 Fifty years ago an estimated 20 million Americans came together to celebrate the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. A half a century later we are still faced with serious environmental and health challenges, from an accelerating Climate Crisis to a global pandemic which has touched people around in the world in the span of only a few months. In light of the current crisis and the cancellation of public Earth Month events, ActiveSGV has curated a list of actions individuals can safely take amidst COVID-19 Stay-At-Home orders. Many of these suggestions are also great ways to improve one’s health and save money in the short and long-term, a welcome benefit in uncertain times when many people are facing financial hardships. But do individual actions matter? While state and national-level systems change is absolutely needed to address the #ClimateCrisis, there are things each and every one of us can do to help move things forward, from adjusting our purchasing habits to engaging with action-oriented groups. Social scientists have found that when one person makes a sustainability-oriented decision, other people do too. For example, studies have discovered that when people are informed that others they know have reduced how much meat they ate for environmental and health reasons, they are more likely to emulate their peers. Other researchers have found similar effects for people who have started traveling more locally to avoid flying. Whether we recognize it or not, most people are constantly evaluating the choices others are making -- whether it be the cars they are driving, the clothes they are wearing, or water bottles they are using -- and adjusting their behaviors. When we see our friends, family, and colleagues taking action to save energy, reduce single-use plastic, or adopt a healthier, more active lifestyle, we are more likely to do so, too. At a time when we’re all making dramatic changes to our lives to confront an immediate threat to our health and well-being, we have a unique opportunity to step back and examine what we value and what we truly need. We hope these 50 tips for 50 years will provide some inspiration to support a healthier future for all as many of us have to Stay-at-Home to protect our community now. Actions are roughly organized based on their relative impact, with tips based on research by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the climate solutions book Drawdown, other community action groups, and people who care in the San Gabriel Valley! Got other tips? We'd love to hear them! Please share them with us on social media by tagging us @activeSGV and using the hashtags #EarthMonthSGV and #SustainableSGV. Also please share your efforts with us for a chance to win! At the end of the month we'll randomly select folks who highlighted steps they took in April 2020 for prizes, including gift certificates to SGV restaurants that are doing their best to adopt greener business practices!  1. Switch to a renewable energy option through your utility or a certified renewable energy provider. Local examples include Southern California Edison’s Green Rate program (allows you to purchase 50% or 100% green power), Pasadena’s Green Power program, and the Clean Power Alliance, which serves an array of SGV communities including Alhambra, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Temple City, and unincorporated LA County. 2. Ride more, drive less! Switch your car for a bike, scooter, skateboard, or other active mode. Need to carry heavy loads (e.g. children), live in a hilly neighborhood, or not as spry as you once were? Electric-assist bicycles, scooters, and other “micro-mobility” options are also incredibly energy-efficient compared to operating a several ton vehicle. They’re also super fun to use and great for hot days! Already doing this? Consider ditching your car altogether and save big on registration, insurance, maintenance, and payments. A 2017 study that ranked 148 individual actions on climate change according to their impact found going car-free was the number-one most effective action an individual could take. 3. Calculate your carbon footprint and buy carbon offsets from a certified provider. You can edit/reduce payments any time. 4. Adopt a more minimalist lifestyle. Less is more! Free up space in your home, life, and mind by decluttering and donating unneeded items. If you’re stuck at home anyway now’s your chance to rethink your space. Need inspiration? There’s a ton online, from the Netflix series “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” to countless websites dedicated to organizing. 5. Carefully consider major purchases and life-decisions. Moving? Check the walk score of the neighborhoods you’re considering (if you have options). Buying a major appliance? Check its energy star score. Looking for furniture, a bike or car? Buy, borrow, or rent whenever possible. 6. Vote for eco-friendly candidates and get involved with their campaigns. Many groups evaluate and rate candidates on their environmental track records, including the Sunrise Movement, League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club. Follow and support these candidates however you can, whether via social media, making a donation, and/or volunteering for their campaigns. 2020 is a BIG election year, as you know! 7. Reduce your energy use at home.
8. Hang clothes to dry and wash your clothes in cold water. Most dryers and water heaters are still gas powered. 9. Switch to more efficient LED light bulbs. LEDs (light emitting diodes) use up to 80 percent less energy and last as much as 25 times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs. 10. Plug electronics into power strips and switch off when not in use.  11. Eat more plants, and less meat. It’s better for your health and the planet. It’s also more affordable! The food industry, especially the meat and dairy sectors, is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs); if cows were their own nation, they would be the world’s third largest emitter of GHGs, after China and the US. Why? Cows produce lots of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. We generally feed them other potential sources of food for people, including corn and soy. Last but not least, they require lots of water and land, some of which come from cleared forests, another source of carbon emissions. This doesn’t mean you have to go vegetarian or vegan. Just by reducing your meat consumption in half, you can cut your diet's carbon footprint by more than 40%. 12. Make #MeatlessMondays a habit! One way to start reducing meat consumption is to make it a habit. Set a weekly reminder on your calendar. Invite your friends and family. Make a standing online dinner date with friends, so long as we have to be physically distant. Check out their website including lots of recipe tips. 13. Insulate your home. Install new insulation and weatherstripping, especially for doors, windows, attic, etc. 14. Reduce water use (and save money!) Limit showers to 3-7 minutes (use a timer). Check for leaks. Upgrade to water-efficient shower and faucet heads, toilets, washing machines, etc. 15. Minimize food waste (and save money!) by planning out meals ahead of time, and freezing as much as possible (no plastic needed!). 16. Compost your food waste. Collect kitchen scraps and use them to feed a garden. Turn waste into fertilizer! 17. Buy locally-sourced, plant-based, unprocessed foods from local farmers via local farmers markets (most are still open) and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) such as Farm Fresh to You and Good Life Organics. Support green restaurants and health food stores. 18. Fly less (easier right now, we know!), and if you must fly, purchase carbon offsets for your flight. 19. Donate financially (or time) to a climate action organization or movement. Local groups include Climate Plan, Climate Resolve, and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. 20. Plant or adopt a young street tree in your neighborhood. Water it during the coming summer months to help it survive and mature.  21. Switch to reusable cloth napkins and ditch those single-use paper napkins and towels. 22. Shop secondhand first. Before shopping for new clothes or other items, try your local thrift store for awesome finds first. Inexpensive, low quality “fast fashion” and similar items often are discarded or fall apart after short periods. 23. Reduce the amount of plastic in your life. Almost all plastics are made from fossil fuels and remain mostly non-recyclable (except for numbers 1-2).
24. Host a virtual junk mail reduction party with your friends and family via an online platform such as Zoom or Google Hangouts! 25. Make your own natural cleaning products out of simple ingredients like vinegar and lemon juice to reduce the amount of chemicals that pollute our water and reduce the number of plastic bottles. 26. Choose quality, long-lasting products when buying new. 27. Say no to Palm Oil to help protect rainforest trees and endangered wildlife. The development of palm oil plantations is resulting in massive rainforest destruction around the world. It’s as easy as checking the list of ingredients when you buy processed foods such as oreos and instant ramen. 28. Use less gas by cooking with electric appliances such as an electric kettle or pressure cooker. 29. Use Ecosia as your web search engine. They donate 80% or more of their profits to organizations focused on planting trees and run their servers on 100% renewable energy. Read more about them on wikipedia. 30. Buy tissue paper made from recycled paper or bamboo. 
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 "Beg Buttons" Be Gone!A growing number of communities including the Cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles have automated pedestrian signal timing at signalized crossings to eliminate the need for people to press the “Beg Button”. This simple step is especially needed amidst COVID-19 as more SGV residents rely on walking to maintain their physical and mental health, and we all try to reduce our exposure to the virus by avoiding frequently touched surfaces. However automating the signals for pedestrians isn’t enough if the change is not apparent to the public. Simple, multilingual signage should be paired with this action to communicate the change. The buttons themselves should also by physically covered to further reduce the chances people will press them. To support this effort, ActiveSGV’s very own Andrew Fung Yip has created a sample template flyer (above) that communities can modify and use, already translated into Spanish and Chinese. Our team may even be able help those who are unable to do so on their own personalize theirs by adding city logos. Please email requests here. Source files are available for download here. Support Your NeighborsThankfully Los Angeles County and state of California as a whole has made progress in fighting COVID-19 by taking decisive, early action. However with at least another month of Safer-at-Home requirements ahead of us, followed by an indeterminate amount of time of further restrictions as some segments of the economy are permitted to re-open, we will need to continue to support our most vulnerable neighbors.
The team at ActiveSGV has been heartened by community efforts to step up in a time of crisis. From the Healthy LA Coalition that has brought together almost 200 community-based organizations (including ActiveSGV) to advocate for policy protections for everyone in Los Angeles City and County (you can support/follow them too), to the efforts of local cities and groups like "We Love Long Beach" that have coordinated neighborhood level actions, it is clear that we are all stronger when we come together. To further support individual level support networks, we have translated the excellent postcards that "We Love Long Beach" and the City of Long Beach have distributed over the past several weeks to help Long Beach residents help one another into Chinese. If you have neighbors that might need additional help in the weeks and months ahead, please feel free to print, fill-out, and drop cards off. Source files are available for download here. Adriana (known by many as AP) is one of the smiling faces you'll encounter at any of our outreach events. Get to know her below:  1. How did you get started working at ActiveSGV (/ in this field)? My work at ActiveSGV actually started nine years ago, by way of Day One and my amazing co-workers there. I had the great fortune of starting my work in the field of public health through this organization back when I was just beginning to understand what impacts our communal health. I understood that public policy was the only way to make sustainable improvements in our neighborhoods. For years I had been organizing in my hometown (shout out Pomona!) and knew that it was the very people in our neighborhoods who were experts and would be the greatest forces for change-- they just needed the tools! Through Day One not only did I learn a lot about the field, but more importantly, I made lasting relationships to great visionaries in the SGV that I'm fortunate enough to continue to call colleagues and mentors. 2. What do you like most about ActiveSGV? I love that I get to work with an amazing group of people from different backgrounds and perspectives that all share a goal to make the SGV a better place to live and enjoy. They are people that understand the magnitude of our global and regional actions around climate change, building environment and policy frameworks. Everyone on our team brings something different to the table making it a great team to be a part of. 3. Favorite and/or memorable ActiveSGV experience? About 7 years ago, I participated in my first Bike Train and have loved them ever since! Of all the things we do, I think those rides with so many happy, excited people are my highlight every time. There's just something special about being a part of a group like that and experiencing the SGV on a bicycle, there's just nothing like it. You can really discover a place for the first time even though you may have driven past it for years. If you ever need a pick-me-up, bring a portable speaker, bike bells, a water bottle, a flag, and join 60 bike riders - there's nothing like it. 4. If a friend from out of town were to visit, which place in the SGV would you take them to and why? I love our office site so I'd definitely show that off and then head to the Emerald Necklace for a quick ride. We'd make our way to Pomona and I'd show them our Downtown area, grab a Cafe de Olla Latte at Mi Cafecito, pop in to say hi at Cafe con Libros and grab some delicious vegan food at Mi Borreguita. What makes the SGV so special are the great people that call it home and I'd want to introduce them to those most special to me. As all of my Pomona tours end, we'd finish at my mom's front yard sitting under a huge chinese elm watching the world go by eating oranges from our tree and playing with my dog Storm. 5. What you're listening to/ reading/ watching/ digging right now: Currently Listening to: Bad Bunny's "YHLQYQ" album and "A Bailar Con Mis Indios" playlist by Reclama on Spotify. Reading: "Fruit of the Drunken Tree" by Ingrid Rojas Contreras and "You Were Made for This" by Chani Nicholas. Watching: Ozark and Mind Hunter. Digging right now: Learning to read astral charts, making my own salsa, and finding special ways to keep connected with loved ones no matter where we are. Follow AP on Instagram: @ayepeeh for daily memes and motivation! |
ActiveLabWant to learn more? Check out ActiveSGV's new podcast, ActiveLab
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ActiveSGV is a project of Community Partners, a non-profit public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code.
All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.