And on the roads of my terrestrial homeland turning round with the music of the spheres
I thought that all I could do would be done better one day.
– The Green Light Society
Last month, I talked about street performers and their impact on the environment. In Paris, there were street performers on just about every corner and it was interesting seeing how they interacted with, and ultimately respected the space around them. This past month has been an absolute whirlwind. I saw the amazing London and the stunning cities around Lake Como. Both were breathtaking in their own right, and what was especially fascinating to me was that they each had their own sound.
Stress + Fitbit
My stress levels have been kind of all over the place over the past few weeks. I will say, however, that they are nowhere as high as last month’s. I haven’t gotten to go out to the trail along Le Brionneau lately which was what – along with additional outside time – helped me cope in September. Nonetheless, I did spend a lot of time outside in my travels. Travelling is always a little stressful as there are so many things that go into it: transportation, food, shelter, and figuring out what you’re going to do for the day. My first trip was to London. The ride there was absolutely stunning, and while I couldn’t be physically outside in nature while on the train, simply looking at it was good enough. I would say that my average stress levels for the month were at about a 3 with the occasional 6.
In London, I walked an average of about 26,801 steps and 13.51 miles. I also burned an average of 1148 calories each day. That’s the most I’ve walked so far, and more than I did in Paris, which I thought could never happen.
In Italy, I walked a daily average of 9,000 steps with my peak being 16,779. I believe the day I peaked was the day I went on a gorgeous hike up to a church called Chiessa San Martino in Griante. The hike (more of a walk) wasn’t too long, just about an hour; however, it was a lot of stairs and uphill climbing. Our legs were jello by the time we got to the top. The view made it worth it, and I can definitely say my stress levels were at an all time 0 as I sat at the top eating chocolate, overlooking the lake.
This month has been a very busy one for both my Fitbit and I, with a monthly average of 7,287 steps.
London + Music Scene
I had technically been to London twice before this past trip – I had layovers in the Heathrow airport. So yeah, it was my first time officially exploring the city.
London is definitely known for having a vibrant music scene. Londoners, as well as people from all over the world (London tourists have an ecological footprint of 2.4 million gha according to City Limits London), come to take advantage of it. It’s no secret that live music is a huge cause of greenhouse gas emissions. (1)
According to a study, 75 million tickets are sold for live music performances at over 40,000 events in the UK every year. The venues release about 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. These venues include large music venues, 
small music venues, theatres, universities, and other places where one can find live music. Big cities are being faced with the question of how to reduce the ecological footprints of their music events. In Liverpool, an arena called the Arena and Convention Centre has been opened as a way of demonstrating low carbon technology and energy management in order to reduce CO2 emissions. It is designed in a way that it produces 50% less CO2 emissions as well as less electricity. (2)
In looking for other ways people have tried to better the impact of live music events on the environment, I came across a non-profit called Reverb. An environmentalist and her musician husband founded it back in 2004, and what they do is create custom plans to green their client’s tours while also engaging the concertgoers. By setting up booths, giving out organic products, providing biodegradable cups, putting up recycle bins around the venue, they promote environmental sustainability. Artists like Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies, and the Dave Matthews Band have spoken about and utilized their services. (3)
There is a song by Jack Johnson called “The Horizon Has Been Defeated” that talks about oil rigs that he and his friend saw along the California coast. The way they lit up in the nighttime darkness reminded them of “alien casinos” and “pirates of the new age”. (4)
future complications
in the strings between the cans
but no prints can come from fingers
if machines become our hands
and then our feet become the wheels
and then the wheels become the cars
and then the rigs begin to drill
until the drilling goes too far
Italy
My stay in Italy was a gorgeous one and I cannot think of it without a smile on my face. I spent part of it with some friends, but most of it I spent alone in an AirBnB with a KILLER view. The cities along Lake Como – Como, Bellagio,
A glimpse of the view.
Moltrasio, etc – didn’t have the same urban noise as London. They were very calm with the sounds of chatter, the lake, and the occasional ferry horn. The music of Italy was the sound of cutlery hitting plates and the occasional American song playing on the radio. It was such a relaxing experience and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Seeing as ferries were such a huge part of Italy’s “song”, I decided to look more into their environmental impact. Apparently, modern ferries are generating far less greenhouse gas than airplane engines. They also recycle the heat produced by their engines to warm passenger quarters and provide hot water, thus not using additional fuel for those things. Moreover, ferry engines meet all standards (both national and international) for fuel emissions. Of course, this is a generalization; however, it seems that for the most part ferries are doing a good job of being good to the environment. (5)
This month has flown by and I can’t wait to see what the rest of this semester entails.
Sources
1. http://www.citylimitslondon.com/downloads/Complete%20report.pdf
2. http://www.juliesbicycle.com/files/2008First-Step-JB-report-revised09.pdf
3. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4103
4. http://reverb.org/
5. http://ferrycrossings.org.uk/ferry-travel/ferry-travel-and-the-environment/