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COVID-19 continues to be good for the planet — for now

Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

With the coronavirus raging, there's little that's not connected to the topic. The environment continues to be a bright spot among the bad news. It's a topic we've covered here before, but social distancing and the near-shutdown of the world's economy are having overwhelmingly positive impacts on the health of the planet. Manufacturing and most pollution-producing industries have ground to a halt due to the spread of the virus. Paul Monks, professor of air pollution at the University of Leicester, called it the "largest-scale experiment ever" regarding the reduction of industrial emissions.

Will Airbnb guests want to stay in chain hotels instead after COVID-19?

Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

COVID-19 has hit the economy so hard that it could take three years for the U.S. to recover. Right now, nobody goes out, and nobody travels. The travel and hospitality industry has been hit the hardest, with mass layoffs and record-low key performance indicators (KPIs). According to STR's lodging report for the week ending on March 28, the industry's KPIs hit "unprecedented lows." For example, revenue per available room (RevPAR) was $18.05, an 80.3% drop from the same week in 2019.

6 of America’s newest state parks

Dave G. Houser Recreation & Leisure

America is justly famous for its broad array of 400-plus national park sites — but the country's more than 10,000 state parks offer an even greater opportunity for outdoor adventure and recreation. Although many states have temporarily closed their parks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be a day in the not-too-distant future when the barriers come down and our urge to get outdoors will be satisfied. So how about someplace new and different? — like one of the country’s half-dozen newest state parks.

‘Corona change’ is an economic force with environmental consequences

Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & Environmental

Climate change issues are intimately tied to the coronavirus pandemic, but how? The recent announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended regulations requires reflection on the pandemic’s climate change politics. There are countless speculations as to the virus’ origins, and all are anthropogenic. This means human practices disrupt ecological balance, resulting in huge social impacts, like pandemics. Plain and simple, right?

3 possible economic outcomes for the coronavirus pandemic

Lark Gould Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Surviving the coronavirus is currently top of mind for the American public. There are many likely scenarios possible within the possible epidemiological trajectories of COVID-19 and the economic response to this crisis will also develop over the next few months, bringing a new set of struggles to consider. The Conference Board, a New York-based think tank on the economy and public policy, has developed three scenarios for the development of the U.S. economy through the remainder of the year.

Can airports survive the coronavirus crisis?

Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & Automotive

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is causing an unprecedented crisis among the aviation industry, and it is threatening to drastically change the landscape and future of airports. With much of the world on lockdown and airlines effectively grounding their fleets, many airports are operating only a few key flights per day. Experiencing little demand, airports like Atlanta, Zurich and Frankfurt have assigned whole runways as temporary parking lots for grounded aircraft. Other airports, like Paris Orly and London City, have closed completely.

Army Corps of Engineers identifies more than 100 facilities to serve as…

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

During the month of March, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued over 120 press releases. Compared to the same time a year ago, USACE published just one press release. Most of the Corps of Engineers’ releases announce its involvement in procuring facilities appropriate for providing alternate care for the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, this process involves turning non-healthcare buildings and facilities into hospitals. Such facilities can be used for stable, non-COVID-19 patients to reduce the potential burden on hospitals.

COVID-19 fallout hits California’s wine grape growers and wineries

Seth Sandronsky Food & Beverage

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on March 19 ordered the state's residents to shelter at home and for bars and restaurants to close. There are other related impacts. Take agriculture, a top industry in the Golden State, with grapes the second biggest market commodity at $6.25 billion versus dairy products and milk at $6.37 billion in 2018, according to government data. "The COVID-19 pandemic presents incredible and unpredictable challenges," Michael Miiller, director of government relations for the California Winegrape Growers Association, told MultiBriefs via email.

A healthier environment is an unintended consequence of the coronavirus

Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

One significant positive from the COVID-19 pandemic? As economies are crashing, industries shuttered, and people mandated to shelter in place, the beneficiary of this is the natural environment. The coronavirus is cutting global emissions faster than any previous climate legislation or negotiations. In fact, according to numbers researched by Lauri Myllyvirta at the University of Helsinki's Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, this is all because of the pandemic.

Afraid of bedbugs? Avoid these cities, says Orkin

Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

Got bugs? Many cities do, if it is bedbugs that are the target. Washington, D.C., is the No. 1 city on Orkin's Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list, topping nearby Baltimore, which fell to the second spot after three years as the front-runner. Indianapolis joined the top 10 of the list this year. The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bedbug treatments from Dec. 1, 2018 to Nov. 30, 2019. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

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