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Future Living Skills – Sustainable Travel

This session focuses on the ways we travel, their impacts, and how we can make choices that benefit us, our communities and our planet. Prior to running this two hour session, read through the activities planned for this session, picking the more relevant of two supporting documents – chose from either ‘Group Activities for rural residents’ or ‘Group Activities for urban residents’. We recommend you aim to spend approximately half of your session tackling recommended activities together and the other half reading and/or viewing web links from this guide. A slide set is also available. The sequence and time to spend on each activity is proposed below, so perhaps appoint one group member as your time-keeper!

Sustainable travel is about:

Increasing our awareness of the impacts of our travel choices and taking action where possible to reduce unwanted impact (footprints).

Improving our transport system (making a positive 'handprint'). In this session you will find out more about how you can make a difference.

Creating communities and urban space that we love to spend time in. By reducing our reliance on the car and its associated tar-sealed areas, we free up more space especially in downtown areas for other activities such as community gardens, parks for on-foot relaxation and outdoor eating and socialising.

Travelling more thoughtfully even if you live in a rural community without as many apparent alternatives to the car. There are still many ways to drive more sustainably, from how you drive, to what you drive, to when you drive or carpool.

Benefiting ourselves personally as well as our communities and our environment. With more sustainable travel options we can save money, get fitter and better connect with our neighbours.

Not just cars – Multiple modes of travel The privately owned car currently dominates over other modes of travel in New Zealand. Sustainable travel embraces multi-modal travel where we have other options and our reliance on the car is reduced. Something that is both desirable and necessary – for reasons that shall become more apparent in subsequent sections. Below is one example of how much road space is needed for a car dominated society compared with other modes of travel.

2016 edition Travel Learning Guide by Maureen Howard, Rebecca Lees and Rhys Taylor. © Sustainable Living Education Trust. Designed for ‘not-for-profit’ use by learning groups, with or without a tutor. Distributed to registered users of the website www.sustainableliving.org.nz

The main guide is in the left column. Useful references and follow up activity appear in this right-hand column, for those who have the time to explore further – think of it as ‘armchair travel’! See also the Group Activity Guides.

Advocates for sustainable travel within New Zealand include Cycle Advocates Network and its local branches (www.can.org.nz); Living Streets Aotearoa which speaks for pedestrians and seeks ‘liveable, walkable cities’ (www.livingstreets.org.nz) and the Auckland public transport blog http://transportblog.co.nz/ Some music and images to accompany the early part of the session, perhaps? Consider traffic- snarled cities from a driver’s viewpoint. James Taylor Damn this traffic jam https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=30smAQOfusY

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The same German city street and number of travellers in each case: one per car (left) compared to bus (centre) and bicycles (right) Activity One: (Allow 10 minutes) Visioning 50% fewer privately owned and operated cars What you will need: Whiteboard or large sheet of paper, marker pens. This uplifting activity aims to get everyone thinking about the range of benefits towns experience by becoming less dependent on cars. It's also relevant for rural visitors to urban centres. Refer to your group’s choice of urban or rural Group Activity sheet, downloaded from our website.

Oil dependence and how it affects us – In the Activity you will have envisioned some of the ways in which our communities could be transformed and improved by less dependence on private car ownership. In addition to local improvements such as reduced congestion, more freed up urban space and better personal health, there are also global imperatives to reduce our dependence on fossil fuelled cars – in particular from fast declining mineral oil reserves and the need to reduce carbon burning, to tackle climate change. Despite generating electricity from predominantly renewable sources, transport is actually New Zealand’s leading use of energy, with almost all of it coming from oil. 59% of all the oil used in transport is used by private cars. Our dependence on largely imported oil makes us vulnerable to decreasing, more-expensive, international oil supplies. As a non-renewable resource, the world oil supply capacity cannot increase any further, and even with the increased development of deep-sea reserves and heavy tar deposits, the net annual supply is likely to decline at an accelerating rate. Having less oil supply available than demand, when that demand is inelastic, is a large problem. Declining oil reserves and political urgency have spurred a rush to develop known oil deposits. These remaining deposits include the more difficult to extract geologic formations such as deep sea oil and hydraulic fracturing on land (such as in Taranaki). These all require more equipment and energy for extraction than conventional oil sources from porous rock, making extraction energy-inefficient. They also have much greater local environmental impact. Even more concerning than the economic effects of declining oil supplies is their significant contribution to human –led (anthropogenic)

These and other photos to aid discussion on the Travel theme appear in a projectable (PPT) slide set, downloadable from the travel section of the Sustainable Living website. -------------------------------------------------- Ref 1. Generation Zero report 2014: A Challenge to our Leaders: Why New Zealand needs a clean energy plan. This excellent report can be viewed at https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/generationzero/pages/448/attachments/original/1416208288/Challenge_to_Our_Leaders_WEB.pdf?1416208288 ---------------------------------------------------- Developing tar sands to extract oil makes huge local environmental impact. See http://www.resilience.org/stories/2009-09-22/environmental-impacts-oil-sands-development-alberta ---------------------------------------------------- TED Talk - Planning for the end of Oil Linked here is a 9 minute TED Talk where Richard Sears discusses oil and planning for the end of it. If time permits please play this talk to the group, and have a brief discussion afterwards. Here’s a comic song and video about oil dependence ‘The end of oil’ from Australian permaculture educator Charlie Magee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__qCy4GhSM Graph 1.

There is a 97% probability that the amount of oil described by the blue line will be available, while there is a very small 3% probability that an amount greater than that described by the top pink line will be available. All the projections show decline this century.

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climate change. “Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of green-house gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems” IPCC Fifth Assessment (2014). If, as a global community, we burn just 1/3 of already known coal and oil reserves, we cannot avoid severe climatic effects. A planned transition away from the use of fossil fuels is essential to stay under 2deg. C rise. The implications of burning stocks of fossil fuels have resulted in obstructive reactions from governments of many countries; ranging from denial that there is a problem, to ‘expecting other countries to take a lead before we do’, to a naive belief that technology and the free market will solve these problems without any planned intervention. As a result most countries are taking insufficient action to adapt to declining cheap oil supplies and not attempting to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In New Zealand our gross emissions of greenhouse gases have increased by 25% since 1990, and are projected to rise substantially through to 2050, based on current settings. If all countries behave like recent NZ, runaway climate change is inevitable. Fortunately some other countries are taking action. According to the UN, Denmark is currently the world's most climate friendly country in the world. In addition to using a variety of renewable energy sources for electricity generation, Denmark has also encouraged and provided for low carbon transport. For example, in Copenhagen, car use has remained static since the 1970s. The reason for this is a planned adoption of cycle-ways and public transport as part of its integrated land use and transport strategy. Cycling is the single most popular mode of

A growing number of New Zealand Councils are seeking to address the challenges of declining oil resources and climate change. Palmerston North City Council is taking a

relatively conservative risk attitude to understand the impact of future oil supply probability. They are planning to have at least 85% probability of oil supply which equates to a 2-3% reduction in supply per year for the foreseeable future. (see Graph 1 above. Source: 'New Zealand a future with less oil? A risk management study from Palmerston North') The Dunedin City Council is also

anticipating a decline in oil availability and was the first Council in New Zealand to commission a report on oil use and the effect its expected future decline could have on transportation within the city (Peak Oil Vulnerability – Assessment for Dunedin. Susan Krumdieck. 2010) . The IPCC

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. The Fifth Assessment involved 803 scientific authors and more than 3500 expert reviewers. Over 12,000 scientific peer reviewed articles were reviewed with references cited. (June 2014 from presentation by Dr Andy Reisinger, Coordination Lead Author of the report for Chapter 25 which is New Zealand focused). Reference 2 NZ Ministry for the Environment Climate briefing report to Government 2014 Reference 3 Climate Change Performance Index, 2013, United Nations Copenhagen

To read more about Copenhagen's commuter cycling success go to http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/bicycle-culture/cycling-in-copenhagen---the-easy-way/. Picture shows ‘Cykelslangen’ an elevated cycleway in Copenhagen,

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transport in the city. Even during the snow in winter, the majority of Copenhagen cyclists still cycle.

Car ownership and the hidden costs of

Transport

Globally there are around a billion cars in use (ref 4). An OECD comparison showed New Zealand is ranked third highest amongst OECD countries in terms of vehicle ownership per person, behind Portugal and United States. New Zealand drivers are sole vehicle occupants in 68% of trips in cars, vans and utes.

Hidden costs of transport - Environmental The environmental impacts of transport often go un-noticed as they are difficult to physically see. Transport is responsible for 44% of New Zealand’s carbon dioxide emissions, and around 16% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Soot emissions are carcinogens and lung irritants (asthma triggers) Older air conditioning systems may contain ozone-depleting CFC refrigerant gases, while newer ones mainly have HFCs, which are greenhouse gases. Waste products from vehicles (e.g. metals from brake-linings and tyre wear) get carried by rain to surface and groundwater. Transport can cause heavy metal contamination of estuarine areas. Contaminated stormwater can make the receiving water unsafe to swim in, or to collect shellfish. In-river artificial structures such as culverts can disrupt fish migration when poorly designed or installed. Erosion and sediment deposition (e.g. from road surfaces, construction disturbance on steep slopes) have a detrimental effect too. Transporting hazardous substances carries a risk of spillage and marine oil and ballast water spills pose a serious environmental threat in harbours. Many difficult waste streams are transport-related, such as end-of-life vehicles, tyres, and oil. Used oil is New Zealand’s largest non-aqueous liquid waste volume (at 30 million litres a year). Tyres are not being recycled reliably yet in NZ.

Hidden costs of transport - Social & Health Walking by those aged 5-14 years has decreased and one in three NZ adults are now overweight. Drivers suffer stress while driving, particularly in congested areas. Quick Facts

Total congestion in New Zealand costs us $1 billion per year.

Transport is the main source of environmental noise pollution. Noise pollution can have effects such as hearing impairment, interference with speech communication, disturbance of rest and sleep or mental-health and performance effects.

Air pollution from motor vehicles contributes to the premature death of 500 people per year and another 809 are suffering serious illness

connecting to the harbour bridge To find out more about Copenhagen's plans to go Carbon Neutral by 2025 : http://e360.yale.edu/feature/copenhagens_ambitious_push_to_be_carbon_neutral_by_2025/2638/ (Reference 4. http://wardsauto.com/news-analysis/world-vehicle-population-tops-1-billion-units )

Traffic fumes – a significant health hazard. Cars are space hungry even when not being driven. Bike parking is more compact than cars, as illustrated here!

Real cost to be a motorist Annual car cost elements:

1. Licence Fee or Road User Fee 2. Warrant of Fitness 3. Servicing time, filters & parts 4. Insurance 5. Cost of purchase (can be spread over several years) & interest, if money was borrowed 6. AA or similar ‘roadside rescue’ Running costs: 7. Replacement of tyres when worn 8. Fuel and oil, screen-wash 9. Cleaning 10. Parking Add these and divide by kms travelled for a true cost of car use, to compare with bus, train or taxi.

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Hidden costs of transport - Economic At the household level, owning and operating a car also costs us a surprising amount of money. When we simply compare the cost of a bus ticket with the cost of petrol to go to the same destination, travel by car will seem cheaper. However to calculate the true economic cost of our car we need to include both fixed and running costs. You might like to calculate the hidden costs of your car? Fuel spent at our petrol stations is also money lost from our local communities. Most of our fuel is imported from overseas. According to the cycle advocacy group Spokes Dunedin our petrol stations typically keep only 16% of the profit on petrol sales (ref 5.). Once government tax is removed, the rest is moved offshore to multi-national oil giants. Is the tide turning? Car travel declined 7.8% in the period 2000 to 2014 in New Zealand (ref. 6). Reasons are varied. For example, new social media devices such as iPhones & iPads are easier and legal to use on public transport than when driving, driving entry costs are also rising as the minimum standard of second hand cars admitted to NZ rises. Higher car parking and fuel costs and lower thresholds set for drink driving prosecution are also factors.

Activity Two: (allow 15 mins) – Measuring Your Carbon Based Travel What you will need: Printout of this sheet, calculator, computer with WiFi useful This eye-opening activity will give you a tool to measure your vehicle's emissions. Refer to the Rural or Urban Group Activity Sheet.

Avoiding car travel We have become so attuned to jumping into cars that we forget what impact this simple activity has on the environment. Did you know that one sixth of household car trips in NZ are under 2km long and almost half are less than 6km long? Short distance car trips are particularly polluting, as petrol or diesel engines consume around 40% more fuel per km when cold, produce more emissions and increase wear and tear on moving parts. Electric propulsion is much more suited to these short urban journeys, incidentally, which is why taxi operators have been early adopters. Group Activity Three: – (allow 10 minutes) Replacing Car Trips – Scenarios and Solutions What you will need: Pen and paper It’s always much easier – and more fun – to figure out in small groups what others should do! In this activity you get to problem solve some typical car use scenarios. Refer to the Rural or Urban Activity Sheet.

----------------------------------------------- (reference 5) Fuel profits go offshore: Based on calculations by

Spokes Dunedin interpreted from Government data http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/energy/liquid-fuel-market/weekly-oil-price-monitoring (reference 6). Car travel falling in NZ.

Future Trends. Ministry of Transport. 2014. Additional info source: Rosemary Goodyear & Martin Ralphs https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/travel-planning-toolkit/docs/resource-1-facts-and-figures.pdf ---------------------------------------------- Where to for the hols?

Could you have a holiday at home instead of touring by car? Consider the ‘staycation’ option. http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/03/07/staycation-ideas/ Or perhaps aim at shorter distance travel in one geographic area, ‘slow travel’ by walking or cycling ? http://www.slowmovement.com/slow_travel.php

New Plymouth coastal path has become a popular walk and cycle route for visitors. Elsewhere, rail trails are attracting cycling holidaymakers.

‘Sustainable Living’ evening class members chatting on the bus. Bus travel can be fun. Funny Bus Advertisement (YouTube link)

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Perceived barriers and solutions to trying alternative transport modes Below are some of the barriers that you may experience when trying to figure out ways to reduce your car trip frequency, and perhaps some of the suggested solutions will work for you?

I don't know where to start – first reduce the most fuel-inefficient short car journeys.

1. I always forget – try leaving yourself a note inside your door: 'do I really need to travel by car today?'

My bike is broken and I can't fix it – write it in your diary to take (or book) it in to a workshop

I'm too unfit to walk or cycle – start with just a 10 minute walk or cycle, one day a week and gradually increase frequency and duration of this as your fitness increases, which it will!

I live on a hill and cycling up is too difficult - have you thought about getting an electric bike?

I don’t know the safer cycling routes – seek cycle route maps if published locally (ask Cycling Advocates Network www.can.org.nz ) or find a volunteer cyclist to advise you, such as GoCycle Christchurch ( http://tinyurl.com/ok9zx55 or email for a volunteer GoCycleChristchurch@gmail.com )

Rain – keep wet weather layers handy by the door

There might be an emergency – keep taxi phone number in your wallet (and be able to lock up and leave the bike)

I get a bit sweaty - Keep spare work clothes at work and change there. Workplace may have a shower?

Alternative modes of travel There are many options out there for alternative ways to travel. Some are quite new and use innovative technology, others are very simple such as walking or cycling. Can you add any new types of Alternative Travel to this list? -Walking -Cycles & scooters -Community Buses, shuttles & group hire -Public Transport (tram, light rail, city bus, commuter train, long-distance coach) -Electric assisted Bikes -Electric Cars (range from plug-in, to hybrids that also have petrol engines) -Vegetable Oil / Waste Oil Fuelled Cars -Bottled Gas fuelled cars -

Try Walking http://www.livingstreets.org.nz/walk2work Walking is one of the best forms of transport. It keeps you fit and healthy, gives you fresh air and time to think, and takes you to different places / experiences. Walking also releases endorphins which are the body’s natural feel-happy drug. After exercising it is ideal to exercise again within 48hrs, to ensure endorphins continue to remain at a high level in the body. If you find it difficult to get motivated to walk, try walking with a friend or join a walking club. You can easily talk and walk!

Back-pack cover in ‘day-glo’ yellow. More Solutions to Travelling More Efficiently Only a km distance ? Walk or cycle

these short trips. Car pool - combine your trip with

another traveller to same destination, taking turns. Most often used on work and school commuting. Check out your public transport options – it may not work for you all

the time, but use it when it does Think it through – do you need to travel at all? Could you get what you

need by internet? Could you save this trip and combine it with another? Can you telecommute? source:

http://www.carbonfund.org/reduce

Toyota Prius hybrid petrol-electrics became popular in NZ as city taxis.

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Get back on your bike Cycling keeps you fit, is cheap, reliable, fast (especially inner-city), and great for the environment. To cycle regularly, reduces the risk of heart disease significantly. It can be a very social form of transport and can mean you get better parking spaces! If you find the idea of cycling too difficult, or if you live on a hill or a distance from your work, an Electric-Assisted Bike is a good option. They cost very little to charge, charging is very simple to do (just plug into a power outlet in your garage!) and can get you places quickly with very little effort.

Electric bike questions Can I ride my electric bike in the rain? Light rain is fine, heavy pouring rain can cause issues. Does pedalling or braking charge the battery? Generally no. Most electric bikes use a mains-charged battery, as it is very difficult to generate enough electricity purely by pedalling. How do electric bikes work? They have a battery and a quiet electric motor that pushes the bike along. To use the motor some systems will start automatically when you start pedalling, others you rotate a handlebar-mounted throttle (like a motorcycle). How far can I go on a single charge? The range can vary depending on the model of bike, somewhere between 30km – 80km. The more pedalling you do the less demand on the battery, so the further you’ll go. How fast do electric bikes go? In NZ the legal power output is 300watts, which will enable you to move at approx. 32km/hr unassisted. How long does it take to charge the battery? Approx 5 hours from a standard socket. Most people use their bike during the day and charge at night.

Buses and Trains If you live in a city you probably live within 10 minutes walking distance of a bus route. Find out from your regional or unitary council about bus/train route details and keep a timetable in your bag. Bus/train fares are typically only a few dollars and some cities have discount cards available for regular trips or for senior citizens. Info on bus/train timetables: Christchurch Metroinfo: 03 366 8855 Wellington Metlink Auckland At.govt.nz Longer coach routes between towns can be booked online, sometimes for discount fares in advance. InterCity www.intercity.co.nz

Driving more efficiently

If everyone driving in NZ reduced their fuel use by just 10% it would be equivalent (in terms of emissions) to taking 248,000 cars off the road.

Watch this video made by a UK group on the advantages of walking: 2 Minute Walk Video It has been one of the best things I've ever done. I feel like I've found the real me again. I'm healthier, fitter, happier, more confident and finally on the way to losing that last stubborn stone in weight. Sandra Sayce, Walking Group participant ‘Walking School Bus’ are collaborations between parents to get their children to school safely with the benefit of daily exercise. Read more at: www.feetfirst.govt.nz http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/walking-school-bus-coordinators-guide/

Fitting an E-bike battery www.theelectricbicycle.co.nz www.volto.co.nz/electric-bikes-nz www.electricbikes.co.nz www.electricbikehub.co.nz

New and used cars are sold with fuel economy labelling

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Firstly. you can reduce your carbon footprint by using vehicles engineered for fuel efficiency. Compare vehicles’ fuel economy online at http://www.energywise.govt.nz/tools/fuel-economy Tyre choices are also relevant – see EECA Energywise website. Driver behaviour will also significantly affect fuel consumption. Driving safely should always be prioritised, but there are many actions you can take to reduce your fuel consumption while you drive that could reduce your fuel use by 20-30%. More in notes on right, but tackle activity first! Group Activity Four: (Allow 10 minutes) Speedy Solutions – Fuel Efficient Driving and other solutions for those ‘unavoidable’ vehicle trips What you will need: Blank A4 sheets of paper, pens, timer This fast and fun activity is especially for those car trips that cannot be avoided due to the lack of public transport or the longer distances you have to travel. Refer to the relevant Rural or Urban Activity Sheet

Hiring instead of owning Taxis are often a simple answer in town or city that we overlook. Walking or taking a bus outward, and using a taxi to help carry shopping or to give cover if it rains on the way home, is one option. Choose a taxi operator with a lower carbon footprint, achieved by using hybrid petrol-electric cars such as Wellington Green Cabs or Christchurch-based First Direct. Private car hire – instead of owning two cars. Instead of owning that second car, hire instead! The hired car may be: (a) more fuel efficient – perhaps a hybrid electric or an all electric (b) have good air conditioning and more comfortable seats for long summer trips (c) have more seats or better luggage space, have towing capacity or be a 4WD for off-road, not a feature needed everyday. If it is available, you may wish to join a Car Club / Car Share Scheme. Car Clubs differ from car rental schemes because cars can be borrowed for an hour at a time and can be left at designated parks all over the city. Studies have found that belonging to a club reduces overall car use and mileage, costs less and increases use of alternative transport such as cycling and walking. Car Clubs are common and successful in parts of Europe. Here in New Zealand, there are car clubs in Auckland and Wellington. New Zealand's first car share scheme is the Cityhop in Auckland http://www.cityhop.co.nz/ Some small NZ towns have community-managed minibuses that provide a bookable door to door taxi service plus regular shopping or school transport journeys, supported as public transport by Regional Councils.

Electric vehicles

Hybrid vehicles (requiring both petrol and electricity) have been around for some time. 100% Fully electric vehicles are now available. With 75% of NZ's grid power generated from renewable sources (hydroelectricity, geothermal and wind) and scope to do more locally from solar PV, electric vehicles are a good option for the future in NZ.

EECA efficiency label on a new tyre https://www.eeca.govt.nz/standards-ratings-and-labels/energywise-approved-tyres/

City Hop cars for sharing by the hour. Driver behaviour: It is possible to

reduce your fuel consumption and thus carbon emissions by driving differently. Reducing your open road speed from 110km to 90km could reduce your fuel use by 20%. Repeated braking and acceleration (such as stop-start city driving) uses more fuel than smoother driving. If you carefully plan your route to avoid traffic congestion and hills you may minimise your fuel use, and in this case the longer route may actually use less fuel. At speeds below 50km per hour it is generally more efficient to open a window than use the air conditioning. If you're stuck in a traffic jam, switch your engine off. Idling uses more fuel in ten seconds than turning the engine off and on. Don't carry unnecessary weight. Look after your vehicle: Regularly

servicing (tuning) your motor vehicle means it will run better and be more fuel efficient. Keep your tyres pumped up to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI. Does your vehicle give off a smell like petrol while driving? You may have an exhaust leak which makes fuel burning inefficient. Does your vehicle smell like burning oil or give off smoke when driving? It may need an engine tune up, a new air filter or it could be a sign a serious repair is required.

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Advantages of electric vehicles (EV's) Higher efficiency - EVs are able to convert up to 90% of the energy in their batteries into motion, compared with internal combustion engines (like petrol and diesel powered vehicles) which only convert around 20% of their fuel's energy into motion. This makes them cheaper per km. Pollution-free driving - EVs produce fewer greenhouse gases by using NZ’s mostly renewable-generated electricity , and no tail pipe emission air pollution. Battery reuse - when an EV lithium battery is at the end of its transport life it can still have a lot of its storage capacity available. This means that there are a lot of options for a second life such as back-up power for computer data centres. Energy security - using EVs means that we don't have to rely so much on foreign imports of oil, the price of which is beyond our control as a nation Quiet - EVs are more quiet than petrol or diesel cars, contributing to a more pleasant environment inside and outside the vehicle.

Challenges for EV early adopters Price premium – the battery and extra hardware required in a hybrid EV means higher capital cost. Low number of public fast charging points means anxiety over the range that an EV can travel away from home base, especially if not a hybrid.

The dilemma of flying

It is an 'inconvenient truth' that significantly reducing the flights we take is the single most significant carbon decreasing action that each of us can take as individuals. For example, a single return flight from New Zealand to the UK emits on average 8.7 tonnes of CO2e per person. Compare this with the carbon footprint of a UK high meat diet over the year (5.6 Tonnes CO2e) or the emissions from an average sized car over the year (3.2Tonnes CO2e).(ref 7) Globally cheap commercial flights are a fairly recent phenomenon and are only feasible for the relatively rich. According to John Stewart in Beyond Flying “Only 5 per cent of the world’s population has ever flown. Flying is still a rich person’s pastime. Poor people in poor countries don’t do it. Yet these are the very communities that will be hit first, and most acutely, by climate change.” Every time we spend money to travel we financially support that mode of transportation. We can help improve our bus services and our train services by travelling on them where possible. Likewise if we travel by plane then we are increasing demand for more airports and more airport expansions. Given the longevity of this infrastructure we are helping to lock ourselves into a transport system very dependent on high use of fossil fuels. Solving the dilemma of flying will not happen overnight. Our challenge is to be part of the transition to a more sustainable transport future; choosing not to fly when we can, choosing to support alternative modes of transport when we can, but at the same time supporting ourselves and others when a flight feels too important not to take. New Zealand is one of the most geographically isolated countries in the world. How feasible is it to reduce our impact through flying, and how

For more Fuel Efficiency Tips

Check out AA New Zealand’s top fuel efficiency tips at http://www.aa.co.nz/about/events-affiliations/aa-energywise-rally/fuel-efficiency/ Solar Powered Cars –soon? The cost

of solar power (PV) has been decreasing around the world and solar innovation is on the increase. Very light weight PV cars are now possible. World Solar Challenge Video Clip (8mins)

Solar Fern – NZ Solar Powered Vehicle 2012. Source: NZ Geographic http://www.nzgeographic.co.nz/archives/issue-114/travelling-light

A NZ fast-charging point for EVs, 2016 Beyond Flying – edited by Chris

Watson (2014), published by Green Books. Written by inspiring people who are committed to flying less and supporting alternative modes of travel (Reference 7: Scarborough et al 2014. Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK, Climatic Change, July 2014, Volume 125, Issue 2, pp 179–192)

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can we help develop more sustainable alternatives to flying? Fortunately we do have options! Group Activity Five : (Allow 15 minutes) Minimise your Flying Footprint What you will need: Printout of the sheet, pen In this interesting activity, you will discover some of the many ways in which we can reduce our flying footprints and support alternative modes of long distance travel that are more sustainable.

Setting realistic goals on travel Reviewing what you have learned in this session you can now try to reduce your carbon emissions on a regular basis. Part of changing your behaviour is to set goals which you are passionate about and feel you can manage. The most effective way of doing this is often with the help and support of others. Get a benefit from learning with a group! You will find that once the new behaviour is habitual it doesn’t require so much conscious thought and attention for it to occur. It just becomes something ‘you do’. Choose one of the following activities to complete over the course of the next week Activity 6A – Reducing our carbon based transport – for non city dwellers Your task for the following week is to try to reduce your carbon based travel by 10% (Add link to the relevant Rural Activity Sheet.) Or Activity 6B - Increase your public transport – for City dwellers who have access to public transport Your task for the following week is to try to increase public transport use during the week by choosing it on at least one more day than usual. (Add link to the relevant Urban Activity Sheet).

Calculation 0.23kg times 14,000km, the average distance a car is driven per year in NZ) Carbon offsetting.

For carbon calculators for air travel and other modes, and details on how to ‘offset’ your carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits, visit a carbon offsetting site such as Enviro-Mark Solutions at *http://calculators.enviro-mark.com/EmissionsCalc/tourismeditor.aspx. Offsetting is payment for others to capture carbon by growing trees or other methods that avoid emissions, so it is an accounting device which trades your emission for someone else’s saving. The Enviro-Mark Solutions programme measures all greenhouse gas emissions and converts them to carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-e). Although most of the emissions measured for your travel, accommodation and activities are carbon dioxide (CO2), your results using this calculator include other relevant gases such as methane and nitrous oxides . Another site is http://www.ekos.org.nz/ - a carbon offsetting scheme that focuses on rainforest restoration with local indigenous peoples in New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomons. Calculation Tools to Assist you make your Travel Goals

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distances.html?n=22 - This site calculates time zone differences between countries. Excellent for planning video-conferencing http://www.distancesfrom.com/ - Excellent distance calculator that provides CO2 emissions as well as map routes. www.aatravel.co.nz/main/time-distance-calculator Site calculates road distances.

Some fun to end the topic: John Clarke on buying a second hand car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T9DSgEclPA