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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If you purchase anything via one of our links, including from Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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We put the bag of cat litter on the counter, and the cashier said, “Do you want a bag?” “Um … it’s already in a bag.” What would be the point of another bag? And don’t get us started on bananas wrapped in plastic. These are the kind of wasteful shopping habits that drive sane people mad. But fret not, San Diego is rife with stores that share your enthusiasm for reducing wasteful packaging. Maria Herrera, new owner of Origins Grocer (formerly The Might Bin) in North Park says, “One of my goals with the store is to make sustainable shopping the new standard of grocery shopping. I want to help people understand that anyone can shop this way and how critical it is that we do.”
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Quick Links |
Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in today's Bluedot San Diego Newsletter:
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Clean energy skeptics love to spout, “The wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine!” as if they were saying something clever. But the intermittent nature of renewables can be a challenge —
and sometimes it's because we have more than we need. In fact, California is already dumping some renewable energy that’s produced in times of low demand. That’s where battery storage comes in. A small new facility
in Chula Vista is helping, and it’s only the start. And speaking of stopping waste, two distillers in Canada heard that dairy farms were tossing “unused milk sugars,” so they made vodka from it
that’s available in San Diego. How’s it taste? Well, it won the gold at the 2022 World Spirits Competition. “I taste a slight sweetness to it. Some people find the ‘dairy-ness’ comes through as the mouthfeel,” says Omid McDonald, co-founder of carbon-neutral Dairy Distillery.
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This market with 63% price growth isn't just for billionaires anymore…
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Over the last 20 years, record prices achieved for Banksy’s art have grown at an astounding 63% compound annual rate. Even more impressive? It's not just the ultra-wealthy benefiting from this phenomenal growth. Thanks to Masterworks.
Masterworks enables its 820,000+ users to access investments in multi-million dollar artworks by artists like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso for just a fraction of the cost of an entire piece. When Masterworks sells a painting, like the 16 it’s already sold, investors can get a return on their investment.
With 3 recent sales, Masterworks investors realized net annualized returns of 17.8%, 21.5% and 27.3%.
Every offering is limited, and shares can sell out in just minutes, but Bluedot Living readers can skip the waitlist with this exclusive link.
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Skip The Waitlist
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,
To enhance whiteness, are you suggesting to add lemon juice, white vinegar, and baking soda with the laundry strips? How much?
– Kathy
Dear Kathy,
The main reason whites get dingy, Kathy? Too much detergent. Stick to powders, liquids, or strips that allow us to control how much we use — about two tablespoons for a full load, recommends the Laundry Evangelist (aka, Patric Richardson). “Your whites will be naturally whiter!”
Still not white enough, you say? Patric says, “You can use oxygen bleach,” a far safer and easier-on-the-planet option than chlorine bleach. Or toss in some baking soda, which, he says, “basically boosts the cleaning power of your detergent.” How much? “Add about a half a cup, just throw it right on top of the clothes.”
While he says lemon juice and vinegar can both act as stain removers, Patric doesn’t recommend adding them to our wash. “Vinegar actually cuts the detergent, that’s why it works [as a whitener],” he explains. “So, people who use too much detergent can put vinegar in where the fabric softener goes, the vinegar breaks down the extra detergent, and it whitens.” Of course, he adds, “if vinegar is working to whiten, you’re using too much detergent. Lemon juice would be the same thing.” In other words, if you’re not using too much detergent, you won’t need lemon juice or vinegar. …
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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If you purchase anything via one of our links, including from Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
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To celebrate Earth Day, we’re highlighting companies that have great recycling programs — ones that really make it easy to find a home for items
that, all too often, might otherwise end up in the landfill.
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Beauty retailer Credo does a great job vetting beauty, skin, and hair brands for sustainability, ethics, and sourcing. They also helped co-found Pact, a nonprofit that collects and recycles cosmetics packaging. You can locate a Pact bin online, or find one in any Credo stores.
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Buy now
or
Read our review.
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Our Boston editor
turned us on to these NYC-designed, Brazilian-made vegan sneakers from Thousand Fell. When your shoes have served you fully, you can send them back for recycling and $20 off your next pair.
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Buy now or
read our review.
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Certified B Corp Nimble makes great tech accessories using recycled materials. When you order, they’ll include a mailer that you can send back with old, unwanted tech products that the company will responsibly recycle.
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Buy
now or
read our review.
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It’s baby animal season, and with plentiful winter rains, San Diego can expect a bumper crop of adorable young wildlife. But what if you spot an infant critter that seems alone? San Diego Humane Society’s
Project Wildlife program urges a wait-and-see approach: Many animal parents leave their offspring for hours at a time to secure food and keep predators away. “Rescuing” a baby whose parents are nearby puts an unnecessary strain on both the animals and the humane society. “Uninjured baby animals have the best chance of survival with their natural parents,” said Jon Enyart, DVM, Senior Director of Project Wildlife. “While we strive to provide the best possible care, our resources are limited, unlike the natural parents, whose only job is to feed and care for their young.” Injured animals are another story.
Do you have a special San Diego nature photo or story to share?
Email sdeditor@bluedotliving.com.
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Since recreational marijuana was legalized in California in 2016, sales have grown to almost $6 billion. Unfortunately, cannabis is still an industry with a robust black market that
does tremendous environmental damage. Illegal growers divert stream habitats, poison wilderness with chemicals, and put land managers’ safety at risk. But there are legal growers out there doing low-impact cultivation. Writer Frederick O’Brien tells us what to look for in a sustainable high.
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Remember the rule: Stop Buying Plastic Crap! This includes packaging.
Earth911 offers up some precycling questions to consider.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
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Better, Not Perfect |
We’ve spent years (decades, really) thinking about the environmental impact of this and that, basically everything. Even for environmental professionals, it’s not always easy to figure out what’s “best” for the planet. But “best” can be a slippery concept. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the choices available. So try to keep it simple and focus on the big stuff: Use as little energy as you can, at home and for transport. Eat local food and fewer animal products. Buy less stuff, and no plastic crap. After that, just do the best you can, and then don’t worry about it. Buy Better when possible. If you have the time and energy, it can be fun and helpful to learn more about products or issues. But sometimes you just don’t have the bandwidth. Nobody’s perfect, but together we can do better.
We’ll see you 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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Bluedot Living magazine and sandiego.bluedotliving.com are published by Bluedot, Inc.
Visit our national website here: bluedotliving.com.
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Past performance is not indicative of future returns, investing involves risk. See disclosures masterworks.com/cd
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