Column: The 50th anniversary of Earth Day: A pivotal moment

With the global spread of Covid-19, we have discovered how quickly our world can change and have responded with sacrifices. It’s clear that we deeply value the health and well-being of our community.

With our response, we have improved the health of our planet, too. It’s remarkable! On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, our skies are the cleanest they have been for over a century.

They are so clean that climate scientist, Katherine Hayhoe, says we have achieved one-quarter to one-third of the reductions specified in the Paris Accord in just one month.

So clean, that Marshall Burke of Stanford University estimates that China’s coronavirus lockdown saved 77,000 lives more than died in the pandemic.

We might think, “That’s great for China,” but their shuttered factories make the stuff we buy, and their air moves around the globe and becomes ours. What happens in China does not stay in China.

So, on this Earth Day, let’s take a moment to see how we have achieved such healthy skies.

TRANSIT

We have planned our car trips thoughtfully. We are consolidating errands and telecommuting. We are meeting by Zoom. As a result, we have helped locals with asthma breathe a little easier. Thank you for your part. With car trips down nearly 50 percent, we have prevented so many car accidents, that my insurance company is returning $520 million in premiums. Could one of those accidents have been yours?

Instead, we have explored local bike routes so painstakingly planned by our own neighbors. In June, you may be inspired to take the Tahoe Bike Challenge and try getting around town on your bike. You will improve your health, our air, save money--and you might even win prizes! Alternatively, you may choose to ride the bus for free.

SHOPPING

Are you cleaning out closets while homebound? When you repurpose, repair, sell, donate, or simply keep your stuff longer, you are saving lives—and our planet. Who knew you could be a superhero while cleaning closets? Shop at local thrift stores and you support local jobs and non-profits. In making fewer grocery trips, we have bought items in bulk and avoided excess packaging—and we are all more aware of wasting toilet paper!

EDUCATION

This is a great opportunity for our youth to learn some unique lessons. Some of us are teaching about community service as we cheer nightly for our essential workers. Others are citizen scientists, collecting and sharing data with local scientists. You may choose to plant some sugar pine seedlings and keep track of how well they grow.

You could hold a Bug Night identify aquatic weeds or download TERC’s Citizen Science App for more ideas. Inspire your family a about the world of possibilities by watching the Wild and Scenic Film Festival together at home. There’s a kids’ show, too.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

We have been outdoors walking our neighborhoods. Our pets are thrilled. We hear the joyful sounds of children playing and we have met neighbors we didn’t know. We have strengthened our relationships.

As many of us have been forced to slow down, we have found time to bake peanut butter dog treats or bread - though our stores can’t keep yeast in stock, so some neighbors are passing around the sourdough starter.

We are also paying attention to what lurks in the back of our refrigerator and eating it before it spoils. Americans throw away almost pound of food a day, but according to Project Drawdown, “Producing uneaten food squanders a whole host of resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital—and generates greenhouse gases at every stage—including methane when organic matter lands in the global rubbish bin.” Food waste is so destructive to our planet, that our EPA has set a goal to cut it in half in the next decade. There is good news. Food lasts longer than you think.

The typical American diet is not only making us sick, but it is making the planet sick, too. So many locals are experimenting with plant-based diets. Beans, lentils and whole grains keep indefinitely, feature in many delicious cuisines, and are climate-friendly foods, so stock up.

Others are growing a vegetable garden for the first time. Families can virtually attend locally -produced Grow Your Own workshops for tips on how to garden in our challenging environment. Potatoes, lettuce, kale, artichokes, and tomatoes will be featured. Register and you will get free starter plants, too!

Other Tahoe folks are avoiding grocery trips by getting organic, locally-grown farm boxes delivered by Natural Trading Company or Mountain Bounty Farm. Food from local farms means that it is fresher and avoids the energy required by long-distance refrigeration and transport.

Our actions combined are helping us to meet our city’s pledge to fight climate change. Thank you for all your efforts.

A global pandemic is a sudden crisis. By contrast, climate change is a slow crisis that continues to build even while our attention is elsewhere. We cannot lower the climate change “peak” with several months of dramatic action when the crisis becomes overwhelming. It has taken over a century to develop, and the “curve” will span lifetimes as well.

This can be a pivotal moment for us.

Our old habits make us and the planet sick. We have seen some of the benefits of our new lifestyle. Let’s foster these new habits as we return to work and school. Envision cleaner air and water, healthier people, food that doesn’t destroy the biosphere, and energy independence that allows us to sidestep world conflicts.

Trillion-dollar stimulus packages show us that, if the political will--our will--is strong enough, heroic efforts will be made. This is our moment. We can see the power of our actions. Let’s make these adaptations into habits to create a more livable future for ourselves, our children, and grandchildren.

Map: Tropospheric NO2 concentrations over California on A - March 2-6, B - March 9-13, C - March 16-20 and D - March 23-27.