Happy Earth Month! April is Earth Month, and April 22 this year will mark Earth Day’s 55th anniversary.
The catalyst for the first Earth Day — April 22, 1970 — was a massive oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast in January 1969 that released more than 4 million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, killing thousands of seabirds and sea mammals and fouling beaches.
The spill was caused by an oil well blowout that occurred because the U.S. Geological Survey had granted Union Oil Company (UNOCAL) a waiver from federal safety requirements for its drilling platforms. After viewing the 800-square mile oil slick from an airplane, Wisconsin’s U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson was inspired to create a “teach-in” called Earth Day to raise environmental awareness and inspire activism.
In 1970, millions of people across the United States participated in Earth Day activities that led to the creation of landmark federal legislation, including the Environmental Protection Agency and passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.
This year, more than 1 billion people in 193 countries will celebrate Earth Day, and the need to protect the planet now and for future generations is demonstrated by events of the past year, including the Pacific Palisades and Eaton (Altadena) wildfires in Los Angeles County, a “bomb cyclone” in the Pacific Northwest and devastating flooding in North Carolina.
So what can you do to protect our planet? Impacting climate change may seem overwhelming, but your individual actions do make a difference. Take, for example, the greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory conducted as part of Alameda’s Climate Action Resiliency Plan (CARP) update, which shows a 29% decrease in 2022 GHG community-wide emissions from 2005 levels despite population and local job growth.
These results show that Alameda is on track to meet our goals of a 50% reduction in GHG emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. Contributing factors include 100% clean electricity delivered by our municipally-owned electric utility, Alameda Municipal Power (AMP), a 25% reduction in transportation emissions since 2005 due to cleaner vehicles and equipment and a 6% reduction in vehicle miles traveled. That’s you!
I say often that if we want to get people out of their cars, we have to provide safe, convenient infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists. Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan, adopted by the City Council in 2022, does that by outlining pedestrian improvements and a low-stress bicycle network that includes 13.1 miles of bikeways completed since 2019, moving us closer to CARP’s goal of a 16.54-mile bicycle network by 2030. Try swapping a local car trip for a bike ride or walk.
Recently, AMP staff launched a pilot program to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging availability across the city by adding public EV chargers at city-owned parking lots and in the public right-of-way. Up to 10 curbside chargers will be installed in multifamily and mixed-use neighborhoods and adjacent to Alameda Housing Authority and Alameda Unified School District properties in 2025.
Visit the AMP website at alamedamp.com to learn more about the utility’s rebates and programs for EVs, e-bikes and home electrification.
‘Three Rs’: Let’s think globally but act locally by practicing the “Three Rs” — reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reduce the amount of goods you buy. Before making a purchase, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” And when you shop, buy high-quality items that last longer.
Reuse by bringing reusable bags when you shop and your own cup when you go out for coffee or tea (support local businesses!). Or use the Okapi smartphone app that lets you borrow reusable “to-go” cups at local coffee houses. Use cloth napkins instead of paper.
“Thrifting,” or buying previously owned goods, is another great way to reuse. You can support the Alameda Animal Shelter by thrifting in their Thrifty Kitty shop at 1509 Webster St. on Alameda’s West End and/or donating your gently used clothing, home goods and books there. For more information, visit thethriftykitty.org or call 510-333-3638.
You can support the Alameda Free Library by shopping at or donating to Books For Friends (BFF), the well-curated bookshop in the Alameda Main Library at 1550 Oak St. downtown that’s run by Friends of the Alameda Library. For more information, visit alamedafriends.com online.
Replenish, a new shop at 1503 Webster St., provides a circular shopping model in which customers bring their own containers and refill them with trusted, nontoxic, sustainable products like shampoo and personal care products, laundry detergent and dish soap. Founder Laria Pippen, of Alameda, is a pediatric nurse with a masters degree in sustainability leadership who says her goal is to provide products that are safe for people and the environment while reducing our reliance on single-use plastics.
Recycle carefully by placing items in the correct bins. Visit stopwaste.org for more useful information.
Here’s a tip that Timothy Burroughs, StopWaste’s executive director, shared at a recent Alameda County Mayors Conference meeting: Don’t use so-called “compost bags” in your kitchen compost container. They contain plastics, compost very slowly and are removed by compost facility staff and diverted to landfills. Instead, place your compostables directly into your kitchen receptacle and rinse it out after emptying contents into your green bin.
Use paper products — paper towels, toilet paper and facial tissue — made from 100% recycled paper. The National Resources Defense Council has published a report (“The Issue with Tissue”) and scorecard to help consumers make responsible choices. Find the report and more information online at nrdc.org.
Local climate activist and author Joyce Mercado shares more useful tips in her recently released paperback “Save the Planet in Your Spare Time,” which is available in Alameda at Replenish and Books Inc. (1344 Park Street). Let’s make every day Earth Day in Alameda — be environmentally aware, practice the “Three Rs” and be “Alameda Strong!”
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is the mayor of Alameda. For contact information and other details, visit bit.ly/mayorashcraft online.