By Claire Leibowitz, Lifestyle EIC
A warm and sunny day, a lazy breeze, no seats left in Kogan – it feels like the middle of September. But it’s not, it’s November, and Washington D.C., like many other areas around the world, is facing abnormally high temperatures.
According to Green Matters, scientists predicted a warmer fall after the hot and humid summer. Tornadoes, floods, and downpours were also assumed to continue into the fall in places like the Midwest. Green Matters also stated that “the only regions experiencing classic fall temperatures right now include northern New England states, much of the Southeast, and PNW.” These uncharacteristic weather patterns have to do with high pressure in the midwestern atmosphere, which impacts the Northeast, too.
Dave Epstein for WGBH said that trends of warm weather continuing late into the year will become more of an expectation in the future. “As the climate changes, we’re going to have more of these. And it feels a little weird,” he said.
The inherent fears of rising temperatures and climate change set an eerie tone for these warmer days. But Epstein said that warmer weather, to him, leads to turning on the heat less, which equates to burning fewer fossil fuels that harm the environment and cost a lot of money.
Climate change cannot be halted by the actions of one individual person, but steps can be taken to live a more sustainable life. The GW Sustainability Office offers an array of opportunities to support the environment.
To support better sourced food, the GroW Community Garden on H Street, between 23rd and 24th Street, grows produce to support Miriam’s Kitchen. This local charity serves meals to the homeless in Washington D.C. Monday through Friday each week. The garden also serves as an education tool for students.
Additionally, food waste is a huge problem all around the world. Composting serves as an easy way to incorporate sustainable practices into your everyday life. Sustainable GW collects compost along tabling row in Kogan on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-12:00pm as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00-4:00pm and 11:00am-12:00pm, according to their weekly email updates. For those new to composting, any kind of food waste can be collected; including tea bags, pizza boxes, coffee grounds, and more. Make sure to remove any plastic containers, food stickers off of produce, or any staples in tea bags. If you don’t like the smell of compost, a small trash can with a lid can mask the odors, and throughout the week, the compost can be put in the freezer to be preserved. This daily compost collection, however, makes it easy and convenient to do good for the environment.
GW, as an institution, has been making strides towards becoming more sustainable. According to the GW Sustainability website, there are now four campus building projects that reduce energy and water use. These projects involve upgrading HVAC equipment, adding new units, and installing more energy-efficient lighting in several buildings like Gelman, Lisner Hall, Rice Hall, the Student Center, Funger, and Duquès. The next phase will begin at the Virginia Science and Technology Campus.
The Sustainability Office also offers sustainable living tips that are easy to implement and can make a big difference. In the bathroom, you can take shorter showers, purchase green cleaning products, and turn off the water when brushing your teeth. In the kitchen, buying organic, local, or fair trade food, reducing meat consumption, and using minimal single-use plastics when storing foods can go a long way. Reusable plastic bags or beeswax wraps are great alternatives to everyday household items as well. Turning off the lights before you leave a room or using natural lighting during the day both save energy in a convenient way. You can also take reusable tote bags to the grocery store, recycle single-use beverage containers, and invest in a reusable water bottle.
It’s hard to live a fully plastic-free life, but implementing little changes each day adds up to make a big difference. Climate change has frightening effects, which is why it’s so important for everyone to do their part. Enjoy the warm weather, but remember the cause behind it. While it looks like the warm spell is over, – according to D.C.’s upcoming forecast – the past few weeks should serve as a reminder that we still have a long way to go.
