By Kateleen Quiles, American Red Cross Public Affairs

It may be Earth Day, but the American Red Cross is dedicated to sustainability year-round.

The South Florida Red Cross Green Team is composed of staff and volunteers dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability. The Green Team is led by Astoria Aviles, Grants Manager and Katia Foust, Community Disaster Program Manager.

When dealing with our current climate crisis, there are three different scope emissions that the World Resources Institute (WRI) have recognized, which the American Red Cross has implemented in its environmental response. Issues under scope one address the waste emitted from vehicles and facilities, scope two addresses indirect emissions generated from utilities, while scope three addresses all other emissions that occur in the value chain not listed in scope one or two.

“The Red Cross is in a continuous response,” said Katia Foust. “We have multiple disaster response operations going on at any given time…we are focusing on having each chapter be able to stand up and respond to their local disasters by building capacity. By keeping the manpower locally for disaster responses, we are able to decrease commuting, which helps the Red Cross decrease scope one emissions that vehicles emit.”

Some initiatives implemented in South Florida include upgrading to sensor lights in office spaces to decrease electricity usage, carpooling to decrease carbon emissions and filtered water stations to discourage single-use plastic water bottles. Environmental conscious efforts at the Red Cross can look as simple as bringing in your own cutlery and water bottles from home – these efforts go a long way to reduce scope one emissions.

Beyond these efforts, Foust and Aviles are working to encourage enthusiastic climate-conscious education efforts. Earlier this month, the South Florida Green team held a scavenger hunt across all local chapter offices, encouraging team members to take selfies with educational posters.

“We're trying to encourage people to increase their awareness about their own personal waste and the ways that they can actually take action,” said Aviles.

Aviles also shares what made her so passionate about climate crisis efforts within the Red Cross, “I really learned a lot about the climate crisis from the fashion industry, so I'm a huge believer in thrifting and secondhand clothing and the circularity of clothing.”

Foust similarly found a love for environmental impact through a fellow South Florida Red Cross volunteer and Green Team member, “It was Jessica Reed who inspired me to become more sustainable in our chapter offices."

This Earth Month, environmental sustainability and climate crisis action can be as simple as signing up to volunteer. Visit redcross.org/SFLvolunteer to learn more.

You can also join the Red Cross Sustainability & ESG Programs Office on Earth Day for a discussion on Tuesday, April 22, from 3:30 p.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. to stay updated on goals, initiatives, and opportunities to ask questions. Click here to register for the event.