For me, it all started 13 years ago, when I chose to take the train home from British Columbia to Montreal instead of flying. At the time, it wasn’t a conscious decision to never fly again, it was simply a choice I made for that specific trip. I stayed very informed about climate change all my adult life; most of my actions and decisions are largely directed by my will to be an environmentally friendly citizen.
More recently, I became more and more concerned about the climate crisis. Anxiety seemed to be slowly replacing my usual positivity about our future… As I searched the Internet for signs of inspiration, I wanted to know if others, like me, refused to take the plane because of its environmental impact. That’s when I found the organization “We stay on the Ground” and its campaign “Flight Free 2020”. I was thrilled!
Soon after, I started a Flight Free 2020 campaign in Canada which I ran for a year. I’m so pleased to see that Flight Free World has now become an international movement.
Most would say that refusing to fly is quite radical, simply because it is so accessible and popular. But times have changed. We must follow suit. The bottom line is that taking the plane is very often unnecessary and it causes a great deal of air pollution.
I believe we must try, at least try, to simplify our lives, see the world differently and decrease our carbon footprints. There are many ways to do this. Not flying is just one of those. We don’t need to visit each other’s countries to understand each other. We are beyond that point. We are in this together.
I pledge be flight free for as long as the climate needs.
Nathalie Laplante
Canada