Protecting the Environment, Together… While Apart
Some things you can do to protect the environment while we all practice social distancing
Written by Bhan Gatkuoth, CEC Communications Intern
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To accommodate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus, we’re all being asked to restructure our lifestyle with the safety of ourselves and others in mind. For most of us, this means wearing masks, washing our hands more frequently, and staying home to limit the spread of infection in our communities. It also means we have had to rethink what we can do to continue protecting our shared environment, even if we can’t interact with it in the same ways as before.
To do that, and to support your efforts to stay home, we’ve put together a list of our resources that might be helpful to you as you practice social distancing:
1. Fight food waste at home
Each year, approximately 168 million tons of food is wasted in North America — this is a major challenge we all need to work on in our daily actions. Right now, household waste is increasing as a consequence of stay-at-home directives. To combat this, we’ve created tools that can help you curb waste in your homes. These kits are directed at youth, but really anyone can use them to start making a real difference. Take a look at our Food Action Matters Kit and see what changes you can make at home!
This kit is made for youth aged 5–25, and we have some tips, directives, and materials for businesses, too! Let us know how you’re making changes in the home by tagging us in photos online and using the hashtag #FoodMattersActionKit.
2. Watch a short movie about migrating shorebirds
North American shorebirds connect communities and ecosystems across the region. These small birds travel together in flocks of thousands and when they stop to rest and feed at migratory stopovers, these sites provide important environmental, cultural, and economic benefits to people living nearby. Get yourself a bowl of popcorn and watch this short video (available in English, French, and Spanish), produced in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to learn more about the impact these birds have for communities across North America.
After you’ve finished watching, take a look at this map to see if there are migratory shorebird stopover locations near your home, and learn more about what you can do to help the conservation of these species.
3. Become an entrepreneurial genius!
Every year, we host the Youth Innovation Challenge as a way to bring together and support young entrepreneurs from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. These youth have presented us with some incredible and inspiring business solutions to environmental problems in their regions. Over the course of this competition, we’ve seen robots tackle the issue of pesticides in strawberry fields, we’ve witnessed how polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer from soft drink bottles can be used in the production of sustainable structural concrete and discovered how we can stop microplastics from entering our water and food systems.
If you’re a young person interested in developing a new, sustainable, and innovative approach to environmental issues in your community, read through our Reddit AMA (ask me anything) hosted by Dr. Halil Erfan from Simon Fraser University. Here you’ll find some interesting pieces of advice concerning the design and computational aspects of creating a great product/business solution.
Also, check out this thread of free resources that could be helpful to all you young entrepreneurs and students.
4. Take a walk and save the butterflies!
The monarch butterfly is a fascinating insect; unfortunately, it is under critical threat. The good news? You can help. While out for a stroll, pay attention to the plant life around you and help conserve the monarch butterfly by recording the existence (or lack thereof) of milkweed plants in your region.
Learn more about what you can do here. When you visit the site, you’ll be directed to different organizations in your region with which you can share your observations.
5. Combat pollution in your region
North American industry sectors produce the energy, materials, and items we use every day. They also generate pollutants that must be managed. Take a look through our online database and learn more about industrial pollution in your region. This database includes reporting from at least 30,000 industrial facilities across North America and provides a picture of pollutants being released in your region.
Further reading:
As part of our work, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting researchers like Cindy McCulligh, whose work on the Santiago River Basin in Mexico has illuminated industrial waste problems in the region. We’ve also learned about other informational efforts in Canada, including the Pollution Reporter App developed by Vanessa Gray and the TechnoScience Research Unit at the University of Toronto.
6. Become a kitchen table cartographer
Are you into maps? Who isn’t, right?! We’ve created a series of maps that will help you gain a continental and regional perspective of environmental issues in your region. These maps have been used in a variety of ways by urban planners, policymakers, climate scientists, wildlife managers, geologists, hydrologists, and others! Take a look at some of these maps and learn more about their uses by reading through our map e-book.
The statements and opinions represented in CEC Medium articles are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the positions or views of the CEC or the governments of Canada, Mexico, or the United States.
Learn more about our work by visiting our website. Stay up to date with our other work on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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