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Welcome to Bluedot Living Los Angeles, a newsletter that gathers local good news, good food, and good tips for living every day more sustainably. |
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Welcome to Bluedot Living Los Angeles, a newsletter that gathers local good news, good food, and good tips for living every day more sustainably. |
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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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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES |
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Year in Review |
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This week, we’re taking a look back at our most-read stories of 2024. In the top spot: a tour of Ed Begley Jr.’s Los Angeles home. Ed and his wife, Rachelle, showed Bluedot editor Jim Miller all the green features in their LEED Platinum-certified house, from the solar panels on the roof to the gray-water system to the tile made with post-consumer recycled content. “It’s super, super efficient,” Ed says. “So she gets all her stuff that she wants, French Mediterranean design, she gets all of that. And I get to have all the stuff hidden in the walls that nobody ever sees.” |
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Quick Links |
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Skip scrolling! Here’s what you’ll find in today’s Bluedot Los Angeles newsletter: |
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Paid Advertisement |
The Climate Movement Needs YOU! |
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Taking bold measures to stop the climate crisis requires all of us—non-profit leaders, professionals, recent college graduates, retirees, and community members—to work together. CEC’s Climate Stewards program is designed to provide participants with the tools needed to take individual and collective action that makes an impact. Forge community connections, gain confidence in communicating about the climate crisis, and join a growing network of nearly 200 Climate Stewards leading grassroots climate action along the California Central Coast. Anyone can be a Climate Steward. Join the groundswell of climate action today. Next cohort starts January 28, 2025. |
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Our second-most-popular story in 2024: a look at the City Nature Challenge, which started in 2016 as a friendly competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco to see which city could document the most nature. It was such a hit that by the second year, 16 cities were participating. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find amateur naturalists participating in the challenge in 600 cities around the world. Coming in at number three was our story about TransparentSea Farm in Downey. Owner Steve Sutton was working as a biologist for the federal government, collecting data used to regulate fishing in the United States, when he learned that nearly 90% of the seafood in the U.S. is imported from places where the fishing industry is only minimally regulated, if at all. Surprised and motivated by a desire to change the industry, he decided to open his own aquaculture company. Business is booming, he says: “We've shown that there's a lot of people hungry for more stuff like this.” |
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Language Learning Starts Here |
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–Illustration by Elissa Turnbull |
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Dear Dot,
What is a smart plug?
–Julia D.
Dear Julia,
A smart plug is a little device (available on Amazon) that plugs into an outlet and into which you can plug appliances and other devices. But because it's “smart,” you can control it remotely, turning off said devices and appliances when they’re unneeded or charged. In that way, smart plugs can save you energy and reduce or eliminate what’s called “phantom” energy. “Phantom power, for those who aren’t familiar with the term, isn’t the realization that poltergeists are living in your attic (though who’s to say they’re not?),” I wrote in a previous column. “Sometimes also called ‘standby power,’” I continued, “it refers to the roughly 10 percent of a home’s energy sucked by various devices in your house, whether or not they are in use. Likely culprits include anything with a blinking light or LED display — a stereo, a coffee maker, a computer monitor, but also chargers for electronics, even when your devices aren’t charging or hooked up at all. The old advice was to unplug anything you didn’t need from the wall, but given the ever-increasing number of appliances and gadgets in our homes, that’s no longer practical.”
Read the rest of Dot’s answer.
Got a question for Dot? Write her at deardot@bluedotliving.com.
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If you make a purchase through our links, including from Amazon, we may earn a small commission. |
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As we approach the end of the holiday season, many of us are in the same boat: There’s nothing we want more than to curl up in bed for a cozy, restful sleep. Days full of travel, family time, holiday festivities, and end-of-year crunches at work or school can sap your energy. Upgrade your bedtime relaxation rituals to go into the new year rested and recharged. |
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We love Outerknown for their high-quality, thoughtfully constructed garments that are designed to last a lifetime. Editor Julia Cooper recently gifted her partner a pair of their Sunday Sweatpants when their furnace broke earlier this month and he (unconvincingly) insisted that sleeping in jeans was perfectly comfortable. They’re heavy-duty, plush, and just tailored enough to convert a particularly stubborn sweatpants skeptic. Shop today or read more. |
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A warm cup of herbal tea is a delightful way to wrap up a long, stressful day. Numi Teas are all USDA Organic, Fair Trade or Verified Labor Certified, and their whole operation is Climate Neutral Certified. With countless varieties to choose from, it’s easy to become a part of the Numi “communitea.” Shop today or read more. |
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Limiting screentime before bed is a great way to improve your sleep hygiene. Instead of scrolling through your phone checking emails or social media before your head hits the pillow, pick up a book! ThriftBooks’ enormous library is packed with affordable options, like Bluedot favorite read How to Do Nothing. Shop today or read more. |
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Pact partners with Fair Trade USA, Global Organic Textile Standard, and SimpliZero to ensure their products and processes support both people and the planet. Their organic cotton loungewear makes for the perfect pajamas. Shop today or read more. |
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Highly discerning Bluedot contributing editor Mollie Doyle calls Boll & Branch her preferred bedding. With six different sheet materials to choose from (percale, flannel, linen, chambray, signature, and reserve), you’re sure to find something to suit your personal textural preference. Shop today or read more. |
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Paid Advertisement with 1440 Media |
Join the 4 million readers who start their day with 1440. |
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I don’t watch traditional news channels and haven’t in years. They don’t report the news but create it. I was tired of not being in the know and then I found 1440. Finally, an unbiased news source! All your news. None of the bias. Our daily email newsletter is edited to be as unbiased as humanly possible and is triple-checked (by hand!). You'll get news on politics, business, sports, science, and beyond. |
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Our top recipe of 2024 was Santa Barbara-based chef Pascale Beale’s basil-shallot pesto. Sure, it’s great on pasta, but we also love it on caprese sandwiches, flatbreads, or even dolloped on a grain bowl or roasted vegetables. |
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Robin Jones is a Southern California native who served as an editor at Westways magazine for more than a decade. She currently lives in Long Beach and teaches journalism at Cal State Long Beach, where she advises the award-winning student magazine, DIG MAG. She loves road-tripping across California, especially when the itinerary includes stops in Arcata and Trinidad. |
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