Welcome to Bluedot San Diego! Every other Sunday, we share stories about local changemakers, sustainable homes and yards, and the nature all around us, along with planet-friendly recipes and advice from Dear
Dot. Together, we can make a difference for the blue dot we call home.
– Nicki and Jim Miller
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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Harness the Power of Rain All Year Long
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With all the rain, we’re feeling pretty soggy. But any reader of Steinbeck knows our next drought is always just a few calendar pages away in California. Our garden guru Laura McLean has some tips for harvesting the bounty of the skies. “Remember there is no right way or one-size-fits-all to gardening, being waterwise, or collecting rainwater. Figure out what works for your home, skill level, finances, and do it! It’s our combined efforts as a global community that will make a difference!”
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Quick Links
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Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in today's Bluedot San Diego Newsletter:
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Plastic, a “miracle” material that makes much of modern life possible. But also takes thousands of years to biodegrade. Almost impossible to recycle. Made from fossil fuels, so oil companies get rich. Poisoning our
oceans and maybe even our blood. The people who make and sell plastic have successfully imposed the environmental and health costs of their product on all of us. How do we combat all this? One way is to buy less of it. And we can help. First, you can buy products in bulk at Earthwell Refill in Kensington, using your own refillable containers (or pick ones up there to reuse, again and again). Another is following this twelve-step program for a less wasteful kitchen and pantry from chef Justin McChesney-Wachs to use a lot less plastic. (BTW, the other way to combat plastic waste is to force those who make and sell it to be legally responsible for the pollution. That takes legislation, like this California law phasing out single-use plastics, which is just a start.)
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Dear Dot: Is It Okay if I Plant Seed Paper?
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,
I recently received a card that’s printed on “seed” paper — that paper that has wildflower seeds embedded in it that we, presumably, should plant. But with all the talk about planting native species, I’m unsure if I should. What do you say?
– Sandy
Dear Sandy,
Reputable seed paper companies are careful to ensure that they’re not including problematic species. If you know the company that produced your card, go online and check out its site.
If you’re unsure, but don’t want to waste the opportunity to grow perfectly lovely and welcome plants, Tim Boland, executive director of the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard, suggests that you plant the paper indoors on a windowsill until you have sprouts and can better identify what’s growing. “See what they develop into, so you don’t mistakenly plant outside something that could be invasive,” he suggests. …
Read the rest of Dot’s answer.
Got a question for Dot? Write her at deardot@bluedotliving.com.
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Paid Advertisement
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BUY LESS/BUY BETTER:
Cleaning Up Your Laundry Routine
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The San Diego newsletter and The Bluedot Marketplace include affiliate links.
If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a small digital finder’s fee.
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We were delighted to see that the New York Times product review site Wirecutter recently added Bluedot fave Dirty Labs to its list of top-five
laundry detergents. This week, you’ll get discounts on Dirty Labs — and two other BuyBetter clean laundry essentials — with code BLUEDOT.
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Great Detergent
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Wirecutter writes that “this hyper-concentrated liquid detergent is an effective stain remover, with cleaning power that rivals our top picks.” We love this plastic-free brand, which comes in sophisticated scents, as well as a fragrance-free option. Save 15% with code BLUEDOT.
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Buy now or
read
our review.
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Darling Dryer Balls
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Friendsheep has elevated dryer balls to an art with its beautiful colors and patterns. Colorful dryer balls also serve a practical purpose: They’re much easier to find when you’re folding! Check out the cute décor and pet toys, too. Save 10% with code BLUEDOT.
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Buy now or
read our review.
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Microplastic Minimizer
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Buy the Cora Ball once and leave it in your washing machine. It will capture almost a third of the microplastics your clothes shed during each cycle and prevent them from being released into the water. Amazing, right? Save 15% with code BLUEDOT.
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Buy now or
read our
review.
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BLUEDOT KITCHEN:
More Amazing Meat-Free Dishes
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If you’re looking for easy but satisfying snacks, these two are perfect hearty and toasty ones. This delicious black bean and butternut squash chili can be ready in about an hour, and these cheesy seeded crackers bake for about twenty-five after a ten-minute soak to absorb water. Quick, easy, plant-based, and tasty for the win!
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Behind the Scenes at
Actor Ed Begley Jr.’s Green Home
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Solar panels on the roof and a battery bank on the garage. A gray-water system and an underground 10,000-gallon rainwater cistern to irrigate the yard. Tile with post-consumer recycled content and quartz countertops. And those are just a few of the green features in Ed Begley Jr.’s Los Angeles home. Ed and his wife, Rachelle, recently gave editor Jim Miller a tour of their LEED Platinum-certified house, which they built from the ground up from 2013 to 2016. “It’s super, super efficient,” Ed says. “So she gets all her stuff that she wants, French Mediterranean design, she gets all of that. And I get to have all the stuff hidden in the walls that
nobody ever sees.”
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Books tend to multiply. When they threaten your space, share the wealth! Donate your gently used books to libraries within your community or find a Little Free Library.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
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Drying Out
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As we pointed out last month, with our interview with Dr. Daniel Swain, weather is not climate, but they are related. The heavy rains we’ve experienced recently are likely influenced by our warming planet. We saw flooding that damaged hundreds of homes in southeast neighborhoods and created problems for farms near the border whose crops are now contaminated by Tijuana sewage. (Kudos to Berry Good Food’s fundraiser for small farms.)
While we can’t fight against the awesome power of nature, there are things we can do in our daily lives. And there are great stories of people and companies making changes that are creating a brighter future. Please consider contributing to Bluedot, so that we can keep bringing you these solutions-focused stories.
We’ll be back in two weeks.
– Nicki and Jim Miller
Editors, Bluedot Living San Diego
sdeditor@bluedotliving.com
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We live in San Diego and love the opportunity to be on the water and in the mountains in one day. Nicki, a writer and editor, and Jim, a writer and environmental economist, are excited
to combine skills as the editors of Bluedot Living San Diego. Since we’re avid cyclists, you may see us riding along the Silver Strand or hitting the trails in Cuyamaca (probably not on the same day). Thank you for joining us on this Bluedot ride!
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