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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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Friday, May 10, 2024
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Let’s celebrate mothers! Like Maggie Baird (actress and mom to superstars Billie Eilish and FINNEAS), who’s putting plant-based food on the plates of underserved communities. Maggie, a longtime vegan, recognized that hunger isn’t always about a lack of food but about ineffective food policies. So, like so many moms, she set about to create change, not just in her community but, as her Supply + Feed program has grown, to 11 U.S. cities. Read Bluedot founder Vicki Riskin’s conversation with this powerhouse mom! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing moms and caregivers.
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DISPATCHES FROM ALL OVER
SUSTAINABLE LIVING ADVICE
ECO-FRIENDLY RECIPES
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DISPATCHES FROM ALL OVER · SUSTAINABLE LIVING ADVICE · ECO-FRIENDLY RECIPES
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“Time is more important than tech.”
–Dr. Jonathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown
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We are in a golden age of technological advances. From vaccines against pandemics that haven’t hit us yet to renewable energy options that get better by the day. But while technology is offering us important solutions, Foley’s point is
that we have dawdled (thanks fossil fuel propaganda!) for so long that
our window to address climate change is quickly shrinking. We must act now! And many of the actions required aren’t about technology at all but reworking systems — such as agriculture — already in place, and recognizing policies that are exacerbating climate issues, such as fossil fuel subsidies and continued investment by banks in oil and gas.
The good news is that we can fight climate change on both fronts — developing technology to move us quickly and affordably to clean renewable energy, while addressing the policies and systems that are keeping us stuck. Foley’s Project Drawdown draws us a clear map forward.
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QUICK LINKS
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Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in this edition of the Bluedot Newsletter:
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Paid Advertisement from NativePath Collagen
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So… what exactly does collagen do, again? This nutrient is Insta-trending for a reason – it’s essential for healthy skin, joints, and bones. The big bummer: many collagen supplements are made with artificial ingredients and (gross) animal byproducts.
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FEATURED STORIES |
BIG IDEAS AND LOCAL CHANGEMAKERS
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When writer Syris Valentine approached Bluedot to write a story about an abandoned ballfield near Seattle, Washington, we were all ears. It was exactly what Bluedot loves: a simple local solution that addressed climate, community, and conservation. “The New Start Community Garden — often called “Shark Garden” in honor of the school’s mascot — provides garden plots to community members, hosts events, donates 1,000 pounds of organic produce to the local food bank every year, and offers free classes in nutrition, cooking, and gardening,” Valentine writes. In rural Iowa, it’s a David and Goliath battle, where “a cohort of regional food system advocates are determined to recalibrate this imbalance and revitalize
Iowa's local food production,” Miranda Lipton tells us, “through technology, community, and connectivity.” And in Saint Augustine, Florida, regular Bluedot contributor Teresa Bergen discovered a zoo that’s preserving genetic samples from a wide variety of alligators and crocs to help thwart their potential extinction. (For more on the good that zoos can do, read Sam Moore’s “What’s So Bad About Zoos?”)
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Most moms are so sweet they don’t need a lot of added sugar. So we’re rounding up some really yummy sugar-free treats you might make for your own mom. We love former Grist staffer Caroline Saunders’ Substack newsletter Pale Blue Tart for her belief that saving the world can be a piece of cake. But we also love recipes like the Chocolate-Orange Aquafaba Mousse, which taught us what a miracle ingredient aquafaba is (read on to learn more). Cleo Carney’s been making us healthy desserts since she was a 15-year-old intern (three years ago), and is still at it. This Ginger-Pear Upside-Down Cake is high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
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Courtesy of Shutterstock
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With this fall’s election (or at least one candidate’s legal woes) dominating news, Bluedot San Diego editor Jim Miller wanted to take a look at the climate policies of the current Biden administration — and wow! While the Inflation Reduction Act is easily the most ambitious climate legislation we’ve seen in the U.S., “perhaps the biggest announcement was April 25, when the White House announced strict rules that would reduce emissions from power plants to the point where coal, an environmentally disastrous fuel from mining to burning to waste disposal, could essentially disappear from
the grid,” Jim writes. Want the whole story? (Of course you do!) Read on.
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Thinking of some lovely crystals for your mom? Perhaps think again, Dot says:
Dear Dot,
Crystals (or should I call them minerals? or just plain rocks?) have gotten so trendy over the past decade. I’m seeing them at specialty shops, yoga studios, farmers markets, even Nordstrom! While I’m not necessarily convinced that having a fluorite obelisk on my desk will help me focus better, I do think it’s really nice to look at! However, I worry about the harm that the mining process causes to workers and the environment. And, ironically, it’s my crunchy hippie friends who are into this stuff! Is there any kind of monitoring or certification system for this process?
Thank you, Dear Dot, for helping me navigate this very rocky territory!
–Maya, LA
Dear Concerned Crystal Collector,
Crystals are all the rage in some of our Bluedot locales, like Los Angeles. Will adorning your abode with crystals bring healing into your home and life, or are these precious gems tainted with a past that’s not so “love and light”?
While I haven’t yet bought into the crystal craze, I do admire the stones when I walk into boutiques. Can something so lovely, especially an item that people use with the intent to cleanse auras, really be the product of harmful environmental practices?
Well, there’s good and bad news, Triple C. The good news is that we have a crystal clear answer for you on this one. The bad news is that the answer might halt the growth of your crystal collection. The gemstone industry is notorious for extractive techniques that damage the earth and for exploitative labor practices.
Curious to know more? Read on.
For more Dear Dot, click here.
To
sign up for our Daily Dot newsletter, click here.
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If you purchase anything via one of our links, including from Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
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If you’re still looking for a gift for Mother’s Day, you’re in luck. All of these should either arrive at your door fast or involve no shipping at all — just a nice handwritten note.
We wish you all a happy Mother’s Day.
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Nurture a hobby with studio time at a local ceramics shop, or perhaps a class in jewelry making or a new language.
Let Mom pick one of many unique online classes from B Corp Uncommon Goods. Topics include ’80s cocktails, Pollinator Gardens, Dog Massage Therapy, and so much more. Buy now.
Online classes for all kinds of baking from King Arthur — you can even take them together from different parts of the country. Buy now or read our review.
Classes on photography, organic gardening, negotiating, or almost anything Mom wants with a subscription to Masterclass. Buy now.
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, a classic of the modern environmental movement. Buy now (on Amazon).
Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver focuses on the beauty of the natural world. Buy now (on Amazon).
Pascale Beale’s Les Fruits: Savory and Sweet Recipes From the Market Table on cooking with fruit all year long. Buy now (on Amazon).
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The Social Hour |
It's Mental Health Awareness Month! 💚 Take a moment this May to check in with yourself mentally. If you're feeling the weight of climate anxiety or stress, go outside and reconnect with nature. 🌿 #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
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FOLLOW US
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The Keep-This-Handbook |
If this time of year reminds you that there’s an old prom dress in your closet, consider donating it. Send it to a second-hand shop or check out Bluedot’s How to Get Rid of (Almost) Anything Guide, which offers another option.
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Celebrating Mothers |
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Both your Bluedot Hub editors have lost our moms. There’s something about moms — whether they are our biggest cheerleaders, our most scathing critics, or, more likely, somewhere in between — that profoundly shapes us. We were lucky to have great ones. Moms who showed us what care and responsibility looked like. There are so many ways to honor our mothers. Perhaps you prepare yourself the meal she always cooked for
you, or look at old pictures of her (we love this image of Bluedot copyeditor Laura Roosevelt and her penny-pinching mom, an early
environmentalist). However you celebrate (or mourn) your mom (or mom surrogate) on this day, we’re thinking of all of you, and of the mother of us all, this planet we call home.
Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you in two weeks.
– Jamie Kageleiry and Leslie Garrett
Editors
Write us at editor@bluedotliving.com
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Jamie Kageleiry, a longtime magazine and newspaper editor from Martha's Vineyard, says her favorite spot on earth is out on a kayak there, looking at birds.
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Leslie Garrett has been covering climate stories for close to two decades. She divides her time between London, Ontario, and Massachusetts. She’s still figuring out her favorite spot but it’s definitely near the
water.
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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Read past issues of The Hub here.
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Bluedot Living® magazine and bluedotliving.com are published by Bluedot, Inc.
Find more simple, smart, sustainable stories at bluedotliving.com, our Martha's Vineyard website, our Brooklyn website, our San Diego website, our Los Angeles website, our Santa Barbara website, our Toronto website, and our Boston website. Subscribe to any of our newsletters here.
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