Uk holidays and No car.

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Uk holidays and No car.
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selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 1:25 pm Post subject: Uk holidays and No car.
Can anyone who cares about the environment still drive a car and go on foreign holidays by aeroplane?

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 1:56 pm Post subject:

Ok so I am being provocative on perpose. It is just that I have gotten on fine without a car for years despite the it is a real pain using public transport in this country. I am also dedatign weather or not is worth thinking about not setting foot on a plane again.

Is it worth making sacrifices for the environment? I hear all sorts of excuses, er sorry reason as to why people drive cars. Can one of the biggest contributers to global warming really be justified? Mind you I have never lived in a real rural, no public transport place.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45450
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:08 pm Post subject:

Andy

You've asked a really difficult queston here, I've often said I admire what Sean and his wife did, they can do everything they need within walking distance. I hope to own some land soon and sustainability is definitely on my agenda, but it means that I'll be travelling (a lot) further to work and the girls schools will no longer be in walking (or public transport) distance, and there isn't a single shop in the village...

As for holidays you're talking to someone who's travelled many 1000s of miles by jet plane, although the farthest we go nowadays is Spain.

No simple answers I'm afraid to say.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:19 pm Post subject:

It's a tough call, our house is at least a mile from the nearest bus stop which arrives infrequently. We want to live in the country so we have to own a car to have any sense of normaility.

To cater for that we need to reduce the unneccesary trips and wasted journeys.

We also travel by plane 4 or 5 times a year between Ireland and Wales, It's far cheaper than the ferry and takes us a fraction of the time. I guess that I could consider seeing my family less, I wouldn't mind taking the ferry more often but time is such a premium.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42208
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:20 pm Post subject:

We still own a car, though we minimise its use. But, for example we went and saw Alison yesterday which is just not feasible by public transport.
What did get on my nerves when I lived in London was people who lived in places with perfectly good and convenient public transport links saying that they 'needed to drive to work, because public transport was too unreliable'. I used various combinations of tubes, busses, trains and a bike for fifteen years, and could count the number of times I was late for work because of public transport on my fingers (though I do have six arms). People don't use public transport because they don't like it, not because it's impractical. (In most cases.)
Generally: My car is essential, you should try to cut your mileage, they should use public transport.

Planes are a whole different issue, I'm probably still in 'carbon-debt' from going to NZ 15 years ago.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:26 pm Post subject:

No you are right Tahir obviously no simple anwsers. It sometimes feels that there are precious few people that are making an effort to stop their consumption.

I have found this site which will at least cover the issue of co2 ommisons

https://www.futureforests.com/

You donate money to plant trees that ensure your carbon nutrality.

for instance one person flying from heathrow to Ibiza (not that I imagine you would go to Ibiza) will use half a tonne of Co2 one tree should cover this.

As for new zealand about 6 trees should cover it.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45450
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:29 pm Post subject:
Well I hope to be planting many 100s of trees maybe I can wipe out the CO2 siins of all our members

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42208
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:30 pm Post subject:
Woohoo, guilt-free at last, I've planted loads more than six trees since then. Which doesn't mean the rest of you can use my allowance.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28129
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 2:46 pm Post subject:
I was proud not to own or have ever owned a car when I was 30. But then the sheer realities of public transport and a family in the UK got too much let alone job mobility

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 3:00 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

I was proud not to own or have ever owned a car when I was 30. But then the sheer realities of public transport and a family in the UK got too much

let alone job mobility

Hmm, at 30 I can be holier than thou as I not to own or have ever owned a car. I am wondering if and when I start a family I will insist on holiday on bikes? But Surley Swindon is a big enough place to have an ok public transport system? Even ditcing the car for a bike or a bus once a week makes a difference.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28129
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 3:04 pm Post subject:

selfsufficientish wrote:

jema wrote:

I was proud not to own or have ever owned a car when I was 30. But then the sheer realities of public transport and a family in the UK got too much

let alone job mobility

Just about anyone "can" survive without a car, but with 4 to cart around along with pushchairs and shopping etc, you would certainly need to be holier than me!

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 3:14 pm Post subject:
I really can't imagine what it would be like with a family and could not say if I would 'crack' and get a car. I wonder if alternative fuels will be a viable consideration when I get a family. I also wonder if they ended up being more expensive than the conventional petrol/diesel cars if anyone would pay more?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45450
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 3:17 pm Post subject:

selfsufficientish wrote:

I also wonder if they ended up being more expensive than the conventional petrol/diesel cars if anyone would pay more?

There will always be a minority that would be willing to vouluntarily pay more but the bulk of people don't give a toss.

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 3:20 pm Post subject: Re: Uk holidays and No car.

selfsufficientish wrote:

Can anyone who cares about the environment still drive a car and go on foreign holidays by aeroplane?

As far as aircraft go, I am afraid I follow Erasmus's prayer - I need the industry to pay me until retirement and then pay my pension. The number of aircraft could reduce and emit less, so long as those people still flying are able to pay for me, and I presume piston aircraft are better than jets?

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 05 3:25 pm Post subject:

selfsufficientish wrote:

I don't understand this, how can my flight produce half a tonne of Co2 per person? It won't even use half a tonne of fuel per person.

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