Happy Hump Day, Shit Givers.
Happy Earth Day! The planet is beautiful and irreplaceable and we are doing a genuinely terrible job of protecting it and its inhabitants.
Luckily, we know exactly what to do. Wind and solar are now the cheapest sources of electricity in human history, and the air in American cities is cleaner than it was 50 years ago. Unfortunately, the people in power are actively trying to undo any progress we’ve made, and the communities most impacted are exactly who you’d expect.
Earth Day reminds us that the planet is worth fighting for: through policy, organizing, and getting money to the right places. So that’s what this week’s issue is all about!
Let’s go.
— Willow
PS. We’re having an Earth Day sale on our reusable water bottles! Get one for 50% off.
Clean air inside and out
The bad news about air pollution is that, as per usual, the areas with the worst air quality are low-income communities and communities of color, which are more likely to be next to highways and industrial areas. Tree canopy follows the same pattern. Wealthy neighborhoods have shade and cooling, while low-income neighborhoods have asphalt and heat islands. The good news is that this is all extremely fixable!
Here’s what you can do:
Find out what environmental justice protections exist in your state, and push for stronger permitting standards at the state level by using the Environmental Justice By State database. (go)
WE ACT for Environmental Justice organizes communities of color on the frontlines of pollution. Support their work. (go)
Be heard about expanding tree canopy by supporting the TREES Act, which is a plan to plant 300,000 trees annually in neighborhoods that need them most. (go)
Electric school buses are one of the cleanest wins available. Push your district to transition to electric school buses. (go)
The cheapest energy in history
The clean energy transition was working! Until the One Big Beautiful Bill gutted the IRA clean energy tax credits, and tariffs have sent solar panel costs surging and upended EV supply chains, all so fossil fuel companies can squeeze every last dollar they can out of consumers and the planet. Meanwhile, data centers are consuming electricity at city scale, driving up residential rates and often running on fossil fuels. But we don’t have to wait for action on the national level to get shit done.
Here’s what you can do:
Support the Energy Independence & Affordability Act to restore the gutted clean energy tax credits. (go)
Support the Clean Cloud Act to require data centers to run on clean energy by 2035. (go)
Use Rewiring America’s Local Electrification Policy Menu to discover and advocate for electrification policies available in your community. (go)
Use our script and resources, developed in partnership with Rewiring America, to encourage your local government to install more EV charging stations. (go)
🌍 Volunteer with Engineers Without Borders to build energy access infrastructure where it’s needed most globally. (go)
Together With Incogni
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The other environmental crisis
Climate gets a lot of Earth Day coverage, because of course, but biodiversity loss is running alongside it as a parallel crisis, and the two are deeply connected. Healthy ecosystems sequester carbon, filter water, regulate climate, and support the food systems we depend on.
Here’s what you can do:
About one third of American species are at risk. The National Biodiversity Strategy would commit the US to a real plan. (go)
Nearly a quarter of America’s fish stocks are overfished, so we’ve gotta support the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act. (go)
Support the Natural Capital Alliance’s work valuing and protecting ecosystems. (go)
🌍 Explore the Directory of Reforestation for the most effective areas to plant more trees. (go)
🌎 Make sure your investments aren’t contributing to deforestation using Deforestation Free Funds. (go)
And another thing!
2.1 billion people cook over open fires or dirty stoves inside their homes, every day. The smoke from biomass cooking kills 3.2 million people a year, mostly women and children who spend most of their time near the fire. It’s one of the largest environmental health crises on the planet, and it also leads to deforestation.
Here’s what you can do:
🌏 Donate to the Clean Cooking Alliance, which is coordinating the global response to household air pollution. (go)
🌎 Burn designs clean cookstoves and works directly with communities. Support their work. (go)
🌍 Support Indigenous-led Conservation in communities on the frontlines of both energy poverty and climate impact. (go)
Earth Day is one day a year where we all agree the planet matters. Let’s keep that energy going for the other 364 days!
Thank you — as always — for giving a shit.
— Willow
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