On Wednesday, April 22, the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a movement sparked in response to the words of marine biologist Rachel Carson: “Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species—man—acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world,” she wrote in The New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. And with the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19 in the 21st century, this statement still rings true.
On April 3, Newsweek reported that due to the current decrease in travel, the world could see a 5% drop in carbon dioxide emissions for the year, the largest global fall since World War II, according to the Global Carbon Project.
“The No. 1 thing we do that has an impact on the environment is drive,” says Christopher G. Miller, president of the NoVA-based Piedmont Environmental Council. “If we just drove a little bit less, say 20% less, the air would be cleaner, the water would be cleaner, and we have a lot less carbon emissions.”
Despite the circumstances of the coronavirus, Miller has been staying busy with the Piedmont Environmental Council and its impact across the region. The organization canceled it’s annual ice cream party at Moo Thru (where the organization planned to give out free trees too), but the demand for everyday, environmentally friendly practices has been moving forward with more recent reports on COVID-19’s environmental impacts.
According to a recent report by National Geographic, China’s carbon emissions were down 18% in February and March, which led to avoiding an estimated 250 million metric tons of carbon pollution, “more than half the annual carbon emissions of the United Kingdom,” wrote reporter Madeline Stone.
“What we’re seeing is that people are really doubling down on conservation and restoration,” says Miller. “They’re doing things like planting a garden for the first time, or expanding their gardens. They’re going for walks and asking what they can do for the environment. They’re doing things they have time to do now, and they’re excited about it.”
And that excitement can lead right into this year’s 50th celebration, even if it’s from your home.
“[Earth Day] is a celebration of where we live,” Miller says. “And it’s just as appropriate to celebrate it at your house or in your neighborhood, just as it would be to go to some national event.”
Miller suggests that keeping your driving to a minimum after the stay-at-home order eventually lifts can help tremendously, as well as other small, incremental changes you can do that add up to much bigger change. He calls it “relentless incrementalism.”
“It’s the total of all of these decisions that makes a big difference,” says Miller. “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.”
So, what can you do this Earth Day to make small, yet impactful changes in NoVA?
In terms of energy, “look at where you live, whether it’s an apartment or house. Energy efficiency is a way of reducing air pollution by another 30%, and it’s something cost effective that’s not expensive to accomplish,” says Miller. “It usually just means changing light bulbs and remembering to turn things off.”
If you’re coming up short on your grocery list for fresh produce, find a local farm to support.
“In the past 12 years, PEC has worked hard to encourage and draw attention to the local food network,” says Miller. “Over the last three weeks, we have had a series of discussions within the farm market community and with the state and with local governments about how we can continue to do this safely. If we could make our agricultural system more sustainable, that would be a huge plus. And so just having residents buy their food more consciously is a big positive that’s coming out of this experience.”
And lastly, “Plant native plants. It doesn’t have to be a huge garden,” says Miller. “It can reduce stormwater runoff and create a habitat. One native, mature tree can absorb and purify up to 11,000 gallons of water. Just by planting one tree, you would be doing as much as anyone to enhance wildlife habitats and improve water quality.”
But at the end of the day, Miller says, there’s no overestimating the power of a simple walk and appreciation of our local parks. Get out and see the flowers, pick up discarded trash and get some fresh air for Earth Day. You’ll be better for it.
As for continuing those small, everyday changes after the 50th anniversary and the global pandemic, Miller says, “Find a local food provider, and see if you can buy a native tree. If you combine those two things, you will accomplish everything we would recommend.”
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