UCB Office of Sustainability: Staying Environmentally Sustainable During the COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery

[Kira STOLL]

Staying Environmentally Sustainable During the COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery

UC Berkeley Office of Sustainability News. June 10, 2020 The campus is planning how it will operate during the summer and the fall semester in response to the pandemic. The overall principle guiding all of this work: to protect the health of our community.  Keep informed at the UC Berkeley Coronavirus Information Hub.

Sustainability & Health To protect the health of our community, our campus practices and operations have shifted - some short-term, and perhaps some in the longer-term. This has and will also shift how we advance sustainability and carbon reduction action on campus and in our lives. We invite you to join us in sustainable practices at home, in the community and on campus. Please check back for updates and opportunities for lasting positive susutainability change.

STANDING TOGETHER FOR HEALTH AND A SOCIALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY, AND RACIALLY JUST WORLD In this moment, we also ask of ourselves and of the sustainability community that we all continue to take action and reflect on the work necessary to create a more socially, environmentally, and racially just world. In the words of Chancellor Carol Christ and Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Oscar Dubón, Jr. in their recent statement on racism and police brutality: "We must call out and hold accountable our broken structures, build bridges that will lead to mutual understanding and respect across differences, and work to create a future in which we can all thrive, especially in these most challenging times. This work must happen across the nation -- and it must happen on a local level as well."  Their full statement may be read at Berkeley News.

Reducing Waste For safety, single-use items are being used as needed. We can reduce these impacts through a variety of methods:   Sort your waste properly. Improper waste sorting can contaminate whole bins of recycling or composting-- make sure to get those disposable masks, gloves, & plastic bags in the landfill bins!  Use reusables when possible. More people are packing their own lunches and opting for beverages from home, presenting a great opportunity to utilize reusables. Before your next grocery store trip, stash some reusable bags in your car, bike, or backpack -- you can skip the disposable bagging & instead bag your groceries once you are outside the store.  Make or buy a reusable face mask. Here are instructions on how you can make your own facemask at home!  Getting food to-go? Right now you won’t be able to use reusables, nor will you find bulk or self serve options. Look at your vendor’s to-go supplies to see which items are recyclable or compostable and request those.  Purchasing single-use items yourself? Look for more easily recyclable materials such as plastics #1, 2, & 7, glass, aluminum, and tin to minimize the amount of waste sent to landfill.  Transportation In the Bay Area, the number of people driving is down 51 percent, biking has decreased 69 percent and transit ridership has dropped 81 percent since January, according to the Apple data. As we begin to resume more activities, consider what sustainable transportation options can still work for you. Campus commute-options: Bear Transit is inoperative until further notice, but AC Transit is operating services around campus and is not currently collecting fees. See campus parking COVID-19 updates and the P&T tips on returning to campus. Returning to campus and transit options.  Public transport: BART, AC Transit, and many other services are operating, but likely on modified schedules; see 511.org for updated transportation information and to find out safety measures and requirements for using.  Active transportation: explore travel methods such as biking or walking to reduce your carbon footprint, help with social distancing, and promote good health and wellness. Berkeley’s regional BikeShare system, Bay Wheels, is still operating; read more about how Bay Wheels is responding to the pandemic. Telework & Saving Energy Working from home provides some positive environmental impacts by reducing air-polluting transportation and reducing energy use and carbon emissions on campus, but it also results in higher resource use at home. Here are some tips to save energy and carbon emissions ongoing:  Consider swapping your CFL light bulbs for LEDs. UC students, staff, faculty, retirees and alumni can purchase light bulbs at nearly half the price of online competitors via the secure Million Light Bulb Challenge website and have them shipped directly to their home.  Take simple steps at home and on campus to save energy. Switch off lights, turn off computer monitors, and unplug devices when not in use. Read more about the environmental and financial costs of phantom energy use and learn how powerstrips can make you a smart saver.  Adjust your temperature settings for air conditioning. Sustainable temperature guidelines suggest you can cool your space to no lower than 73 degrees in the summer. Saving energy saves you money. Running your dishwasher or doing laundry during off-peak energy hours can help you save big; utility companies such as PG&E even offer Time-of-Use rate plans.  Consider renewable energy. Though not suitable for everyone, many electricity providers offer renewable electricity programs at a small premium, including PG&E, Marin Clean Energy, and East Bay Community Energy.  Water Drought conditions are worsening  in California, with the Sierra Nevada snowpack at only one-third of average levels  at the start of May 2020.  Help mitigate the risk of drought by conserving water: Learn more tips here.  Drink tap water if possible (drinking water is a small portion of the water we use on a daily basis) & save the environment from single-use plastics. Tap water on the UC Berkeley campus is safe to drink; some campus water fountains may be closed for safety but no-touch water refill stations are open for use! For those in the U.S., EWG’s Tap Water Database allows you to check the safety of your local tap water by ZIP code. Take shorter showers, and turn off water while washing your hands, shaving, or brushing your teeth. Water your garden when it’s cool to minimize evaporation. Purchasing Supply chains all over the world have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How and where we spend our dollars and choosing only products and services that are most important now will help people and the planet as we recover - and can positively shift long-term the environmental priorities of the supply chain. Get your reusable, washable, Cal branded mask. When you return to campus, you can get 3-ply masks with a pocket for a filter. Each Cal community member can get two free of charge. Find out more soon on how to pick them up. Limit online shopping to essentials & fewer, consolidated orders. Watch the UC Climate Lab’s video on the environmental cost of online shopping, in partnership with Vox. Read more about balancing safety, financial health, and stress on essential workers.  Buy local & support small businesses. Doing so can help reduce your carbon footprint and support the local workforce! Here are some tips on how to support small and local businesses during COVID-19.  Look at the packaging. Opt-in for products with less (and more sustainable) packaging when possible.  Purchasing something on campus? Stay updated on UC Berkeley’s supply chain responses to COVID-19. Food Food is a central part of our daily lives, and it is one of the most impactful ways you as an individual can reduce your carbon footprint. Choosing a plant-forward diet that reduces animal-based foods is healthier for you and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.   Eat plant-forward. With the recent surge in home cooking, it’s the perfect time to try out a plant-forward recipe. Eating a plant-based meal has great benefits. Ordering take-out? Picking up from the restaurant directly supports the business by avoiding third-party fees. Be considerate about business ownership and support restaurants owned by people of color who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  Try out home-gardening. Check out UCSF Sustainability’s “Six Reasons to Plant Your Pandemic ‘Victory Garden’” & tips for novice gardeners from Orin Martin, manager of the Alan Chadwick Garden at UCSC. Learn about the role of food sustainable, equitable pandemic recovery. Read more from the UN on how food environments are rapidly changing in the COVID-19 pandemic.  For further on-campus food access and assistance during COVID-19, visit Basic Needs Security and refer to their COVID-19 response living document.   Nature, health, & preserving biodiversity As quoted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres , “COVID-19… has shown how human health is intimately connected with our relationship to the natural world.” As we appreciate the natural environment, let’s also focus on upping our ability to support restoration and improvements to the land, water, natural spaces, and the air we share with all living things. Biodiversity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more here. Step into nature to improve your mental health. Studies show the positive effects of time spent outdoors, which can help us all cope with COVID-19. Be mindful to carry out all trash and maintain physical distancing. Looking for mental health services? Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers short term counseling, and the campus is offering virtual mental health workshops and events. See University Health Services for updated information on operations.  Engage in environmental justice Environmental justice must be at the forefront of decisions in the pandemic recovery process. Rather than returning to ‘business-as-usual,’ we can address long-standing environmental and social injustices, and create a more green and just future.  Recognize the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on low-income communities and communities of color.Learn from Yale’s interview with scientist Sacoby Wilson on “Connecting the Dots between Environmental Injustice and the Coronavirus” or Nature’s article on “How environmental racism is fuelling the coronavirus pandemic.”  Resist divisive rhetoric. Ecofascist rhetoric is circulating during the pandemic, highlighting positive impacts on the environment with disregard to people. Read more on ecofascism from The Daily Californian, Berkeley Talks, and The Washington Post via SERC’s shared resource list on understanding ecofascism. Support essential workers. The pandemic has revealed how heavily our society relies on essential workers, yet our health care and economic systems leave this workforce particularly vulnerable to the virus. Read more about the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and how these workers are facing the price of being ‘essential.’ Sustainability takeaways COVID-19 has brought about a surge in discussion on the connections between public health, sustainability, climate change, our current economy, and the wellbeing of our society. Now more than ever, we must stay informed, support sustainable living, and look out for one another.  For more resources and information on how higher education institutions can prioritize sustainability into their COVID-19 responses, visit The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) website here.

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Kira Stoll, AICP

Chief Sustainability & Carbon Solutions Officer

University of California, Berkeley
510-642-0074
st...@berkeley.edu

http://sustainability.berkeley.edu  

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