I’ve always believed that travel is the closest thing we have to a superpower, offering the ability to step out of our own lives and into someone else’s. But there is a heavy price tag attached to that luxury. A carbon footprint that doesn’t just disappear when you board the plane. As I prepare for my upcoming sports development placement with Challenges Abroad in Usa River, near Arusha, I am moving beyond the idea that travel must be destructive.
I am trading in convenience for consciousness. This means making it a personal mission to align my time in Tanzania with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These include Goal 12 for Responsible Consumption and Production and Goal 13 for urgent Climate Action.(United Nations, 2015)
My philosophy is to keep it simple and circular by adopting a zero waste nomad mindset. I have committed to a strategy of radical reduction. I am packing only what is strictly necessary because I know that every extra kilogram I carry requires more fuel to move, and therefore, more energy to transport. I have also officially parted ways with single use plastics. By relying on a durable, reusable metal flask rather than buying plastic bottles, I’m trying to ensure that my presence in the Arusha region doesn’t leave behind a pile of trash in an environment I am there to help improve.
Once on the ground, I am choosing to be locally rooted. I am rejecting the tourists temptation of imported processed snacks, which carry a heavy cost in packaging and long distance shipping. To mitigate this, I plan to embrace the local markets in Usa River, eating meals provided by the company that are made with locally sourced ingredients. This not only shrinks my carbon footprint but directly supports the local economy. In addition, I’m being ruthless about my transit choices, prioritizing airlines that demonstrate verified investments in sustainable aviation fuels rather than those that simply make empty promises.
To me, sustainability isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being intentional. It is about recognizing that as a visitor in Tanzania, I am a guest in a community, not just a tourist. I want my month in Arusha to be a story worth telling.The story should not only highlight the sports programs I help develop, but for the respect I show the ground I walk on and the air i breathe. I am proving that you don’t have to choose between seeing the world and saving it, but you can do both. All that is needed is discipline, and enough determination to try.
References
United Nations (2015) Sustainable Development Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
