Our environmental impact

Some of you will know of me that I’m a bit of an eco-warrior. One of the things that’s been playing on my mind a lot with this trip is our impact on the environment.

The van needs to run a little, whilst stationery, before she gets going in the morning, and she can’t just be turned off when we arrive at a destination. (Whilst Transit engines are known to be bulletproof – something we joked about when we first thought we were heading into Russia – Smiley needs to be cared for gently. She didn’t get through 132,823 miles from being used and abused.) That, plus the several hours a day burning diesel, aren’t doing all that much to minimise our carbon footprints. I’ve not yet come up with a full carbon offset plan but please consider this a call to arms/open tender for suggestions!

Things we’re doing so far:

•  re-using plastic bottles
• using natural toothpaste (not sure if this actually helps the environment but it saves nasty chemicals and plants that make nasty chemicals!)
• keeping plastic bags to a minimum when we buy bits and bobs
• using old plastic bags for rubbish and only throwing them out when they’re full
• foregoing personal electricity consumption when sleeping in the van?!
• foregoing water consumption (though when we do have access to a shower, we shower twice as much!)
• using cardboard straws…?

OK. I'm clutching at straws…

Part of me wonders if I should just cut my losses and accept we’re going to have an impact on the environment but, after seeing so many services without recycling facilities north of France, I feel like we need to do something.

 

I’ve been fancying getting myself a little van to go on overnight trips. A van where I can pop my bike in it and disappear off somewhere (Scotland/Wales/Australia!). I have friends with converted vans (I’ll add Transit to the list, alongside Berlingo and Transporter!) and I’ve been thinking about how an electric vehicle might be a good environmental option... I quite fancy those Kia Souls but I’m conscious that electric vehicles don’t have all that many miles in them. Maybe some kind of a hybrid then? Bring on hydrogen? (I’ve learned about LPG whilst we’ve been on this trip – including its smell. It's a nice alternative, but doesn’t quite cut the mustard.)

Any thoughts on this/offers to lend me a hand to reach this goal(!) are welcome! :-D