It’s the same feeling I had a couple months before graduating college; shock at how fast the time went and disbelief it would ever end. There were projects to finish, papers to write and finals to take and even though I wanted that part of school over, I never wanted those days to end.
2020 has ME feeling the same way… We’re already closing in on the end of summer and yet we’ve dealt with so much already that it feels as if we’ve lived through two years in a matter of eight months. I want summer to last, but I want this nightmare to end.
Back in April, I kept thinking this virus was going to be a saving grace for the planet. I had the attitude that even though humans were the ones who messed things up, we would be the ones to fix it. Quarantine would be our world-wide time out and we’d all emerge with tough lessons learned.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. Actually, I’m beginning to think no one sees that Climate Change, Covid-19 and Racism are all connected. There are so many out there who see the state we’re in as some sort of fluke, some act of nature we couldn’t avoid. There are others outright ignoring the science, pushing to get back to life as we knew it before the pandemic and making this whole issue political. To me, the latter is more dangerous because the more we ignore science, the more we go backwards.
Regardless of how we look at it, life pre-pandemic should not return because life pre-pandemic was killing off our planet’s most valuable resources and now we know it was killing us too.
We are responsible for the state we’re in and just like that Chem class, we’re failing it because we’ve blown it off for too long.
In 2018, UN Scientists gave us a dire warning… They told us we risked losing over one million species within ten years if we didn’t change our ways.
To put that into perspective, Climate Change is killing 150-200 species per day. Think about that for a second…
In one week, we are losing over 1,400 plant, insect, bird and mammal species combined and when the viruses that live in these species lose their hosts, where do they go?
Covid-19, like other Corona viruses, is smart. It found the most abundant host on the planet and it’s ravaging that species. We can no longer pretend our actions have no impact on our health.
There’s nothing like a pandemic to expose our greatest weaknesses…
Covid-19 tipped the scales and we can no longer ignore the harm done by hundreds of years of racism. Just like the virus, discrimination impacts our communities at a basic level. It keeps people from getting the best education and jobs so they can afford to live healthier and more productive lives. Those most discriminated against face the biggest risks not only from dying of Covid-19 but from getting Diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer along with other life threatening illnesses.
It’s time to wake up and realize we are all connected. What you do impacts me and what I do impacts others. There’s no “my backyard” anymore; it’s OUR backyard.
Covid-19 is Karma slamming us on the head with the hope we’ll notice our behavior must change or future generations will have a horrible quality of life. Why is my dad’s heart to heart about grades haunting me now?
Now it’s obvious to us what the future may hold. No more live concerts, no more contact sports, no more eating out or grabbing a drink with friends and definitely no more school. Sure, back in college when I was desperate to be done with the work, that might have been a blessing but in real life, it’s a curse.
We must push our governments to act, our neighbors to listen and most importantly, we must follow the science leading the way.
I know, I know… I’m like that annoying teacher who continuously repeats herself about an upcoming test but trust ME, this is no test. This is real and we must act now. We can’t blow this off.
I will stay home and study, I will stay home and study, I will stay home and study…
We can do this! Instead of throwing our hands up and leaving the hard stuff for someone else to fix, we must change our ways and work together to have a positive impact on our planet.
Use the power of your wallet to change the world.
That doesn’t mean you have to donate thousands of dollars to one organization… although if you can, you should go for it… but we can all change the world by supporting the companies who care about it. See my study guide on who’s doing things right below.
At the same time, we must elect officials who will work to stop marginalizing communities and create new jobs that help our climate become more stable so species can thrive again… including our own.
Just like your GPA before finals, we still have a chance to finish 2020 strong. Take it from ME, a little effort goes a long way. C’s may get degrees but A’s save the day.
– Germaine Caprio, MAJAMAS EARTH Company Owner & Designer
Which companies are acing environmental and social science tests during COVID-19?
Here’s a few of our favorite eco-friendly and ethically made “Brands to Brag About”.
Let ME know:
What conscious companies get an A+ in your book?
Please share your own thoughts with us – let’s get a conversation started in the comments below!