“We don’t have a car and we never will.”
Image: Getty Images
Lara (41) and Bart (45) go on holiday by bike every year. Their children Ole (8) and Pien (7) bravely join in.
“We don’t have a car. Never had and never will. Lucas and I have never flown since we had children, and we both refuse to do so for work. We are known in our circle of friends as ‘the environmental freaks’. I’m actually quite proud that people see us like this.
Holiday in your own country
Hardly anyone seems to realize how our world is on fire. I can keep up with that, yes. What will it look like for our children in the future? Can they still live in this part of the Netherlands or is everything here under water? Global warming is happening much faster than expected and we humans are to blame. I want to contribute in my own way.
You can’t really worry about the climate and at the same time get on a plane three times a year because you need a break. The earth needs a break; it is perfect to celebrate a holiday in your own country. Bart and I go on a cycling holiday with the children every summer. We then rent a tent at a campsite and explore the entire area from there. The Netherlands is so beautiful, most people have no idea. Cycling keeps us fit and healthy. Nine times out of ten we are tanned even more than our friends who have ‘spent the sun’.
“There is a kitchen timer in the shower to limit water use”
Being concerned with nature is okay, but for most people it shouldn’t go further than separating your waste a bit. We try to live as self-sufficiently as possible. There are solar panels on the roof of our house, and there is a kitchen timer in the shower to limit water use. We try our best to avoid food waste, and we have a vegetable garden and a greenhouse in the garden. In addition, we do everything by bike or by public transport.
Also read – You save so much water (and money) by taking a shorter shower >
without car
When we tell how we live, we are often looked at with wide eyes. ‘How do you do your shopping then’ is a frequently asked question. Well, just by bike. If we need a lot, we take the cargo bike or Bart and I go together. It’s all doable, even when it rains. I don’t see the problem with a wet suit. In fact; I find it refreshing after a day at the office, a nice downpour.
Our neighbors have three cars. They have an eighteen-year-old son who recently bought an old barrel that he rides back and forth in all day; such a kid is completely oblivious to the fact that it is also his world and his future that he is attacking. We try to tell Ole and Pien that things can be done differently. They love it when grandpa and grandma pick them up by car. Who can say that nowadays that a car ride gives you excitement.”
This article appears in Kek Mama 10-2022.
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