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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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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Do You Own an EV?
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Electric vehicles (and plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles) are a big part of California’s strategy to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants. And while there has been a lot of chatter in the media about “backlash” to EVs, at least in California, sales are soaring. Charging infrastructure has grown past 10,000 public stations, with plans for 40,000 more. The futuristic, SD-based Aptera is scheduled to hit the streets this year. Meeting the state’s ambitious EV goals will be challenging, but if you’ve joined the EV revolution, we’d like to hear from you! Drop us a
line at sdeditor@bluedotliving.com and tell us about your EV so we can share the pros and cons, the tips and tricks. (Bonus points: Include a photo of you and your ride.)
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Quick Links
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Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in today's Bluedot San Diego Newsletter:
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A new study shows that cuteness can be good for the environment! Sea otters, which were once almost hunted to extinction, have bounced back big time. And as they devour crabs and other critters that can exacerbate
erosion, they actually help improve their own ecosystem. On the home front, when writer Krista Halverson found lead paint on the windows of her historic California house where she lived with
her two small children, she calmly and reasonably mulled her options. JK … she freaked the heck out. But she did eventually find that a painting-over-it process called “encapsulation” can be
preferred to messy and costly removal.
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Dear Dot: What’s the Deal With Compostable and Biodegradable Plastics?
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,
What’s the deal with compostable and biodegradable plastics? Are they really compostable? Can I toss these plastics in my recycle bin? Or is there another way I should be disposing of them? Also, why is this all so damn confusing?
– Lou
My dear, confused (join the club!) Lou,
Prof. Mark Miodownik knows. The author of a paper on the subject published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainability said, in the National Observer, “The bottom line is that home compostable plastics don’t work.” He continued, “Let’s just stop. Let’s not pretend to ourselves that it’s going to be some sort of panacea, and you can sell people stuff without really having the infrastructure to deal with the waste and hope that it’s all going to go away.”
He sounds a bit angry, doesn’t he, Lou? And why wouldn’t he be? Why wouldn’t we be? These products are sold to us as a solution. Instead, they are often just replacing one problem with another.
The Short Answer: The most environmentally sustainable choice is the product that will be reused over and over again. Which means, Lou, that Dot can deliver a simple response: Avoid one-and-done products even when they’re promising biodegradability and compostability. …
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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BUY LESS/BUY BETTER: Top Online Shopping
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The San Diego newsletter and The Bluedot Marketplace include affiliate links.
If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a small digital finder’s fee.
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This week, our Marketplace editor shares three of her favorite marketplaces. These online stores feature thoughtfully curated brands that
prioritize eco-friendly materials, ingredients, or manufacturing processes. If you’d like to shop online without the stress, start here.
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The One-Stop
Shop
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Wooden toys, reusable paper towels, silicone baking sheets, toothpaste tabs, organic cotton socks, rubber pacifiers, latex pillows, compostable phone cases … EarthHero has almost everything.
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Buy now or
read our review.
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The Hippest
Marketplace
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Montreal-based Goodee carries hip decor, gardening tools, and other useful objets from around the world. We love the focus on what Goodee calls endangered and heritage crafts, which represent a third of the items they sell.
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Buy now or
read our
review.
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The Affordable
Online Grocer
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Thrive, a membership-based market, offers a plethora of quality items at great prices (vitamins in particular are a steal). The yearly fee quickly pays for itself. Try the house label for organic oils, nuts, and dried fruit.
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Buy now or
read our
review.
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Milkweed is the host plant for monarchs, meaning it is the only plant that female monarchs lay their eggs on and the food source for growing caterpillars. A Monarch Waystation needs at least ten milkweed plants and ideally two different species. Our garden columnist Laura McLean says, “Committing your green space to become a monarch waystation might feel small
and insignificant in this vast world, but to each butterfly that finds milkweed to lay an egg on or nectar-rich flowers to fuel their migration, it matters. The added bonus of supporting monarchs in your garden is connecting your green space to the larger ecosystem and supporting all pollinators, like bees, moths, birds, and ladybugs.” Learn more about planting native milkweed.
Do you have a special San Diego nature photo or story to share?
Email sdeditor@bluedotliving.com.
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BLUEDOT KITCHEN: Kid-Friendly Dishes
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If you’ve got kids, you’ve probably got picky eaters. We’re here to help. Carrots are great raw or cooked, but they’re really tasty and tangy as a topping for burgers or hot dogs. Plus, these easy fermented carrots are like a science project you can do with your little ones. And chicken nuggets and ranch sauce are kid staples, so this awesome recipe ensures higher-quality ingredients than what’s in the freezer aisle or in a bottle.
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Many awesome wines are grown sustainably, with great care for all things environment (Trefethen springs to mind). But while glass bottles are easily recyclable, and natural cork is biodegradable, these weird little boxes have considerable advantages. “Compared to conventional 750ml glass wine bottles, Tetra Paks use 54% less energy, create 80% less greenhouse gasses, produce 60% less solid waste
volume, and also have 92% less package weight. Because of their lightweight, space-efficient design, Tetra Paks also allow for more efficient transportation both before and after being filled with delicious wines.”
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Celebrate plastic-free. One good idea is to buy some glasses and plates at a thrift store, and then donate them back after the gathering. Plus, Dear Dot reminds us that balloons blow.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
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Embrace Change
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People hate change. One study showed that monkeys are better at dealing with change than people are. Even beneficial changes can take a while: British scientists discovered that citrus fruits eradicated scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) in 1747, but the Royal Navy waited until 1795 to stock limes (hence “limeys” for British sailors), and the British merchant marine delayed until 1865. That same year, 1865, Louis Pasteur invented the sterilization process now known as “pasteurization,” but it wasn’t widely required in the U.S. for fifty years (half a century of children dying needlessly from tainted milk). Change is hard. But if we’re going to build a greener planet, we’re going to have to change. And the fact is: Everything is always changing anyway!
Electric vehicles are a great example: They’re different but not too different. And as they become common, they get accepted. Today’s Tesla becomes tomorrow’s Aptera. We tried fixing plastic pollution with “compostable” plastic and with recycling, but it turns out the best solution is to stop using plastic whenever possible. Things change, and to help the environment, sometimes the best thing to do is embrace it. Look forward, not back.
We’ll be back 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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