"Participants from today should keep three promises during this one-night, two-day trip for nature, which provided this beautiful shelter. Welcome to the carbon-free trip to Yeondaedo Island."
On Oct. 1, a Friday, Korea.net staff went on "carbon-free travel" to the island off Tongyeong, a coastal city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province 300 km south of Seoul. Yeondaedo, which requires a boat trip of nearly 25 minutes from Tongyeong's Darahang Harbor to get to, is a small island with 50 households comprising 72 residents. Solar power generation facilities set up in 2011 provide electricity to the island.
This was the first official trip after two monitoring tours in June. Nine teams with a combined 23 participants brought their own tents and spent a carbon-free day while following quarantine measures for COVID-19.
Kang Hyeon-seo, a team manager at Tongyeong Erang who led the two-day program, said the three promises announced at the first meeting with participants were no fossil fuels, no consumption of disposable goods and no discharge of non-recyclable waste.
To keep the three promises, participants were more meticulous in packing than for regular trips and shared what they packed. Common camping supplies such as gas burners, paper cups, disposable plates and tissues were banned, so personal cups, spoons, chopsticks and handkerchiefs were essential. There were a lot of supplies to prepare to prevent garbage from being discharged, but the backpacks were rather light.
The participants tried to minimize carbon emissions by using reusable containers for ingredients and food, cooking on induction stoves in the public kitchen or eating at nearby restaurants. Washing dishes often was inconvenient but more satisfying than using disposable goods. Little food waste was produced since people only took a small portion that they could finish. Unavoidable food waste such as fruit peel was turned into compost through an enzyme decomposer.
The program excluded common camping activities such as a barbecue or bulmeong (spacing out while watching a fire) and instead opted for the unique charms of eco-friendly programs. The first day featured a carbon-free diet; junk art experience, or creating art using waste from daily life; and observing the stars on the beach at night. Day two included exploring the island with an ecological expert and attending a cooking class for making chungmu gimbap, a specialty of the city. Each program used recyclable goods only.
At the end of the two-day trip, the participants received certificates for reducing 32.3 kg of carbon over the two days. Combined, the 23 participants reduced 742.9 kg of carbon.
Min Su-ryeon, 40, who joined the trip with her family, said, "Thanks to programs including a class on the area's food and an ecological field trip, the joy I got from traveling carbon-free exceeded the hassle."
Kim Tae-geon, 11, a fourth grader at Yongho Elementary School in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, said, "I thought reducing waste was difficult but after spending two days on Yeondaedo Island, I learned that it's easier than I thought."
Park Chul-beom, head of the Korea Tourism Organization's Gyeongsangnam-do branch who organized the trip, said, "Practicing carbon neutrality for the next generation is the top priority for all of us," adding, "I organized this program so that the participants can maintain a carbon-free lifestyle even after this short trip."
The carbon-free trip is available every Friday on Yeondaedo through Nov. 5. Those interested in going can apply on the Tongyeong Erang website (https://erang87.modoo.at/).
