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This week, we marked the grim milestone of 500,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19. We know that many among them cared deeply about the environment and climate change, and many were public servants. In their honor, we want to tell the story of one — Jennifer “Jen” Pizza, who died suddenly last Sunday of complications from the virus.
NOAA’s Acting Administrator, Ben Friedman, paid tribute saying, “Jen was an amazingly dedicated contributor.” One of her supervisors, Craig McLean, said “I recall asking her how she found her way to NOAA and she explained her love of the environment, being outdoors, and working in the conservation world with the passion I saw in her every day. Further, she explained, at one point she thought, “I should go over to Government and see ‘how the MAN’ does this.” I responded that now she is ‘the MAN!’ I think her laughter shook all of our building.”
Why This Matters: Jen’s latest supervisor, Michael Bonadonna, the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology said, “Her exuberance, positive and cheerful outlook, and selflessness quickly earned our respect and admiration. She also displayed great courage and determination, speaking truth to power and never giving up. The loss of such a wonderful person and valued member of our NOAA family puts a sharp focus on the enormous impact one professional civil servant can have and the tragic toll taken by the COVID pandemic.” Jen was also a talented photographer and animal lover. Rest in joy, Jen.
More Tributes to Jen
By Wizipan Little Elk On August 23, 1804, a shot rang out on the wind-swept prairie near what is now called southeastern South Dakota, marking the first buffalo kill of the famous Lewis and Clark reconnaissance expedition. For us Lakota, our neighbors, and our buffalo relatives, it signaled the beginning of what was to become […]
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Continuing its set of opinion surveys in the run-up to Earth Day, Gallup has released the results of another poll, finding that the percent of American adults who say that “protection of the environment should be given priority even at the risk of curbing economic growth” has dropped by 15% since 2018. Experts say that this number often correlates with unemployment, which the COVID-19 pandemic greatly increased.
Why This Matters: President Biden has worked hard to debunk the jobs vs. environment arguments of Republicans — he instead argues that job creation and economic growth must go hand in hand with investment in clean energy and other “green” policies.
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Netflix has announced a commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2022. The plan, called “Net Zero + Nature,” was announced on the Netflix blog by Dr. Emma Stewart, who became the content platform’s first sustainability officer in the fall of 2020. Netflix estimates that its 2020 […]
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