash/Chuttersnap.
All of these choices might seem small in comparison to the pollution created by flying, and they are, but they are also important exercises of autonomy. Flying is bad for the environment. The carbon dioxide emissions produced by one passenger on a one-way flight from Manchester to London is about 113kg. Taking the train would produce about 11kg.
Initially, I thought that being so wary of my choices would be tedious, but I found it to be fulfilling. By extending Losada’s game to the rest of my life, I am encouraged to be more present, which in turn helps me to notice the little joys (latte art, the pretty patterns on my water bottle) that I would otherwise overlook. As Losada emphasises through her game, confronting our impact on the environment does not have to be a disheartening experience. In fact, it can be a lot of fun.
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