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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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A winter pilgrimage to the Mojave desert is an annual tradition for many Angelenos, most of whom venture into Joshua Tree National Park to take in the stark beauty of the namesake yuccas among the towering rocks. Though Joshua trees are currently plentiful, scientists and conservationists are concerned that wildfire, changes to climate, habitat loss, and development are threatening the iconic species. So the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is taking proactive steps to help ensure their long-term survival.
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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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In Braiding Sweetgrass, author and botanist Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer blended ecological research with the wisdom of her elders in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Now, 11 years later, she’s back with The Serviceberry, a treatise urging us to reject the scarcity model of our economy and embrace one that promotes reciprocity, gratitude, and abundance, based on the natural lessons of the plant world. Another influential piece of environmental writing, Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Christopher Lysik visited Leopold’s old stomping grounds to learn more about the author and the work his foundation is doing now. |
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Don’t let a broken heater break the bank |
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Home repair costs have surged in recent years due to inflation and supply chain issues, making unexpected breakdowns a financial burden for homeowners. Fortunately, a home warranty could help cover the repair and replacement of your home appliances and systems for a reasonable monthly fee. Check out Money’s list of the Best Home Warranties and start protecting your essential appliances. |
| VIEW LIST |
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–Illustration by Elissa Turnbull |
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Dear Dot,
Do chickens use less water, land, and create fewer carbon emissions than other animals that people eat? Could you break down how much carbon is produced by each type of animal: chicken, beef, pork, sheep, fish, etc.?
– Marjorie
Dear Marjorie,
I passed your question along to our new intern, Holly, who, like so many young people, is a determined researcher and returned to Dot with some interesting findings. Holly turned, first, to Our World in Data, where the tireless data cruncher Hannah Ritchie works. (Ritchie produced Not the End of the World (on Amazon), a book focusing on what the numbers tell us about our path toward a sustainable planet. Bluedot editor Jim Miller wrote about the book.)
Ritchie and her fellow data nerds took a look at the carbon emissions, water consumption, and land use of our most popular meats: beef, lamb, pork, farmed fish, poultry, and tofu (obviously a meat substitute). And then Holly, apparently also a data nerd (this delights Dot. Holly and I are just getting to know each other), gave me her calculations based on her research, telling me that producing 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of beef creates 10 times more carbon dioxide than producing the same amount of poultry, consumes four times the water, and requires almost 27 times the land use. …
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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Guess what, readers? The time has come once again for one of our favorite annual events: The Great Backyard Bird Count, which runs Feb. 14 – 17. Citizen scientists (that’s you!) power this amazing global project by providing data that reveals important information about bird habits, habitats, and populations. Here in L.A. County, we have more than 500 native species (this Natural History Museum video series can help you distinguish between them). To participate, you simply need to settle into a favorite spot for 15 minutes (or more), watch birds, and submit information about what you see to one of two free apps. Beginners should use Merlin Bird ID, which helps to identify species, and more experienced birders should use eBird. If you’d like to count birds and maybe even make some new friends while you’re at it, check out this map of GBBC events around the world.
This week, our marketplace editor shares three of her favorite bird-related products. Click for even more items and to learn about updated birdfeeder safety information in the time of avian flu.
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Etsy sellers offer a delightful assortment of birdhouses, birdfeeders, and birdbaths that will help you invite birds into your home. Georgian, Victorian, Craftsman, mid-mod, hobbit … whatever your dream (bird)house is, you’ll find it on Etsy.
Shop today or read our review. |
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Climate Neutral Certified, 1% for the Planet member company Nocs sells comfortable, quality binoculars that come with a “no-matter-what” lifetime warranty. You can even add on a rig that connects the lenses to your phone for close-up photos. Shop today or read our review. |
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Created by sustainability-focused toymaker Wild Republic in collaboration with Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, these charming stuffed toys make authentic bird calls provided by Cornell’s library of audio recordings. Shop today or read our review. |
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Remember when it was easy to recycle batteries? Yeah, neither do we. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less important, says Notes From the Home Front columnist Krista Halverson. “Follow the path of a battery that’s carelessly tossed in the trash,” she says, “and you might end up in a landfill, where it short-circuits and starts a fire, or where toxic heavy metals leach into soil — including soil where food is grown, and upon which fragile ecosystems depend.” That’s why we need to make the whole battery recycling process clearer and simpler, she says — and everyone needs to recommit to making it work. |
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Keep Rover and Whiskers looking their best: Learn more about Bluedot’s favorite sustainable pet products.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
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Careless oil companies have been polluting the coast of Santa Barbara for decades, and as chief counsel of the Environmental Defense Center, Linda Krop has been battling them almost as long. Bluedot Living founder Vicki Riskin sat down with this fierce advocate to discuss, among other topics, the current long-shot attempt by a shaky oil company to restart a corroded pipeline that’s burst once already. Linda notes, “Sable hasn’t shown it has the financial resources to safely operate these facilities or respond to an oil spill. It doesn't even have approved oil spill contingency plans. It keeps submitting deficient ones. It hasn't shown that it can safely operate.” |
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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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