On this day 50 years ago, millions of Americans poured into the streets to raise their voices for a better future for our planet. The momentum coming out of this demonstration led to the formation of the modern environmental movement, and ultimately laid the foundation for the work CTE began 23 years later.

Earth Day looks different this year. There are no gatherings, events, or parties to show our support for our common home. Yet, in recent weeks, many of us have cultivated a newfound appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us. In the midst of the current crisis, nature is a persistent source of peace and solace.

Due to the nature of our work, we are able to continue to do the vast majority of our work from home. We are grateful and fortunate to be able to do so. We appreciate the support of our clients and partners as we work together to keep people employed and to continue to move the world towards a sustainable transportation ecosystem free from harmful emissions.

While working from home has kept our staff separated from our partners and from each other, we remain united in our passion for connecting to and protecting the environment. With the free time we do have, we are intentionally spending more time outdoors to connect, reset, and recharge.

This Earth Day, we are more appreciative than ever of the gifts we share on Earth, and we wanted to share what that looks like for us at CTE. From our home office desks to mountain trails, we are finding comfort in the places we call home.

Berkeley, CA

"Setting sun over San Francisco Bay from Grizzly Peak summit in Berkeley, on my return from a late afternoon bicycle ride in the Berkeley/Oakland Hills."

Jaimie Levin
Senior Managing Consultant

Atlanta, GA

"Took a break today to climb a tree! I think we are more appreciative than ever for time spent outside!"

Emily Price
Managing Consultant

Portland, OR

"The highlight of my day is getting to run at a local park a few blocks from my house. It's a beautiful place to connect with nature."

Alison Wiley
Program Development

Los Angeles, CA

"Clearest L.A. skyline I've seen in my lifetime."

Michael Tosca
Senior Engineering Consultant

Saint Paul, MN

"This picture is from one of the walks my girlfriend and I have taken in a nearby state park. We've loved being able to get out and enjoy the fresh air."

Drew Turro
Associate

"These photos of the LA basin and skyline were taken during the COVID-19 'stay at home' time. I was on my way to continuing to work on an essential hydrogen infrastructure project at the Port of Long Beach. This project brings hydrogen fueling for zero emission heavy duty vehicles.
The air is the best it has ever been in this area and is a direct result of a 60% reduction in vehicle and air traffic in LA during this time. This is proof that the work we are doing to incorporate zero emission vehicles into our society will have a direct and instant benefit."

Michael Tosca // Senior Engineering Consultant, Los Angeles

"It's high spring in NorCal so I spend a lot of my free time walking and running outside after work, 6ft away from everyone except my dog. I love plants and the flowers in Berkeley are pretty wild (super specialized for arid coastal marine survival) so I snap photos of them and use Seek by iNaturalist to catalog them. Seek is a citizen science app for species ID and data banking across the world to figure out what a plant, animal, or fungus genus and species are and contribute to locational biodiversity species databases. It can help understand levels of biodiversity globally as well as prevalence of invasives spread for natives conservation efforts. A pretty cool testament to how regional conservation efforts (and just stopping to smell or snap the flowers) contribute to global understanding & preservation of wild spaces."

Savannah Gupton and her dog, Mowgli // Managing Consultant, Berkeley

"I've finally started the compost pile that I've been meaning to for a while; isolation has given me the kick I needed to get it going. Since we now cook all our meals, we have more good scraps than ever, and it's been fun to maintain the pile and watch it transform.
I got a free, old trash bin from a neighbor, drilled a bunch of holes in it and started adding my scrap food, brown paper and leaves. I use an old plastic protein container in our kitchen to collect the scraps, and when it's full, I take it outside, add it to the bin, add some paper or dead leaves and mix it up. It looks nasty, but it's oddly satisfying to have a project to focus on outside of work. Kind of like a pet."

Christian DiCenso // Engineering Consultant, Atlanta

"It seems like I celebrate the earth year round with the important work I do at CTE! Beyond that, I intentionally spent some free time this Earth Month in the landscapes that CTE's work helps protect. In this photo, I'm posing with one of the flora ponds on Arabia Mountain near Atlanta. The plants that live in these ponds don't live anywhere else in the world; they're endemic to Georgia and to this mountain landscape! They are able to cope with extreme pressures-intense, direct heat, drought, and cold winters. In this season, the ponds are especially lively, filled with little tadpoles, darting between the green and red, resting on the sandy bottom. These plants embody the beauty of resilience and have adapted to change forms in every season. Spending time on Arabia Mountain really gives me hope. If we take heed from the resilience of nature then I'm sure we'll get through this, together!"

Wendy Noreña // Associate, Atlanta

"Being in the woods or mountains or by a stream is my happy place so we have been trying to get out as much as possible after work. This is a reading spot that my son and I made last weekend in North Georgia. We read the whole Lorax book many times in this hammock. This is a great reminder from Dr. Seuss's The Lorax: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

Ruthie Norton // Engineering Consultant, Atlanta

Atlanta, GA

Our one-year-old daughter just learned how to walk, and it's been fun to watch her explore the yard. She begs to go outside to play all the time now, which inspires us to appreciate the outdoors even more."

Brooke Durham
Communications Manager

Atlanta, GA

Jim's cat, Ed, is uncertain about some new plants.
Quote provided by Ed - "I have nine lives, and I'm still social distancing"

Jim Woodsen
Associate

North Georgia

"My kids have enjoyed the extra time spent outdoors while sheltering in place in the mountains of North Georgia. "

Lauren Justice
Development Director

Berkeley, CA

Another photo from Savannah Gupton, Managing Consultant (featured above).

Atlanta, GA

"I've been practicing yoga at my local park to stay active and enjoy the outdoors. This is me - striking a pose and sporting my CTE shirt!"

Chase Stell
Associate

Let's make every day Earth Day - where we not only rise up against the climate crisis in our work, but allow our deep-rooted passion for our environment to shape the way we live and breathe each day. No matter where you find yourself, the landscapes, flora, and fauna of our beautiful planet are always outside to welcome you.

From all of us at CTE, we hope you find rest and renewal during this turbulent season.