About those air travels...

When I first mentioned the idea of writing a blog to Scott, he advised against it because we fly to France to visit my family every year. "You're going to get hammered for that" he said.

Boy, did I find a lot of buzz in the comments about my recent travels. We have covered meat consumption, toilet paper and car usage, even white walls;)... Today, you have expressed concerns about my carbon footprint related to going away for Christmas and going to New York to tape The View. I am happy to provide answers: Some may think we are perfect, but we never said we were... we only try to do our best - and to be open about our successes and challenges.

I do not expect my readers to go as far as I have with zero waste, as I do not expect anyone to tell me that my lifestyle forbids flying ;) After all, we are all masters of our own lives. We are all responsible to balance in "greening" our lives at a pace that fits regional limitations and personal needs, regardless of what others say or think. I choose to be true on this blog and have mentioned my travels from the beginning, because I believe that honesty is key to growth and change.

Furthermore, I believe that true sustainability relies on adopting changes that are feasible in the long run. That is, after all, the true definition of sustainability, isn't it?

Up until striving to live a zero waste lifestyle, visits to far away places have opened my eyes and provided me with tolerance for cultural differences. These voyages have expanded my general knowledge from which I feed on a daily basis and share with you on this blog - unknowingly, you actually profit from my prior travels;). And I wish the same for my kids in their future. I wish for modern technology to find sustainable alternatives to a transportation mode that I do not foresee disappearing. Some think that I am unrealistic dreaming of a world free of food packaging, I think it is unrealistic to dream of a world free of air travels. With the multicultural civilization that we have become, there is no turning back. Air travel is not going away and I can undeniably say that it will always be part of my family's bi-cultural life.

• Can I adopt the Zero Waste lifestyle for as long as I live? Today, I can say yes.
• Can I vouch to never, ever flying again? As of today, absolutely not. I would be lying to you if I stated that I could "Refuse" flying for the rest of my life (or if I said that absolute Zero Waste was possible today). Carbon offsetting is nice (and we purchase it when we travel), but carbon reduction is even better...

It had been six years since we had taken a flight, for a leisure purpose other than that of visiting family. Our trip to Hawaii was a fantastic family experience for the boys and priceless (and at the same time free) for Scott and I, for we realize that it won't be long before our boys "Refuse" to travel... with us, that is;).

As for ABC flying us to New York to tape The View to spread the message of Zero Waste... well, no need to say more.

Have you vouched to never fly again for environmental reasons ("Refuse")? or have you opted to "Reduce" air travels instead?

I am so glad I decided to rise above Scott's original concerns... Look at the community we have created!