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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Meet the Peaked Hill Oak in Chilmark. It was one of the first trees that photographer Brian Kelley fell in love with on his mission to memorialize the oldest, largest, and most unusual trees in the country. In The Ancients Among Us, Tessa Permar writes about Kelley’s quest, and the story he discovered about a tree in Edgartown that is the oldest of its species in the country. When you think about trees, think about this: Should they have the same rights as people? Constitutional law professor Jack Fruchtman explores the notion.
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Quick Links |
Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in this edition of the Bluedot Newsletter:
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Happy Early Mother’s Day! |
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Illustration by Kate Feiffer
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We’re big fans of Kate Feiffer and Mollie Doyle, so were happy that they collaborated on this “Room for Change” piece about workout wear in our spring issue. Mollie claims to be addicted to stretch yoga gear, which is comfy and flattering but spews plastic into our water. (Luckily, she has ideas about
how to have it all.) Mollie’s been doing these columns since we launched Bluedot three years ago — you can find them all here. Kate was also an early contributor of illustrations, but also wrote this great essay where she wondered why the heck people litter. In addition to being an illustrator and writer of essays (and many children’s and young adult books),
Kate’s a novelist, with a new book, Morning Pages, coming out this week. You can find it at Bunch of Grapes or Edgartown books, and, if you’d like to meet the author herself (for the few people on MV who haven’t met Kate), there’s an event at the Carnegie in Edgartown on June 8.Â
We were lucky enough this week to be included in a sendoff party for Rebecca Haag, who’s retiring as executive director at IGI. (Here’s our Local Hero profile of her.) IGI will be in good hands with new co-leaders Michelle Gittlen and Noli Taylor (here’s a story we did on Noli a few years ago). Congratulations to both!Â
Next week is Mother’s Day. One of our favorite Bluedot essays is copyeditor Laura Roosevelt’s tribute to her “pinchpenny” mom, an early environmentalist.Â
In the end, we all share Mother Earth. We hope you'll help us tell the stories of changemakers working toward a more sustainable Mother Earth by donating here. And maybe share this newsletter with your mom, if you can. We’re sure she’d love to hear from you.
–Jamie Kageleiry (and Leslie Garrett)
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Paid Advertisement from NativePath Collagen
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Get Yours Today
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Check Bluedot Marketplace’s many options for eco-friendly
laundry.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
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While cruising around the Island with Geoff, Solviva founder Anna Edey — who’s been seeking ways to live sustainably for more than 50 years — told him she bought an all-electric car in 1994 from a gentleman in Gay Head who’d converted it from a 1981 Honda. The car didn’t work out, but in 2010, Anna bought one of the first all-electric Nissan Leafs. She loved the Leaf so much that when it was sideswiped and totalled, she bought two Leafs to replace it. Read more here.
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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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Mother’s Day can be an emotional holiday. The most important thing to remember this time of year is to take care of yourself and those you love. Whether you’re shopping for your mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, wife, partner, or simply yourself, we hope you’ll find inspiration in this list of eco-friendly gift ideas.
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Gorgeous paper bouquets from Unwilted will last forever. Buy now or read our review.Â
Cheerful organic cotton pajamas in inclusive sizing. Buy now or read our review.
Everyday fine jewelry with hip, minimalist designs. Buy now or read our review.
Chic shoes and handbags from Nisolo come with Sustainability Facts (like about nutrition for the planet). Buy now or read our review.Â
Unique online learning experiences on subjects like '80s cocktails, Pollinator Gardens, Dog Massage Therapy, and so much more from B Corp Uncommon Goods. Buy now.
A Dutch oven from Le Creuset can pass down from generation to generation. Buy now (on Amazon) or read our review.Â
Pascale Beale’s Les Fruits: Savory and Sweet Recipes From the Market Table on cooking with fruit all year long. Buy now (on Amazon).
Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver focuses on the beauty of the natural world. Buy now (on Amazon).
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,
How long does leftover food last in a refrigerator? Is it important to cover or seal it, and why?Â
–David, West Tisbury
Dear David,
“Food” is a pretty broad category. Some “leftover food,” of course, lasts months, like peanut butter and salad dressings. But Dot assumes you mean leftover things you’ve cooked, like pasta, or chicken, or fish.
While we have already taken a careful look at the myths and misinformation around expiration dates, and we have provided a handy-dandy guide to avoiding food waste (proper storage is key), you are right to point out that we have not addressed either how long we might safely store leftovers in the fridge or how to store them appropriately. So let us take this opportunity to remedy that omission.
But first, experts consistently advise us to store food in “sealed airtight containers,” so let’s consider why. While airtight containers don’t actually prevent food from spoiling (bacteria exists within the container), they do prevent any spoilage from contaminating other food. But the real benefit of airtight containers is their ability to contain smells and hydration. A fridge is a dry environment — a good thing! — but we need only leave a sandwich or a piece of cheese unsealed in the fridge to understand the impact a fridge has on a food’s hydration. Airtight containers keep moisture — and odors — in! And … for how long do these  leftovers last in our airtight containers? That, of course, depends.
On what? Read on.Â
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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Horseshoe crabs have been around for 350 million years — since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Now, thanks to an effort spearheaded by Mass Audubon, they’re better protected from suffering the same fate. (Read more here on why an organization dedicated to birds is protecting crabs.) Spring is when most horseshoe crabs breed and lay eggs, with a single female horseshoe crab capable of laying up to 80,000 eggs in one season. It’s also the season that fishermen like using them for bait. In March, the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFAC) approved a ban on harvesting
horseshoe crabs during the spring spawning season (April 15 to June 7).
Want to help cheer the success of this decades-long effort to protect them? Join Mass Audubon, QueerHubMV, and other nature lovers at the West Tisbury Library on Thursday, May 16, from 6 to 7:30 to celebrate Bloodtide — a new holiday in homage to horseshoe crabs.
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HANDBOOK |
While the election is still months away, it’s a good time to let your elected representatives know that you want to see even more climate action — on top of the historic progress that the Biden administration has achieved. Find the contact info for our reps at Bluedot’s Ultimate Simple, Smart, Sustainable Handbook to Martha’s Vineyard.
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What’s Behind the Name “Bluedot”? |
“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.
Happy Mother's Day, and we'll see you at the Climate Action Fair at the Ag Hall, two weeks from today!
–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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