Mayor Ashcraft offers suggestions for protecting the planet
April is Earth Month and April 22, 2025, marks the 55th Anniversary of Earth Day. The catalyst for the first Earth Day — April 22, 1970 — was a massive oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast in January 1969 that released more than four million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, killing thousands of seabirds and sea mammals and fouling beaches. The spill was caused by an oil well blowout that occurred because the U.S. Geological Survey had granted Union Oil Company (UNOCAL) a waiver from federal safety requirements for its drilling platforms.
[1]After viewing the 800-square-mile oil slick from an airplane, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin was inspired to create a “teach-in” called Earth Day to raise environmental awareness and inspire activism. In 1970, millions of people across the United States participated in Earth Day activities that led to the creation of landmark federal legislation, including the Environmental Protection Agency, and passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
This year, more than one billion people in 193 countries will celebrate Earth Day — and the need to protect Planet Earth now, and for future generations, is demonstrated by events of the past year, including the Pacific Palisades and Eaton (Altadena) wildfires in Southern California, a “bomb cyclone” in the Pacific Northwest, and devastating flooding in North Carolina.
So, what can you do to protect our planet?
Impacting climate change may seem overwhelming, but your individual actions do make a difference. Take, for example, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory, conducted as part of Alameda’s Climate Action Resiliency Plan (CARP) update [2], which shows a 29% decrease in 2022 GHG community-wide emissions from 2005 levels, despite population and local job growth. These results show that Alameda is on track to meet our goals of a 50% reduction in GHG emissions [3] below 2005 levels by 2030. Contributing factors include 100% clean electricity delivered by our municipally-owned electric utility, Alameda Municipal Power (AMP), a 25% reduction in transportation emissions since 2005 due to cleaner vehicles and equipment, and a 6% reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). That’s you!
I say often that, if we want to get people out of their cars, we have to provide safe, convenient infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists. Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan [4], adopted by the City Council in 2022, does that by outlining pedestrian improvements and a low-stress bicycle network that includes 13.1 miles of bikeways completed since 2019, moving us closer to CARP’s goal of a 16.54-mile bicycle network by 2030. Try swapping a local car trip for a bike ride or walk.
Recently, AMP staff launched a pilot program to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging availability across the City by adding public EV chargers at City-owned parking lots and in the public right-of-way. Up to ten curbside chargers will be installed in multi-family and mixed-use neighborhoods and adjacent to Alameda Housing Authority and Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) properties in 2025. Visit the Alameda Municipal Power [5] website to learn more about AMP rebates and programs for electric vehicles, e-bikes, and home electrification.
Let’s think globally, but act locally by practicing the “3 Rs” — reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reduce the amount of goods you buy. Before making a purchase, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” And when you shop, buy high-quality items that last longer.
Reuse by bringing reusable bags when you shop and your own cup when you go out for coffee or tea. (Support local businesses!) Or use the Okapi [6] app (free download for Apple [7] and Android [8]) that allows you to borrow reusable “to go” cups at local coffee houses. And use cloth napkins instead of paper.
“Thrifting,” or buying previously owned goods is another great way to reuse. You can support the Alameda Animal Shelter by thrifting at Thrifty Kitty, 1509 Webster Street, and/or donating your gently used clothing, home goods, and books. For more information, visit the Thrifty Kitty [9] website or call 510-333-3638.
You can support the Alameda Free Library by shopping at or donating to Books For Friends (BFF), the well-curated bookshop at the Main Library, 1550 Oak Street, run by Friends of the Alameda Library. For more information, visit the Books for Friends [10] web page.
A new shop, Replenish Marketplace [11], 1503 Webster Street, provides a circular shopping model where customers bring their own containers and refill them with trusted, non-toxic, sustainable products [12] such as shampoo and personal care products, laundry detergent, and dish soap. Founder and Alameda resident Laria Pippen is a pediatric nurse with a Masters Degree in Sustainability Leadership whose goal is to provide products that are safe for people and the environment, while reducing our reliance on single-use plastics.
Recycle carefully by placing items in the correct bins. Visit the StopWaste [13] website for more useful information. And here’s a tip StopWaste Executive Director Timothy Burroughs shared at a recent Alameda County Mayors Conference meeting: Don’t use so-called “compost bags” in your kitchen compost container. They contain plastics, compost very slowly, and are removed by compost facility staff and diverted to landfills. Instead, place your compostables directly into your kitchen receptacle and rinse it out after emptying contents into your green bin.
Use paper products — paper towels, toilet paper, and facial tissue — made from 100% recycled paper. The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) publishes a report and scorecard to help consumers make responsible choices. (“The Issue with Tissue”) Find the report and more information at the NRDC [14] website.
Local climate activist and author Joyce Mercado shares more useful tips in her recently released paperback, Save the Planet In Your Spare Time [15], which is available at Books Inc. [16], 1344 Park Street, and at Replenish.
Let’s make every day Earth Day in Alameda!
Be environmentally aware. Practice the 3 Rs. Be Alameda Strong!
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is the Mayor of the City of Alameda. Reach her at [email protected] [17].
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