Ciao a tutt*!
Today is a gorgeous day and I am writing this blog post while sitting in Piazza Maggiore, soaking in the sunlight and the music.
My flight footprint was 0.85 tonnes. I also went ahead and calculated my carbon footprint for the five months I am in Italy: my total footprint is 2.93 tonnes– the average in Italy is 5.38 tonnes.
The train system in Italy is very well connected, and it is really nice to be able to take the train to other cities in Italy where in the US I would have to drive or fly, so I feel like even though my flight here was carbon intensive, now that I am in Italy my carbon footprint was decreased significantly. I do not have a car and do not use the bus during the week, which definitely contributes to my footprint being lower than average. Also I am a vegetarian in a high meat-eating country, which also helps lower my carbon foot-print. Even going to other countries is not as carbon-intensive as it is in America– I went to Slovenia and took a train and a bus, which I think is better for the environment than flying. I know that when I return to Boston and am driving more often and taking the Loco and commuter rail more frequently, my footprint will increase. Italy tries to maintain 0 kilometers for food, so most of the produce that I buy is local, so there is not a heavy carbon cost for transporting produce across the US and the vegetables I eat are fresher and taste better.
I think that tree and pollinator gardens throughout the city would both help offset my carbon footprint and also improve the air quality. The only green spaces are two main parks on the outskirts of Bologna and the small park that I use for my sit-spot (which has a play area for dogs and is truly delightful). One person planting trees will not offset the amount of carbon I added from my flight, but that does not mean we should not do anything. Having more green spaces is good for the environment but also good for mental health– I find myself missing Lake Waban and the Wellesley forests. I think that this beautiful red city would only be improved with trees and flowers.
Grazie,
Astara
