From the age of three, at least once a year, at unspeakable hours of the morning, I would be woken up by my parents telling me we had to leave for the airport. I am privileged to have experienced international travel at such a young age. However, when Disneyland was the day’s objective, it was easy to overlook an overflowing rubbish bin or traffic congestion.
It was not until completing a two-week exchange program on sustainability in India that I understood the salience of eco-friendly travel. Through touring waste management plants in the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), I witnessed IITB’s efforts to improve a city where rubbish flooded the streets and pollution created a cloudless atmosphere. Having seen the consequences of neglecting eco-friendly actions, I understand that when travelling to different countries, including the United Kingdom, I must prioritise sustainability – whether that be through disposing rubbish appropriately, or picking up empty cans from the streets. Such mundane tasks have consequential effects of creating and maintaining sustainable cities, including promoting good health and wellbeing, and access to clean water and sanitation.
During my exchange I will not have access to a personal vehicle, hence I have decided to invest in a bicycle. This not only is a sustainable means of travel, reducing rates of carbon dioxide which promotes climate action, but also personal health and wellbeing. Despite braving five-degree weather in Japan and walking two hours to my accommodation, I understand that relying on my own physicality may not always be possible. On those days, relying on public transport remains an environmentally friendly means of travel. During a family trip to Honolulu, I organised a dinner for my family – including my grandparents who struggled to walk. By familiarising myself with the bus network, I taught them how to navigate their way using public transport. I will adopt this mentality whilst on exchange, striving to limit my carbon footprint to address climate change.
However, there have been many times in my travels where I have been stuck in an internal ethical debate between what I want as a tourist and what is best for a nation’s environment. High on my bucket list was swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines. After copious amounts of research, I learnt that every tour offering guaranteed whale shark sightings incorporated unsustainable and unethical practices. I instead opted for a government regulated tour where whale shark sightings were not guaranteed. Despite sitting on a boat for four hours and spotting zero whale sharks, the fact that my visit did not jeopardising life below the water, ensured I remained an eco-friendly traveller, preserving the aquatic environment in a way that would benefit future generations.
Ultimately, whilst promoting sustainably is personally rewarding, it is not something I am doing for myself. The actions I uphold are not for me – it is for them, the future generations of travellers, the people who think Leeds may be a great city to complete an exchange in.
