Here we go again! While DC weather mimics Seattle and social distancing rules remain in place, we adjust to the new order of things, including this weird phenomena whereby I’m shifting from being an early bird to being a night owl.
Letters to the Editor of the week: I read two LTES this week that stuck out, first, from Utah, Republicans are Ignoring Climate Change (Salt Lake Tribune). “I’m pleased that Sen. Mitt Romney and Rep. John Curtis are concerned about climate change. And I’m pleased that Gov. Gary Herbert is concerned about air pollution,” the writer notes. “It’s time for other Republican officeholders to acknowledge human-caused climate change as a threat and take action to mitigate it.”
The other letter that caught my eye was What COVID-19 is teaching us about climate change (Chicago Sun Times). This letter offers three lessons that can be learned from the coronavirus experience and applied to climate change: preparation is critical, listen to experts, people should help people. Sounds right to me!
??#ProTip: Writing a letter to the editor is an easy way to get the attention of your lawmaker. If you mention their name, it will make their news clips, meaning someone in the office will read your words.
??WINNER: The envelope please… And the winner of our Earth Day Haiku Contest is… Laura from Florida! She got her Haiku read aloud by Bob Inglis (with narration provided by EcoRight Mustache) while the rest of us took the runners up. We (obviously) had a lot of fun with this one and hope you enjoy it.
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SURVEY: Young adults, across party lines, are more willing to take climate action: A recent survey conducted by the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that young Republicans are more likely than their older counterparts to support and identify with climate activists who urge elected officials to take action on global warming. From the report: “Younger Republicans are also more willing than older Republicans to take several other climate actions including sharing information about global warming on social media, attending a political rally, speech, or organized protest about global warming, and personally engaging or supporting an organization engaging in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse. Across party lines, younger generations also have a higher sense of collective efficacy about global warming than do older generations.”
This week’s must read: From Lincoln, Nebraska comes this op-ed, Conservation is a conservative value (Lincoln Star Journal) Co-written by Lucas Sabalka and Dave Bundy. “Liberals and Democrats are focusing on the timing of moving to clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while conservatives and Republicans are focusing on issues centered on trees, plastics, carbon capture, nuclear energy, energy infrastructure, agriculture and even climate change,” they write. “These are not competing priorities; they are all opportunities for collaboration.”
Not EcoRight related… But I was interviewed in this article about Washington DC-area high school seniors and how friends and families are looking to celebrate their accomplishments in the time of coronavirus and social distancing. Since you asked, here is my son with the surprise congratulations sign left on our lawn by one of his junior classmates. (The juniors hand delivered signs to all 37 seniors.)
That’s it for me. Be well.