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.Â
– Nicki and Jim Miller
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE /Â STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE /Â STORIES
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Meet Your Microgreens Farmer
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Our food choices are perhaps the most environmentally impactful decisions we make. While we may dither over the qualities of a cashmere sweater (with good reason), the sheer bulk of the food we buy means our dining choices are (along with energy) our most important from an environmental perspective. And from this perspective, buying microgreens from a local farmer like Lynette Hunter is a huge, delicious win. She says, “When customers get to know the farmer, it becomes more personal, and they enjoy coming every week to chat.” Connection to our food and the people who grow it
is vital in changing how we grow food and the impact these practices have on our Earth.
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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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Dear Dot: Are Carbon Offsets a Flight of Fancy?
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,Â
After almost two years of staying put during COVID, I flew to California to see friends and family on JetBlue. The captain proudly announced that JetBlue had a carbon offset program so that the flight was carbon neutral. How does the offset work?
– Curious Traveler
My dear Curious Traveler,
The notion of carbon neutral or offsets boils down to simple math: For the carbon that you put into the air, you (or someone on your behalf) invest in projects that reduce or mitigate the equivalent in carbon from the air.
A number of companies will do the math for you. For a flight to California, you would key in the flight information and up pops a number. A business class trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, results in 1.87 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released per passenger.
JetBlue led the industry by purchasing offsets and I certainly applaud that step, which has been followed by Delta, American Airlines, EasyJet, and a number of others, domestic and not.
But let’s consider the offsets themselves because they can range from powerful to … not so much.Â
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: Sleeping In
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The San Diego newsletter and The Bluedot Marketplace include affiliate links.Â
If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a small digital finder’s fee.
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Few things feel more wonderful than slipping into a cozy bed on a chilly evening. This week, we’re sharing some of our favorite sheets, blankets,
and bedding essentials to help you make the most of the longest nights of the year.
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Coyuchi
Bluedot’s publisher furnishes her own home with Coyuchi’s organic, Fair Trade Certified sheets and loves the California brand’s relaxed vibe. Their organic cotton comforters and blankets are another favorite.
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Buy now orÂ
read our
review.
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Boll & Branch
Boll & Branch makes organic, Fair Trade Certified linens that look crisp and refined, like they belong in a modern penthouse or fancy hotel. If you need basics, they make excellent down and down-alternative pillows and duvet inserts.
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Buy now orÂ
read our
review.
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Cariloha
Folks always in pursuit of the cool side of the pillow will appreciate the silky-smooth sleepwear and linen from Cariloha. The B Corp makes items from bamboo viscose, a fabric that can help regulate body temperature.
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Buy now orÂ
read our review.
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BLUEDOT KITCHEN: Let’s Get Cozy
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Even here in America’s Finest City, it’s been chilly, so let’s make some cold-weather comfort food. A tasty, seasonal soup or a mac-and-cheese with healthy cauliflower instead of noodles. Stay warm!
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Shining a Light on Snake Bites
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In the United States, venomous snake bites kill roughly five people a year. In India, that number is a staggering 54,600, with 2.5 million maimed. Diwash Gahatraj reports in a dispatch for our Bluedot Living national hub website, “Nearly ninety-seven percent of India’s snakebite deaths are concentrated in rural and marginalized communities, linking snakebite vulnerability to socioeconomic status.” One common cause is the simple lack of electricity to light their homes. Some local governments are offering solar mini grids to provide lighting and phone charging. Over the past three
years, there have been twelve reported snake bites in the tiny village of Patahi alone — three of them deadly. But since the arrival of solar-powered light, villager Pavitra Manjhi says, “not a single case of snake bite has been reported.”
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And if you want to go deeper, Dot tells you how to stop junk mail and catalogs.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
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What’s Behind the Name “Bluedot”?
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Our name is inspired by the humbling words of astronomer Carl Sagan, who marveled at the comparative size of our world, a “pale blue dot” in the vastness of space:
“There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world,” Sagan wrote in 1994’s Pale Blue Dot. “To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”Â
Sagan’s humbling words inspire us to deliver stories to you that reflect his and so many others’ work to cherish this blue dot. 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! Â
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