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Gerald Winegrad: How each of us can help restore the Chesapeake Bay and safeguard our planet | COMMENTARY

In February 1970, I was a freshly minted, 25-year-old attorney working for the National Wildlife Federation. Along with representatives of other national conservation groups, I attended U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson’s (D-Wisconsin) meeting on Capitol Hill to plan a national day of action to foster efforts to clean up and protect the environment.

The first Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970, as 20 million Americans gathered in streets, parks and auditoriums to rally for a healthy environment.

I missed the activities as on March 15, I reported to Newport, Rhode Island, during the height of the Vietnam War as a newly commissioned Navy lieutenant.

Since the first Earth Day, the U.S. population has increased from 205 million to 342 million while the global population more than doubled from 3.7 billion to 8.1 billion. Per capita consumption of land, fossil fuels, and most other resources soared with the resultant devastation of forests and wetlands exacerbating species decline, global warming, and air and water quality.

Americans value freedom and most of us would like to see changes in our world. But freedom comes with responsibilities. The one thing each of us can change is our own environmental impact as everyday choices we make have environmental consequences. Our individual responsibility to confront the ecological crises is a moral and ethical imperative.

Albert Schweitzer wrote that “Example is not the main thing influencing others, it is the only thing.”   After 54 Earth Days, let’s be shining examples of making a cleaner, safer world for future generations. Here’s how:

Conserve energy

Residences and transportation (mostly motor vehicles) account for 60% of all energy used in Maryland, 80% from polluting fossil fuels — oil, natural gas and the dirtiest fuel, coal. About 30% of nitrogen pollution reaching the Chesapeake is from fossil fuel emissions. Save money and help save the Chesapeake with these steps:

Residential: BGE rates increased by 50% last October. Cut electrical usage by installing solar panels using major tax incentives, buy 100% solar energy from Neighborhood Sun or other community solar projects as we do and pay 10% less than BGE charges, and choose an electrical supplier using 100% solar or wind.

Sign up for a free BGE quick home energy check with no-cost installation of energy-saving CFL bulbs, smart thermostats, power strips, faucet aerators, and efficient-flow showerheads. Or use the comprehensive BGE home performance energy survey for $100 — you will save thousands of dollars over time. Call 877-685-7377.

Convert lighting to LED bulbs, keep air conditioning off as much as possible using fans, and keep thermostats at 79 when the a/c is on and 65 in winter. Close drapes/curtains in summer, open for sun in winter.

Be sure your attic is well-insulated, check for air leakage around windows and doors and add weather stripping /foam as needed. For older homes, consider energy-efficient windows and doors. We had new ones installed 16 years ago making a significant difference in energy usage and comfort.

Turn off all lights, computers, TVs and power strips when not in use. Buy high-efficiency appliances, especially heat pumps. Reduce hot water usage by using water-saving faucet aerators and efficient-flow showerheads. Hot water heaters use the most home electricity after a/c and heating.

Use full loads in the washer. Conserve water and do not let water run while brushing your teeth or shaving. Regularly maintain your furnace and heat pump and change furnace filters.

Work to see that these measures are applied at your office, school, and house of worship.

Transportation: Drive hybrids or electric vehicles. If not, choose vehicles that achieve at least 40 mpg. Keep them well-maintained and tires properly inflated, avoid idling, plan driving trips/errands to minimize miles driven, telecommute, carpool, walk, bike, and use public transit. Remember, 15% of gas is corn ethanol consuming 40% of the U.S. corn crop with major water quality and food security problems.

Just 15% of the world’s people own a car while 92% of Americans do. Americans consume 16% of global energy with 4% of the global population. This is 5.3 times greater per capita than Mexico, 2.5 times more than China and 1.8 times greater than England. We are the second-greatest emitter of global warming gases.

Lawn care

Turf grass is planted on 1.3 million acres of Maryland land with 86 million pounds of nitrogen fertilizer applied and 19 million pounds of pesticides used bay wide. To reduce stormwater runoff from lawns, the best solution is to convert them into natural landscaping with trees, shrubs and flowers to attract pollinators.

Install rain gardens and rain barrels to retain stormwater and slow its erosive impact. Establish habitats in your yards and neighborhoods with native pollinator-friendly plants and trees. Plant trees wherever possible.

Eliminate fertilizers and pesticides or greatly reduce usage. Never use phosphorus except for new lawns or bald spots — it’s the law. If you must retain a lawn care company, choose one that minimizes fertilizer and pesticide use. Always have a soil test done before nitrogen application and use only organic slow-release nitrogen.

Use an electric or battery-powered lawn mower. Mow high with a self-mulcher — clippings shade out weeds and conserve moisture. Sharpen blades regularly.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Reduce your solid waste, reuse what you can and recycle. Avoid single-use plastics, especially water bottles — our public water supply is of the highest quality. Americans use 50 billion bottles of water annually, 85% winding up as trash or litter. Their production uses 17 million barrels of oil equivalent. On average, this is like filling a plastic bottle ¼ full of oil. Three liters of water are used to produce one liter of bottled water.

Do not waste food — about 35% of food grown is wasted while 34 million Americans face hunger each day. Compost food waste.  The county and city provide excellent services for recycling your waste.  We are able to recycle at least 90%, including taking all newspaper bags and other plastic bags for recycling at food stores. Always bring your own reusable bags when shopping.

Upgrade septic tanks

If you are among the 20% of residents with septic tanks, help prevent the leaching of 500,000 pounds of polluting nitrogen to the bay annually using a state grant through the county Health Department to upgrade to nitrogen removal or hook into a county treatment plant.

Reduce invasive plants and animals

Plant only native species. Help eliminate invasives, including free-roaming cats which kill as many as 6.9 billion birds and 20.7 billion mammals annually. Victims include endangered species such as sea turtles and critters like squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks. Do not feed feral cats. Pick up all pet waste and dispose of it properly.

You do not have to live like an ascetic monk, just use common sense and be aware that we can conserve energy, water, and material usage and become model conservators of our planet, leading by example.

Gerald Winegrad represented the greater Annapolis area as a Democrat in the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate for 16 years. Contact him at gwwabc@comcast.net.