I travel from Inis Mór, an island on the west coast of Ireland to Finland by ferries and trains. I live permanently in Inis Mór but I am originally from Finland. So I visit friends and family in Finland once a year. I plan to travel this way every time in both directions.

Jenni more than halved her emissions from her journey: from more than 620kgs CO2 flying both ways to 260kgs CO2 return by trains and ferries. Travelling by air is not very sustainable.

Location

Inis Mór, Árainn, Co Galway

Name

Jenni

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Impact:

  • Jenni saves 364kgs CO2 eq each trip – the equivalent of planting 26 trees.

What inspired you to do this?

I have wanted to stop flying for a long time, due to concerns for climate impact. Also I really enjoy train travel.

What were the personal and or sustainability benefits?

I travelled by boat and bus to Galway. I then travelled by train from Galway to Dublin. I took the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead. From there I got trains to London, Brussels,Cologne, Hamburg and Stockholm. And a ferry to Finland. I also travelled back the same route.

What advice would you have for others to do something similar?

Plan your journey well. Enjoy the slow travel. It’s good to leave enough time changing trains.

What’s the Community Takeaway?

Because Jenni’s story involves a personal travel choice across different countries, there’s no simple community takeaway here. However, each country does have its own public transport policy, as well as policies about reducing air flights in favour of overland options: there are campaigns you can join that support government in making the most sustainable transport policies.

And don’t forget, you can help others to understand sustainable transport choices better by just telling friends and neighbours about what is really involved in making the switch away from flying.

Greener Travel 

Up in the Air: Stay Grounded 

 

 

Notes and Calculations

[1] Flying by economy produces about 90 kg CO2 per passenger per hour. The journey to Finland from Shannon would take 3.5 hours creating about 630kgs CO2 return. Train and ferry are much more efficient – the ferry at 140kms between Ireland and the UK will produce only 2.7kg CO2 each way, and the total train trip will produce just 130kgs CO2 (266 kgs CO2 return).

For each journey, Jenni saves the equivalent of planting 26 trees. [1]

[1] 1 Tree offsets 14kg CO2

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