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Vol. LXXII, Issue 28
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Monday, April 19, 2021
striving for
sustainability
2 EARTH DAY
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Letter from the Editors: Who’s responsible? When we talk about climate change, reusable straws and tote bags are often brought up. But do these even really matter? By Peter Villafañe and Giselle Ormeño Special Projects Desk
T 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
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here are actions individuals can take to be more eco-friendly. But larger corporate and state entities have contributed more to climate change. According to a 2017 report from the Carbon Disclosure Project, 100 producers have been responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions from 1988 to 2015. Here are those entities:
China (Coal) Saudi Aramco, or the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. Gazprom National Iranian Oil Co. ExxonMobil Corp. Coal India Ltd. Pemex, or Petróleos Mexicanos Russia (Coal) Shell China National Petroleum Corp., or CNPC BP Chevron Corp. Petróleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. Poland (Coal) Peabody Energy Inc. Sonatrach Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Total SE BHP ConocoPhillips Petróleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras LUKOIL Rio Tinto Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. Petroliam Nasional Berhad, or Petronas Rosneft Oil Co. Arch Resources Inc., or Arch Coal Iraq National Oil Co. Eni Anglo American Surgutneftegas Alpha Natural Resources Inc. Qatar Petroleum Corp. PT Pertamina Kazakhstan (Coal) Equinor ASA, or Statoil ASA Libyan National Oil Corporation Consol Energy Inc. Ukraine (Coal) RWE AG Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. Glencore Türkmengaz Sasol Ltd. Repsol SA Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. Petroleum Development Oman Czech Republic (Coal)
51. China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., or Sinopec 52. China National Offshore Oil Corp. Ltd. 53. Ecopetrol SA 54. Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. 55. Occidental Petroleum Corp. 56. Sonangol EP 57. Tatneft 58. North Korea (Coal) 59. PT Bumi Resources Tbk 60. Suncor Energy Inc. 61. Petoro AS 62. Devon Energy Corp. 63. Natural Resource Partners L.P. 64. Marathon Oil Corp. 65. Vistra Corp. 66. Ovintiv Inc. 67. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. 68. Hess Corp. 69. Exxaro Resources Ltd. 70. YPF SA 71. Apache Corp. 72. Murray Energy 73. Alliance Resource Partners L.P. 74. Syrian Petroleum Co. 75. Novatek 76. NACCO Industries Inc. 77. KazMunayGas 78. PT Adaro Energy Tbk 79. Petroecuador 80. INPEX Corp. 81. Kiewit Mining Group Inc. 82. Maersk 83. Banpu Public Co. Ltd. 84. EOG Resources Inc. 85. Husky Energy Inc. 86. PT Kideco Jaya Agung 87. Bahrain Petroleum Co., or BAPCO 88. Westmoreland Mining LLC 89. Cloud Peak Energy Inc. 90. Chesapeake Energy Corp. 91. Drummond Co. Inc. 92. Teck Resources Ltd. 93. Türkmennebit 94. OMV AG 95. Noble Energy Inc. 96. Murphy Oil Corp. 97. PT Berau Coal Energy Tbk 98. PT Bukit Asam Tbk 99. PT Indika Energy Tbk 100. Southwestern Energy Co.
Podcast Editor Cameron Johnston Podcast Assistant Luke Pajari Design Assistant Anna Karkalik Gisele Robinett News Assistant Iman Palm News Assistant Fernando Haro Opinions Assistant Bella Arnold Special Projects Assistant Giselle Alexandra Ormeño Photo Assistant Richard Grant Social Media Assistants Desiree Aguilera Dominique Hernandez Briet Sarthak Sheladia Webmaster Dinesh Reddy Kommera Community Engagement Ashley Ramos Manager PR & Promotions Manager Alejandro Vazquez Distribution Manager Carter Magee Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising & Business Jennifer Newton Adviser
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EARTH DAY 3
COVID-19 offers opportunities for environmental changes However, progress may only be temporary unless longterm adjustments are made. By Kelsey Brown Opinions Editor
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s the coronavirus pandemic led to a global shut down last March, many took to social media to marvel at the environmental silver lining. Though there was a temporary decrease in pollution, environmental experts warn that the benefits may be fleeting unless a plan of permanency is implemented to secure the wellbeing of the environment. The decline in economic activity, the movement of goods and commuting has led to improved air quality globally, according to Christine Whitcraft, program director of environmental science and policy at Long Beach State. Whitcraft explained that though this has had a positive effect on the environment, the increase in medical waste, high use of disinfectant and masks becoming the largest portion of trash in the environment acts as a counterbalance. Water and air pollution improvements, Whitcraft believes, outweigh the shortterm trash impact, but the overall outcome depends on how things transpire long term. “We have a real opportunity to take the lessons learned from this economic slowdown and transportation change and pivot on it so that we can achieve our economic growth and our sense of security and our public health back,” Whitcraft said. “But we can do that with a more carbonefficiency perspective.” As life resumes some normalcy and people begin to commute and travel, Whitcraft worries that environmental improvements could come to a halt. The pandemic, she said, has led to individuals being less comfortable carpooling and taking public transportation, which could lead to more pollution as people rely solely on individual forms of transportation. Ben Hagedorn, associate professor in CSULB’s Department of Geological Sciences, hopes that employers understand the benefits to workers and the environment that have resulted from coronavirus procedures
and continue to implement them post-pandemic. “The pandemic has really changed things quite a bit,” Hagedorn said. “A lot of people are acknowledging the values of a home office. A lot of people acknowledge the value of not having to commute — that has benefits. The worse exposure to pollutants is when you are stuck on the 405.” If businesses continue to allow be accommodating of employees working from home, not only will this create a more equitable and productive office, but it will also help preserve the environment. Individuals looking to take a break from their home offices and quarantine regimes have led to an increasing amount of interest in the outdoors. Whether it be a local park or a frequently trekked hike, the environment has become many people’s safe haven. “As people found indoor spaces less safe, many people turned to the environment to be a place where they could gather more safely with friends and family, where they could get exercise and find a sense of peace,” Whitcraft said. “And I think that elevated our perspective on how important the environment is to our daily lives.” Whitcraft hopes that this leads to an increased appreciation for the environment. Scientists have said there is less than a decade left to address the climate crisis, which Whitcraft and Hagedorn feel may become more possible with the intertwining of people’s health and the environment. Hagedorn referenced data proving that one’s life expectancy is shortened by living on road intersections compared to central block areas of neighborhoods. He also emphasized that toxic environmental effects are not always visible but can still do longterm damage to communities. But the main problem to addressing these issues, Hagedorn said, is that “sustainability always comes at a cost,” one that people are often unable or unwilling to pay. “There’s discrepancy between what people know should be done and what people are willing to accept,” Hagedorn said. “We need to bridge the gaps a little bit. The
pandemic has shown us that we’re very vulnerable people. It just took one virus from China to put everything to a halt.” Whitcraft feels if people had a better scientific understanding of the way viruses circulate and spread, there would possibly be fewer skeptics. Programs like the PREDICT Project, which aims to mitigate the emergence of future viruses, she said. “Whatever future disease we’re going to face next are already circulating in wildlife,” Whitcraft said. “And if we don’t understand them and understand how our actions affect them, then we’re going to encounter them in negative ways. But if we start to understand what viruses are out there, we have the potential to change our activities, such as where we build or what animals are sold in markets or how we handle wildlife.” Hagedorn feels that the United States should take after European countries like Denmark that have implemented industrial symbiosis, which allows one business’ waste to be used as another’s resource. With this model, he explained, a power plant’s waste would be used as
materials for a pharmaceutical company, and that company’s waste would be used as material by another. In support of a global effort to combat climate change, Hagedorn referenced the success of the Montreal Protocol, a multinational agreement made during the ‘80s to phase out the use of certain gases after they were proven to cause skin cancer. Hagedorn feels the issue now is that people don’t believe that burning gasoline contributes to the greenhouse effect, despite data proving otherwise. “It takes a global effort,” Hagedorn said. “Who knows how long we have until there are these little islands of prosperity and health [and] clean environments? Because the pollutants and greenhouse gases — they don’t stop at borders.” Looking ahead, Whitcraft
urges people to educate themselves on the climate crisis and make small changes to their daily lives if able, such as in transportation, consumption and purchases. She also encourages the community to call on policymakers to prioritize environmental protection. Though Whitcraft understands how overwhelming these issues can seem, she is optimistic that the nation will adapt and fix these problems. “The vaccine development pointed to the idea that if a whole bunch of people put their heads together towards one problem, we really can, in a short timeframe, innovate on amazing solutions,” Whitcraft said. “So if people decided that the problem they want to tackle is climate change, or other environmental issues, it offers hope that they could do that.”
4 EARTH DAY
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INFOGRAPHIC BY JULIA TERBECHE
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Community ardens
EARTH DAY 5
What started as an idea with its roots in Cuba has now taken home locally in Long Beach. By Kate Michel Staff Writer
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he concept of comm u n i t y gardens began as an agricultural revolution in the 1990s. Cuba’s economy was struggling to stay afloat and a major food crisis within its country ensued. In an attempt to increase agricultural production, the country created urban farms named “organoponicos,” or organic gardens. These gardens provided members of neighboring communities with a large amount of organic produce that they could grow, use for themselves and even sell at a more affordable price, creating both a source of food and income. Cuba now has more than 7,000 organoponicos, and 8% of the land in Havana is used to supply its citizens with over 90% of its fruit and vegetables. The success of these urban farms inspired neighboring countries and citizens who are looking for a much more efficient and environmentally friendly way of producing and consuming agricultural products. The Long Beach community has followed in their footsteps, as it begins to cultivate and promote a healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyle. In creating small community gardens throughout its neighborhoods, all of which are a part of a greater initiative, the city is helping to provide its members with access to healthy food. Founded in 1994, the Long Beach Organic is a nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to locate and turn vacant lots into beautiful gardens for communities to produce their own food. Since its founding, the organization has created eight separate gardens with over 200 garden plots for residents to use. Zaferia Junction Community Garden: 3709 E 10th St., Long Beach, CA 90804
Of these gardens, one of the most popular and largest is the Zaferia Junction Community Garden, located on 3709 E 10th St., which has provided its residents with over 90 gardening plots to plant and grow fruits and vegetables of their choice. Located about two miles from Long Beach State, Zaferia Junction is highly regarded among the gardening community of Long Beach, and an opening for a plot of land here is hard to come by as more and more people add their name to the waitlist. The Growing Experience Urban Farm Stand: 750 E Via Carmelitos, Long Beach, CA 90805 Like community gardens, urban farms are rising in popularity in urban areas where gardening is a much more difficult task to engage in due to living circumstances. The Growing Experience Urban Farm Stand is a community-supported agriculture program that focuses on providing the community with “educational opportunities around the topics of urban agriculture, sustainability and nutrition.” Although this Urban Farm Stand has suspended its programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, its website remains a useful tool for aspiring gardeners and environmental leaders who wish to learn more about the many ways they can pursue a more sustainable lifestyle. Edison Park Community Garden: 99 College Park Dr., Seal Beach, CA 90740 Edison Park is located about two miles from CSULB’s campus near the border of Seal Beach and Long Beach. The park is home to a community garden with a close-knit group of gardeners who, on most afternoons, gather to exchange seeds, advice and conversation. A constant struggle for community members who wish to take on gardening is their location. While some are fortunate enough to have houses with smaller plots of land available in their front or back yards, others who live in apartments or smaller areas constantly struggle to find available gardening space.
KATE MICHEL | Daily Forty-Niner
81-year-old Phil, a resident of the nearby Leisure World, spends most of his time at the community garden tending to organic fruits and vegetables. “We live in an apartment, so we don’t have a yard,” said Aaron Enstad, local community gardener and Seal Beach resident. “We don’t have a garden, so this is really a blessing for people like us that enjoy gardening but don’t have a place to do it.” Enstad and his wife have only recently begun their gardening journey at Edison, having only been selected from the waitlist in January. For $75, the couple is able to plant tomatoes, chili peppers, lettuce, eggplants, herbs and other produce within their designated gardening plot. According to Enstad, there is a lot of time and effort that is spent in creating a successful gardening plot. “We come often, probably almost every day, at least five days a week,” Enstad said. “Just to check
what’s going on. Is there any critters that have been eating the salad, check the water level in the soil and talk to friends.” For Enstad, gardening is more of a hobby than it is a source of income. The couple uses their produce to make homemade salsa and dips to share with friends and family. Among them is 81-year-old Phil, local community member and gardener. Phil, who grew up on a farm, has spent nearly two years helping members of his fellow gardening community in rebuilding and constructing their plots of land. His expertise comes from lived experiences. “Whenever you have any doubts, curiosity is a big thing,” he said. “You can go and Google, ‘how to grow.’ That’s how you
learn a lot.” When he is not consuming his own produce, Phil tends to share his products with his neighbors in the nearby Leisure World retirement home. “There’s a lot of seniors in there that really appreciate what you give them,” he said. “The garden is fresh produce. It’s pretty much organic.” There are several ways in which members of nearby communities can attempt to begin their gardening journey. While finding an available spot of land within these community gardens may seem difficult or nearly impossible, anyone interested can start small, in or around their home. Where there is land, there is a way.
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EARTH DAY 7
A deep
dive
into the current state of marine wildlife As forms oceanic wildlife continue to face issues such as climate change and population decreases, Earth Day makes its way to bring awareness. By Lauren Ramirez Staff Writer
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nnually on April 22, Earth Day recognizes environmental and climatechanging events that have affected the ecological system, while also advocating to help the planet by introducing alternatives to preserve oceanic and land-based wildlife. “Restore our Earth” was announced as Earth Day’s 2021 campaign theme and emphasizes that “together we can prevent the coming disasters of climate change and environmental destruction,” according to the event’s official website. For the second time, Earth Day will be celebrated through a livestreamed event due to the coronavirus pandemic and focus on topics such as climate and environmental literacy, reforestation efforts and cleanups. Encompassing 71% of the Earth’s surface and sustaining the lives of billions of people, the ocean is home to many ecosystems and forms of wildlife. It also “regulates our climate and produces half the oxygen we breathe,” according to World Wildlife. Chris Lowe, Shark Lab director and professor of marine biology at Long Beach State, explained how “the upper 200 meters of the ocean is where light penetrates, so any photosynthetic organisms can be limited” because of oceanic plankton. “Phytoplankton can grow so fast that they cause red tides that can lead the water to become murky that you couldn’t see your hand in front
of your face,” Lowe said. “When we have bad red tides, they can suck out all the oxygen, and then all the fish would die because they need oxygen to survive.” According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists have estimated that about 50% to 80% of oxygen production comes from the Earth, and “oceanic plankton species such as drifting plants, algae and even some bacteria are able to photosynthesize.” Lowe explained that the ocean’s temperature is vital for marine wildlife and organisms, comparing how algae invertebrates and fishes would be affected differently due to the lack of oxygen and increasingly heated oceanic temperature. “Algae invertebrates, such as a barnacle that sits on a rock, wouldn’t be able to go anywhere, so if the ocean is getting warmer or there is no oxygen, those animals are going to die,” Lowe said. “Fishes would be able to move somewhere else, but some of them might not be able to move fast enough so they might also suffocate and die.” As the endangerment of marine life has increased over the years, the populations of different oceanic species such as sharks have decreased by 71% since 1970, according to USA Today. Of 31 shark species analyzed during a research study, 24 are threatened with extinction, and the species of oceanic whitetip, scalloped hammerhead and great hammerhead “have declined so sharply that they are classified as critically endangered.” According to Lowe, shark species have become endangered because many of them have been caught as bycatch onto the longlines that many fisheries use to catch tuna while out on the ocean.
“Now, the reason why those sharks don’t do well is because of their physiology because if they can’t swim, they’ll suffocate and die,” Lowe said. According to Oceana, longlines are known to catch sharks “instead of the intended target at least 20% of the time” and are “made up of a mainline that can extend for miles.” On the other hand, blue and tiger sharks have low hooking mortality because “more than 70% of blue sharks and up to 95% of tiger sharks survive after being hooked on a longline” and released. “The one thing that gives me hope that sharks won’t go extinct is because these animals are highly mobile and can swim thousands of kilometers a year,” Lowe said. “Even though there’s a lot of fishing going on, they may not be able to catch every single shark if we do a better job at regulating our fisheries or coming up with new ways of fishing that are more selective.” Established in 1999, the California Marine Life Protection Act led the state to increase coherence and effectiveness in protecting its marine life, habitats, marine ecosystems and marine natural heritage. The MLPA also provides minimal human disturbance and helps sustain, conserve and protect marine populations while also including species of economic value. Lowe explained that California fisheries have regulations to protect populations and ensure that fish are caught safely and properly delivered by fishermen. Climate change has also affected marine life and organisms through ocean warming, which absorbs the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions that raise water temperatures.
According to Doug Pace, a CSULB marine biology professor, ocean warming and ocean acidification correlate because of “more carbon dioxide being trapped in the atmosphere” and oceans absorbing more carbon dioxide. “We would expect on a global level both of them to increase with some predictable pattern, and the thing to keep in mind is that we’ve always mentioned on a global level,” Pace said. “On average, carbon dioxide will cause an increase in ocean temperature, as well as an increase or decrease in pH levels, climate is talking about, you know, these really general trends over large areas.” As the climate’s future remains uncertain, the ocean has become heavily impacted by the increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. According to the International Union of Conservation for Nature, climate change has weakened the ocean and its coasts to provide necessary ecosystem services such as food, carbon storage, oxygen and nature-based solutions to help climate change adaptation. Pace said that carbon dioxide is an important variable as much of it is being put into the atmosphere, which correlates “with increase in global temperature.” “I think we can absolutely trust the analysis that is convincingly saying this new habit we have of taking fossil fuels and burning them, in terms of the history of the planet, is having a significant consequence on the atmospheric composition,” Pace said. “As we see the rapid increase in carbon dioxide, we see an increase in temperature, which is really interesting, that we can only explain in our models.”
8 EARTH DAY
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ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner
Trash is piled up on Granada Beach in Long Beach.
A look at beach pollution in Southern California The trash left on beaches doesn’t just stay on the sand. By Mikayla Schwartz Staff Writer
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each pollution in Southern California leads to environmental effects that can take the form of sewage spills, chemical contaminants and plastic or other trash, which is harmful to both people and marine life. Within the last few months, two sewage spills have occurred in Long Beach causing beaches to shut down. In December 2020, 50,000 gallons of sewage discharged into the Los Cerritos Channel, and another 26,000 gallons discharged from the Los Angeles River on Feb. 22, causing beaches from Third Place to Belmont Pier to close. According to Christine Whitcraft, a professor of biological science at Long Beach State, these sewage spills can have significant effects on neighboring communities. “In the sewage that comes downrange from biological hazards and microplastics to more common everyday items like soaps, fats or even pesticides, a range of health problems come in from the coastal water,” Whitcraft said. “And that is why sewage spills make the news and shut down beaches — to make sure people aren’t swimming in the sewage.” Whitcraft, who specializes in the human effects on coastal ecosystems, said that bacteria and bacterial diseases can arise from untreated wastewater. She emphasized that although many legacy contaminants, or chemicals, have been banned, many remain in our oceans.
“These are ones that reflect our past chemical use, like lead gasoline, that would hit urban streets and runoff and bind into sentiments,” Whitcraft said. “Legacy contaminants like PCB do not need high exposure to impact people. PCBs can accumulate at the bottom of oceans, streams and wetlands.” PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are “manmade organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms,” according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and can be found in plastics, electrical equipment and other industrial items. Common chemical pollutants that reach oceans include pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, detergents and industrial chemicals. Large amounts of fertilizer can lead to algae blooms that create dead zones by pulling oxygen from the water. Erika Holland, a professor of biological science at CSULB, explained that debris washes into to the ocean from rivers, and this runoff may consist of microplastic pieces, which can absorb chemicals that marine animals later consume. “They can break down into smaller pieces that look very similar to organisms,” Holland said. “Plastics can pick up chemicals from the environment.” She said that the consumption of plastic can damage the gut lining or gills, and “chemicals associated with plastic can cause psychological problems like endocrine disruption.” This was echoed by Gwen Goodmanlowe, marine biology lecturer and marine mammal expert at CSULB. “As we develop these chemicals, we don’t know what the effects on wildlife are,” Goodmanlowe said. “By the time we find out and put a ban on
them, they are in the environment. It’s really, really hard to get rid of them.” An estimated 15 to 51 trillion particles of microplastic floats in oceans worldwide. According to a 2015 study, 25% of anthropogenic debris has been found in fish and shellfish in California. Trash and debris in the ocean are often consumed by fish and birds, and sea turtles in particular often mistake plastic bags floating in the water for jellyfish, one of their main sources of food. Heal the Bay, a nonprofit organization and aquarium, releases an annual Beach Report Card that scores beaches in the greater Los Angeles area based on their water quality. According to the 2019-20 report, most beaches in Long Beach scored mostly As and Bs for the summer and winter dry seasons, though many received Ds and Fs during the wet weather season, which is often when pollutants are washed into the ocean. Three beaches in Los Angeles County made it to the Honor Roll, meaning they scored an A+ for all seasons: Palos Verdes Cove, Palos Verdes Long Point and Redondo State Beach at Topaz Street. According to Whitcraft, Long Beach and its surrounding cities have removed concrete and put plants within rivers to filter out nutrients and contaminants in the water and reduce the amount of pollutants reaching the ocean. All three experts maintained that one way to reduce the amount of pollution is to reduce overall plastic consumption, which can be done by changing the packaging of items. “Cleaning it up is not the answer,” Goodmanlowe said. “It has to be prevented. That’s where the effort should be. It is preventing this plastic from being produced and put out into the environment.”
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12 EARTHDAY
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Kombucha on tap Fine Feathers Kombucha has been able to adapt and grow from the challenges posed by COVID-19. By Bella Arnold Assistant Opinions Editor
ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner
Along with its drinks, Fine Feathers Kombucha Co. offers reusable bottles and a growler that can be used for anything.
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OVID-19 meant the end for many small businesses. Over the summer of 2020, Brandon Sugano and his wife, Claire Kim, stepped in to save Fine Feathers Kombucha from becoming yet another small business that has fallen victim to the pandemic. Sugano and Kim, both former environmental science majors, are Long Beach business owners. They own a restaurant, Sura Korean BBQ & Tofu House, where they have been serving Fine Feathers Kombucha products for years. “Climate change and other sustainability issues have been one of our forefronts of what we try to incorporate in our businesses that we run,” Sugano said. “Before we acquired Fine Feathers Kombucha, the owners Jay and Jodine also emphasized sustainability.” Jay and Jodine Penev launched Fine Feathers Kombucha in 2012, two years before they would officially establish the brewery in the heart of Long Beach. Fine Feathers Kombucha is a part of the California Green Business Network. This network partners with small businesses who pledge to practice sustainability and work together to create a greener future. Over the summer, Sugano and Kim learned that the Fine Feathers Kombucha storefront would be closing and potentially ending operations altogether. “My wife and I were looking for another business to run, and we really liked this kombucha product,” Sugano said. “It was kind of like a weird timing thing. We were kind of saddened; that was one of our core drink products and our customer base really liked that product. It only took like a week for us to decide that we wanted to take over and start running this business as well.” According to Sugano, maintaining the standards of sustainability and quality that had been established by the Penevs was a priority, but an incredible feat amid the pandemic. Even through the pandemic, when many businesses have been forced to readopt single-use products, Fine Feathers Kombucha has figured out a way to maintain its sustainable habits while keeping customers and staff safe. “We do a lot of things to incorporate sustainable living both in our businesses and our daily lives,” Sugano said. “We try to minimize all of these things just to reduce our carbon footprint. It’s really tough to have to do all of this ‘disposable culture’ right now with COVID, but we do hope that we can start getting rid of the disposables.” When entering Fine Feathers Kombucha, you’re greeted by a battalion of greenery, speckling every inch of the walls and counters. Everything is reusable, recyclable or repurposed. According to an employee, the palette, which holds one of the many plants, is in its second life and was once used in a warehouse before finding its new home in the front corner of the Long Beach Boulevard store. According to Sugano, the team has been able to adapt to additional hygiene procedures without compromising its commitment to sustainability. Customers have the option to try six different flavors, bottled or in a compostable cup with a hay straw, as well as switch to the growler program. As members of this program, they’re able to purchase a growler and refill it periodically with kombucha at their leisure. “We just try to think first before we do,” Sugano said. “We do everything in small glass jars and vessels. We’re not a huge kombucha company, so we’re given the time to really let the fermentation process do its thing and make sure our product is of its highest quality.” They hope customers walk away having had a unique experience as well as a quality product to help enhance their quality of life. A key thing, according to Sugano, is changing “the perception of what kombucha can be.” Brendan Pattee, an employee at Fine Feathers Kombucha, attests to the quality of the product as well as the feeling of “helping out” the environment as a part of this operation. “I had the kombucha at a local coffee shop and I liked it so much [that] I just emailed them and asked if they had a job,” Pattee said. “I love the sustainability [and] the composting of everything we have.” As the curve starts to flatten in California, Sugano emphasized his eagerness to get back into sampling and restarting practices that were sacrificed during the pandemic. “Long Beach [is] this community,” Sugano said. “That’s been really helpful for us and growing our businesses as well.”
EARTH DAY 13
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Empty parking lots now, clean air tomorrow Fewer vehicles on campus means reduced greenhouse gases and allows for sustainable transportation to progress.
Cars parked in CSULB parking lot.
RYAN GUITARE | Daily Forty-Niner
By Jahir Olvera Staff Writer
T
he lack of students and staff commuting to Long Beach State and adjusted transportation options help contribute to reducing greenhouse gases produced on campus. For more than a year, a majority of students, faculty and staff have been learning and working from home, with only a small percentage visiting campus regularly. As a result, transportation services such as the campus shuttles and major bus routes are currently not in service. With parking lots generally empty, permit purchases have gone down. According to CSULB’s Parking and Transportation Services, parking permit sales from this fiscal year are down 92% compared to the previous year. With fewer vehicles on campus, carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases produced on campus have significantly reduced. However, the Long Beach area’s air quality has remained similar to that of years prior to the coronavirus pandemic. “Passenger cars contribute relatively little to the overall pollution in our region and continue to improve,” said Bradley Whitaker, senior public information specialist for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. “Other mobile sources such as heavy-duty trucks and
other diesel-powered industrial equipment have far greater air pollution emissions in comparison. Emissions from these sources have not declined substantially during the pandemic.” Although the short-term reduction of vehicles and the gases they produce haven’t made an immediate impact on the air quality, transportation services such as Long Beach Transit have reduced the use of diesel buses entirely and focus on more sustainable transportation. Currently, Long Beach Transit aims to have a fleet of zero-emission vehicles within the next 15 years. “One thing that the pandemic has led us to be able to do is we are running the electrics more, which is great,” said Mike Gold, executive director and vice president of customer relations and communications for LBT. “We actually were expanding the use of the electric buses pre-COVID, so we got a good sense of their range. Now, we put them out on more routes and longer ranges now that we have a better idea of what they can do.” CSULB has an initiative to provide more sustainable transportation by 2040. This includes the campus shuttle service that currently runs on compressed natural gas-producing significantly fewer emissions than diesel or fueled vehicles. This initiative has garnered support from students, including second-year film and electronic arts major Kevin Chen. “I definitely think pushing for more sustainable eco-friendly transportation options is very beneficial,” Chen said. “Especially when looking at the pros and cons of sustainable energy over gas and diesel, it’s obvious.”
Why I went vegan: An honest story By Madalyn Amato Editor in chief
I
t started with a cold sweat and then a painful stab in my abdomen. I was in my community college math class at 8 a.m., doubled over at my desk in pain. I made a mad dash for the door, convinced I was going to throw up in front of the whole class. As I made it out the door I felt a gas bubble move down my intestines and was immediately relieved. At first I thought, “I can’t believe how stupid I am. It was just gas.” But then it happened the next day, and the next. It became apparent to me that something was up. What that something was, I couldn’t tell. At the time I worked for LUSH Cosmetics, yes — the bath bomb store. The brand prides itself on using organic and fresh ingredients and catered to the vegan community. This meant a lot of my coworkers were vegans and shared their adventures of trying recipes and attempts at replicating “normal” foods. I became a vegetarian at 12 because I was convinced that cutting meat out of my diet would help me lose weight and keep it off. Concern for animal well-being and the environmental impacts came second. Although meat had not been in my diet for 10 years at that point, dairy and cheese helped fill the gaps. Not going to have a chicken taco? Why not have a cheese enchilada. It wasn’t until I brought up my recent digestive issues to my coworkers that they helped me realize: it was the dairy. I looked back at what I had eaten every morning and they all had one thing in common: lactose. Whether it was coffee creamer or cream cheese, it was everywhere in my daily diet.
That’s when I began exploring nondairy options. I didn’t consider myself a vegan because, well, I was still eating dairy pretty regularly, but I was subbing out here and there and the difference was measurable. The pain had stopped. Over the next two years, I returned to eating meat and dairy on a regular basis. I was in a relationship at the time where it was easier to just eat everything and anything than to try and find vegan or even vegetarian options. But five months ago I decided to change all that. I went cold turkey — or should I say Tofurky — and cut out all meat, dairy and animal byproducts. Like many others, during this pandemic I gained weight. A lot of it. My eating habits turned to shit and I began to feel terrible, inside and out. I was having symptoms of IBS, and I finally decided that the only person stopping me from being healthy was me. So, I went vegan.
According to Healthline, a vegan diet tends to be higher in nutrients, is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and can help you lose excess weight. Veganism is also extremely beneficial for the environment. On average, you could save the same amount of money not showering for six months as you would by not eating a pound of meat, according to CulinarySchools.org. But I understand that veganism isn’t accessible for everyone. Meat replacement products are often times more expensive than their real-life counterparts, and restaurants still mark up the price of vegan options. Most coffee shops still charge a fee for non-dairy milks. There are also cultural connections to dishes that involve meat and other animal byproducts that play hugely important roles in the lives and celebrations of different people. And to be completely honest, I’m not the perfect vegan. Does eating cheese pizza
cause me immense pain? Yes. Do you just need a slice of cheese pizza sometimes? Also, yes. I think what’s important to remember when making changes to your diet, whether it be for health, moral or ethical reasons, is that you do it for you. Not to jump on some trendy bandwagon or to try and get some guy on Bumble to like you (because that totally had nothing to do with why I recently went vegan again), but because you want to do it. And it doesn’t have to be totally cold turkey, again — pun intended. It can be one meal a week that you swap your carne asada for marinated jackfruit or your regular coffee creamer for oat milk. If each American stopped eating chicken once a week, the reduction in CO2 emissions in the air would be the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road, according to CulinarySchools.org. So head to your local grocery store and try that tofu. I promise it only tastes slightly as weird as it looks.
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