University of Southampton

Guest blog post by PhD researcher Anna Belcher 

My trusty steed – ‘Merlin the Brave’

With one week to go before the UK Antarctic Science conference, it is time to turn all my rants about sustainability and low carbon impact into a reality! On Friday 1 July, I will be hopping on my trusty bicycle and beginning the 200 mile cycle from my home in Basingstoke to the conference in Norwich. Despite some of my colleagues thinking I am slightly becrazed (which may be true to some extent 😉 ), I’m very excited about my choice to sweat for two and a half days instead of a three hour drive or four hour train. What better way to combine business travel with exercise and the chance to see some of the English countryside!

The planned route thus far! Let’s see how closely we follow it!

So why am I doing this? Well, I believe that we can all take steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and that these steps, no matter how small are vital if we are to avoid some of the severe climate change predictions. Regardless of your opinion as to the cause of recent trends in global temperature and other climate variables, the fact remains that we all want a nice place to live, both today and in the future. So time for me to lead by example, turning my carbon footprint into a carbon wheelprint and reducing the carbon impact of my research. I hope that my little cycle on my trusty steed  ‘Merlin the Brave’ will encourage others to step back and think about how they too can make their research more sustainable.

The planned route so far is looking good, and I will be joined by 3 friends and colleagues from British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, who will hopefully provide some fresh energy for the final day. Check out #CarbonWheelprint @Oceans_Anna if you’re interested in seeing how our legs get on with the cycle!