Travelling. Such an unsustainable activity, right? Well, not entirely. For starters, travel does not always involve vehicles. After all, I do have working legs. Perhaps the biggest benefit of where I will be living during my year abroad is that my housing will be right on campus, so I can easily walk to classes. That will mostly eliminate the need for me to use vehicles to get to classes. Climate action is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and something as simple as walking can have a big impact. Everybody has to do their part and if that means I skip taking a vehicle that emits greenhouse gases, then so be it. Plus walking means I don’t have to wait in long bus queues to get to classes during the morning rush, so that’s a double win.
Walking is not only actually time saving in some cases, but it will also give me a chance to connect with the local environment. Furthermore, it will help my health and wellbeing. Going on walks is something I love to do when I want to clear my head. There’s just something about walking through the streets that feels refreshing.
What about when travelling without a vehicle is impossible? Don’t fear, for there are still ways to be sustainable. Public transport is the unsung hero of sustainable travel. Imagine thirty cars emitting all those greenhouse gases compared to just one bus emitting a fraction of gases. Surely you know were I’m going with this. Travelling with other people ensures that there are less individual vehicles on the road, so carbon emissions are reduced. In the city where I am studying, bus travel is free for all university students with valid ID. Pretty neat, if you ask me. This goes beyond just helping with climate action, it also helps to avoid student poverty. Why pay a ridiculous amount to rent a car I will barely use when free bus travel is right there?
Travelling does not always mean going downtown to frequent the clubs ever night. My host university already has a wealth of activities, clubs and societies on its very own campus. Of course I will visit downtown, but I will also be able to spend a lot of time just exploring the campus itself and all it has to offer. Quality education doesn’t come from studying alone, its enhanced by the student experience gained by being immersed into campus life. There are many things to do on campus such as watching sports games, joining a society, watching sports games, working at a store on campus, watching sports games. Can you tell I really want to watch sports games?
Sustainability can’t be spelt without I, and I personally am committed to making my year abroad sustainable while still being fun and exciting. Who says sustainability can’t be fun?
