Walking Mountains Science Center
Working remote can include working from home, biking to a local coffee shop to work or taking a charged laptop out with you for a hike and setting up somewhere to enjoy the outdoors while working.
Chris Montgomery, Unsplash
On April 22, the celebration of Earth Day turns 51, and those 51 years have certainly seen many environmental accomplishments. The formation of the Environmental Protection Agency, saving the ozone layer from destruction and the evolution of the solar panel are just a few. But, you don’t have to invent new technology or write game changing legislation to protect the environment. As we enter into a new half-century of saving the planet amidst a pandemic, one of the most effective methods we can employ to protect Mother Earth this Earth Day is a simple one and one that many of us are already well-versed in; remote work.
BAE Systems photo
The Avon Town Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution to become a GoEV Town, pledging to a plan which includes goals to transition the Avon fleet and transit buses to 100% electric or zero emissions vehicles by 2050.
The GoEV Coalition recently invited Avon to become a member of the GoEV City Campaign, which is a joint effort of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, the Clean Energy Economy for the Region, the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, Conservation Colorado and the Sierra Club.
Avon is part of the 2016 Climate Action Plan for the Eagle County Community, which aims to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 25% by 2025 and 80% by 2050. The town also in 2019 purchased 100% renewable electricity through Holy Cross Energy’s Renewable Energy Purchase Program.
Climate Action Collaborative Manager at Walking Mountains
Walking Mountains Sustainability recently launched a campaign titled “Trends with Benefits: Making Remote Work.” You may be reading this (if you’re familiar with Walking Mountains) wondering, why does Walking Mountains care about working remotely? Well, that answer is simple.
While working from home comes with numerous benefits for work-life balance, and the checkbook (let’s be real I haven’t filled up my tank in a month), the biggest benefit is the positive impact working remotely has on the environment. Believe it or not, when we don’t drive our cars to and from work each day, we are cutting down significantly on carbon emissions and air pollution in our community. And each ton of carbon emissions we are able to avoid by staying out of our cars is making a difference for the climate.
Sustainability Tip
It’s fair to say we all leapt into this new year with more hope in our hearts and minds than we’d come to know in the year prior. What may be a surprise is the list of positives hidden beneath the suite of misfortune last year brought.
“I feel like there is a silver lining, and the more we can talk to people about finding that, the more the effect of the pandemic won’t be as negative, long-lasting and impactful as it’s always painted out to be, with people finding new opportunities, new ways to engage, and using it for a positive shift in their life,” said Chris Rieder, Eagle County Program Director of Mind Springs Health.