The weather in Oxford has been beautiful and sunny, and the urge to ignore my work in favor of enjoying the outdoors is stronger than ever! It seems like everyone else had the same idea, as my sit spot is lively with people enjoying a cup of tea at Vaults and Garden, a cafe located inside the University Church, and taking pictures in front of the Rad Cam. It’s the end of Hilary term, the second of three terms in the Oxford school year, and there’s a communal sense of relief and joy in the air today. At my sit spot, community encompasses everyone and everything that’s decided to stop here and soak in the sun, whether it’s the students, bright yellow daffodils, black and white magpies, or the soft tufts of moss on the ground. I feel a great sense of community with my sit spot, especially on a day like today where everyone has come together to enjoy the sunshine. Even though the grey weather in England can have its downsides, the sunny days are far more special because of the sense of communal appreciation for the lovely weather. 

My flight from New York’s JFK airport to London Heathrow emitted 2.22 metric tons of CO2. Although it was fairly carbon intensive to get here, I really appreciate that the walkability of Oxford makes it fairly feasible to keep my individual emissions as low as possible. You can get pretty much anywhere in the central part of the city on foot or on a bike, and there is a frequent network of buses and trains that take you around Oxfordshire and to London. If I were to propose a project to offset my travel, I might recommend conservation efforts to restore and protect the city’s greenspaces. This might involve the continued restoration of floodplain meadows such as Christ Church meadow, Port Meadow, and the Magdalen water meadow, which the university is already doing, and potentially even incorporating native plants and shrubs into the large tracts of grass lawns that the colleges maintain.