There’s a pile next to where my suitcase will be – things I’m choosing to leave behind.
Most of it’s what you’d expect: bottled toiletries, old habits I’m trying to unlearn, synthetic jumpers I’d only overheat in. But some of it’s less visible. I’m trying not to pack assumptions – like that I’ll always understand the bins, or that every café will have soy milk, or that I’ll find a decent lunch near campus without animal products or plastic packaging.
I leave in late August. It still doesn’t feel quite real. But I’ve had this question circling for weeks: how do you travel far without leaving a mess? Not just carbon, but cultural, material, mental. I’ve been carrying that – the guilt, the contradiction, the privilege – and trying to carry it honestly.
According to https://co2.myclimate.org/en/flight_calculators, my flight to Taipei via Beijing clocks in at around 2.3 tonnes of CO₂. For context, various academic studies define the annual per-person carbon budget to meet climate targets to be about 0.6 tonnes. So I’ve already failed, mathematically, before even arriving. Nice.
I’m not pretending I can undo that with bamboo toothbrushes and good intentions. But I think how I live there matters. I’ve been vegan for years – which in Taiwan means tofu, veg, rice, and a lot of label-checking. I’ve downloaded the Happycow app to find vegan food spots that don’t involve polystyrene. I’ll mostly be using public transport and walking to get around the city, using https://english.metro.taipei/ to plan routes and check live train times. One of the bigger trips I’ve planned is to cycle Taiwan’s Cycling Route No. 1 – a full loop of the island – rather than zipping around by scooter like most tourists. It’ll take longer, but I think that matters. I’m choosing to carry less speed, less convenience, and – when I can – less contradiction.
My flat won’t have air con. I’ll use fans and shade and probably sweat more than I’d like. For second-hand shops, I’ve bookmarked a few local guides like https://hivelife.com/thrifting-in-taipei to avoid buying new stuff unless necessary. I’ll be using the Water Refill Map app to find public drinking-water stations and avoid single-use bottles. It’s a bit clunky but fine if you know some Mandarin – I only know a little so far, but I’m learning. Carrying less language, for now.
I’m also keeping a sketchbook. Not for drawings – for overheard phrases, questions, contradictions. I’ve been considering the idea of starting a small zine while I’m out there – something handmade, passed around rather than posted. Maybe I’ll call it ‘Carrying Less’. Small pages on low-carbon living, responsible consumption and production (SDG Goal 12), and sustainable city life (see SDG Goal 11) – written from the middle of it all.
I’m not aiming for a moral high ground. I’m trying to notice more. And carry a little less each time.
