An analysis of disposal patterns during the pandemic
The novel coronavirus has brought with it a dramatic change in waste patterns around the country. In this new normal of hyper-sanitation, reusing products — the second plank in the “reduce, reuse, recycle” platform — has come under suspicion.
Speaking personally, my family has run through an abundance of single use masks, plastic single-use gloves, plastic containers of Clorox wipes, Lysol cans and more as we have tried to stop the spread of COVID-19 by keeping everything clean and sterile at all times. …
We must make sure we have clean air even after the pandemic
Los Angeles is infamous for smog and pollution. But during the economic shutdown forced by COVID-19, L.A. residents welcomed clear and blue skies. The emergence of clear skies in L.A. and elsewhere has been one of the few welcome side effects of the COVID era, which raises the question: Does the end of the pandemic — whenever it happens — have to mean the end of clean air?
During the COVID-19 lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, cleaner skies resulted from the near-elimination of non-essential travel and the halt in daily commutes — as well as a slowdown in industrial activities. Southern…
What we’ve learned about climate action during the pandemic
Like many of us, I’ve been thinking about what my summer would have been like had it not been for COVID-19.
I would have flown to and from Boston (from my home in Florida) for my summer internship and commuted to and from work each day. My family had also planned a trip to Italy to visit Rome, Florence and Venice.
While these exciting trips were much anticipated, they also would have produced a lot of carbon pollution. The flight miles alone would have totaled 2.88 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, the same as burning 3,173 pounds of coal.
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