The Daily Valet. - 4/22/20, Wednesday
✔️ The Future Looks Bright
Wednesday, April 22nd Edition
Get outside today, if only for a few minutes, for some fresh air.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Earth Day’s Gone Digital
The 50th anniversary marks a new chapter of resistance
Earth Day turns 50 today. Back in 1970, the original wave of coast-to-coast demonstrations had not yet woke America up to thinking about the environment, but it lead to landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act.
To honor five decades of activism, supporters had originally planned to be outside. Of course, it seems crazy to celebrate the natural world when you’re sheltering in place, right? But like so many plans scrapped by the pandemic, the movement found a new home online, reports The Verge.
For 24 hours today at EarthDay.org, you can learn indoor botany skills, compete in planetary trivia, join citizen science projects and digitally tour sites near and far.
There are also more activism-focused options, like contacting elected representatives, documenting your local air quality via an app or committing to a socially-distanced cleanup in your area.
Looking back at a half century of Earth Day progress, the New York Times celebrates 10 big environmental victories ... but also laments 10 big failures. For example, America’s rivers are no longer filthy and oil spills are rarer. But the oceans are becoming more acidic and an extinction crisis looms on the horizon.
After all, if climate change represents one of the biggest challenges to the future of humanity, then this should be more than just a commemorative holiday.
↦ FYI: I stopped using paper towels ... could you?
First At-Home COVID-19 Test Approved
LabCorp’s kit receives authorization from the FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued its first authorization for an at-home COVID-19 test kit. The test, called Pixel, is a collection package that easily provides all the collection materials necessary for an accurate sample and then allows for the user to package everything back up and ship it off to a lab for testing (label included), reports Tech Crunch.
Self-sampling sidesteps the need for a clinician to perform the test, reducing their exposure to symptomatic patients. It also makes testing a whole lot less invasive—people taking this test would just swirl a cotton swab inside their nostril. The test costs $119, but you'll have to see if your health insurance company will reimburse you.
LabCorp, the diagnostics company producing the kits, says it will give first access to health care workers and first responders. But at-home testing could eventually increase overall testing rates, providing a better picture of the true extent and depth of the pandemic.
↦ FYI: CDC director warns of a second wave of coronavirus this winter that will likely be worse.
Senate Passes Bill for More Small-Business Stimulus
It now goes to the House, where a vote is expected Thursday
The Senate passed a $484 billion coronavirus relief package Tuesday evening that will replenish a depleted loan program for distressed small businesses, reports the New York Times.
The measure—which lawmakers dubbed an interim emergency bill—also includes funding to ramp up the country's testing capacity, but doesn't include funding sought by Democrats for hard-hit state and local budgets, which instead was pushed off to the next round of stimulus negotiations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Democrats pressed for changes to the small business loan program to widen access to its funds. Of the $310 billion that will be available for loans, $60 billion will be set aside for small, midsize and community lenders.
The bill also tasks the Trump administration with outlining how the U.S. can further expand its testing capacity in a plan that will be updated every 90 days.
↦ Dig Deeper: An Associated Press investigation found that 94 large, publicly-traded companies got $365 million in small-business loans during the first round of the $394 billion aid package.
Smog-Free Skies Allow Germany to Break Solar Power Record
Here’s what it means for the future of renewables
Clear skies and reduced air pollution have led to a record amount of solar power being generated in Germany, reports Bloomberg. That means about 40% of Germany's electricity this week came from the sun, compared to the 22% produced by coal and nuclear.
And while Germany sets new records every spring as more solar panels get installed throughout the country, analysts believe a decrease in overall pollution due to fewer cars on the road and planes in the air likely contributed.
The German government announced earlier this year that it will gradually wind down power plants fed by coal by 2038—the same year it forecasts green power will make up about 80% of the electricity mix.
Coal, it seems, is at a turning point globally. Renewable energy is getting cheaper and more widely adopted. And the pandemic has created a greater awareness of the deadly particulate matter pollution that comes from traditional combustion power.
↦ FYI: The Global Carbon Project says the coronavirus pandemic could trigger the largest drop in carbon emissions since World War II.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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What Eating Out Will Look Like in the Future
When restaurants do reopen, expect masks, temperature checks and awkward bar vibes
As cities and states across the US begin to float possible dates for reopening the closed sectors of their economies, many diners and hospitality industry leaders are asking what that next phase might look like for restaurants.
Eater examines the topic and illustrates how a recent night out in Hong Kong might offer a glimpse of what America’s dining future might look like. After all, Hong Kong—along with other Asian cities like Seoul and Taipei—has largely succeeded in controlling outbreaks, and allowed its restaurants to stay open throughout the pandemic.
So what does dining out entail? A series of small, but manageable obstacles, like the host taking your temperature before entering the dining room. Restaurants are only allowed to operate at 50% capacity or less and tables must be spaced five feet apart or more.
Is it different? Sure. But is it do-able? Of course. Especially if it means we get to go back to enjoying a professionally plated dinner, along with a handcrafted cocktail.
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Today’s Deals
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Morning Motto
Give yourself room to acclimate without being too hard on yourself.
↦ Follow: @werenotreallystrangers
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