New Year, Renewed Purpose Ignite your personalized 12 month action plan for climate action

We are four years away from the Paris Agreement’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Sadly, it is unlikely that the world will reach this target.

Yet it is still important for the world to come together to limit warming as much as possible. Nations must do much more, and each one of us, too.

Last month in these pages we identified ways that individuals can reduce waste and consumption, especially over the holidays. In the new year, it’s time to make a comprehensive plan for change.

So many of us make New Year’s resolutions but have trouble with the follow-through. By some estimates, only a quarter of us are still sticking to our resolutions when February arrives. What if we looked at our year and decided to add one new thing each month that benefits our planet and reduces harm?

Maybe this year, we won’t be part of the 75% who give up on their resolutions. We can create change through purposeful action.

Colorado’s 120-day legislative session starts this month. Make it a point to find out what your elected representatives are planning to do. Are they proposing laws that help our climate? If not, ask why. Call or write your state representative, Senator, or Congressperson and ask them about (and thank them for) their work to solve the climate crisis. Propose your own climate-changing idea that would require new legislation.

While we may be worried about energy costs this winter, it is a good time to look at how we can lower them. Start with understanding your energy consumption. This can help you create the easy wins: begin with using less energy for your home.

• You don’t have to install solar (although that would be great) to make impactful change.
• Research a solar co-op to join and purchase a share to offset what you use.
• Does your home need an insulation upgrade?
• Have you switched to LED lights yet?

These may seem like simple goals. But together, they all add up. And that is a good thing.

As we move into Spring and the gardening bug hits, plant native species in your yard. This boosts our local biodiversity.

Spring is when we think about food gardens and the start of farmers market season. Buying from local farmers reduces the number of miles traveled from farm to kitchen, and it supports our local economy.

Springtime is also a great season to start eating more vegetables and consume less meat. How we eat impacts the climate. Purchase only what you need and compost what has gone bad.

In the summer months, think about travel. Airplanes burn large amounts of fossil fuels. Taking fewer flights lowers your carbon footprint. Instead, consider travel by train — and also remember we live in Colorado, one of the most beautiful places anywhere. Plan a trip closer to home — here or in a neighboring state that won’t require flying.

In the Fall (if not earlier), commit to getting involved with one or more of the many environmental groups in our state.

Most everyone is familiar with the longtime great work done by the Sierra Club (sierraclub.org).

Other organizations have also emerged as forces for good, influencing public policy, bringing awareness, and inspiring politicians to pay attention. All offer opportunities for volunteers to work on many issues impacting our Earth’s climate.

Here are a few groups to consider contributing your talents and skills, depending on what best suits your interests:

The Climate Reality Project is a global movement with a Denver chapter mobilizing the transition from dirty fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. (climaterealityproject.org)

The organization 350.org is also a global effort to stop using fossil fuels and power up accessible renewables.

The Citizens Climate Lobby (citizensclimatelobby.org) is 420 chapters strong in the U.S, including 12 chapters in Colorado.

The Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate (colivableclimate.org) is working on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment Colorado (environmentamerica.org/colorado) has one mission: To protect the natural world.

Conservation Colorado (conservationco.org) is working to advance climate action and environmental justice through organizing, advocacy and elections,

This next year, through your actions, commit to be part of the solution to the climate crisis. Together we can do this.

Tracey MacDermott
Chair Environment & Sustainable
Development

This opinion piece was originally published in The Greater Park Hill News, where the author is a monthly columnist. Previous columns can be found at greaterparkhill.org/?s=tracey+macdermott.

Please meet two of the newest members of the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee. Together, we are working on issues that impact women.

Climate change disproportionately impacts women and girls. Let’s change that together. Please consider joining our committee and working on this critical issue.

My name is LaDorian Morris. I was born and raised in Queens, New York and have a Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College, Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, focusing on environmental justice and climate change.

I have a passion for working in the public sector, prioritizing communities in need. Previously, I worked in the social service sector, providing services to individuals struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, lack of housing, living in foster care, and being young and part of a marginalized community such as LGBTQ+.

I volunteered abroad in Bangalore, India, with the organization Art of Living’s For Better India Project, which addresses the scarcity of water in India by rejuvenating rivers, lakes, and streams and works toward reforestation. With the Women’s Empowerment Program I helped with creating jobs and teaching skills for women who had access to limited resources and education.

Currently, I am an Excelsior Fellow with The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. I work within the Recovery unit as a Project Manager and lead local government agencies and municipalities through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant process in order for them to receive essential emergency funding to reduce the long-term effects of disaster.

My main interests with this committee are initiatives that not only focus on combating climate change but also prioritize environmental justice to ensure that underserved communities have efficient resources for community preparedness, resilience, and recovery for all environmental hazards and disasters.

For fun, I enjoy hiking, roller skating, and travel, and during some of my spare time, I make sustainable jewelry. Dr. Joanne Carfioli Naylor is the current Treasurer for the National Federation of Business and Professional Women (NFBPWC) and President of the NFBPWC-NC Affiliate. She is a pediatric speech-language pathologist with 26 years of experience.

Her interest within our committee is in helping further NFBPWC's mission to preserve and improve the world for woman and men. 

In support of this idea, she not only collects shells and sea glass when she goes for walks on Atlantic City Beach, she collects and disposes of garbage, too. Dr. Jo believes that every little bit helps when it comes to helping keep the environment clean and healthy and looks forward to working both locally and nationally to make this world a cleaner and better place for all. She encourages every NFBPWC member to do their part to help the environment in any way possible.

December Sustainability Tip: Change your mindset on gift giving. Move away from material possessions and consider a gift membership or donation to one of the many climate organizations, charities, wildlife trusts, or NFBPWC.

Tracey MacDermott
Chair Environment & Sustainable Development

Calling on NFBPWC Members to join us—ESD Needs You!

You may be wondering what the environment has to do with NFBPW, well, look at these statistics from the United Nations Women’s page:

• Climate change is driving a surge in gender-based violence (2025 UN Spotlight brief)

• Climate change is a “threat multiplier,” worsening gender inequality in conflict-affected areas

• Women and girls are less likely to survive natural hazards.

• A Gender Snapshot 2024 report indicates that by 2050, climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty.

Do these things concern you? Do you want to do all you can to help other women and Mother Earth?

If the answers are yes, consider joining us to work on climate issues together and create a just world for all of us.

Contact me at traceymacdermott@gmail.com

Tracey MacDermott

Chair Environment Sustainable Development

2024-2026

https://learn.houstonmethodist.org/cardiovascular-disease/how-2026#

For more information contact the Health Committee.

For information, please email.

TRACEY MACDERMOTT
NFBPWC ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
(2024-2026)

Watch Out, Apocolypse

Denver Climate Project Fights Back In Clever New Campaign

What is up with the signs with cryptic messages appearing around town at bus stops and billboards? One billboard, “Do More. Do Less. Do Something” caught my eye. I noticed it is brought to us by the Denver Climate Project. What?

The Denver Climate Project is a brilliant new initiative designed to spark us all into action, and remind us that we can collectively solve the climate crisis. Ultimately, the goal is to get each of us to do more of what helps the planet, less of what hurts the planet and no matter what, DO SOMETHING!

This campaign is brought to you by the voter-approved Climate Protection Fund. Five years ago, 62 percent of Denver voters approved a 0.25 percent sales tax to help tackle climate change. Here are a few of the program’s success highlights: 1 million car trips reduced, 9,400 new e-bikes, 4,500 new trees, 31 buildings electrified (including the Greater Park Hill Community building at 2823 Fairfax St.). There are many other success stories.

As noted on the Denver Climate Project website at denvergov.org/Community/Denver-Climate-Project, our city is experiencing the impacts of climate change: more 100-plus degree days, increased wildfire smoke and droughts. However, the Denver Climate Project is not letting the negatives control the narrative. It is not too late to solve this existential crisis, and this campaign is focused on what each of us can do.

One billboard reads, “Not today, Apocalypse.” Another, “Unlike Climate Deniers, This Billboard Evolves. Soon to be up-cycled into reusable bags.”

In the “Do More” category on the website, people are encouraged to make changes at home, work and on the go. The city has collaborated with Goodwill industries to create the “Denver Climate Collection,” a line of what is described as “upcycled fashion bringing climate action to life.” You can buy these upcycled clothing items at Goodwill’s Archer Store at 21 S. Broadway.

Other things to “Do More” of: bike, compost, plant native species, drive an EV, turn off the lights behind you. Declutter your digital life to reduce energy burden on servers. Encourage co-workers to shut down their computers and unplug devices at night.

There’s also a “Do Less” category — as in simple steps to stop hurtingthe planet. Drive one less car trip per week, take public transit, waste less food, ditch single-use plastics. Wash your clothes in cold water, waste  less  food,  shop  at  a  Zero  Waste  store.

Encourage your employer to stop using disposable cups and bottled water.

When it comes to “Do Something,” we all can. Shop locally, vote for climate-conscious leaders, support green businesses. In Denver there are 420 Certifiably Green businesses — and yes Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. is one of those. If you live in Park Hill, become a dues-paying member (greaterparkhill.org/join-us/become-a-member/).

Your support helps us continue our climate work and yes, we would love your ideas and help.

There are many more ways — yes, fun ways — to learn about and explore what you can do on the Denver Climate Project’s website. Consider learning how to install a landscaping graywater system, check out a list of approved street trees, learn how to compost. Perusing all the options is a good reminder that we are not powerless — far from it. The power is in our community and its collective hands.

Denver is rated second in the country for policies that advance building energy efficiency. It also leads the way on market share of new electric vehicles. We have a lot to be proud of.

“One person can’t solve the climate crisis—but 716,577 of us who live in Denver can make a heck of a dent. So watch out, apocalypse—Denver’s fighting back.” — Denver Climate Project

Tracey MacDermott

NFBPWC Environment and Sustainable Development

Committee Chair (2024-2026)

Email her at traceymacdermott@gmail.com

Evironmental:

During the UN General Assembly High-level week 2025 there will be a “Climate Summit” on September 24 from 2pm-6pm Eastern. Available for viewing via UN WebTV https://webtv.un.org/en/schedule(See Also: https://www.un.org/climatechange)

Don’t Agonize, Organize

Big Ugly Bill Got You Down? Get Back Up And Get To Work

This opinion piece was originally published in The Greater Park Hill News, where the author is a monthly columnist. Previous columns can be found here: http://greaterparkhill.org/?s=tracey+macdermott

Last month, Congress passed Donald Trump’s self- declared “Beautiful Bill.” For anyone who cares about the environment, it is anything but “beautiful”. The legislation has been labeled by many as the most anti- environmental ever passed. It reverses electric vehicle tax credits, slashes wind and solar programs, and invites oil and gas companies to drill on federal lands — just to name of few.

President Trump has called solar farms “ugly as hell” (he previously, falsely, claimed that windmills cause cancer). Let’s look at ugly. This “Beautiful Bill” strips away green energy tax credits, and it grants even more breaks to the already subsidized fossil fuel industry. The head of the American Petroleum Institute, Mike Sommers, praised it as meeting “almost all of our priorities.” Putting aside for a moment the destruction of habitat, air and water quality and the risks to public safety, can you imagine what opening up four million additional acres of federal land to drilling will look like? Hint: Not beautiful.

The bill also weakens environmental protections. It cuts clean energy (a cheaper source of electricity), energy efficiency programs, rebates, incentives, and eliminates programs aimed at reducing pollution.

Already ranked 6th in the nation for ozone pollution, Denver experiences high levels of particulate pollution and is no stranger to wildfire smoke. We can’t afford a reduction in air quality standards. Clean energy such as wind and solar can help reduce Denver’s brown cloud. Cutting these programs will surely lead to dirtier air as well as a spike in consumers’ electricity bills.

Meanwhile, mass firings are continuing at the federal level, and this bill could lead to an additional  hundreds of thousands of job losses in the clean energy sector. Some 8,000 of these jobs in Colorado are in the solar industry. Arizona governor Katie Hobbs estimates nearly 69,000 jobs are at risk in her state.

These assaults on the environment, which were narrowly approved Congress, are devastating and can make things seem hopeless.

This is not the time for us to check out.

Recently I was reminded of this call to action: “Don’t agonize, organize!” Its origin is credited to Florynce Kennedy, the lawyer, radical feminist, civil rights advocate, lecturer, and activist in the turbulent 60s and 70s. Kennedy was a founding member of the National Organization for Women and the National Black Feminist Organization. She founded the Media Workshop to challenge racism and discrimination in media representation. Her life work encompassed heading into battle to fight injustices of all kinds.

You may find yourself agonizing over the passage of “the Big Beautiful Bill.” Now is not the time to give up. Follow Kennedy’s lead and get to organizing. Use your voice. Talk with your neighbors; run for office; get behind a candidate you believe in and help them win.

Many organizations — 350.org, the Climate Reality Project, Planned Parenthood, to name just a few — need your talents. Join them. They are not giving up and neither should you.

Email her at traceymacdermott@gmail.com

TRACEY MACDERMOTT

NFBPWC ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

COMMITTEE CHAIR (2024-2026)

Roaming with Dinosaurs As Another Climate Record Breaks, A Reminder We Must Work Together

This opinion piece was originally published in The Greater Park Hill News, where the author is a monthly columnist. Previous columns can be found here: http://greaterparkhill.org/?s=tracey+macdermott

We just blasted through another climate record, and it doesn’t appear to be splashing across headlines or grabbing the attention of the president. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last month that the concentration of carbon dioxide on our planet now exceeds 430 parts per million (ppm). This is the highest amount of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere in 30 million years — long before humans roamed the planet. And yet, we are still arguing about whether climate change is real.

The intensified heat, disappearing aquifers, loss of biodiversity and decrease in food crops are daily alarms that we have a problem. What will it take to get our elected leaders to work together — regardless of political affiliation — for the sake of the planet, other
species and humanity? When did our survival become so political and polarizing?

CO2 is a greenhouse gas emitted as a byproduct of burning fossil fuels. In the 1990s, the Kyoto Protocol was developed, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately, requiring those most responsible to pay to clean up the mess. Fossil fuel companies responded by dumping money into linking climate change with liberalism.
Politization has occurred for decades when it comes to our growing climate mess. The United States never officially joined the agreement of the Kyoto Protocol, which in recent years was effectively replaced by the Paris Agreement. And what was the prime reason holding us back? Money.

In 2016, President Obama signed the Paris Agreement. When Donald Trump became president, he withdrew the United States from the Agreement. When Joe Biden became president, he signed us back on. And now once again, with Trump back in office, we stand alone in our retreat from Paris. Why? He claims it would harm the U.S. economy. How this is so is unclear.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — which was Biden’s signature legislation — created 334,000 clean energy jobs, and they exceeded national wage averages by 19 percent. Biden’s landmark bill also aligned with the United States’ commitment to the Paris Agreement. The IRA had the potential to grow (not harm) the US economy by $1.9 trillion over the next decade.

To meet the world’s energy demands, renewables, including solar and wind, are critical. With the administration backtracking on the IRA’s commitments, who will develop those critical technologies? China — not the United States. China is also the largest producer of electric vehicles.

The Republican-led House of Representatives has voted to strip critical climate provisions from the IRA, including the EV tax credit. This does not make America great again. Nor does pumping out more pollution from gas-powered cars make America healthy again.
Trump wants to redirect clean energy credits to the fossil fuel industry. Let’s not forget that before the IRA, the fossil fuel industry had been subsidized by the U.S. government. In 2022 alone it was to the tune of $757 billion.

Most Americans are concerned about climate change, yet here we have a climate denier in the White House. First, the science of climate change was challenged. Now, the president just denies that it exists. Americans from differing political parties care about this issue. They care about what our children are facing. We cannot let politics divide us. The future of humanity is in the balance. We must work together to solve this crisis.

On July 7, at 6:30 p.m., the Denver chapter of the Climate Reality Project is hosting a presentation on Climate Disinformation. If you’re interested in attending, reach out to me at traceymacdermott@gmail.com for details.

Tracey MacDermott is an at-large board member of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. She chairs the Sustainability Committee for the Business and Professional Women of Colorado and the National Federation for Business and Professional Women. Email her at

Tracey MacDermott
NFBPWC Environment and Sustainable Development Committee Chair
(2024-2026)
traceymacdermott@gmail.com

Playing Yo-Yo With the IRA Funds For Critical Climate Action Programs In Colorado Face Cuts And Uncertainties 

This opinion piece was originally published in The Greater Park Hill News, where the author is a monthly columnist. Previous columns can be found here: http://greaterparkhill.org/?s=tracey+macdermott

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — one of President Biden’s signature achievements — was signed into law in August, 2022. Since then, its positive impacts have been far-reaching. With more than $369 billion planned for climate action and to develop renewable energy, it also prioritized environmental justice initiatives with a $60 billion commitment.

It is important to remember the people who suffer the most from the climate crisis and will continue to suffer if this funding is slashed or eliminated. That’s the risk we are facing.

Historical inequities have led to environmental racism, leaving communities of color disproportionately located near polluted areas. So, when such a monumental bill such as the IRA passed, it also provided an opportunity to end these injustices and begin to heal centuries of harm.

It should be our nation’s priority to right these wrongs. The IRA prioritizes over 50 percent of its investments to disadvantaged communities, for electrification upgrades, climate resilience, transportation equity and reducing air pollution.

As highlighted on Sen. John Hickenlooper’s congressional website, the IRA, as it was written, will bring $1.7 billion to Colorado. These funds, directed to projects for clean energy manufacturing, would create more than 4,900 jobs and would address environmental health disparities.

Part of that includes a $199 million package, awarded to the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), to improve air quality.

This program is focused on decarbonizing buildings by electrifying and transitioning away from natural gas. The DRCOG grant included decarbonizing homes in low-income communities, which included free home retrofits and upgrade services. The program also has an eye towards equity by supporting recruitment of low-income youth and previously incarcerated individuals for job training.

Now, under the Trump administration, the program may be threatened. Others have been cut entirely; it is unclear how many are at risk of elimination.

The “Solar for All” program, for example, is designed to lower utility bills for low-income households and disadvantaged communities. The money was to enable Colorado to increase the number of communities that could take advantage of distributed solar investments (think solar farms and large-scale utility plants). That would increase the number of communities who could benefit from clean and affordable solar energy.

Unfortunately, in February the Trump administration froze those funds.

In Southern Colorado, Pueblo was granted $200 million to expand manufacturing facilities for wind, while creating 800 jobs. Under Trump, funds for this program were frozen — and then unfrozen.

Meanwhile, the city of Brighton was awarded $250 million for a facility to manufacture solar photovoltaic modules. The facility is projected to create over 900 new jobs. It does not appear that funding has been stopped for this project, but the current trend of freezing and revoking funds could put it at risk.

The threat of eliminating the Advanced Energy Project Credits could lead to a billion-dollar gap for energy projects. That would ultimately lead to higher electrical costs for business and households. Losing these credits puts our state’s energy goals at risk, slowing down the work we can do and delaying the solution to the climate crisis.

Two of Colorado’s Republican congressmen, Jeff Hurd and Gabe Evans, have signed a letter to the Ways and Means Committee requesting restraint in cuts to the IRA, further expressing concern about “disruptive changes to our nation’s energy tax structure.” Gutting the IRA would greatly impact both representative’s districts.

This month, I encourage everyone in Colorado to call on Hurd and Evans and let them know you also support the IRA and the funding their districts received. Let them know you appreciate them standing up for their districts and these important provisions of the law.

While you’re at it, call Colorado’s other members of Congress. Thank them for supporting the IRA. And if they don’t, ask them to reconsider. This law is not just about the climate — it’s about equity and environmental justice.

Please note while this article is written for a Colorado focus, no matter where you live, please contact your US Congressperson and Senators and ask for them to defend the Inflation Reduction Act.

Tracey MacDermott is an at-large board member of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. She chairs the Sustainability Committee for the Business and Professional Women of Colorado and the National Federation for Business and Professional Women. Email her at traceymacdermott@gmail.com

Tracey MacDermott
NFBPWC Environment and Sustainable Development Committee Chair
2024-2026

Next Stop: Suncor

A Few Tips For The Next Time The EPA Comes To Town

This opinion piece was originally published in The Greater Park Hill News, where the author is a monthly columnist. Previous columns can be found here:

http://greaterparkhill.org/?s=tracey+macdermott

Last month, Colorado received some high-level attention from two Trump Administration officials: Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright both made stops in our state.

Wright, the former CEO of the Denver-based fracking company Liberty Energy, has self-proclaimed that he is a lifelong environmentalist. He has acknowledged that climate change is a problem, but also recently said:“ the biggest barrier to energy development … is calling climate change a crisis.”

Here’s another example of Wright talking out of both sides of his mouth: During his confirmation hearings he said, “I am for improving all energy technologies that can better human lives and reduce emissions.” Then in February, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), he lamented the previous administration’s environmental efforts, supporting Trumps goal to “Drill, baby drill.”

Sadly, burning more oil and gas will not help lower emissions.

The EPA, borne of the concern over polluted air, litter, and contaminated water and a desire to protect human health and the environment, is now, under Trump, rolling back climate and pollution regulations.

You may be wondering, how will the agency now keep its duty to protect us? Or secure a livable planet?

Should Mr. Zeldin’s first Colorado stop have been to Commerce City, home to Suncor? The petroleum refinery has been sued repeatedly for Clean Air Act violations, which gives the EPA the ability to hold industry accountable to the communities it pollutes. As reported by multiple news agencies, when asked about whether he would hold Suncor accountable, Zeldin said he was unaware of any specific problems.

Commerce City, about five miles north of Park Hill, was an agricultural community until 1920, when industry moved in, including eventually the oil refinery.

Now, Commerce City, along with the north Denver neighborhoods of Globeville and Elyria/Swansea have markedly higher pollution levels than any other area of Colorado. The residents of these neighborhoods are also low-income and largely communities of color. They experience and suffer from disproportionately higher levels of respiratory problems and other health conditions. As most people know, there is a term for this: environmental racism.

A few years ago, a study of 10,000 children found that early exposure to pollutants can lead to known or suspected harm to the central nervous system. The authors of the study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, highlighted that children from  poor  neighborhoods  are  disproportionately impacted. Further, the study noted that exposure during infancy reduced cognitive ability.

Multiple scientists agree that air pollution impacts the brains of our kids. As noted in the Journal of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences and elsewhere, long-term exposure to air pollution impedes cognitive performance in verbal and math tests.

Now consider this: Students in Adams 14 School District, which is in Commerce City, often score low on state-mandated tests. The district has asked for the state to reconsider its overall rating based on the knowledge that pollution impacts learning ability. Should the federal Department of Education, which is charged with prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education, intervene? Is now really a good time to dismantle the department, or even slash its programs?

I would argue that the children of Commerce City deserve to have federal agencies tasked with making sure that we all have clean air to breathe, access to clean (renewable) energy and a future that is fair and equitable.

Maybe we should spend less time focusing on student test scores, and instead address the environmental racism to which our neighbors in Commerce City are subjected.

I would also offer that next time Director Zeldin and Secretary Wright drop by Colorado, they visit the Suncor plant, then drop in for a chat with students attending the schools nearby. It may well be an important learning experience for them.

Tracey MacDermott is an at-large board member of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. She chairs the Sustainability Committee for the Business and Professional Women of Colorado and the National Federation for Business and Professional Women. Email her at

traceymacdermott@gmail.com

Tracey MacDermott
NFBPWC Environment and Sustainable Development Committee Chair
2024-2026

Our Great Planet

What We Can Do to Celebrate Earth Day at 55

This opinion piece was originally published in The Greater Park Hill News, where the author is a monthly columnist. Previous columns can be found here: http://greaterparkhill.org/?s=tracey+macdermott

Earth Day is April 22. How will you celebrate our great planet this year?

Here in Park Hill, we know that, really, every day is Earth Day. Every day brings new reason to take action. If anyone is up for getting our hands in the dirt — literally and metaphorically — it is our neighborhood. Time and time again we show up to make the world a better place, knowing Mother Earth is counting on us.

Organizers of this year’s 55th Earth Day global event are asking humans to unite behind renewable energy and triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. How can we do that?

We can demand rapid renewal energy deployment from governments, industries and businesses. We can also individually make smart energy choices, including taking steps to add solar and switching to electric in our living spaces.

We can start by making small changes. Here are a few suggestions:

• Weatherize your home: Seal air leaks around windows and doors, install weather stripping, and ensure proper insulation in walls and attics.

• Upgradetoenergy-efficient appliances: Choose Energy Star-rated appliances for lower energy consumption.

• Switch to LED lighting: LED bulbs use significantly less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.

• Smart Thermostats: Use programmable or smart thermostats to optimize heating and cooling based on your schedule.

• Optimize HVAC: Regularly maintain your HVAC system, including changing filters and ensuring proper ventilation.

• Lower Water Heater Temperature: Lower the temperature of your water heater to reduce energy consumption.

• Reduce Phantom Load: Unplug electronics when not in use, as they can still draw power even when turned off.

If you are thinking that in the future you may want to electrify, begin researching rebates that are available. When you are ready you can add solar, install an electric water heat pump or convert your gas stove top to induction or electric. One easy step you can do is join a solar co-op, allowing you to purchase an offset for the energy you use in your home.

This Earth Day there are recent victories to cheer. Did you know that the Greater Park Hill Community building at 2823 Fairfax St. is 100 percent electric and generates its own energy from the solar panels on the building? Elsewhere, Texas — a state known for its oil production — now leads the U.S. in wind energy production. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) boosted investments and growth in renewable energy. In 2023, there was a 50 percent increase in renewable capacity added to energy systems worldwide.

But we have to measure these successes with reality

— and this year reality is a toxic fume that threatens to take us far back in time. Under the new administration, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act are in the crosshairs. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), overseen by an administrator who outright mocks scientists and environmentalists, announced last month that it will roll back or change 31 rules and regulations.

Though studies show that two out of three Americans support transitioning away from fossil fuels to 100 percent clean energy and even more support regulating carbon, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced plans to move in another direction —

backward. For starters, plans are underway to step up drilling, including in protected areas.

Decades of critical work is being dismantled in moves that are clearly out of step with the wishes of the majority.

So, what can you do this Earth Day? In the short term, join us at one of our Earth Day events in Park Hill (see the sidebar below for details). Visit earthday.organd check out other actions you can take — both in the area and around the globe.

For the long haul, roll up your sleeves. We are the ones who can change this. Our kids can’t afford major setbacks. We must fight for them, their future and a livable planet.

Tracey MacDermott is an at-large board member of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. She chairs the Sustainability Committee for the Business and Professional Women of Colorado and the National Federation for Business and Professional Women. Email her at traceymacdermott@gmail.com

Tracey MacDermott
NFBPWC Environment and Sustainable Development Committee Chair
2024-2026