On this Earth Day, with Mt. Eyjafjallajökull still actively billowing its disruptive ash, we’re given yet another opportunity to contemplate man’s relative impotence in the face of nature’s power. By volcanic standards, this one is really considered something of a minor event. I like to think of it as something of a karmic reminder from Mother Earth that we cannot take our position on this planet for granted or become too overconfident that our technological solutions alone can save us. So while the atmosphere got a short reprieve from the 344,000 tons of CO2 released every day through the European aviation, stranded travelers were also given the opportunity to think twice about the necessity of all these millions of flights we make every year. I was encouraged to see one frustrate traveler get the message in a recent New York Times post:

“Myself and 12 others from our company have been stuck in London since last Friday, we only came here for a two day workshop. Why do people fly across the Atlantic for one-day meetings or two-day workshops anyway? What an insane waste of jet fuel, time and effort, especially in an age of Internet and teleconferencing. Lots and lots of gratuitous long-distance air travel going on, which will likely be harshly re-examined when the (pardon the pun) dust has settled.”