I love the weeks after Thanksgiving. Everything flies by in a blur of cookie baking, cocoa drinking and ornament decorating events, brightening the stressful weeks before finals. Of all the things that COVID-19 has taken from us, pictures with Santa in the ISUB should probably fall pretty low on the list. It just seems like we deserve a normal holiday season after this difficult year, but instead we’re being encouraged to bunker down at home with our families until January.
I know this is the right call: as Oregon, Washington and California are imposing tighter COVID-19 restrictions in preparation for the holidays. University of Idaho administrators have also made it very clear that they do not want us to return to Moscow or campus after we leave for Thanksgiving.
I’m grateful that they have decided to not risk a post-holiday return to class, while also allowing students to be with their families during this holiday season at the end of a difficult year. So, while I’ll miss returning to campus with a pumpkin pie-stuffed belly, I know it’s worth it to be able to keep my loved ones safe from COVID-19.
Other than keeping our families and campus community safe, is there any up-side to staying put this winter? Although we may not want to acknowledge it, the answer is a resounding yes. Holiday airline traffic is a major source of carbon emissions every year and by cutting down the number of flights we take between home and campus this year, we are making a smart move for both our personal safety and for our planet.
In addition to the community health initially spurred the UI’s decision to move online after break, this reduced travel is good for the environment. Even short-distance flights greatly increase your carbon footprint. A climate foot-print calculator created by researchers at UC Berkeley says that the average American emits about 105 pounds of CO2 daily. Using a calculator referenced by The Guardian, I decided to look at the carbon cost of Vandals traveling home and back to campus for Thanks-giving on a normal year.
Flying from Spokane to Boise or Portland round-trip emits about 155 pounds of CO2 per person — more than a full day’s emissions spent in only a few hours. If you travel from Pullman to Boise with a stop in Seattle, that’s about 330 pounds of CO2 and you’ve effectively used three full days of carbon emissions in two short flights.
If you’re traveling outside of the Pacific Northwest, you can pretty much count on burning through several days’ worth of CO2; for example, the direct flight from Spokane, WA to Atlanta, GA emits more than 1,000 pounds or nine days’ worth of CO2 per roundtrip. Another way to look at theat Atlanta flight is that if all of the passengers stayed home and lit an oil barrel on fire in their yard, the CO2 emissions would be slightly less, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.
Of course, these carbon emissions probably seem like a small price to pay for the chance to see family for the first time in months. Still, instead of dwelling on the fun we’re missing this year, I’m choosing to focus on this green silver lining. By staying put, we’re making a decision that is safe and sustainable. When we choose to not return to Moscow after Thanksgiving, we are helping to reduce both COVID-19 transmissions and carbon emissions. And, on the bright side, this gives us much more time to eat leftover pumpkin pie this year.
Beth Hoots can be reached at [email protected]