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Image: Southern Hills Hospital
Throughout the coronavirus crisis, there have been countless heroes who have emerged to take care of the sick, protect the healthy, and ensure that our society functions as best as it can in extraordinary times. But some of our lesser-acknowledged heroes are the people who are cleaning up our waste and sanitizing our hospitals and facilities.
Environmental service crews, sanitation workers, and people working at medical waste facilities risk their health every day to ensure that hospitals are disinfected and our trash is disposed of.
COVID-19 has necessitated the increased use of disposable items such as gloves, masks, as well as food containers and shopping bags, some of which are putting people and animals at risk. These items are piling up at exponential rates and the workers tasked with cleaning them up are working overtime and don’t always feel adequately protected. Some are even taking the time to bring cheer to their communities. We’d like to honor these men and women and express our gratitude for their tireless work. They deserve protection and a pay raise.
Last month, online retail giant Amazon announced its Climate Pledge Fund–a $2 billion that will invest in companies that develop innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions. Shortly after Amazon also announced that it will be renaming the Seattle NHL stadium, Climate Pledge Arena as a nod to its corporate climate commitments (Amazon released more details […]
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A new study by leading economists and scientists released yesterday makes a strong case for conserving at least 30% of the planet by demonstrating that investing in nature as opposed to using it up yields significantly better economic results as well as saving money that would otherwise be spent on the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Why This Matters: Since it is TBT I (Monica) will harken back to 1992’s political mantra — “it’s the economy, stupid.”
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused turmoil in recycling programs and markets for recycled goods. Meanwhile, a UN report released last week found that electronic waste produced globally jumped to a record of 53.6 million tons or about 16 pounds per person.
Why This Matters: And while residential waste is greatly increasing, fewer materials are being recycled other than cardboard, which is much in demand. Recycling, like so many other local programs, needs federal financial support and soon.
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