I’ve been an Air Traffic Controller for the last 19 years.
Possibly one of the best jobs in the world! No two days were the same, the camaraderie was fantastic and once you’d finished your shift, you could leave without worrying about work that needed to be done.
Sounds perfect hey? Trouble is, I wondered what I’d have to show for my career once I’d finished. What would I have achieved? I’ve always wanted to make a difference, to do something that has significance.
A job opened up at my company that needed someone with Air Traffic Control experience to work towards making Air Traffic Greener. How can air travel be greener and, more so, how can Air Traffic Control help with that? Well, it’s similar to driving your car. If you hammer it around, slamming the brakes on and speeding up, you use more fuel right? Same with planes….so if the Air Traffic Controllers provide the pilots with the options to fly their planes in the most economical way, we can help contribute to a reduction in CO2 in the air.
So… I jumped at the chance although it was a huge risk. I’d no longer be protected by the Union, I’d no longer be in “safe” employment (there’s a significant shortage of Air Traffic Controllers so your job is pretty safe!) but I would be working towards something that mattered for the future.
Whilst preparing for the job I started to look around at how I was living. Was I about to be a huge hypocrite, on one hand working with the Airlines and Airports to reduce fuel use and aircraft emitted pollution whilst also driving a combustion engine car (or campervan in my case!).
I also became acutely aware of the excessive amount of plastic I was using and throwing away in my home. This started to become an enjoyable hobby, looking at my daily habits and finding ways to make them more sustainable. I’ve found so many easy and better ways to change and I’d like to be able to share those with others to help more people live their busy day to day lives in a more sustainable way.
I hope you find this blog useful and use it to help you become Keen 2 Go Green.
