The big, bold letters jumped off the screen of my iphone Saturday morning. Ah-hah! I did it! I thought. Finally! It was a reward I never received last year, although I was flying on a near monthly basis to attend conferences and trainings, go out in the field and visit family and friends. I felt proud. For a moment. And then some words hit me that I had heard two days prior when I was speaking to Scott Laursen, Technical Project Specialist with the University of Hawaii while attending a training in Amherst, Mass. He was one of the guest speakers/facilitators brought in by the National Climate Science Center’s Student and Early Career Training. I was moved and motivated by his talk and wanted to speak to him about his current job, how he got there. I approached him during a break while he was fumbling with his jacket on the coat rack. He was more than willing to chat with me and launched into his background, which had not so much to do with science, but about the things he felt science included but scientists did not. His passion for outdoor education and speaking with our actions, incorporating feelings and thoughts from all community members, both native and non-native locals. He had a lot to share with me and I tried to keep up with the flow of his narrative. It was less like a riding a wave and a whole lot more like being jostled in turbulent waters. He spoke of community involvement, how he essentially created his position, his connection with place and water which led him to tell me, “I don’t leave much. I don’t really like to travel. I think about all the carbon and resources to get my butt all the way from Hawaii to here.” It goes against the grain of our message. That’s what he was really saying. We keep talking about how we need to limit carbon emissions to slow warming in the Arctic. And then the same people that study the effects and say these types of things are hoping on planes the next day. I realized I was one of those people. Maybe not at the Alaska Airlines tier of the “Million Mile Flyer.” I do not hold access to the exclusive board room and benefits of first class and free beverages like many of the bigwig scientists to which Scott was referring, but still I’m now toward the upper rungs of that ladder. I must say I hadn’t thought much about it until now. Probably for a whole suite of reasons. First, almost all of my travels are in “the name of Science.” I am usually traveling to further my education or someone else’s by sharing knowledge I have. I travel to collaborate and have face-to-face facilitation with museum curators, agency employees and community members. Second, I’ve never been the only person on a plane. Often the planes I fly on are so packed I end up voluntarily checking my carry on because there is not enough room onboard. It creates this line of thinking where I say, well this plane would be going whether I booked this seat or not. Lastly, and probably the most convincing argument is that, in order to collaborate with various stakeholders, in order to build trust and increase our understanding, face-to-face meetings are necessary (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09409.pdf). If you ask me they are invaluable. So what then? What can scientists and policy makers do to not be one of the top contributors to increased carbon emissions? I don’t think we can cut out professional and personal travel. But, perhaps we can cut down. Figure out what relationships are sound and where videoconferences and skype sessions are feasible. Decide to meet annually instead of quarterly. Bring your own water bottle instead of using 4 of those plastic cups that the airlines dole out every 45 minutes. And decrease the emissions resulting from shipping goods from faraway places (shop locally or regionally). Bring your reusable bags to the story every time you shop. And stop putting your fruits and veggies in those plastic bags—they don’t need them! And shop less! Be a bit more of a minimalist. Does one person really need 20 pairs of jeans and 13 hand bags? More by force than by choice I have spent the past 3 years living in a manner in which I can fit everything I own in my Subaru outback. Nothing I mentioned is novel. But, everything is doable by the average individual. So, with the guilt of reaching Alaska MVP status, I want to make a few new goals for myself and challenge others to cut down. The Paris Agreement entered force last week and the action of every traveler and shopper will be needed to keep Mother Earth cool and the living conditions of many comfortable. Photo credit: https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--d6-EUeo2--/uusvjtwnexmcidxv6g51.jpg
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AuthorHi, I'm Jenell. Biologist, student, outdoors woman and author of Mother Walrus. Archives
March 2019
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