Every other Sunday, Bluedot Living Martha's Vineyard will share stories about local changemakers, Islanders’ sustainable homes and yards, planet-friendly recipes and tips, along with advice from Dear Dot. Did your friend
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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“The sisterhood bonds that existed with the women in the community were different than they are today,” our Fall/Winter Local Hero, Jennifer Randolph, told Leslie Garrett. Randolph is the founder and executive director of Kinship Heals, an organization that helps survivors of
domestic violence in the Wampanoag Community, while tackling the issues — poverty, disrupted food systems, and more — that give rise to it. “ [Pre-Colonial] women’s relationships were very deep. … We found out firsthand, [with] the corn itself. You can’t just eat [native] corn; you have to remove the outer layer in order to consume it. Just dealing with the corn itself is very labor intensive. … And there’s no way that, by yourself, you can grow enough and process enough to feed your family. But when you do it together with the other women in your community … That’s how we worked. We didn’t have individual family gardens, we had community gardens, we did this together as a community. When you spend that much time with somebody doing that kind of work, the bonds and relationships that are developed are really deep and strong.”
Read more about Randolph’s dedication to community sustainability, and her plans (including for a food forest in Aquinnah) to ensure food security.
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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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Cheers to Change
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I always love that week between Christmas and New Year’s, when time feels suspended and rules don’t apply. Want to stay in pajamas all day? Do it! Cookies for breakfast? Sure. Naps? Movies? Long meandering walks? Absolutely. We know, of course, that once the new year begins, it will usher in its usual change.Â
It’s human to resist change even as we acknowledge its inevitability. Even good change can feel a bit destabilizing.Â
While we wish Rebecca Haag the very best in her retirement and we’re grateful for the incredible work she did at IGI (she was, after all, one of Bluedot MV’s Local Heroes), it nonetheless feels like something of a loss. She grew IGI fourfold in her eight years there and told Bluedot reporter Lucas Thors, “When I pitch the work we do at IGI, I pitch it as an investment in the community, in keeping this Island a place where people want to live.” Mission accomplished, Rebecca. And we’re excited about what changes a new executive director will bring.
Aquinnah is ushering in new building codes, disallowing the use of fossil fuels in large renovations and new builds for heating and cooling. Often ahead of the game, Aquinnah is setting the bar high for necessary (and positive, albeit temporarily disruptive) change.
Kudos to everyone who participated in the New Year’s Day beach cleanup — getting 640 pounds of trash off our gorgeous shorelines is no small feat.
And a shoutout to Jessica Mason with Island Eats, who not only provides a great way to enjoy takeout without the trash, but provided her reusable bowls to Harbor Homes’ holiday meal. “I love the reusable bowls for shelter meals and truly appreciate how hard Jess works to make it possible for the shelter,” Lisa Belcastro, the winter shelter coordinator for Harbor Homes, told Bluedot. And, she adds, “much appreciation for the restaurants who are using Island Eats or will use Island Eats for the shelter meals.” Much appreciation indeed. (Want to cruise in Jessica’s EV, alongside Bluedot reporter Lucas Thors? Read this Cruising column.)Â
That Christmas tree you dutifully disposed of? It just might be helping to stabilize Katama dunes after the December 18 storm wreaked havoc. Or perhaps it’s feeding Rebecca Gilbert’s goats! Either way, it lives on.
After our restful week off, we at Bluedot are busy — assigning stories and photography for the five issues we’ll be publishing this year. If you have a business that offers some eco-friendly services, and you’d like to reach the 70,000+ devoted readers who see our publications, get in touch with Josh Katz about advertising in one of our magazines (or this newsletter!). Find him at adsales@bluedotliving.com.
If change is part of your 2024 plans (more plants on your plate? Less plastic in your home? More human-powered travel via bike or feet?), tell us about it. We always love to hear what resonates with you and what changes you’re making.
For now, I leave you with the words of E.B. White, which sum up my own thoughts as I move into this new year: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
–Leslie Garrett (and Jamie Kageleiry)
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In this gem from three years ago, Nancy Aronie writes about the moral dilemma that comes along with an invitation to a fancy wedding in France: “It’s not just the classiness of the event that makes me want to
go. It’s that I love the kid who’s getting married. … Plus, I’ve never been to France. Of course I’ve never been to France. I’m married to the Energy Czar (my husband, Joel). He has told me time and again how much carbon dioxide planes emit. But what can I do?” Read about Nancy’s calculus around the “Pleasure Theory.”
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BUY LESS/BUY BETTER: Sleeping In
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The Bluedot Marketplace includes affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a commission, essentially 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.Â
Make the most of the longest nights of the year with wonderful sheets, blankets, and more.
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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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DEAR DOT: What About Road Salt?
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–Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,
Can I put salt on my sidewalk or paths to get rid of ice? If not, why not? What alternatives work best?
–Mark, Edgartown
Dear Mark,
Two decades ago, the house Mr. Dot and I bought to raise our Baby Dots came with a concrete swimming pool. We’d never had a pool and, though we hadn’t sought one, we and the three Baby Dots were excited.
We began by installing a salt-water system to reduce the chemicals required to keep the water swimmable. Over the next few years, however, the concrete bottom of our pool was getting rough enough that the soles of the Baby Dots’ feet became raw. Of course, we should have known that salt corrodes but some of us discover these things the hard way, such as when we use salt to de-ice our walkways, sideways, and roads. What’s more, road salt gets washed into wells, wastewater systems, and our soil, rivers, lakes, and ponds. A recent Boston Globe story (subscriber access only) tells us that road salt “has killed or endangered wildlife in freshwater ecosystems, with high chloride levels
toxic to fish, bugs, and amphibians, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.”
So it’s a big, salty “no!” to road salt. Are there eco alternatives? Absolutely. Read on.
See more Dot
here. Got a question for her? Write her at deardot@bluedotliving.com.
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Sign up here for Your Daily Dot newsletter! Get a daily dose of Dot's eco-friendly wisdom when she answers your sustainability questions.
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“According to a recent McKinsey study, Americans purchased 60 percent more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, and kept the garment half as long,” writes contributing editor Mollie Doyle in this Room for Change column from our archives. “And, on average, each American throws away 81 pounds of textiles a year. That is a lot of clothes. According to a study by
Quantis, more than eight percent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions are from the apparel and footwear industry.” What to do? Mollie’s got
ideas.
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HANDBOOK
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Even if you spent the holidays prepping for film and TV award season, it’s likely that you weren’t watching old DVDs. Ready to part with them? Check out Bluedot’s Guide to Getting Rid of (Almost) Anything. And for Island eco-resources, consult our Ultimate Simple, Smart, Sustainable Handbook to Martha’s Vineyard.
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What’s Behind the Name “Bluedot”?
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“There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world,” astronomer Carl 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.” 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 forwarding this newsletter to your friends and family to share and inspire real-world eco-actions we can take at home and in our
Martha’s Vineyard community.Â
Thanks for being part of our Bluedot community!
–Jamie Kageleiry and Leslie Garrett
Editors, Bluedot Living Martha’s VineyardÂ
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Jamie Kageleiry, a longtime magazine and newspaper editor from Oak Bluffs, says her favorite spot on earth is on the trails around Farm Pond, and out in a kayak there, looking at birds.
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Leslie Garrett has been covering climate stories for close to two decades. A newcomer part-time to the Vineyard, she’s still figuring out her favorite spot but it’s definitely near the water.
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