Read more about how to stay healthy during flu season, and learn more about 2020’s ongoing wildfire season!
Written by Green Team’s Co-Activities Chairs, Tasha Tanabe and Jessica Young.
Happy late Halloween! Welcome back to our second blog post! Your two writers, Tasha and Jessica, our current Activities Chairs of Green Team. We hope you enjoy our monthly blog posts. :)
In this blog post, we’ll be discussing some tips and tricks on how to become more eco-friendly. In alignment with current events relating to health and the environment, we’ll touch upon current issues such as staying safe during COVID, especially with flu season coming up, in addition to the wildfires on the west.
Masks and gloves and hand sanitizer bottles, oh my! COVID-19 safety measures have introduced a new type of pollution into the ocean with the increase of disposable PPE. Conservationists have warned that this could harm ocean wildlife as masks resemble yummy jellyfishes in the water. Unfortunately, many of these items are made with polypropylene, a type of plastic that lasts for over 450 years![1] In addition, because masks are lightweight, they can be carried by the wind from landfills and end up in the ocean. From China to France, people have seen a rise of trash washed up on beaches.
But there are things that you can do to help! Some easy switches that you can make to reduce your plastic waste are:
Using a reusable, cloth mask: They are super simple to sew from old T-shirts or scrap pieces of fabric.
Washing your hands more frequently: Instead of wearing latex gloves, wash your hands after touching public surfaces to stay safe and cut down on waste.
Joining a beach clean-up: Beach clean-ups are a great way to take care of the environment and to prevent trash from further harming animals. Just remember to stay safe and follow pandemic protocols while at the beach! Check out LAHS Green Team’s Instagram (@lahsgreenteam) for information about monthly beach clean-ups!
Moving on… on Wednesday, September 10th, many people in the bay area woke up to a strange phenomenon—an orange sky. Lights were on the entire day as darkness fell on cities, including San Francisco and Los Altos, due to the smoke from the wildfires that filled the sky. “Apocalypse,” was the most common word I heard that entire day. “It’s like we’re living on Mars,” a friend of mine said. On this exact day, the August Complex became the single-largest wildfire recorded in the history of California. It burned a total area of 471,185 acres. Then, the next day, it merged with the Elkhorn Fire (another massive fire), turning the August Complex into a monster wildfire of 746,607 acres.[2]
The 2020 wildfire season on the west coast of the United States experienced many major wildfires. Severe thunderstorms in August ignited numerous wildfires that were fueled by the strong, gusty winds and hot, dry terrains. This caused many fires to explode and grow into record-breaking megafires, burning more than 8.2 million acres of land.[2] While the conditions were perfect for wildfires to grow, climate change and poor forest management practices also contributed to the severity of the wildfires.
To prevent wildfires, there are a few things we can do. Some include reporting unattended fires, paying attention to the risk of forest fires in your area, and extinguishing fire pits/campfires when done. When a wildfire has occurred, always listen to the local weather and news report to make sure you know about the status of the fire and evacuation orders. Another tip is to keep track of the air quality and wear masks to protect your lungs.
Just a reminder that another tip to stay active in supporting the environment is to sign some petitions! You may click on the link to learn more about them and also sign them as well.
Signing off,
Tasha + Jessica
P.S. Just a reminder that another tip to stay active in supporting the environment is to sign some petitions! You may click on the link to learn more about them and also sign them as well.
Pass the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act! | Contact Officials
Protect the Bees | Environmental-Action.org
Save The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge | Patagonia x Change.org
Save the Endangered Species Act | Environmental-Action.org
Environmental Dates to Save!
International E-Waste Day | October 14th, 2020
World Food Day | October 16th, 2020
International Day of Climate Action | October 24th, 2020
Sustainability Day | October 28th, 2020
Works Cited
[1]Ashifa Kassam. “‘More Masks than Jellyfish’: Coronavirus Waste Ends up in Ocean.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 8 June 2020, www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/08/more-masks-than-jellyfish-coronavirus-waste-ends-up-in-ocean. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.
[2]Wikipedia Contributors. “2020 Western United States Wildfire Season.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Western_United_States_wildfire_season. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.
