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As a busy single mom with two kids, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner said she relies on Instacart to deliver groceries to her Encinitas home every Thursday.
Those groceries arrive in the thicker plastic bags that have become ubiquitous in California in recent years thanks to a loophole in the state’s pioneering ban on plastic bags. But since those bags had the “chasing arrows” symbol on them, indicating they could be recycled, Boerner said she’s always been careful to put the bags in her blue bin when she was done using them.
This habit came up when Boerner was having lunch over the summer with fellow Democratic lawmaker State Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica. He broke the news to Boerner that she’d likely, unwittingly, been creating problems for recycling companies, since those thicker plastic bags can’t be processed at the usual facilities.
“I was like, ‘Oh crap,’” Boerner said during a recent press conference. “I’m, like, a lefty environmentalist. I think I’m doing something great for the planet, great for my children, and I’ve been contaminating the waste stream.”
Hearing Boerner speak about this realization as I reported a recent story on efforts to close that loophole in California’s plastic bag ban prompted me to finally write a story that’s been on my mind ever since I started on this beat nearly two years ago: How can we keep trying to save the planet, and stay sane, when there are no perfect solutions?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when there are no perfect solutions to fighting the climate crisis. But experts have strategies that can help. (Illustration by JEFF GOERTZEN, Orange County Register/SCNG)
I gathered thoughtful, honest, encouraging insights from Corona native Kristy Drutman, who founded the popular Browngirl Green platform and podcast; USC psychology professor Gale Sinatra, who studies climate science education; and State Senator Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas, who often works on environmental issues. Much of their input made it into the story linked above. But I wanted to use this week’s Compost to share some comments that couldn’t quite fit into the 65-ish column inches I had for that tale.
Drutman, for example, spoke about how important it is not to give up because people around the globe are already feeling the impacts of climate change.
“I think it’s very easy with something so complex as this to fall into apathy because it does feel so impossible at times,” she said. “But I think at the same time, continuing to talk about it, continuing to speak up and say where things don’t feel right, and reminding people of our connection to nature and our responsibility for that as humans, I think it’s really important.”
She also keeps it realistic.
“You’re not going to reach everyone. But I think if you reach a certain group and when you start building together with them, I think you will see some things shift.”
One strategy Sinatra finds helpful is reminding people that we’ve done this before.
“I always say, ‘We don’t use whale oil anymore to heat lamps,’” she said, referencing how her native Massachusetts was a whaling capital in the not-so-distant past.
When talk of transitioning to electricity came up, Sinatra said, there was tremendous pushback. “It was a fundamental shift in the economy and how we did things at that time,” she said, which prompted fear and ridicule from people. But we made the change. And now, she said, it’s time for another fundamental shift, which presents the same challenges again.
“Guilting everyone is not a positive thing for people’s mental health,” Sinatra said. “So I don’t try to guilt or shame people. I just want everyone to do the best they can in the areas that they have some control over.”
When people fixate on, say, flaws with our recycling system, Blakespear likes to remind them that “recycle” is only one step in the “chasing arrows” symbol. So she encourages people to focus first on how to “reduce” how much we’re consuming and then “reuse” items as much as we can.
While every solution has flaws, Blakespear said it’s about doing “the best we can in the circumstances.”
“It is better to have a gas car. Is it perfect? No. But having a plug-in car that uses electricity is better than gas.”
We have made progress in many areas, Blakespear said. One example she turns to is remembering how, when she was on the city council in Encinitas, they helped get more people to trade cars for bikes simply by building bike lanes.
“If I can take action, I do. And if I can’t, I just let it go. I don’t become paralyzed with it. I don’t dwell for a long time. I just let it go.”
Some readers also responded to the story by sharing their own strategies for grappling with these issues. Thanks to Patty Oh, executive director of the sustainability-focused nonprofit Cool OC, for this one:
“Do what you’re inspired to do. The rest has to fall on government, industry, etc. Every sector has to play a part in the shift because we’ve built up a system and lifestyle that is not sustainable. And changing it now is a big shift that will require participation from all sectors.”
— By Brooke Staggs, environment reporter
PROTECT
Landfill protests escalate: Chiquita Canyon’s neighbors are petitioning to close the Castaic landfill after years of dealing with noxious odors. Steve Scauzillo has the story. …READ MORE…
Quote: “They are creating a risk to public health.”
Reaction: County supervisor says no to closing Chiquita Canyon Landfill
Storm’s anniversary prompts soul searching: A year after a series of brutal storms collapsed roofs, blocked roads and trapped people in their homes, reporter Beau Yarbrough looked at lessons that have been learned and what’s been done to prevent such problems from happening again. …READ MORE…
PCH problem area targeted: Pacific Coast Highway closing during high tides or heavy rainstorms near the Bolsa Chica wetlands is a common problem for drivers in the area, and Caltrans officials say they are looking to address the flooding problems in the future. Michael Slaten has the story. …READ MORE…
Build this wall: Work is underway to build a new 160-foot-long catchment wall in north San Clemente, at the site of the latest landslide along the regional rail line that runs beachfront through town. Laylan Connelly has details on the $7.2 million project. …READ MORE…
HYDRATE
Tropical schmopical: While Hurricane Hilary was no longer considered a tropical storm when its destructive remnants entered California last August, a new National Hurricane Center report says it essentially had the same impact. …READ MORE…
No, cloud seeding didn’t trigger recent storms: “When a water agency for most of California’s Inland Empire and parts of Orange County started a pilot program to seed clouds in the region in November to see if it could increase water supplies, officials expected to face some questions and skepticism. What officials didn’t expect was to be wrongly accused by conspiracy theorists and critics of causing one of California’s strongest storms in recent history — or, worse yet, trying to poison the region.” Register alum Sal Hernandez, now with the Los Angeles Times, has the tale. …READ MORE…
REGULATE
Screening tool needs work: California’s polluted communities could miss out on billions of dollars in funding under the state’s flawed environmental justice screening system, which Alejandro Lazo with Calmatters reports leaves some immigrant communities out while overrepresenting others. …READ MORE…
Utility to pay record settlement for wildfire: Southern California Edison will pay $80 million to settle claims after an investigation determined the utility’s equipment sparked the devastating Thomas fire in 2017 …READ MORE…
Proactive plan for sand: San Clemente plans to invest in getting permits so it will be ready when opportunities arise to get sand to replenish local beaches, Laylan Connelly reports. The goal is to shorten wait times and get projects going more quickly. …READ MORE…
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TRANSPORT
Gondola advances: A controversial aerial tramway proposal that would transport baseball fans 1.2 miles to Dodger Stadium via sky-high gondolas above Chinatown and other neighborhoods in northeast Los Angeles just received a major boost. Steve Scauzillo is back with this story. …READ MORE…
Cleaner trucks coming soon: Need a boost this morning? Let Jeff Horseman transport you to a recent event in Ontario that offered a glimpse at a clean-air future for Inland Empire trucks. …READ MORE…
Vasquez Rocks, which are frequently used as Hollywood backdrops, are visible from Bobcat Trail in the north Los Angeles County park. (Photo by Brooke Staggs, Orange County Register/SCNG)
EXPLORE
Take a day trip to Vasquez Rocks: If you’ve never explored Vasquez Rocks, a nature park in north Los Angeles County, now is the time. You’ve likely seen these crazy rock formations in movies and TV shows over the years, from “Blazing Saddles” to “Star Trek” to “Planet of the Apes,” since Hollywood loves to take advantage of the unreal angles these layers of sandstone and conglomerate have reached over millenia thanks to activity along the nearby San Andreas Fault. The dog-friendly park is closed on Mondays, but free to visit the other six days of the week. There’s a nice visitor’s center where you can see local wildlife, learn the area’s history and pick up a trail map. After climbing on the famous rocks near the main parking area, we hiked another three miles along Bobcat Trail and a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. The area is green now thanks to all the recent rain, and we saw some running water and early wildflowers. But there’s not much shade, so go before it gets too hot!
PITCH IN
Turn that ballot in: For this week’s tip on how Southern Californians can help the environment… It’s go time, people! Voting is one of the most impactful things you can do to help fight climate change and protect the environment. Ballots for the primary election must be postmarked or dropped at a polling place or official ballot drop box before polls close Tuesday, March 5. You can of course also vote that day in person. And we have loads of information about how to vote, what’s on the ballot, key races and more across our SCNG websites. Early numbers show a low voter turnout so far. Let’s turn that around and make our voices heard!
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