Though it feels like the Labour Day weekend just happened, I now find myself on the cusp of another three day break from work. The Thanksgiving weekend is shaping up to include a good combination of activities. Some cycling will doubtless occur. On Sunday, I am doing my first trip with the Ottawa Hostel Outdoor Club (mentioned before). About twenty people are going on an exploratory hike to Ramsay Lookout. That evening, I have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner by a co-worker. I will have to make some kind of interesting veggie dish. Any suggestions (or recipes) would be most welcome.
Next Thursday, Meaghan Beattie is arriving in Ottawa. The next day, Tristan is coming from Toronto. Spending the weekend exploring Ottawa with them promises to be excellent. We should, for instance, finally visit the Civilization Museum over in Gatineau. October 16th marks the three-month point in my job. Between the 24th and 28th, I will be in Montreal. The first three days are for a conference, whereas the weekend is reserved for having fun in the city. I really enjoyed living there for a couple of months, back in 2003. I am told the train ride from Ottawa to Montreal – through all that autumnal deciduous landscape – should be very beautiful.
December should be really exciting. By taking four days off work and using the various statutory holidays, I should be in Vancouver from late on the 21st until the 3rd of January. It will be my longest span of time in the city since the summer of 2006. A big gathering of friends in North Vancouver should definitely be arranged, akin to my pre-Oxford departure party and previous such food-and-friend-laden gatherings. I feel guilty about the flight (0.8 tonnes of CO2 for the total journey of 7100km), but I am regrettably unable to take two months off work to cycle there and back.
Two months of cycling would no doubt produce a lot of CO2. You’d have to look at the transport CO2 of all the food you purchased along the way. Also, you’d need to subtract any positive effect on CO2 reduction you produce working at EC. Also, invariably parts would break and require replacement. (perhaps not invariably, but certainly likely).
Speaking of parts, I’ve basically put my bike together (yesterday). It’s gone from a frame to something that looks exactly like a bike. I say “looks like” and not “is” because the rear wheel I used is the wrong size and the tire rubs against the frame. However, i have another wheel, I just need to swap an axle into it because the one in it now has too many gears on the freewheel and won’t fit in the bike (too wide). Hopefully I can do that tuesday at the U of T bike service centre.
I will photograph the bike soon so you can see it. It’s desperately ugly. But, I’ve only spent 60$ on it so far, 40 of which was for tools which I can consider investments (I bought a crank puller and a chain tool).
Two months of cycling would no doubt produce a lot of CO2.
If we take a total Canadian carbon budget of 24.5 Mt, that means we each get 0.73 tonnes per year, sustainably. Note that this includes all the carbon you use (the energy to extract the oil to make the plastic for the iPod manufactured for you in China). Spending 0.8 tonnes on two flights must eventually be made impossible or unnecessary.
We are going to need to learn to live with drastically reduced emissions.
Tristan,
Good luck with the final assembly of your bike. Please consider bringing it when you come to visit.
On carbon emissions from the trip to Vancouver see this entry.