Kim Adelson
2020 will long be remembered as “the year of COVID-19”. As I am writing this article, almost 300,000 Americans have died from the virus; to put this in perspective, that is more than the number of American combat deaths that resulted from World War II. Many more individuals have become gravely ill. This is truly a tragedy whose impact on our lives, relationships, and livelihoods has been matched by few others. Unfortunately, the advent of a new catastrophe, COVID-19, does not automatically make other ongoing crises disappear and climate change remains the greatest long-term threat to our continued existence. While it is easy to forget about slower, more incremental dangers in the presence of a more immediate menace, it remains as vital as ever to do all we can to halt global warming. It is in this spirit that I pick up where I left off last December, with a list of ways you can reduce your own carbon footprint.
Last year’s December Echo contained an article I wrote suggesting New Year’s resolutions that would make your life less dependent upon energy and plastics. I pledged to reduce my own carbon footprint by at least 5% and to “severely limit” my use of plastic; I also promised that I would get back to you all in a year and own up as to how well I did. (Thus providing motivation and giving myself to again present most of the suggestions!) I am proud to be able to say: I did well! This year, however, was not a very good test-case: although the self-isolation imposed by the COVID-19 crisis made it more difficult to enact some of my planned strategies, in the main it made it easier to accomplish my carbon footprint and plastic use goals.
To refresh your memories… why these two objectives? Greenhouse gas emissions are the leading driver of climate change. The average American annually produces about 16.6 metric tons of CO2, far above the global average (~4 metric tons) and well over what is needed to prevent the climate crisis. Reducing reliance upon plastic is important because plastics are made from fossil fuels, because most plastics don’t biodegrade and because they leach harmful chemicals into both soil and water. In addition, birds and other animals eat plastic goods when they mistake them for prey and they become entangled in fishing line, balloon strings, and the like.
Plastic Reduction
I have greatly cut down on buying plastic wrap and baggies. Instead I invested in reusable silicone stretch lids and now put leftovers in glass bowls covered with these and/or the plastic lids I already had at hand. I eschew buying food, shampoo, etc. in single- or small-size portions, and instead buy frequently used or easily stored items in very large sizes and dole them out as needed. I have started making my own laundry softener from non-toxic ingredients that come packaged in glass. Also, I have found a source to buy laundry detergent strips – they look like large pieces of bubble gum – that comes wrapped only in a small cardboard envelope instead of a large plastic jug. That’s two types of large plastic jug that I no longer buy! I bought a set of metal strawsand usea metal water bottle.
On the other hand, COVID-19 lifestyle adjustments mean that this past year I was unable to buy in the bulk section of my grocery store, using my own refillable containers. Also, since I use curbside pickup to avoid going into grocery stores, I am back to getting my groceries in plastic bags rather than my cloth totes. Social isolation means no parties, and hence no opportunity to avoid plastic cutlery or plastic plates. I bought a wonderful travel mug but can’t bring it with me to use instead of the paper cups with plastic lids handed out at my favorite coffee shops since I never go anywhere; similarly, although I bought a divided Pyrex container and planned to bring it with me to restaurants to use for leftovers instead of the usual Styrofoam boxes they provide, I have yet to use it. I have bought no new clothing and so couldn’t test my resolve to avoid synthetic (i.e., plastic derived) fabrics and stick to cotton or wool; similarly, I didn’t investigate buying any used clothing. The major plastic-related sin of which I am still guilty is buying food with excessive packaging, such as clamshells: I just can’t break my Costco habit.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction
I made really good progress during the past 12 months. We have (further) reduced our meat, especially red meat, consumption. I make it a point, if possible, to forego next or second day delivery when I make online purchases. We installed a highly reflective roof which greatly reduces our summer cooling needs and we added additional roof insulation, which decreases energy use in summer and winter. We switched over the last of our lightbulbs to energy efficient LEDS. We lowered our water heater a notch. I continue to do only cold-water laundry loads except for whites, and weather permitting I line dry them. I try to religiously shut lights when I leave a room. We live in layers and sweats in the winter so that we can keep the thermostat on a low setting. I easily implemented two dedicated “no driving days” each week – with self-isolation and store closures I now drive less than once per week – and have reduced my overall driving by way more than the 5% I had imagined. I took only two airplane trips, both non-stop, in 2020 – both prior to March – exceeding my goal of reducing my yearly flights by at least one. We bought carbon offsets for those flights.
Still, there are other energy-saving actions that I failed to take. We couldn’t turn down our thermostat when we are out of the house because we have been home nearly constantly. I still have far too many electric appliances that I leave on even when they are not in use, and I know that those little glowing diodes are wasting electricity. While we always open our shades and curtains to catch warming winter sun, I don’t get around to closing them at night. Again, due to COVID-19, I have not relied more upon public transit as I had planned.
I strongly suspect that most of you could also tick off many of these strategies: almost everyone’s lives have been upended by COVID-19, and since the crisis began U.S. carbon emissions are down 7%. I intend to try and build on and retain some of the pro-environmental changes I made this year, even after we are past this health challenge. For example, if I could manage to avoid driving so much this year, there is no reason I have to go back to pre-COVID-19 levels and 2 driving-free days/week should be easy to implement. I urge you to think about this as life gets back to normal over the coming months. My personal goal is to cut my carbon footprint by 10% over my 2019 use; that’s an additional 5% from 2020’s goal.
If you’d like to calculate your own carbon footprint, I recommend the EPA’s calculator at https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/.
Again, I urge you to implement a few of these practices. They all boil down to reuse, recycle, and reduce. I wish you all happy holidays and a wonderful new year!
