pauldaley

Cycling is by it's very nature, earth-friendly.

there is absolutely no greenhouse gas emissions, apart from the manufacturing/distribution process
(which uses 1% of what it takes to make a car)

what other aspects of touring have the potential to be more EF? (Environmentally Friendly)

when you think about the "fuel" for riding, it's obviously the FOOD we eat!

and when I ride, my apatite is high. I eat HEAPS !

so even though we may not be emitting greenhouse gases, the food we eat most likely has a significant carbon footprint (especially if you are cycling in western countries, not so much if you are touring through asia or more labor intensive rural areas)

I have found it quite difficult to live off "Farmers Markets" food

depending on where you are riding, it is also difficult to find a source of SOL Food

(Sustainable Organic Local)

the average bite of food in Australia travels 1600km from the land to the dinner plate, plus massive amounts of fossil fuels and chemicals used in food production/packaging.

For my first big tour, I'm going to be WWOOFing (Willing Worker On Organic Farms). But inbetween regional centres, especially out in the country where farms are 250,000 acres, I just can't live on local food

one day soon, maybe... but not now...

some other factors I have considered is PALM OIL .... see palm oil action

I simply cannot support this industry, and is in so many food items (1 in 10 of all supermarket products)

after growing up on noodles (LOVE THEM!!!!) it's a shame there absolutely no noodles for sale that don't have palm oil as an ingredient (vegetable oil is often palm oil in disguise)

I could go on about palm oil for a while, but i won't ~



what other aspects of touring life have you become environmentally conscious of ?

gizem310

very good thread. would love to hear what others do.
we have been on the road for over a year now. we try to keep our wheel tracks as small as possible by:
1. keep a cloth shopping bag so we don't get nylon bags for shopping
2. filter water so we don't buy pet bottles
3. buy local food with minimum packaging
4. use solar panel to charge electonics
5. buy good quality equipment and clothing that lasts and lasts
6. when camping we pack everything out (including toilet paper)
7. use minimum amount of detergents and tooth paste and never close to a water source
8. carry a small shovel to bury human waste

bikehippy

Interesting topic! I like to think the following things help:

* Camp rather than stay in hotels or B&Bs (no need to wash bedding after every night, little to no electricity / heating usage)
* Solar charge gadgets, dynamo-charged bike lighting.
* LED torch for camping (does use a battery unfortunately but lasts for so much longer)
* Do laundry by hand and dry in the sun
* use biodegradable soap
* I would say using a spirit stove rather than petroleum for cooking, but biofuels can be a bit of a tricky issue, who knows which is best, perhaps we should all just be eating raw
* getting to/from start/finish by train and/or boat rather than plane
* filling up on tapwater rather than bottled, although obviously there are many countries where this is not safe, or filtering should be used.
* taking all litter away with you of course (although I guess a true eco-cyclist-saint would be picking up litter found along the roadside and carrying it to the nearest bin...

In general I try to look after the environment at all times, whether at home or away, but some things are easier when touring and some things harder.

Food-wise, it's much easier when touring to just buy the things you need and no more, rather than buying lots of stuff you don't need and allowing it to go mouldy at the back of the fridge, you (usually) pass by shops frequently and don't want to overcarry. Then again if you're touring alone it can be hard to buy small enough portions just to feed yourself, unless you want the same thing night after night. It's all highly variable depending on where you are, some places you will run into one convenience store or supermarket after another and end up with overpackaged, overshipped and not particularly ethical food, in other places there are lots of markets or small greengrocers making things a lot easier.

Recycling can be easier as you are always on the move and will usually end up passing a recycling centre or two each day, but that depends on where you are and what facilities are provided in that region. I am an avid composter at home and get annoyed at not being able to compost my food scraps while on the move...

acantor

Most Italian pasta is made from durum semolina (i.e., wheat), water, and nothing else. No oil, palm or not. So continue to enjoy Italian noodles!

I don't know whether pasta in Australia is made from Australian wheat, but Canadian-made pasta is usually made from local wheat. Local is relative. Living in Toronto, I figure it's better to buy pasta made from wheat grown in Saskatchewan (1000 miles away) than from Italy (3000 miles away).

If you are concerned about the size of your carbon footprint, feel good every time you go on a bicycle tour instead of driving or hopping on a plane. You are doing your part!

But don't get carried away. There are people who hop into their SUVs and drive 20 minutes to cart a few bottles and cans to a recycling centre! The environmental impact would be less had they tossed the stuff into the trash.

paul2

Don't bring electronic gadgets.

neil0502

Crank LED flashlight

Mike H

Don't use stoves that use throw away propane tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Takara

Apart from starting the occasional forest fire, the worst thing campers do is mess up the water. If you resolve never to wash dishes, clothes, or yourself anywhere near a lake or stream you make a huge difference. That and responsible pooping make you much, much lighter on the land.

Hobartlemagne 

It costs a bit more, but you can get toilet paper made for boating.
It dissolves in very little water. Its designed for self contained boat and RV septic systems.

Ekdog

Whether I'm touring or commuting, I always like to tie a cloth handkerchief to my handlebars so as to avoid using paper ones. I also pick up some of the aluminum cans that I find along the way and recycle them (can't pick them all up--there are just too many ). I once read that if you throw one of those cans away you have wasted more energy than the average person in the Third World uses in a day. I also think it's a good idea to pick up any rubbish I find around my campsite and leave it cleaner than I found it.

freemti

at least the metal ones rust away and compared to the vast mountain of plastic based products we produce, throw away and then landfill (or send to the middle of the Pacific), I'm doubting that metal propane tanks amount to even a tiny fraction. If we want to really help, reducing our plastic trash at home and while on tour is probably a more worthy objective. My $0.02 anyway

bikehippy

1 pound's a lot of weight for a torch... I do actually have a wind up phone charger but never take it touring as I find it to be noisy and a lot of effort (then again maybe it's good to make the arm muscles do something seeing as the legs are working all day long Probably better off solar charging a rechargeable AA battery for a standard LED model, or even putting the dynamo to better use.

Speedo

Maybe SOL stands for S*&% Outa Luck?

Speedo

Simply stay home.

Speedo

bikehippy

<gross>surely that's what the soft bit on cycling gloves are for... </gross>

Good for you. I do this sometimes when on foot but when I'm pedalling along I like to keep going and wouldn't normally stop to do that, plus having to find somewhere to put it until the next bin / recycling point. It's great that you make that effort. Just got back from Scotland, beautiful place but it seemed there was an empty plastic bottle every hundred yards or so along the roadsides, I can't understand how anybody can think it's acceptable to just chuck your rubbish out like that.

pauldaley

great feeback~

especially:

- If you resolve never to wash dishes, clothes, or yourself anywhere near a lake or stream you make a huge difference. That and responsible pooping make you much, much lighter on the land.

* getting to/from start/finish by train and/or boat rather than plane

or you could just leave from home !!!! .

use solar panel to charge electonics I definitely want to look into a mini-solar charger for next years journey ~

Don't bring electronic gadgets. this is hard one for me as I'm a photographer (an eco-photographer).

I have thought about just selling my camera gear and taking off to indonesia and beyond, but i feel through photo-journalism that change comes about... when people SEE the beauty of nature and the destruction of man together ~

gerv 

This would probably be the most earth friendly thing you could do, particularly if you left from home. I have been hearing a lot of different points of view on how wasteful airplanes are in terms of greenhouse gas emissions... but I would imagine an airplane trip would be the greatest energy spike in a typical bike tour. All the other tips you mention would just pale in comparison.

pauldaley

^ yes, agreed.

I don't think i'll ever fly again (unless I cycle atleast halfway, hehehe)

I am amazed at how many people I have connected with in the past 12 or so months that have chosen not to ever fly again, now we just need to get the other billion or so flyers to find contentment in a low-carbon lifestyle

Ekdog

I haven't flown in years, but I must "cross the pond" next month to visit my parents. I've read that that one flight will wipe out all of the good I've done during the past year by living car free. Oy vey!

bikehippy

Flying sucks. Aside from the environmental impact there's all the humiliating security procedures they now put you through, overcrowded airports, horrible dry plane-air, nasty plane-food, need I go on... then there's the whole bike issue. I've never flown with my bike but having heard reports, wouldn't risk it unless the destination was a very long way away (i.e. another continent). Despite not exactly being loaded with cash right now, and multiple train/boat journeys being more complex to organise, more expensive and more time-consuming, I still use those methods to get where I'm going in Europe (I live in the UK). It's more fun to see the lands you are passing through, and nobody asks to scan your shoes on the ferry.

Starting from home is good if it fits into the plans, when I cycled to the Mediterranean last year it was really satisfying to be able to say I rode all the way to Corsica from my house (with the exception of obvious watery impediments), but sometimes it is nice to explore further afield and there's not always enough touring time to get there and back by bike

becnal

Where do you live? Not flying is easy if you live in Europe, but there aren't many options for a Californian who wants to go to New York. Are there?

gerv 

I suppose you could take the Greyhound. It's a 3-day trip and costs $224 each way. Not that I've ever tried it. Longest Greyhound trip I've ever taken is SF to Sacramento.

I also wonder if you could take a bike on the Greyhound?

sirpoopalot

amtrak. though thats a barrel of laughs on its own

Camel

...Cut down on cigarette smoking...

pauldaley

I live in Kyogle, a small town in Northern NSW Australia

not flying here is very easy ... you just don't fly

just like not smoking ... once you choose to face your addiction, it's quite simple