Fifty years ago, on April 22, 1970, we had our first “Earth Day”. A celebration was planned for Saturday, April 18, at Old Mill Park. Sadly, it was cancelled, along with many other wonderful events, due to the COVID-19 crisis.
I filmed this video at Downtown Greens in the heart of Fredericksburg. I thought this was a great opportunity to talk with you about environmental issues facing all of us.
It’s time to reflect on our shared responsibilities to each other and our planet. Downtown Greens is the perfect place to do that, where every day is Earth Day!
Due to the stay-at-home order, the shuttering of many businesses and less commuting, automobile traffic is way down these days. These are very difficult times.
On the flip side, the air quality right now is fantastic. When you walk the trails and our neighborhoods these days, what do you see? I see recovery, and hope. It’s remarkable how clean everything looks. Plants are flowering, birds are singing. Nature is breathing a sigh of relieve from our daily grind and our huge environmental footprint.
COVID-19 is sending us strong signals: if we reduce our impact on nature, she will return the favor with fresh air, clean water and healthy ecosystems.
If we act together, as communities, we can not only flatten the curve of COVID-19, but we can envision flattening the curve of Climate Change as well and slow (or reverse) our destruction of the environment.
COVID-19 means more time with our families - better interactions and in-depth conversations, about how to be better stewards of the earth. Taking this time to rethink our “normal” is an important step to becoming a community that comes together to act responsibly.
So, where so we go from here, now that we have the COVID-19 crisis? What environmental lessons can we learn from all of this?
In this video I mention a few ways you, personally, can help:
• Double (or triple or quadruple) up with your neighbors on trips to the grocery store. We’re doing this in our little corner of the City on Charlotte Street. It lessens traffic and makes for a smaller carbon footprint. If you’re receiving groceries in plastic bags, return them for recycling.
• We’ve stopped using paper towels, opting instead for dish cloths. One reusable dish cloth replaces 17 rolls of paper towels – amazing! It saves money too. And we keep reusable straws with us when we go to restaurants. We got ours at Kimman’s on Caroline Street. (You can order them online.)
• Get involved – support or become a member of an environmental nonprofit, such as Friends of the Rappahannock, Sierra Club, Fossil Free Fredericksburg, Downtown Greens, the Food Co-op, etc. They need your help right now, and Mother Nature will thank you.
• Use your voice – the community needs to keep the pressure on our City leaders to implement key changes called for in the Clean Energy Resolution.
The City must take steps, too. Recently, FXBG City Council unanimously adopted the Clean Energy Resolution. This was spearheaded by Fossil Free Fredericksburg with the support of hundreds of City residents.
Our local economy will recover, and our City will grow again. The City’s economic recovery from COVID-19 needs to be done in an environmentally responsible way. We should:
• Hire a dedicated Sustainability Officer when the hiring freeze is lifted. We will be transitioning our City vehicles, in stages, from gasoline to electric. We will look for ways to incorporate solar power into our municipal buildings and schools. This needs to be supervised and managed by a dedicated Sustainability Officer.
• Look to “Smart Cites” in other localities and learn from their successes, of which there are many.
• Use Proffers, and Conditions in Special Use Permits, to encourage environmentally friendly real estate development.
I am not anti-development. Far from it: I advocate for “Intentional and Conscientious Growth”.
This involves envisioning the results we want for Fredericksburg … and making those expectations clear to developers. I’ve talked to many developers who want the City’s expectations clearly expressed in order for them to manage their costs. I encourage the City to take a deep dive look into the Proffer system (when land is rezoned), and the Special Use Permit process (which allows the City to attach conditions for permit approval), as ways to encourage environmentally friendly development.
My message to all of you today, for Earth Day 2020, is this: NOW is the perfect time to move forward together, toward a healthier, less polluted world. We are showing how strong our Community is, and it’s a remarkable thing to behold. Keep doing what you’re doing. The going will be tough – very tough – but we can do this. It’s Time.
Oh, and thank you to Downtown Greens for your hospitality in letting me film in your lovely gardens!
Until next time, be well … and be good to each other.
