This week is the 50th-anniversary celebration of Earth Day. What a momentous and important milestone for a day
that has become synonymous with environmental sustainability. While there were surely dozens of events to
champion our planet that had to be canceled in our communities, we can still do a great deal safely from home.
Here are a few community organizations that have put together some opportunities for all of us:
- Climate Change Awareness and Action: CNY Carbon Challenge is hosting a special opportunity to stream three documentaries starting April 24th on their website.
- YMCA of Central New York: Togetherhood Earth Day Cleanup
- Downtown Committee of Syracuse: Earth Day Bingo
For actions with even greater impact:
- Get assessed for solar: For the vast majority of homeowners that can go solar, there are cost-savings. It doesn’t hurt to get assessed and to see what it might look like for you, and it’s tremendously valuable for our planet. Nickels Energy Solutions is a great company to consider.
- Get assessed for geothermal: HeatSmart CNY is hosting online sessions to provide more information on going geo, and they can answer questions about affordability and if it can work for you.
- Consider buying an electric vehicle: As we’re seeing in this pandemic with the before and after shots of major cities like LA, the transportation sector is a huge contributor to pollution. The financial case for an
electric vehicle is easier to make when gas prices are high, but there is still one to be made. The volatility of oil prices, and the likelihood that they will increase after the pandemic, makes the long term prospects of owning an electric vehicle more economically beneficial. And there’s still that image of LA. The costs of air pollution are almost unquantifiable.
The final action, if you have not done so already, is to engage in Socially Responsible Investing. We screen every publicly traded company for its impact on the environment and seek to include those that are working to solve the crises our planet is facing. Many of our clients are fossil fuel-free, and you can be too.
This Earth Day, do what you can. We’re all in this together.
The Team at HAS