I look through my suitcase, then check the digital list in my hand for my year abroad in Adelaide at Flinders University. Socks, shoes, t-shirts, toothbrush. If I forget anything, it will be the soap. Like last time.
I glance at the list again and a checkbox appears over it, uninvited. Three items surface, something I had not typed myself. It unfolds like a to-do list. The first: buy a bike.
Why would I need that and a MetroCard? I could just Uber, or rideshare with friends.
Something then appears beneath it.
UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements safe, resilient and sustainable.
The list fills in underneath:
– Cycle instead of driving. No excuse with Adelaide’s cycling infrastructure.
– Use public transport
– Walk when you can
I try to tick them off. The device will not let me. I press again. Nothing.
A pop-up appears: To proceed with packing, you must agree to follow through.
I take a breath and read more carefully this time.
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production.
– Do not waste food
– Reuse bottles and bags
– Recycle what you can, properly
The textiles industry alone uses around 93 billion cubic metres of water each year. Food waste contributes to roughly 8 to 10 percent of global emissions, according to Earth.Org.
I click through, faster than I should, and the checklist stays put. Frustrated, I needed to pack. What could I possibly be missing?
I check the boxes slower this time, meaning it. A third list appears.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
– Use ethical personal care products to limit microplastics
– Cut down on the seafood you eat, or ask where it came from
– Eliminate single use plastics before they reach your bag
I think of Middleton, the surf breaks I’ve been reading about, and the diving trips through Flinders University’s underwater club. All the ways I plan to be in that water, and how little I’d thought about my impact putting rubbish into it in return.
Another pop-up. There is something you have forgotten. Something not very sustainable at all.
My head scrambles.
Three flights to get to Australia. Your carbon footprint on this trip alone is considerable.
“They were cheaper,” I say out loud, to nobody.
The checklist does not argue back. It sits there, the one box I cannot tick, while the jet fuel disappears into the stratosphere, adding to the climate crisis. Global aviation is responsible for around 2.5 percent of global emissions.
I cannot undo the flights now. What I can do is mean every other box on this list, properly, with deliberate action and responsibility.
I zip my suitcase shut. Socks, shoes, t-shirts, toothbrush.
I will still have forgotten the soap.
Useful Resources:
Cycling in Adelaide: cityofadelaide.com.au/integrated-transport-strategy
Food Waste Emissions: earth.org/facts-about-food-waste
Flight Emissions: ourworldindata.org/global-aviation-emissions
Sustainable Seafood: msc.org/sustainable-fish-seafood-recipes
Reuse Culture: wrap.ngo/transform-textiles
