A Cariboo senior continues to push himself to drive less and bike more at 77 years old.
Stuart Westie is a visible figure in Williams Lake due to his daily bike trips into downtown from South Lakeside.
Westie shared his annual audit for 2024, a practice which started out more to track his physical activity, but became a way to show his low vehicle use, something he is very conscientious about.
"I did drive 10 times this year but at least three were for emergencies for others," wrote Westie in his audit summary.
Instead of driving, he rides his bike or walks for exercise almost every day, and uses the outings to pick up anything he needs in small quantities.
He also promotes a rationing of fossil fuels to help reduce climate change.
Westie drove a total of 240 km in 2024, down from 330 km in 2023.
He said he biked 338 days and estimates it added up to just under 7,000 km, as he bikes around 20 km per day, and walks or rides a stationary bike to keep active when the weather is too cold or the conditions make it too hazardous.
He doesn't use his clothes dryer, preferring to hang things outside in the summer and by the wood stove on a rack in the winter.
He said he put out two half-full garbage bins the entire year. A bear getting into the bin once meant he put it out before it was full, which meant he doubled the number of times he had to put out his bin for pickup, but it added up to around the same amount produced.
After a good friend died in his house in January 2024, Westie said he observed the effects of stress on his body, as his hips and shoulders froze up so much it was hard to swing a leg over his bike.
However, he said he's better now. He has turned his loss into action as he is now working to memorialize his friend Cheryl Folden and others who are struggling with homelessness and addiction. Westie has been working to plan a bench and information signs with writings in honour of his friend as well as information on relevant service providers in the community.
One note in his audit summary said it is the first year in about 40 he hadn't canned peaches, something he relies on for breakfast through the winter.
"That’s because of the destruction of the peach crop due to climate change … pisses me off," wrote Westie.
While he acknowledges he is slowing down, Westie seems determined to continue in his quest to stay active and reduce his carbon footprint.
"Realizing there aren't too many decades left," he said in this year's audit, which he signed off as "a legend in my own mind :)"
The senior also suggested he may add a new category to his audit, noting he had three letters to the editor published in the Williams Lake Tribune last year, and one so far in 2025.
"They're not exercise but they take effort," he said.