Welcome to Bluedot Los Angeles! Every other Sunday, we share stories about local changemakers, sustainable homes and yards, the nature all around us along with planet-friendly recipes, and advice from Dear Dot. Please email us with story ideas at laeditor@bluedotliving.com. Together, we can make a difference for the blue dot we call home.
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE /Â STORIES
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If you’ve seen only the dry, concrete sections of the L.A. River, you might, with good reason, question whether it’s an actual river, or even a body of water at
all. Kerry Tribe, a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist who works in film, video, and mixed media, challenges that notion with her 2016
documentary, “Exquisite Corpse,” which traces all 51 miles of the river through the stories of the communities and ecology that have built up around it.
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 “People like to scoff at the idea that this mostly concrete channel counts as a river,” she says. “But after a heavy rain, go anywhere along its length and you’ll see firsthand the river’s force. And if you
have the good fortune to spend any time in the few stretches where concrete doesn’t line the bottom, you’ll see an ecology that’s thriving.” Bluedot’s Lily Olsen talked with Tribe about her process in making the film and what she hopes people get from viewing it.
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Quick Links
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Skip scrolling! Here’s what you’ll find in today’s Bluedot Los Angeles Newsletter:
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It’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking about what you can do to help solve the climate crisis. What can one person do in the face of such an enormous challenge? Attend a public meeting and share stories about your personal experiences with climate change, says Bluedot contributor Lily Olsen. “Community members can shape the
decisions elected officials make, particularly on a local level,” she says. Government officials on the national level made a big announcement this month: $20 billion in
“Green Bank” awards that will go to promote energy efficiency and climate projects, many in disadvantaged communities. The money will be awarded to nonprofits that provide financial support for people who want to take on climate-friendly projects, like installing solar panels or switching to energy-efficient appliances, but can’t otherwise afford it. A couple dozen green banks exist, including one for the state of California, but this is the first time such a program has been launched on a national level.
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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,
The year was 2013, Katy Perry had just edged out fellow pop star Justin Bieber for most popular Twitter account holder, and Dot could often be heard singing along to “Roar,” Perry’s anthem to empowerment. But with Perry at her zenith, Australia banned the singing sensation’s CD (remember those?) from entering the country. The country had nothing against the music on “Prism,” but rather had a problem with the CD itself, which came packaged with a piece of seed paper and a message to plant it and “spread the light.” Catchy, huh? Not enough to make the Australian authorities fans.Â
“Seeds or plant material of international origin may be a weed not present in Australia or the host of a plant pathogen of biosecurity concern,” a department spokesperson told news.com.au.
In other words, spreading light wasn’t the concern; potentially spreading invasive plants was.Â
Read the rest of Dot’s answer.
Got a question for Dot? Write her at deardot@bluedotliving.com.
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One person’s garbage is another person’s gold, or so the saying goes. But all of our garbage, collectively, presents an ongoing problem for the Earth. What to do when recycling
and compost doesn’t feel like enough anymore? Notes From the Home Front columnist Krista Halverson has a few ideas and encourages you to try something new to reduce
your piles of trash, too. “Think about this: If Paul Simon is correct, and there are 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, then surely there are ways to brush your teeth without using toothpaste from a tube,” she says. “I struck out with charcoal tabs, but I’m trying again with peppermint. I’ll let you know how that goes. Meanwhile I leave you with a challenge to try something new, vis-a-vis refuse. I’d love to hear some unique or efficient, or even crazy ideas.”
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Companies With Great Recycling Programs
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If you make a purchase through 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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Sustainable Sneakers
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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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Great Tech Accessories
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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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Growing up on an apple orchard in rural California, Erin Gleeson spent a lot of time outside. It influenced the art she created in college and graduate school, and eventually, she decided to settle in New
York and make a career out of food photography. But when her husband landed a new job in California, her life took another turn: She started a blog called The
Forest Feast, reflecting her new home in the northern California woods. With the encouragement of cookbook editors, she turned the blog into five cookbooks filled with simple vegetarian recipes, photos, and her own watercolor illustrations. We’ll be sharing some of her recipes in this newsletter, including the two featured this week.
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Bluedot Kitchen: Delicious, Nutritious Bowls
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The Forest Feast cookbook author, photographer and artist Erin Gleeson creates simple, healthful vegetarian recipes to fuel her family’s adventures in California’s great outdoors. These two grain bowls come together quickly and appeal to all ages.
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Earth Day, Everyday |
Earth Day was born of an oil spill off the coast of California and inspired by a politician who refused to let that moment in Santa Barbara pass without pushing for a response equal to the crisis. It has been fifty-four years since that first Earth Day, when 20 million Americans — 10% of the population — declared that something must be done to preserve and protect our planet from climate disruption.Â
We’re really more “every day is Earth Day” people here at Bluedot, but there’s no doubt that the annual celebration of Mother Nature helps bring visibility to environmental issues, especially in a world so distracted by other things, both important (war in Ukraine) and trivial (what is the best age gap in celebrity relationships?). A CNN poll late last year showed that about three-quarters of Americans want more action on climate change, but only 2% said it was the most important issue for them. There’s always been a consistent gap between the way people feel about the environment and the way they act (and vote). That’s where Bluedot Living comes in. We educate, enlighten, and inspire readers without bumming them out. And we give them
easy-to-implement solutions for a complex world. If you haven’t already, we hope you’re inspired to support our solutions-focused journalism at Bluedot.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back in two weeks!
–Robin Jones
Do you have a special Los Angeles photo or story to share?
Email laeditor@bluedotliving.com.
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Robin Jones is a Southern California native who served as an editor at Westways magazine for more than a decade. She currently lives in Long Beach and teaches journalism at Cal State Long
Beach, where she advises the award-winning student magazine, DIG MAG. She loves road-tripping across California, especially when the itinerary includes stops in Arcata and Trinidad.
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