travel – Greg Blee

Portland getaway

(and the climate section of Powell’s Books)

People who know me know me as a bit of a climate fiend — online, but IRL as well. I’m a big fan, and sufferer, of flygskam (Swedish: “flight shame“), and haven’t been on an airplane since maybe 2018, for a Montreal wedding. (I returned to the West Coast by train, a far superior trip.)

Still, I must admit to a touch of envy at friends who are still, still, jetting off to exotic locales in the name of curiosity and distraction, all apparently guilt-free and oblivious to the obscene amount of carbon their little hobby spews into a suffering atmosphere. (The aforementioned Vancouver-Montreal flight cost the world 0.48 tonnes of carbon, per this carbon calculator. For reference, a sustainable annual carbon budget is estimated at under 2 tonnes per person, per year.)

Weedy wondering

I spent three weeks in Vancouver over Christmas. Everywhere i went, there seemed to be marijuana dispensaries unabashedly in evidence, despite uncertain legal status and an active bylaw crackdown. I was curious, because Tofino has received a few inquiries about starting one up, and the people i talk to think a dispensary or two would not jar Tofino’s image in either its own or the world’s eyes. Continue reading “Weedy wondering”

Toxic travel

I just returned from a sudden family visit to St. Catharines. Pleasant enough couple of weeks, and i do enjoy southern Ontario’s summer heat (until the humidex tops 35 degrees). But as with previous visits, i noticed again that whenever i go, i almost instantly compromise almost all the principles i live by, back home in BC. Continue reading “Toxic travel”