Allow me to add to “Earth Matters – Earth Day 2022 What you can do to help” (Jennifer Wilson-Pines – April 29).
Why not celebrate Earth Day April 22 all year long? Recycle newspapers, magazines, glass, plastics, old medicines, paints and cleaning materials. Leave your car at home. For local trips in the neighborhood walk or ride a bike. For longer travels consider many public transportation alternatives already available.
Use MTA, NYC Transit subway, bus, Long Island Rail Road, Nassau Inter County Express (NICE) Bus and City of Long Beach Bus. They use less fuel and move far more people than cars. Employers offer transit checks to help subsidize a portion of the costs. Utilize your investments and reap the benefits. You’ll be supporting a cleaner environment and be less stressed.
Many employers allow employees to telecommute and work from home full or part time. Others use alternative work schedules, which enable staff to avoid rush hour gridlock. This saves travel time and can improve mileage per gallon. Join a car or van pool to share costs of commuting.
Use a hand-powered lawn mower instead of a gasoline or electric one. Rake your leaves instead of using gasoline-powered leaf blowers. The amount of pollution created by gasoline-powered lawn mowers or leaf blowers will surprise you.
A cleaner environment starts with everyone.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
(Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office) .
