Today is Earth Day, and we are still in Global Pandemic mode here on the 51st anniversary of this celebratory day. That means no giant Earth balls being tossed about, or in person symposia or face-painting with plant-based colors -none of it is possible.
Honestly, I haven’t always celebrated Earth Day in such a joyous or communal way as is usually done. Oftentimes, I have chosen to be on my own with Creation, either on the banks of some body of water, or riding a train. I grew up on the Mississippi River, so water will always soothe my soul. But ride a train?
Five years ago, Denver opened its long-awaited light rail line out to the Airport. RTD offered free rides for the first month, and so I celebrated Earth Day 2016 by riding the train from Union Station in downtown Denver, out to the Denver International Airport. I knew I would enjoy the trip and see parts of the Denver region I’d never before seen, at least not from that view. I knew it would be beautiful, and it was. But more, I knew it was important for the health of the planet.
We have to change how we travel, how we move not only ourselves but our goods and foodstuffs. At this point, we have to make this shift as a whole society, as a culture. It will no longer do to convert a few people at a time.
Trains are the key to this. High-speed rail, a renewal of existing lines with cleaner fuels, establishment of new rail lines and systems, and creative alternatives like hyper-loops all offer new ways to move. Trains make some of the hard and necessary changes coming with climate crisis easier, and help us maintain connectivity when air travel is too expensive, dangerous, or toxic.
In many ways, North American truck freight is deadly and expensive period. Its deleterious effects include human trafficking, smuggling, significant carbon emissions, and hammering damage to our highways and byways. Phasing out the long-haul trucking industry will only be possible with viable choices for moving a lot of stuff, and rail is poised to do this.
Rail is also key to our turning towards mass public transit as a way to move ourselves throughout our cities and regions, and between such as well. I’m not the only person who likes to ride a train, and will choose to when given the option. But again, none of this can be based on individual choice alone. It has to be easier, cheaper, and faster to ride the train (or any form of public transit) than to drive a personal car, or any car at all.
Basic transit system decisions, e.g., the frequencies of stops and stations, or the forms of transit themselves, are all equity issues that encompass workforce development, ecological restoration, resource access, and environmental justice. Some transit models may favor efficiency but not account at all for these other factors.
We have our own decisions to make, about how we want to live and move and be. The systems we embrace, the forms of common life we craft, and the modes of doing so are all within our power to create.
I find myself surprised to be grateful for another contemplative Earth Day. But not surprised that my mind turns to transit. Transit is a fundamental justice issue and intersects all other typical justice concerns at some point in their journeys.
And so today, I will ask you to consider some of these things as well. How do we want to live? How do we want to move? And what are we going to do about it?
Happy Earth Day. Peace be with you.