Chances are, as the world does its best to weather the coronavirus pandemic, you're already doing your part to save the earth — driving less, for one. And the collective effort shows. Levels of nitrogen dioxide over major metropolitan areas, from Wuhan to Los Angeles, have dropped dramatically during lockdowns. You can now see fish in the Venice canals.
We can’t and won’t stay home forever, but we can take with us certain lessons from this time — and do what we can today to have a healthier planet in the years to come.
Skip the steak
Eating lower on the food chain — more plants, less meat — has a positive environmental impact. According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to championing health and the environment, if everyone in the US went vegetarian, it would be the equivalent of taking 46 million cars off the road or not driving 555 billion miles. But you don’t have to go that far. Even if one family of four skipped eating steak once a week, it would be like taking their car off the road for nearly three months.
Get scrappy with your leftovers
In the US, we throw away 72 billion pounds of perfectly good food each year — and the environmental impact of the methane produced alone is staggering.
Certain aspects of food waste are out of our hands, but as individuals we can all do more to make the best of the food we’ve got — or, as sustainability chef Joel Gamoran suggests, get “scrappy” and rethink what we might otherwise throw away. “Carrot tops can be pesto, and brown bananas are the start of an incredible cake,” he writes.
Set the sponge aside
There are plenty of small things we can all do to use less water. One super simple step? Don’t prewash your dishes if you have an energy-efficient dishwasher. The dishwasher uses 3 gallons of water; hand-washing can use up to 27.
Don’t (re)book that flight
Not everything can be accomplished via Zoom, but we are definitely learning which meetings could have been emails — and which work trips didn’t necessarily need to happen. Flying emits about 860 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, and there’s a global movement to curb unnecessary air travel in the name of climate change.
Work from home
For those lucky enough to have figured out how to work remotely during the pandemic, there’s a powerful environmental argument to keep it going. It’s simple: Telecommuting reduces emissions, and requires far less fuel and energy than being in the office.
BYOB(ags)
Each year, the US uses about 100 billion plastic bags, 99% of which are never recycled. Do your part by bringing and reusing your own bags from home.
BYOB(ottles)
Roughly 35 billion water bottles go into landfills every year — not to mention the ones that end up in the ocean. Enough!
Buy secondhand
The fashion industry hurts the planet more than you’d ever believe. (It takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce a single pair of jeans!) Skip fast fashion and learn to love the thrill of a secondhand find. Better yet: vintage.
Kill the energy vampires
Shutting down electronics that are not in use can translate into huge savings — in money and energy. Getting rid of those energy vampires in US households is equivalent to keeping 44 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the environment.
Install a smart thermostat
Smart thermostats appeal to homeowners because they reduce energy costs anywhere from 12% to 25% on the monthly bill. But reduced costs means reduced use, and these devices help homeowners heat and cool their homes more efficiently.
Practice the three Rs
It’s a lesson we learned when we were young: reduce, reuse, recycle. Now repeat. These days, with at least 33% of municipal waste not being managed in a safe way, it’s even more important to pay attention to the first two.
