Pandemic impacts transportation emissions
News stories are showing a decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in places around the world. A Stanford University study of China estimated that by early March, reduction in pollution already had saved (by most conservative measures) more than 53,000 lives there.
Here in Nebraska, statewide traffic volume decreased as much as 35% during the week of April 12- 18 when compared to annual averages from 2016-2018 for the same time period. Traffic on Omaha’s streets and highways decreased by as much as 39% in mid-April. While this is not a tool that shows local impacts of GHG emissions and reduced travel, a new interactive tool simulates various emission scenarios and allows users to change the percentage of people living in the U.S. participating in climate-friendly behaviors, such as working from home.
While this extraordinary reduction of GHG emissions is something to take note of, the effects may be temporary. Stay-at-home orders will not last forever, and when cities reopen, societies and economies will start to return to business as usual. If that happens, global GHG emissions could rebound and return to pre-COVID-19 levels, compromising everyone’s health.
That said, these reductions demonstrate the impact we can have as individuals. Every time we choose to walk, bike, carpool, or use transit, we reduce those harmful emissions and have a positive effect. Our impact can be even greater as our actions can help to guide decision makers as the “next normal” begins: reductions were great enough in Milan, Italy, that city officials are changing how the city reopens, re-imagining and redesigning city streets and sidewalks that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists and their safety.
National Transportation Week may be a little different this year, as we focus on walking and biking to maintain social distancing. UNMC also has joined forces with the University of Nebraska at Omaha to take part in the National Bike Challenge. It runs May-September, and participants can create their own goals, log bike miles (for commuting or recreation). It’s app friendly and offers prizes. Members of the med center community and their families can join the UNMC/Nebraska Medicine team.
Regardless of the changes made, every trip that uses active transportation improves the health of everyone who breathes.
Transportation Week is May 11th – 15th
By Tina Spencer
The third Friday of every May is National Transportation Day, which was created to help honor the work of employees in the transportation industry. This year we are more grateful for our bus drivers and other transportation service providers, as they continue to connect our essential workers, healthcare providers, and patients throughout the city at great personal risk.
Usually we would ask that, to honor National Transportation Week, you try taking the bus for the first time or encourage a friend to do so. Taking the bus has a healthy and positive impact on everyone’s health as emissions from road vehicles are the largest contributors to air pollution. Due to the need to continue our efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus, this year is different. Our focus during this year’s National Transportation Week will be on walking and biking, another healthy form of active transportation.
As the weather grows warmer and the potential to spend more time outside increases, consider using a bicycle fo
r exercise and even to pick up essentials. Now is a great time to perform routine maintenance on your own bike such as adjusting brakes, repairing any flat tires and maintaining bicycle chains. Be safe and don’t forget to wear a helmet! Make sure it fits correctly so it protects your head.
If you don’t own a bike, Heartland Bike Share has stations available on campus and in the Omaha metro area for you to check out a bike and ride! Bike sharing offers a great chance for you to choose active transportation for short trips and it’s a great health benefit as well. Riding a bike is good exercise for our physical health, while also getting to where you need to be. Biking and walking can help to increase blood flow, release endorphins, and reduce overall stress, helping to improve mental health and increase energy. Always remember to be respectful of pedestrians on local trails, and keep your distance!
LiveGreen will be hosting an online conversation with Miah Sommer, Founder and Executive Director of the Bike Union Mentoring Project on Tuesday, May 12th from 10:30-11:00. He will discuss the history of the project, ongoing programs and some tips for keeping your bike in good shape while shops are closed.
Check out our Facebook page for transportation posts all week!
Better Together, Better Health
By Tina Spencer
As Earth month comes to a close this year, it’s important that we look back and reflect on the importance of why it matters. As the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated in the midst of a global pandemic, much has been revealed about the health of human beings and our planet.
In Delhi, India, many are seeing blue skies for the first time ever, due to COVID-19 restrictions that have resulted in less air pollution. With businesses shut down and barely any vehicular traffic, Delhi’s skies went from hazy and gray to bright blue as residents revel in the fresh air accompanied by the very positive environmental change. Delhi’s change is dramatic, but stories like this are being realized around the world.
As you may already know, air pollution severely impacts health around the world, especially heart and lung functions. According to the World Health Organization, one third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer and heart disease are due to air pollution. Essentially, less pollution means improved health.
The United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Ratings for air pollution, Nebraska is ranked 19th. While Nebraska’s air pollution isn’t the worst, the Omaha area needs immediate attention, and we can do more to improve the health of Nebraskans. There are things that all of us can do to positively impact air pollution, like conserving energy by turning off lights or reducing the number of trips you take in your car.
The immediate social distancing/stay-at-home orders have shown the impact we have on our environment—both good and bad. COVID-19 is an obviously serious situation, but it has also shown that we are “better together”. We’ve seen others rise to many challenges and come together quickly to rearrange both personal and work life. We’ve had online interactions with everyone from like-minded individuals around the world to regular meetings with your team at the Med Center, to family members near and far.
Our efforts to slow the spread of the virus, and help others while we’re at it, is a shining example of doing better together.
This pandemic is demonstrating that we have to raise our awareness and modify our actions as we seek to change systems and personal habits which currently negatively impacts our planet. Hopefully, people will begin to understand our living planet’s connection to their (hopefully improved) human health. We are better together.
Earth Day 2020
By Tina Spencer
Author Rachel Carlson’s writings in the early 60’s helped spark the global environmental movement which would eventually lead to the establishment of Earth Day. Ms. Carson’s book, Silent Spring, showed her passionate concern for the future of the planet and all life on earth calling imploring humans to act responsibly, carefully and as stewards of the living earth.
Earth Day began because of a unified response to an environment in crisis – oil spills, smog, rivers so polluted they literally caught fire. On April 22, 1970 millions of Americans took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet with the goal of raising awareness about mankind’s role in protecting our natural world. Environmental protection is important to our physical health and the health of our planet.
This year will mark Earth Day’s 50th anniversary and the theme is climate change. Climate change impacts us in many ways: agriculture and food security, air pollution, drinking water supply, transportation, energy, ecosystems/biodiversity, and more—all of which impact human health.
Earth Day has become a popular day for many communities to gather together and clean up litter, plant trees, or simply reflect on the beauty of nature. For 50 years Earth Day has increased awareness of the planet we live on, our impact on the environment, and how that changed environment impacts us.
Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, Earth Day can and will be celebrated in many ways. Although people can’t gather in large groups, there are many online events being offered, in addition to activities you can do at home on your own. For ideas to inspire or motivate you, check out:
- The largest digital Earth Day event, Earth Day Challenge 2020,
- Earth911’s complete guide to Earth Day 2020,
- The Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism Summit that will showcase stories of large and small actions can be successful.
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac guide to activities
It’s also not too late to join our Ecochallenge team! We’re currently in 10th place, and are beating UNO, but would love your help. Our earth needs your help, too. Individual actions do make a difference and global change requires all of us taking action. We all need to work together to protect the environment to make it a healthier place to live.
Free B-cycle Memberships, Vote for RePurpose It Contest Entries
By Melanie Stewart
The RePurpose It Contest has some great projects to show off. Your colleagues (and their kids) are incredibly talented and creative! We hope looking at these entries will inspire you to look at items you have in your home a different way, helping you save money and reduce waste. Voting is open, so make sure you check out all the entries here and vote here.
Don’t forget, you can earn prizes by participating (at your own time/pace) in our internet scavenger hunt. It’s also not too late to join our Ecochallenge team!
Heartland Bike Share wants to thank everyone involved in healthcare for their extraordinary efforts of late, even if you aren’t a direct patient care provider. To get a free annual membership (valued at $100):
- Go to HeartlandBcycle.com or the BCycle App,
- Create a login
- Purchase an annual membership using the promo code THXHEROES.
- This promo code is only good through 4/30/20
- You will need to enter a credit card, even though you aren’t being charged. Once you click apply, your final payment will reflect $0.00.
- You must use your UNMC/Nebraska Medicine/Clarkson College email address for the promo code to work.
Once you have signed up, you can check out a bike at any station with the BCycle App or at the kiosk. A live map of all stations & bike availability (including electric assist bicycles!) can be found on the website & the BCycle App, and the 42nd and Dewey campus has 6 stations.
Your membership is good for a year, but if you take a bike out now, don’t forget to maintain appropriate social distancing—at the kiosk and on the trails. Heartland B-cycle is taking extra steps to disinfect high-touch surfaces and you can learn more here.
That said, bicycles can be returned to any station at any time. All users should take their own precautions disinfecting bikes before you ride, wearing gloves, washing your hands, and not touching your face. Don’t forget your helmet!
Healthy, Sustainable, Actions During a Pandemic
By Melanie Stewart
It’s April and that means it’s Earth Month—even if it doesn’t really feel like it. COVID-19 has dominated our lives for the past month and forced all kinds of changes, with many working from home and/or trying to keep kids occupied.
We recognize the seriousness of the situation, but also know that this could be a time to make changes that will have a positive impact—on your family’s health, your pocketbook, and the environment around you.
The first is a home waste audit. With limited trips outside your home, the waste stream you are responsible for is easy to track—and make changes. Count the number of bags of trash vs. recyclables for a week (or day, whatever is easiest) and then work with everyone in your family to get the right things in the right container. Maybe your spouse doesn’t know the gable-topped milk/juice containers can be recycled, or maybe your family needs a place to collect glass. Check out KeepOmahaBeautiful’s page or Wasteline for more information. If your family has a lot of organics, consider composting in your backyard, or through a compost club.
Don’t forget to reduce! Replace disposable items with reusable–no need to hoard paper towels/napkins if you have fabric alternatives, and they’ll save you money in the long run. Consider the packaging of items you buy and find alternatives whenever possible.
Other possibilities:
- Swap out some home cleaning products with less toxic, cheaper, versions. LiveGreen has some recipes we tested/like, and more on our Pinterest page (including reusable disinfecting wipes!).
- Eat more fruits/veggies, more locally grown items, less packaged food, and consider reducing the amount of meat you consume. Try out some new recipes, and have your kids help! If you have a green thumb, consider planting a garden and plan a neighborhood vegetable exchange.
- Spring cleaning? Don’t forget to set aside your recycling for our collection event. Clothing, toys, and goods can be donated or sold for extra money on a variety of apps or websites. Don’t forget to repair what you can.
- If it’s safe to do so, get outside. Movement/exercise is good for you and relieves stress. If you can spend time in nature, even in your backyard, your mental health will benefit.
- Follow LiveGreen Nebraska on Facebook. We’ll continue to share activities that individuals and families can do to have fun, learn something, and keep busy.
Earth Month Activities
Earth Month is going to look a little different this year, but COVID-19 isn’t going to stop us from celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. We are going to postpone the personal document shredding/electronic recycling event to a future date, but we will still have it. So, if the changes to your weekend plans includes some spring cleaning, keep all your electronics, techno trash, batteries, eyeglasses, and paper for the big event. For details on what we will and won’t accept, go here.
We still hope to have free trees to share for Arbor Day, and if so, we’ll find a way to do that while keeping everyone safe.
We are still having the RePurpose It contest. We know that recent events may have changed things, so we have extended the submission deadline to April 6th. Don’t forget that you can enter more than one item. Also, while the project needs to be done by you, it doesn’t have to be done by only you. If you have kids (or spouse?) that needs a project while they are at home and they want to do most of the work, that’s great! Don’t overthink this, just find something that’s outlived its original purpose, and find a different way to use it. Check out our webpage for rules and helpful hints and our Pinterest page for inspiration.
We have also set up an EcoChallenge team. It’s free, and entirely online. You get to pick the topics and actions you want to participate in (can be changing a habit, learning about a new topic, or completing a single action) to earn points. EcoChallenge also gives out prizes. Not only can you join our team—anyone can! So if you have kids, friends, family, neighbors, etc. that you think would be interested, we’d love to have them on our team. UNO has officially challenged us to a battle, and we need to defend our title!
We will also being doing our first ever online scavenger hunt. You’ll be able to participate at your convenience and everything will be online. Participation will help you learn more about sustainability as well as campus programs and successes. We’ll have lots of prizes to hand out for this too! Scavenger hunt items will be posted on this page on April 6th.
Chargepoint Stations Have Arrived
By Melanie Stewart
Chargepoint stations are on campus and ready to be used! These stations will charge personal electric vehicles (EV) faster than a standard outlet, with a full charge possible in 4 hours or less.
These stations are a product of a partnership with OPPD and with a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) in coordination with the Nebraska Community Energy Alliance (NCEA).
There are 2 locations on campus:
1 station, 2 stalls in Lot 34 on Emile between Shackelford Hall and the Central Utility Plant
1 station, 2 stalls in Lot 21 by the entrance to the middle level of the Lauritzen Outpatient Center
The rate to charge is $0.50 for up to 4 hours daily. After 4 hours the rate is $3 per hour. Please limit the usage of the charging station to sessions no longer than 4 hours per day. Failure to observe these restrictions may subject the vehicle to a violation, in addition to the higher hourly rate fee. These stalls are for active charging parking only. Once you are done charging, the vehicle must be moved to allow other users to access the EV Charging Station. Both charging stations are available to students, colleagues, and the public.
To use a Chargepoint station you can sign up for free online at chargepoint.com. Drivers can use a card Chargepoint issues to start a charging session, or use the free Chargepoint app, both of which are good at the nearly 110,000 Chargepoint stations. Different Chargepoint stations may charge different amounts per hour. Many more stations are available across the Omaha metro area and Nebraska.
Providing charging stations for electric vehicles is an important step in advancing electric vehicle use. As efficiency goes up and OPPD increases the amount of renewable energy they provide, emissions will go down. This is better for our local air quality, and our health.
NCEA provides monthly reports that show the cumulative amount of energy used from the Nebraska charging stations, the economic benefits, and the harmful emissions reduced as a result. “It’s an impressive amount of emissions and we are excited to see our impact.” said Neal Buxcel, Director of Utilities and Electrical Operations.
Rebates on electric vehicle purchases are available from OPPD/NCEA, certain car dealers, and the federal government; details found here.
Social Justice, Black History Month, and Sustainability
By Melanie Stewart
Last week the United Nations marked World Day of Social Justice, promoting equality, removing barriers, and helping people living in poverty, unsafe conditions, and/or without dignity. The “field” of sustainability has advanced beyond what we would mostly classify as “environmental sustainability”—taking care of the physical environment. While that’s still important as we are all products of our environment, there are “other” areas of sustainability that we need to address separately.
Social justice and sustainability intersect in equity and in health (our mission!). In North America, virtually all areas where low-socioeconomic-status communities are located experience higher concentrations of air pollutants. As you likely know, air pollutants lead to a variety of health conditions—asthma, cancer, birth defects, etc. You may also know that in the United States, racial and ethnic minorities are more likely than non-minority groups to experience poverty. Given this, it’s not surprising that African Americans are exposed to pollutants and suffer the maladies they cause at a higher rate.
In honor of Black History Month, we offer a few pioneers in this important work.
Heather Toney, was the first African American, female, and youngest mayor of Greenville, MS and served as the regional administrator to the EPA, and currently leads the Moms Clean Air Force—a group of more than 1 million moms and dads fighting against air pollution and for climate safety to protect children’s health.
Dr. Robert Bullard is often listed as the father of environmental justice. He founded the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, has authored 18 books, co-founded the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Climate Change Consortium, and has received multiple accolades and awards for his work.
Dr. Mildred McClain is a teacher and human rights activist. Her work with the Black Youth Leadership Development Institute has trained thousands of young people to be community leaders while also working to promote healthy lifestyles. She has led community gardens, health fairs, soil testing, and lead testing in children while creating major partnerships with the Department of Energy, the EPA, and the CDC.
Dr. Beverly Wright founded and is the executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, which provides education, job placement, and health/safety training to climate impacted communities. She developed curriculum, runs a hazardous waste work training program, and has produced research related to environmental justice and superfund sites.
Sustainability Engagement Survey Results
Since 2012, the Med Center has conducted a sustainability engagement survey (SES) to gather input from employees. The results help to measure progress and inform strategies for achieving the sustainability goals outlined in the Sustainability Master Plan(SMP).
Our engagement score is one of our 6 SMP goals, and our new score is a 57. This is virtually unchanged from the last survey. You might think that’s not a good thing and while you aren’t wrong, you aren’t completely right either. This year we changed several survey questions to reflect how the field of sustainability has changed, in response to our changing world. Those questions essentially made the survey more difficult, and so it is harder to get a higher score. Had we scored the survey the same as before, our engagement score would have been higher.
We asked about different areas of sustainability that we previously hadn’t. We’ll talk about them more in the future, but they are: Regenerative Systems, Climate Resiliency, Long-Term Thinking, Social Sustainability, and Financial Sustainability.
These all relate directly to our mission. While we work “to create a healthy future for all” it has to include all of these aspects—sustainability isn’t a side project, it’s integral to how we operate as a business, as a provider of care, and as a resource user. I’m happy to report that a whopping 92% of survey takers think that it’s important for the Med Center to take active steps to be more sustainable and 81% believe sustainability aligns with our mission.
The other big number that comes from the SES is our mode split. This reflects the number of commuter trips coming to campus each day using active transportation (bus/bike/walk/carpool) and that number increased to 24%–our highest percent ever! This was the first survey that we asked about a compressed work week—a schedule that has been modified from its ‘traditional’ schedule. This could be working four, ten-hour days instead of working five, eight-hour days. Both UNMC and Nebraska Medicine have policies allowing specific position types to potentially modify their schedule and/or potentially work from home some days.
Finally, we finished the survey asking for your feedback on any topics. Thousands of you left us answers, and we’re reading them all. We appreciate the information you provided and will work them in to future projects.
Thank you for taking time to participate and provide valuable feedback!
