As we celebrate our world this Earth Day, it’s no secret it’s been a challenging year for the planet and its people. We have watched the federal government step back from protecting people and the environment, express hostility towards efforts to address injustices and racism, and throw their support behind old, tired fossil fuel technologies that harm our health and cost us money.
The sharp shift this presidential administration has taken from its predecessor can make the path toward a cleaner, healthier and more affordable world feel uncertain and, at times, hopeless.
In the face of this pressure, I have been amazed time and time again by the power of strong, organized communities of people who care deeply about their futures. Local leaders and residents have shown that they won’t back down from efforts to make their communities stronger, healthier and more just.
Whether it’s the city of Detroit working with residents to build solar gardens that beautify their neighborhoods, cut their energy bills, and power municipal buildings with clean electricity, or Long Beach, California reducing the pollution impacts of the shipping industry on Black and brown residents while boosting local businesses, cities and towns keep making the case for a healthier, more affordable way of doing things.
Small-scale, big impacts
I’ve been particularly inspired by mayors in small towns across the South taking action to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and channel the economic benefits of clean energy to their residents. I was thrilled to support the Mayors Climate Action Training Program, a joint effort with the Environmental Defense Fund, ICLEI USA – Local Governments for Sustainability, and the African American Mayors Association, as it equipped nine mayors with new skills and resources to take home. Representing Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, and Virginia, these mayors spent the better part of a year sharing their cities’ experiences, exchanging best practices, and building a toolkit for facing any challenge.
Their hard work is already showing big results. In Beverly Hills, Missouri, their city hall is the first–and to date, only–municipal building in the state to be fully powered by solar energy. In Marianna, Arkansas, a major stormwater project is bringing green spaces to city squares while mitigating the impacts of big rainstorms that are occurring with increasing frequency. And just down the Chesapeake Bay, Mayor Derrick Wood is helping Dumfries, Virginia reduce flooding along Quantico Creek and repurpose former landfill sites into a retail and entertainment area. This is just a sampling of the progress being made in cities and towns across the country towards a future where the health and wellbeing of communities and their local environment advance hand-in-hand.
For communities balancing a host of challenges, the choice does not have to be between taking climate action and bolstering the local economy. Instead, the two can go hand-in-hand. When cities invest in infrastructure that can withstand flooding or heat waves, they protect their residents’ health—and their pocketbooks. When coal plants close to make way for solar energy, emergency room visits go down and asthma rates decline. Investing in clean energy and switching away from fossil fuels produces tangible financial and public health benefits. Many local leaders are already working hard to build a more sustainable future in their cities, and folks looking for climate solutions can step up to be a part of that transformation.
Investing in solutions can also be joyful! In Wrightsville, Arkansas, part of their community sustainability work includes creating a space for bird watching and conservation. Back in Long Beach, the city is reclaiming an area occupied by a decommissioned freeway to create new parks and trails. In so many places, spaces that were used for highways, industry or dumping are being remediated and reoriented to prioritize the health and wellbeing of people—not profits.
This Earth Day, I find it useful to take a step back and remember what all this work is really about. It is about supporting people who are disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. It is about empowering families who want their children and grandchildren to have full, healthy lives. And it is about lifting up neighbors who care deeply about one another and are committed to collective solutions. At a moment when so much institutional power is being redirected away from climate action, communities remain a source of strength that have always been present, and are ready to be activated. Get involved in your local elections where you can make a big impact, and remain involved in the day-to-day decision-making of your city. It takes fewer voices than you think to influence the decisions that shape your community. Let your voice be one that advocates for a healthier, brighter future for you and those around you.