Energy Use and the Coronavirus

I’ve been off and on with the whole “zero-waste” thing. As introduced to me by Lauren Singer, known through her Instagram handle as Trash is for Tossers, zero-waste as a lifestyle is more than simply refusing plastic straws and composting food—it is completely giving up plastic and unsustainable materials. That means the milk bottle you buy at the grocery store and the latest Amazon order coming to your mailbox. It’s a privileged and idealized solution to a massive problem, but it’s something I could afford to do to make a difference. 

I had found items that I would swap for my daily unsustainable choices, like a bamboo toothbrushes and reusable utensils. My friends started to notice every time I would use my handkerchief or my stainless-steel lunch box, but there were some single-waste items I simply couldn’t give up, like certain packaged foods at the grocery store. With this pandemic, I felt like any attempt to shop at local farmers markets, to avoid plastic wrap when picking up vegetables, or using reusable bags were unobtainable goals. 

With this pandemic, I felt like any attempt to shop at local farmers markets, to avoid plastic wrap when picking up vegetables, or using reusable bags were unobtainable goals.

Additionally, as I’ve had the chance to reflect and refine my routine with the coronavirus, I’ve realized how I’ve been boxed into two choices: try to self-isolate sustainably or support local businesses by giving into the necessary cleanliness of single-use gloves, cups, and plastic covers that comes with buying coffee down the street or dinner from the local Italian food restaurant so it doesn’t go out of business. 

I wonder about a lot of things with this pandemic and sustainable choices are really the least of my worries. Instead, I worry about the rise in gun sales and the expected increase in child abuse and interpersonal violence from the economic distress and self-isolation, not to mention the rising number of people unemployed or directly affected and taken by the disease. There is a massive threat of increased surveillance, especially for communities of color and ICE raids on undocumented folks. 

I spoke to my dad about writing this article, trying to break down this sustainability conundrum, and he mentioned how with almost everyone in the United States self-isolating, he assumed energy use was going down. Employees are commuting less, and thus using less gasoline and jet fuel. One Wired piece writes: “In China alone, the economic slowdown has kept 200 megatons of CO2 out of the atmosphere,” and since almost 30 percent of US emissions are due to commuting, we can assume a similar significant drop in CO2 in our atmosphere. Additionally, recessions seem to come with a downturn in energy use. On the other hand, The New York Times recently released a report that, on a larger scale, food waste is going up and even places like food banks and other charities are maxing the amount of food they can store. Thousands of gallons of fresh milk and 1 million pounds of onions are dumped into huge ditches on farms, despite the increased amount of spending on groceries. Additionally, at home people are streaming more online videos and interacting via video conferences and thus, affecting energy use merely by streaming, not to mention the increase of energy spurred by device charging. The pandemic is also taking its control of the energy supply, with the energy drained from the overcrowded hospitals and ventilator use. 

I worry about the rise in gun sales and the expected increase in child abuse and interpersonal violence from the economic distress and self-isolation, not to mention the rising toll of the unemployed and those directly affected and taken by the disease.

As Earth Day comes around, I am reminded more strongly this year than ever about the beauty and the necessity of the great outdoors. While I’m stuck at home, staring at a screen, I long for the days when I can lay on the grass with my friends, soaking in the sun together. Sometimes I get caught up in the small choices I make, like whether to use that plastic water bottle, but with coronavirus I realize that, although small choices matter and have an effect, they’re not the biggest thing I could be doing to support my local community. The pandemic made clear which small choices matter most– it’s supporting local businesses, maintaining personal relationships, washing hands, and staying inside and safe that matters now. This pandemic, like others before it, have complex effects on our environment and it will change our behavior in the future. In the future, I’m ready to explore—go hiking with my friends, camping with family, and even venture out into the zero-waste lifestyle. But right now, I’m not going to worry about energy and, instead, suggest for those who have the privilege to, stay home and shelter down because this, too, shall pass.