Hutchins-Knowles: Three ways to protect the environment this Earth Day

The headlines today — “Modern agriculture is collapsing under climate change” and “California’s snowpack is disappearing” — aren’t stories from a dystopian future. They reflect our current reality: a climate emergency.

Locally, we face wildfires, drought, extreme heat, flooding and rising seas — which harm health, end lives and increase prices. This Earth Day, here are three ways to protect the environment — and your pocketbook.

Electrify everything

Seventy percent of local emissions come from gas-powered transportation (52%) and gas-powered buildings (18%). So it’s impactful to swap gas cars for electric vehicles, transit or micromobility and replace gas appliances with electric heat pumps or induction stoves.

Incentives are available. My family received a San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE) rebate for a heat pump that heats and cools our home efficiently. Silicon Valley Clean Energy and SJCE offer electric vehicle rebates to customers below the area median income. Through Clean Cars for All, income-qualifying drivers of older gas cars can get $12,000 toward an electric vehicle. With many used electric vehicles under $10,000, they’re surprisingly affordable — and cost half as much to fuel as a gas car.

To ensure these opportunities reach more residents, urge your city councilmembers not to cut funding for Climate Smart San Jose or similar programs.

Delay data centers

San Jose is aggressively courting data centers, which could increase electricity bills and pollution. The city has 34 projects in the pipeline, just 11 of which would require a staggering 1,630 megawatts of capacity — enough for 1.2 million homes.

Last November, the City Council tapped developer Prologis to design potential AI data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities near Alviso, without adequately informing neighbors. Given the enormous energy and water usage needed and air pollution data centers produce, residents citywide are alarmed government officials may continue to greenlight projects without sufficient public engagement.

At today’s city council meeting, numerous people have submitted comments pertaining to a status report about data centers and a PG&E partnership. They are demanding public accountability on how data centers will impact air, water, noise and heat. The city must conduct robust, in-person, multilingual community engagement near each potential site to ensure neighbors know what’s being proposed, and insist on a thorough California Environmental Quality Act process so harms can be mitigated.

Vote for climate

The June primary election couldn’t be higher stakes. Since the top two candidates advance, regardless of party, it’s possible two Republican candidates for governor — both opposing climate action — will reach the general election in an overcrowded Democratic field. To ensure a climate champion reaches the top two, it’s vital climate voters coalesce around one candidate.

But how to know who’s best on climate, in the governor’s race and down ballot? Here’s my take on five races.

• Governor: Tom Steyer is the strongest candidate on climate. He’s divested from fossil fuels, channeling his wealth into climate action and social justice. Since he’s self-funded, Steyer can’t be bought — so isn’t beholden to the oil, agriculture or tech industries. He’ll take on utilities and make “polluters and billionaires pay their fair share.”
• State Senate District 10: David Cohen is San Jose City Council’s climate champion and will advance climate-smart policies in Sacramento.
• Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 1: Incumbent Sylvia Arenas will keep resisting sprawl and championing environmental health.
• San Jose City Council District 9: Gordon Chester will fight for a more environmentally and economically sustainable city.
• Ballot Initiative: Measure D will fund the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, protecting against droughts, flooding, wildfires and other threats.

By electrifying, speaking up and voting, we can make every day Earth Day.

Linda Hutchins-Knowles is co-founder of Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley and the National Charging Access Coalition. She serves on the Santa Clara County Sustainability Commission and works for Climate Action California. The views expressed here are her own.