Getting there the green way

More and more people are beginning to take personal responsibility for their carbon emissions when they use modes of transport that use oil-based fuel. A large number of holidaymakers and retirees from the United Kingdom that own property in France are using the ferry and rail links to cross the Channel to reach their French holiday destinations.

For retirees John White and Teresa O’Brien, the time afforded through their retirement, they can afford the time it takes to reach their holiday home in Provence without setting foot in an airport. “It was more difficult to avoid flying when we were working, but now we have more time to travel and to plan the journey. We get cheap rail travel in England and France, which is a bargain as long as you book in advance. We try to spend two long holidays there each year, and once we’re down there we can get around by bus or train and we plan to buy bikes next time.”

“I’m very conscious that flying produces more carbon emissions than driving or going by train, so if we can use public transport, we do,” says O’Brien. And with the press UK airports have been getting this year, avoiding them is advisable. It will take more people like White and O’Brien if we are to make any significant changes to our impact on the environment.