At Home On Earth

SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES

“In the calm waters of Lake Kerkini, Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans float side by side,” writes Yasmin Namini, the At Home on Earth photographer who snapped this crew. “Lake Kerkini, a tranquil wetland oasis nestled in the foothills of northern Greece, is home to one of Europe’s most significant bird sanctuaries.” Once critically endangered, the population of these pelicans (among the largest freshwater birds in the world) has gradually increased due to concerted conservation efforts. 

Read (and see!) more here. 

Do you have photographs of wildlife, or conservation success stories that you’d like to share with Bluedot readers? Get in touch: editor@bluedotliving.com 

We’re accustomed to turning to federal governments to enact sweeping policies addressing air and water pollution, habitat and species conservation, and more. But we often overlook just how powerful — and often more responsive — city governments can be. This local leverage is something marine biologist and climate activist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson knows very well, which is why her nonprofit think tank, Urban Ocean Lab, is focused on establishing equitable policy solutions in coastal cities. 

It’s also why Bluedot focuses so much of our coverage on the grassroots action taking place in communities around the world. Dig into this week’s newsletter as we celebrate cities and the incredible climate champs who are changing them.

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Bluedot’s Cleo Carney Interviews Her Dad,
Canadian PM Mark Carney

Bluedot’s student reporter Cleo Carney interviewed her father, Mark Carney, who, at the time of publication in March 2023, was the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance. In March 2025, Mark Carney became leader of the governing Liberal Party of Canada, with Cleo introducing him for his acceptance speech. On March 14th he was sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada. He is also the author of Value(s): Building a Better World for All (on Amazon), published in 2021, in which he makes a bold, urgent argument on the misplacement of value in financial markets and how we can and need to maximize value for the many, not few. 

Dear Dot: What’s Dot’s Most Popular Advice?

Dear Dot,

What has been your most popular advice of the past year? 

Exhaustedly,
– Dot

Dear Dot,

What a clever idea to revisit some of Dot’s greatest hits — as we all collectively drag ourselves through days, thanks in part to a head-spinning news cycle and daylight saving time, which renders many of us chronically weary and which 62% of Americans would like to abolish. We can’t seem to agree on, well, anything these days, including whether to settle permanently on standard time or daylight saving time. Result? See above: A head-spinning news cycle and chronic exhaustion. And a disoriented, tired Dot.

But Bluedot’s web wizard, Kelsey, has come to our rescue. Kelsey compiled a list of Dear Dot’s 10 most popular columns (based on web traffic). They run the gamut from investigating why cashmere, emblematic of luxury, has become so darn cheap, to determining whether wildfires give us great sunsets. We’ll break them into two columns of five, so stay tuned for Part Two. Let’s get started:

#1: Dear Dot: How Can I Tackle an Ant Problem Without Toxic Pest Control?

Dot offered up this ant-idote: “Dr. Death, an eco-friendly pest control company serving Las Vegas (with the industry’s greatest name), tells us that “The two specific ingredients [in Raid] that are not safe are cypermethrin and imiprothrin. … Essentially, what makes them so deadly to bugs can also make them poisonous to [us].”

So let’s consider methods that are less toxic (to humans and animals, not so much for ants).”

From baking soda to vinegar, Dot’s got thoughts (courtesy of some pest-control TikTokkers). 

And she’s got more answers to your most pressing questions. What are they? Keep reading. 

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Parting Thoughts About Our Favorite Cities

One of the benefits of working for Bluedot is the sheer volume of information we learn about the cool stuff happening in cities around the world. (This is also, incidentally, a benefit of reading Bluedot. Not subscribed yet? Click here. Or please share this newsletter with a curious friend.) 

Montreal, Quebec, for instance, has grown into a city for cyclists, despite its wintry weather, showing that ‘if you build it, they will ride.’ 

The clever folks in Utrecht in The Netherlands created one of the greenest cities in Europe when they “crowned 316 bus stops with sedum, a sun-loving succulent with colorful, pollinator-attracting blooms,” according to BioGraphic, adding that “With each bus stop having a roof about the size of a pool table, these commuter hubs collectively created a green space the size of a small neighborhood park.” 

Paris, reveling in the success of its experimental pedestrianized streets, voted overwhelmingly to create 500 more. And data from New York City’s congestion pricing is piling up showing that not only are emissions down but traffic speed in formerly congested areas is up and collisions are down. Let’s hope other cities are taking note and considering implementing congestion pricing in their downtowns.

In Leslie’s hometown of London, Ontario, a program delivered through the public school system for grade 10 students moves kids out of the classroom and into Westminster Ponds, a diverse ecosystem right in the city. The HELP program enlists kids to help out naturalists, work with younger students on field trips, and create media around some of the flora and fauna. The program is so popular, there’s a waiting list.

Jamie writes from Savannah, where she goes most late winters/early springs to escape the Massachusetts cold. Savannah is known as a city of trees. And parks! In just two square miles of the city’s historic district (the largest National Historic Landmark District in the U.S), there are 24 verdant squares with birds, benches (Forrest Gump sat on one of them), and paths, along with mature magnolias and live oak trees waving Spanish moss. The city was laid out by a wise Scotsman almost 300 years ago and presciently created roads to meander around these squares, keeping traffic moving slowly. Several civic organizations helped save and now maintain these gems: The Savannah Tree Foundation was founded more than 40 years ago to preserve the urban forest; and the Historic Savannah Foundation, started by a group of women in the 1950s, preserves the city’s historic homes. 

One of Jamie’s very favorite books about cities and how they should (and shouldn’t) be preserved is Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities. 

See you in two weeks!

–Jamie Kageleiry and Leslie Garrett

Editors

Write us at editor@bluedotliving.com

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.

Leslie Garrett has been covering climate stories for close to two decades.  She makes her home in Canada, west of Toronto. She’s still figuring out her favorite spot but it’s definitely near the water.

Sent to: _t.e.s.t_@example.com

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