To car or not to car, that is the question.

Santa brought me a car. And I am very grateful.

Ever since my ageing Suzuki died nine years ago I have, out of necessity, used public transport. I figured it was time to walk my talk and have as light a carbon footprint as possible, but what I hadn't bargained for was that using public transport was sheer hard work. Except in Sydney, where trains leave Kings Cross station every 10 minutes, so I could travel around with ease. On the Sunshine Coast there were no buses to my destination after 7pm, a factor which was extremely limiting to a vibrant social life.

Now I don't have my head in the sand. I do make the connection that there's a 95%+ chance that droughts, floods and extreme weather events like cyclone Yasi are the result of global warming as a result of humanity's lifestyle choices. Clearing tree cover, coal fired electricity, emissions from cars are just some of the causes. Water temperatures in the Coral Sea in 2010/2011 are something like 20 higher than in previous decades. Result. A very wet east Australian east coast. A flood and cyclone ravaged Queensland, my home state.

Now I am contributing to global warming simply by driving my own car. Yikes! Not a comforting thought. But driving makes my life so much easier and I can be more effective. So how am I going to minimise my car carbon footprint?

Firstly, I am committed to following the Permaculture principle that everything I undertake must have three uses. So every journey must have at least three uses. A wee bit of strategic planning is required. I'll simply have to think of it as a game. The footprint game.

Secondly, I need to take responsibility for finding ways to offset my footprint. I know that by simply taking responsibility all my needs will be met, as if by magic. Eat your heart out Harry Potter!

Thirdly, because I am committed to having a super business head, I need to make each dollar go further.

As a treehugger, my initial response was to donate to enable the planting of trees. Just as I was pondering this option I met up with my friend Shivanii Cameron again at Bunya Dreaming. Shivanii, a talented filmmaker, is responsible for a project in India, an orphanage for “untouchable” children, a school educating 300 children and a micro finance project enabling the purchase of organic seeds. The village is poor, but has an amazing headman, Tinku, who has teamed with Shivani to enable sustainable change. And the Hinterland community of Maleny, where Shivani lives, has embraced the cause. For more check out Prabhat Alloi Facebook page
I sensed a huge connection here. Alleviating third world poverty reduces harmful emissions. It's a no brainer. So my $50 donation went to Prabhat Alloi Foundation. This way, as well as offsetting my carbon footprint, the money is enabling Shivanii to pursue her life purpose and benefiting an entire village in a third world country.

Phew! That's the Permaculture three taken care of. For January and February that is.