By: Daniella Menendez

BUSINESS AS USUAL

As the global community begins to reopen and adjust to a world post-COVID-19, a question on environmentalist’s minds are, how do we reopen without returning to “business as usual”. Our world’s economy is in disarray, but shutting down large portions of the economy has seen positive effects to our environment. Daily emissions worldwide were 17% below what they were last year, waterways have cleared, and there has been less use and waste of single-use disposable items from restaurants and stores.

The pandemic has reminded us that society and nature are strongly interconnected. Studies have shown that low-income communities, particularly communities of color, hit hardest by COVID-19 are also most vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to local pollution and limited access to climate adaptation and mitigation resources. Responses to these global crises require national and international collaboration that puts the health and safety of the people and the environment first.

The decline in emissions and waste has proposed a clear message to leaders around the world. How do we reopen with a green economy in mind and end the current status quo that puts profit over the environment and people’s well-being?

C40 mayor’s, a network of cities from around the world, issued a pledge to call for healthy, equitable, and sustainable economic recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID pandemic and climate change require a local-to-global response and future-forward thinking. C40 cities have pledged to invest in green jobs, the green transition to renewable energies and infrastructure of water, energy, health, waste management, and transportation.

GOING GREEN

Cities are not alone in the transition to a green economy. California’s universities have also taken a large step to begin the process of divesting fully from fossil fuels. The UC milestone mapped a five-year effort to move the university system’s $126-billion portfolio into more sustainable investments, such as wind and solar energy. The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, has pledged to no longer accept fossil fuel advertising and achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.

With leaders and industries around the world pledging and acting to transition to a more sustainable future, we, as individuals can also make strides forward.

Here are a few ways to incorporate a more sustainable daily life:

Love food but hate waste? Click the link to reduce food waste at home. 

1. Shop Smart: Shop your refrigerator before going to the store. Eat what you have, revive leftovers, turn vegetable trimmings into a vegetable stock, eat root vegetables, and compost the rest! 

2. Shop local: Shopping local reduces emissions from transporting goods to your door and helps revitalize the local economy. 

3. Begin learning about food labels, which are oftentimes confusing and inaccurately understood. 

4. Transition to a Zero Waste Lifestyle: Follow the Zero Waste Reduction hierarchy and think critically about what you purchase. Can it be reused? Can it be recycled and/or composted? Do you really need to buy the item? Waste happens before you take it home – in the production, manufacturing, transportation of materials and the final product. Help reduce waste by refusing what you don’t need, reducing what you consume, and reusing what you have.

   1. Buy second hand clothing and items 

   2. Support zero waste stores and businesses, such as Package Free Shop. And shop reusable items, such as reusable cutlery, water bottles, and even compostable toothbrushes and floss!

   3. Understand where your plastics are going and the environmental impacts of over consumption

   4. Buy in bulk 

   5. Bring your own reusable bags to the store 

5. Reduce your carbon footprint by eating less meat: Eating meat is one of the largest contributors and leading industries of global greenhouse gas emissions.  

6. Drive less: Create transportation alternatives such as riding a bike, taking public transit, or walking. 

Lastly, connect to nature! Read about the benefits of connecting to nature and how it can greatly increase your health and well-being, especially during times of anxiousness and uncertainty.

Feeling inspired and want to become more engaged? 

• Begin tracking the environmental rules that have been reversed under the Trump Administration, click here. And subscribe to the New York Times’ Climate Forward Newsletter, for daily climate news.
  

• And start here, Act on Climate Change: A User’s Guide for 2020 and Beyond.