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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES

We’re always psyched when the folks at Remodelista come out with a new book. Bluedot editor Leslie Garrett had the enviable job of reviewing their latest, Gardenista: The Low-Impact Garden. The goal of the book, she found, is to address a growing desire for “a new kind of garden … more enjoyably abundant and imperfect, looked after by a person rather than a cleanup crew.” Leslie’s story is full of tips, like “If your lawn wants to be moss, let it be moss,” and “Make stepping stones out of a dead trunk.”

The kitchen is where some of our biggest waste adds up — but it’s also where small changes go a long way. Our plastic-free kitchen collection features everyday essentials made from durable, low-impact materials like stainless steel, glass, and natural fibers — easy swaps for things you already use. From food storage to cleaning tools, these are simple upgrades designed to reduce waste without sacrificing function.

“Our fossil fuel addiction is dying a very long and painful death. Weather disasters are still surging, coral reefs are still imperiled, plastics still pour into the oceans. What is also true is that someone somewhere is working on an extraordinary fix that you may not have heard about.”

– Kathryn Kohm, editor-in-chief of Anthropocene, a magazine focused on state-of-the-art climate solutions. 

This is also at the heart of Bluedot’s mission. Conceived as a digital media company focused not just on the conviction that climate change is the problem of our lifetimes, but also on what’s being done about it, we tell you about the technological advances, the neighborhood groups, the conservationists and activists and backyard scientists. They’re fun and interesting to read about, and their stories inspire all of us to create change in our homes, our communities, and our world. This Earth Day/Week/Month/Year, let’s, yes, acknowledge the threat of climate change. And then let’s do what we’ve always done: Get to work fixing it. And if you’d like to support our solutions-focused journalism, you can do that here. 

• A Yard Sale Where Everything Is Free

• Room for Change: Outdoor Furniture

• Me and Secondhand: Treasure After Treasure After Treasure

• Heat Pumps Are Cool

• Step Up for Earth Day Events

• No Need to Speak: Hats That Make a Statement

• Gardenista Is Full of Planet-Friendly Garden Tips

• Quick Vietnamese Pickles

• Podcast: Why (and How) to Detox Your House of Plastic

• Dear Dot: I Need a Deck Discussion

FEATURED STORIES

BIG IDEAS AND LOCAL CHANGEMAKERS

Step up and volunteer for any of your local organizations.

Bluedot Kitchen

Bluedot founder Victoria Riskin is on a campaign to show us why, and how, to do with less plastic in our homes. For Bluedot’s Imagine If  podcast, Vicki talked with Louie Psihoyos, one of the directors of the film Plastic Detox. “I’m convinced,” she says of the film, “that this is one of those rare works that could genuinely change the way we live, not just intellectually, but practically — right down to which objects in our kitchens, closets, and bathrooms we decide to keep or get rid of.” 

Check out the podcast. 

For just $5/month, you can become a Bluedot Living member — investing in a healthier planet while unlocking real, everyday benefits for yourself. You'll enjoy 10% off every purchase from Bluedot Living Collection, our editor-curated marketplace of planet-friendly brands and products and you'll receive additional member-only store discounts each month. Many members recoup the cost of membership in just a handful of purchases from our store. From there, the savings continue — making sustainable living more accessible, affordable, and impactful.

Dear Dot: I Need a Deck Discussion

Illustration by Elissa Turnbull

Dear Dot,

I want to put a deck on my home to have a place to enjoy the views and wildlife. I’ve read that composite decking is environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled materials and doesn’t require chopping down trees. However, I’m skeptical of any materials containing plastics or chemicals. Are composites really as eco-friendly as they seem?

–Sam, Massachusetts

Dear Sam,

Oh, how I long for the simple questions. Alas, it seems my fate (or, at the least, my job) to wade through the not-so-simple, to parse the rhetoric soaked in eco-friendly promises, to bear the weight of your and my consumer choices.

But perhaps we complicate things unnecessarily. I’m reminded, for instance, of a line from Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, a groundbreaking book published in 2002, that boldly urges us, when considering design and materials, to “stop trying to be less bad and … start figuring out how to be good.”

So, Sam, let us determine how that applies to your desired wildlife-viewing platform. 

Keep reading for Dot’s deck-omendations. Wondering what to put on your deck or porch? Check out our Room for Change column focused on outdoor furniture.

BUY LESS/BUY BETTER: 
Hats That Make a Statement

If you make a purchase through our links, including from Amazon, we may earn a small commission.

A Bluedot Living hat turns sustainability into a fashion statement — a little signal or conversation starter, and a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Each cap features a phrase pulled from the world of responsible production and environmental impact, reimagined with a sense of humor and personality. From “fair trade” to “farm raised” to “fermented” (and more), along with your preferred font and color, the choices will spoil you. 

These caps are made from organic cotton and produced in a WRAP-certified factory that meets globally recognized standards for fair labor, worker safety, and ethical production. We also plant a tree with every purchase. Now through the end of April, you’ll save 15% when you enter code BLUEDOTHAT15 at checkout. 

Find Your Phrase 

Let your hat do the talking! Bluedot Living’s organic baseball cap is embroidered with one of 13 planet-positive phrases — like “energy efficient” and “regenerative” — so you can wear your values out loud. Made from 100% organic cotton with a brass slider, it’s designed for everyday comfort, durability, and better impact all around.

Yeah, we know that our readers work 24/7 to make the world better. But Earth Day offers up a whole lot of additional activities. Visit the official Earth Day site to find events near you, or check out the bulletin board at your local library, community center, neighborhood Facebook group, or wherever else you find area activities. 

The Keep-This Handbook

Last year’s (or last decade’s?) prom dress taking up real estate in your closet? Pass it along so that someone else can feel gorgeous on prom night. Like a fairy godmother, Bluedot’s Guide to Getting Rid of (Almost) Anything has some ideas.

Gotta Love a Free-For-All

I rarely leave my friend Krista’s house empty-handed. Before I can say goodbye, she’s loading me up with a stack of books, half of a freshly baked cake, a sharpened Blackwing pencil, or a vintage skirt she thinks my daughter will like. She has exquisite taste — I’ve enjoyed everything she’s given me — so when she told me about her “yard sale where everything is free,” I marked the date on my calendar right away.

As I arrived at her house on the day of the “sale,” one friend was packing her trunk with throw pillows, artwork, and flowerpots, excited about the color they would bring to her new apartment. While I perused the housewares, another friend gathered a stack of throw rugs that she planned to donate to a local theater company. I ended up with a sturdy backpack and a set of simple white bowls that my husband and I use every day.

It’s always a joy to get something useful for free. But the real delight that day was watching everyone finding new uses for old, but still good, things. (The backpack we brought home is now mostly a gym bag, for example.) If you’ve done some spring cleaning but don’t want to deal with a traditional yard sale, I highly recommend Krista’s approach. 

Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you next week.

– Robin Jones (and Emily Cain, Leslie Garrett, and Jamie Kageleiry)

Editors

Write us at editor@bluedotliving.com

Leslie Garrett has been covering climate stories for close to two decades.  She makes her home in Canada, west of Toronto. She’s still figuring out her favorite spot but it’s definitely near the water.

Jamie Kageleiry, a longtime magazine and newspaper editor from Martha’s Vineyard, says her favorite spot on earth is out on a kayak there, looking at birds.

Robin Jones is a Southern California native who served as an editor at Westways magazine for more than a decade. She lives in Long Beach and teaches journalism at Cal State Long Beach.

Emily Cain is a recent graduate of Cal State Long Beach, where she wrote and edited for the university’s award-winning magazine, DIG.

Our audience is informed, intentional, and tuned in to sustainable living. Reach our 300,000 readers by advertising here, or contact adsales@bluedotliving.com to reserve your space.

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