Earth Day 2008—What About the Airlines?
Filed Under In Our Opinion - Naturally Savvy Guides |
Randy and I recently flew to NYC for an Earth Day event sponsored by Hachette Filipacchi. We were asked to be the guests of honor on that particular day to talk to the media and general public about living a natural and organic lifestyle and how this lifestyle has a positive impact on the environment. The event was super successful and it was great to see how an entire city came to life to celebrate this special day. I left the Big Apple that day feeling optimistic about doing something “good” for our planet.
On our way home, immediately after boarding our flight, the pilot started the engine and we were excited by the possibility of being on schedule for take-off. As our plane headed for the runway, the pilot announced our plane was 30th in line for take off and we would be airborn in approximately 30 minutes from that time. I looked out the window to a sea of airplanes waiting to take off—all with their engines idling.
I was pretty amazed at the irony of it all. I had just come from an event where we talked about how making small changes in our everyday lives can have a big impact on our overall health and enviroment. However, sitting on the runway that day among mega doses of CO2 emissions made me realize how much more needs to be done right here in our own backyard.
I have to believe the airlines can come up with a better way to schedule take-offs in order to minimize their impact on the environment—if not for always, then at least for Earth Day!
Andrea
