Why I ditched my no-fly rule for a flight to Switzerland -Times Online
...What I did notice was how little effect our new lifestyle had on anyone else. I considered my decision to be mildly heroic. Most friends thought it was pointless, even obsessive.
When other people boasted of some marathon to the sun, I would mumble that we were trying not to fly anywhere for environmental reasons. But this had absolutely no impact. Some friends had the grace to look sheepish. But I don't think that a single one changed their behaviour.
It wasn't pointless, for me. I had calculated that flights made up quite a significant bit of our family carbon footprint. We were already doing some of the basic “green” things - low-energy lighting, smart meter, bus to school. Slow travel made sense as the next step. But to most people, it seemed to be a non-sequitur.
The next blow was when a deeply green friend told me that she was cutting down holiday travel, but still flying every week for work. I was doing neither. But I couldn't even get credit from a diehard green.
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I abandoned my golden rule this year. We went skiing in Switzerland. I felt ludicrously gleeful, like a naughty child. Now I want to see everything, all over again. The irony is that we probably can't afford to. I will be stuck at home because of the credit crunch. But I will no longer be able to feel smug about it, just frustrated.
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