Go Green: Celebrate the Earth This April

By Tom Last

April is Earth Month, and it is the time of year that many people and groups across the country focus on the environment. During the month staunch efforts should be made by all of us to reduce our carbon footprints, fight climate change, and to educate ourselves on how to protect the planet.

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Senator Gaylord was inspired by the anti-Vietnam War “teach-ins” and the growing environmental concerns of the late 1960s. The environmental teach-ins were to be educational forums designed to inform and engage participants on matters related to the environment. Nelson envisioned a nationwide educational event to raise awareness about pollution and environmental degradation. Current Earth Day educational events now focus on climate change, which was much less known back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

This Earth Day there seem to be more challenges than ever before to protect the planet and to fight climate change with the recent termination of $7.5-$7.6 billion in financial awards to 223 clean energy projects across the country. These cancellations targeted a wide range of renewable and decarbonization initiatives, many of which were already underway. Some of the terminated projects included solar energy development and deployment, hydrogen production, carbon capture, grid storage, EV charging infrastructure, and catalyst and industrial decarbonization technologies.

Instead of supporting renewable energy projects, the government continues to fund fossil fuel infrastructure projects like the NESE pipeline right here in our own backyard. The NESE Pipeline is a major natural gas expansion project that will run from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and under the New York City harbor, ending about three miles offshore of our Rockaway peninsula. This type of fossil fuel infrastructure funding doesn’t make sense, as renewable energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels and the costs of renewable energy sources are rapidly falling. Could the oil and gas industries, which have made about $2.8 billion in pure profit every day for roughly the past 50 years, be influencing our administration in D.C.?

Right now, the countries that have invested significantly in renewable energy are faring much better than the ones that allow themselves to be dependent on fossil fuels.

This Earth Day let’s remember Senator Gaylord for his vision of a cleaner and healthier planet, which led to significant legislation, including the creation of the EPA and the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, all of which are currently under attack.

Here are some things you can do this Earth Month and on:

• Eliminate single use plastics (e.g., plastic water bottles and utensils).
• Eat more plant-based meals and cut down on meat.
• Reduce car use (even if you own an EV). Walk, bike, use mass transit, and carpool instead.
• Recycle.
• Raise your air-conditioners thermostat (e.g., 74 degrees) and use a remote thermostat.
• Use LED lighting.
• Plant trees.
• Don’t waste food.
• Spread the word on the environment. Encourage others to fight climate change.
• Keep up the political pressure on the building of gas and oil infrastructures and the cancellation of renewable energy projects. Don’t let the billionaires destroy our future.

Remember there is no Planet B.