Going vegan and kicking a flying habit helped Buro Happold's director of sustainability and physics Maria Smith go carbon neutral.
Smith, who previously co-founded Interrobang and Studio Weave, set herself the challenge of going carbon neutral in response to the climate emergency.
"I've been trying to reduce my carbon footprint for a while," she told Dezeen.
"The biggest changes I've made are going vegan, switching to a green energy tariff, and quitting flying. I don't drive, or buy a lot of new stuff, or have any kids so I wasn't starting from a super carbon-intensive lifestyle, but there have been challenges."
"Travelling by train is much more pleasant"
Forgoing air travel ? prior to the coronavirus pandemic ? was one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. "Quitting flying was probably the trickiest thing," said Smith. "I was halfway through curating the Oslo Architecture Triennale at the time so this meant committing to some long train journeys! Travelling by train is much more pleasant though and Interrail is my friend."
Travelling by rail dovetailed well with the Oslo Architecture Triennale 2019 theme chosen by Smith and her co-curators: Degrowth, after the movement to reduce industrial-scale production and consumption.

Switching to a greener energy supplier was simple, and Smith opted to use the company Bulb.
"I live in a 1960s concrete-framed building with double glazing and a cavity wall but it's pretty leaky and ...