A worldwide pandemic is hardly a cause for celebration. When you’re stuck inside for quarantine, it can be hard to be positive about anything but this could be a turning point for our planet. As we restrict car and plane travel, air pollution decreases. According to Newsweek, Italy and China are showing huge drops in nitrogen dioxide. With more businesses closing, particularly in the US, this could decrease other pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Air quality isn’t the only thing improving either. In Italy, the water has become clearer because there is almost no water traffic now that there are no tourists or locals traveling.
I know we’ll all be glad once we’re allowed to leave our houses and resume our lives, but take this time to appreciate the Earth around you. My hope is that we see these changes in the environment and take it as an opportunity to improve our society to be more environmentally friendly.
In celebration of that, KEAP is starting a challenge to get outside and take a picture of nature. You can do this with family or a friend as long as you’re keeping within government restrictions but the goal is to get out of the house. It can be in your yard or a park if you have one near you. If you can’t go outside that’s cool too- just take a picture from a window. It could offer a unique perspective for a photo. Let’s do this!