Paris Light How to Travel Abroad with a Sustainable Future in Mind STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANN RANDALL
Paris. Global epicenter of culture, fashion, and art. Site of the 2015 Paris Agreement committing 195 countries to combat climate change. Paris— which adopted its own 2020 goals to reduce its energy consumption by 25 percent and nitrogen oxide levels by nearly half. And more suprisingly, to increase its urban agricultural output, since food production generates 40 percent of the city’s carbon footprint. In Paris for a week last October, I wondered how I could be an eco-tourist embracing the city’s laudable eco-goals. Were there responsible tourist practices that would still let me enjoy the culinary, historical, and shopping delights of the City of Lights? I discovered there were, and I found a delightful slice of Paris I would have otherwise missed. I also learned useful eco-tips for future travels, and I was able to mitigate my trip’s environmental impact even before I left home with plenty of focused research and some helpful smartphone apps.
Velib Public Bikes
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3rd Act magazine | spring 2019
Greener Transportation My flight from Seattle spewed 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide into the ozone according to the website co2.myclimate. org, so offsetting my Paris transportation footprint was my first commitment. Jet-lagged on arrival, taking a taxi from the airport to my accommodation would have been the much easier choice. But pre-trip research
provided precise instructions for catching a train from the airport into the city, including where and how to buy tickets. I intentionally booked an Airbnb accommodation close to Metro stops and within walking distance from the Gare du Nord train station. Many websites and tourist maps explain how to navigate the Paris Metro system and buses, but given the upbeat weather during my stay, I was able to traverse the city by walking and on two wheels. Velib’ Metropole, the city’s best-known public bike-sharing system, operates a fleet of over 14,000 distinctive bikes available for pickup and drop-off anywhere at 1,200 docking stations throughout the city. Several additional startup companies have expanded the city’s public bike fleet, and Lime’s electric standing scooters offer another alternative. I’m not a confident urban biker and the last time I rode a scooter was in elementary school, but if I stuck to neighborhood streets and urban walkways, both proved to be useful modes of transportation when I got tired of walking. Bio-Dining France already makes some environmentally healthy food consumption choices for its visitors. The country prohibits the cultivation of crops with genetically modified organisms. Organic food (called bio in France) can be found in specialized bio grocery stores located throughout the city. Vegetarian and organic restaurants and teashops are ubiquitous. And there’s that 2020 goal of increasing urban agriculture. Was it possible to navigate the gastronomical delights of Paris largely patronizing food outlets with green practices? My starting point was the City of Paris website’s link called Sustainable Tourism. It promotes Merci, a store within walking distance of my apartment; Café Pinson in the Marais, a 100 percent organic restaurant; and Violetta et Alfredo, a bio tea and pastry salon with a playlist of opera music near the Follies Bergere theatre. Merci happened to already be a favorite Paris haunt of mine with its moody coffee shop lined with used books. This time I discovered that its basement restaurant, La Cantine, has a farm-to-table seasonal menu and donates its www.3rdActMag.com