Instead of flying, what if we “travelled” within ourselves to explore how we are part of the climate crisis?

It is not because I am devoted to this grave planetary crisis we find ourselves in, that I can have a “privileged” status or “special” license to over-consume and have unsustainable life style and work practices.

I remember, as if it was today, how embarrassed I was when hearing a friend proudly sharing that he had flown for neither work nor vacation in 15 years. A couple of months later I’d be in Mexico City for work, and before heading back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I live, I would make a stop-over in Costa Rica for vacation.

After this incident in Dec 2016, I began deepening my reflection on my own contribution to flight emissions. The following year I prevented emissions caused by an international long-distance work trip by attending the workshop remotely – which worked pretty well. I also went on a local trip for the holidays using public transportation. But still, I travelled significantly that year.

Since then, however, I have committed not to fly. And it’s been fun! The enhanced quality of video conferencing has been helping my transition to the world of virtual meetings. In 2018, I declined invitations to speak at events that did not accept my participation via call/video and in one particular event, instead of flying, I took a bus.