My Carbon Footprint

I’ve been working for a non profit organization for the past 11 years. Especially for this last two years, I’ve been working for an NGO deals with nature conservation.
I have something going on in my mind ever since “What have I contributed to the conservation? To preserve the nature?”

Well, I use the low-energy light bulbs at home, turn on the light only when I needed and always turn off the light before I sleep. But, it just simply not enough and it has becoming worsened for the last two months, how come?

The management has decided to have another office in another city, about 120 Km away to the South. There is a new policy to scale up the work scope, from only province wide, to be island wide. The current office located in the capital of the province; however, it’s a pity that the capital only has a little airport which serves only province’s domestic flight (even in fact the government now is building a bigger airport to deals with this issue). If you need to go out of the province, you have to travel to the city which our new office located. It took about 2.5 hours by car. So, for the scale up, the office needed to be located near the airport.

My worry became real. For the last two months, the travel from and to the capital has been increasing rapidly then from the capital to the airport before. The drivers still based in the capital. They have to travel from there to the new office back and forth to pick someone up (who need to attend meetings in the capital). Not me only, but for others too, since we have to work closely with partners which are in the capital.

Especially for my case, I go to a University at the capital for a master degree. The classes held every Friday and Saturday. So, every week I have to travel back and forth. Approximately for 1 month, I would travel almost 1,000 Km. The consequences of course, I consume more fuel then before. I emit more Carbon to the atmosphere. And it’s not only me. There are some colleagues which are in the same situation with me.
I’m wondering what is the urge to have me and my colleagues work at the new office while almost all our network and partners are sitting at the provincial and district level and all my work can be done at the current office? And in fact, until now there is no clear plan for the scaling up activity. That’s the question that I guess I will never get the answer from the management. I just hope everything will be better in the new coming year.



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