|
A Bluedot Living Newsletter
|
|
|
|
|
|
If this newsletter is cut short by your email program. View it in full here.
|
|
SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
|
SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
|
|
DISPATCHES FROM ALL OVER · SUSTAINABLE LIVING ADVICE · ECO-FRIENDLY RECIPES
|
|
|
DISPATCHES FROM ALL OVER SUSTAINABLE LIVING ADVICE ECO-FRIENDLY RECIPES
|
|
“I wanted to show them how the debris basin had done its job. Not to scare them, but to show how nature is beautiful and powerful and meant to be respected. And we can coexist if we pay attention.”
|
–Lizzy Fallows, resident of Montecito, California, who spoke in the New York Times about driving her young daughters around town after one of the area’s recent “atmospheric river” storms. One of the storms arrived on the fifth anniversary of a massive “debris flow”
that had plowed down dozens of homes and killed 23 people. That event made neighbors pause: Should they rebuild on their land? In a place so clearly at risk? They worked together to find a solution, and in the end, worked together (and with engineers and government officials) to create a debris basin that would catch such a flow. This week, that basin worked.
|
|
QUICK LINKS
|
Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in this edition of the Bluedot Newsletter:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We love it when a simple action has a big impact, such as learning that vacuuming the coils on our refrigerators can improve its energy efficiency by
up to 30%. Mr. Fix-it hauls out his Hoover and shows us how to tackle the dust (and Daisy fur) that’s making his fridge work harder to do its important job.
|
Make It Happen |
|
|
|
THE BLUEDOT KITCHEN
|
Prioritizing seasonal and local ingredients gives you sustainable eating at its very best. That even works for “zero-alcohol cocktails” you might want to imbibe during Dry January. Catherine Walthers, our resident cocktail maker, created these for a pair of 91-year-old twins.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Dot: How can I compost in the winter?
|
Dear Dot,
I started a compost pile in my backyard and it’s been doing its thing. But it’s now cold where I live and I noticed that the food waste I’m putting in is just sorta frozen. Should I stop putting anything in my outdoor compost until the weather warms up? –Sonya
Dear Sonya,
My thoughts hearken back to a simpler time and I picture pioneer Dots maybe probably composting like champs through bitter Canadian winters. But I am a wimpier Dot. A summer-loving Dot. Though I’m also a compost-loving Dot. Can’t I just wait for spring to lure me back to my compost heap?
But Kristen Raney has another idea. The Saskatchewan gardener who routinely faces even greater cold offers me a compromise: If your compost bin is too far away or the snow has piled up too high to get there, Kristen tells me, put some outdoor containers closer to your back door — make sure they have lids to keep animals out. And make sure the containers aren’t too large, she says, reminding me that I’ll have to carry them — frozen or melted — to my bin when the weather warms. “The best solution for winter composting in freezing temps,” she says, “is the one you’ll actually do.”
Read Dot’s entire answer
here.
And if you have a question for Dot, send it to: deardot@bluedotliving.com
|
|
|
BUY LESS/BUY BETTER
|
If freezing weather and unrepentant rain leave you wanting nothing more than to curl up with a good book, you’ll love this cozy little collection. Let’s all get a little hygge with our dear ones, shall we? (Often translated as “coziness,” the Danish tradition of hygge can be traced to an old Norse word meaning “protected from the outside world.”) These Marketplace picks should help you stay warm and snug. See our marketplace here.
|
|
|
|
Solmate Socks Solmate’s colorful socks, all made in North Carolina from recycled yarns, will brighten even the bleakest winter mornings. Save 15% off with code BLUEDOT.
|
READ MORE
|
|
|
Bluecorn Candles
Add warmth to your space with elegant beeswax candles from Bluecorn, a small company that has been handmaking candles in rural Colorado for over 30 years.
|
READ MORE
|
|
|
Nui Organics
Whether you’re under the covers or enjoying a snowy hike, Nui’s soft, mostly organic merino wool staples will help keep you warm, dry, and cozy.
|
READ MORE
|
|
|
|
The Bluedot Marketplace includes affiliate links.
We may earn a commission when you purchase products through our links.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Social Hour
|
We love learning how to #reducefoodwaste, whether it's learning how South Korea recycles
food waste, using restaurant scraps to feed the local pigs, or finding recipes with zero food waste!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SIMPLE / SMART /
SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
|
SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
|
Read past issues of The Hub here.
|
|
Bluedot Living® magazine and bluedotliving.com are published by Bluedot, Inc.
Find more simple, smart, sustainable stories at bluedotliving.com or our Martha's Vineyard location, marthasvineyard.bluedotliving.com. Subscribe to this newsletter here.
Write us at editor@bluedotliving.com if you’d like to see a Bluedot newsletter or magazine in your community.
|
|
Click here to unsubscribe | Sent to: _t.e.s.t_@example.com
Bluedot, Inc., 2945 Townsgate Road, Ste 200, Westlake Village, CA 91361, United States
|
|
|