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Welcome to Bluedot Living San Diego, 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 San Diego, 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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Fredrika Syren, who lives in the Talmadge area of San Diego and started The Zero Waste Family website, says motherhood was a big impetus for the family’s lifestyle: “When I became a mom for the first time in 2006, I realized that climate change will be the biggest threat my children will face. As a family, we began to work on reducing our own carbon footprint, one step at a time, until 2015, when we decided to challenge ourselves to be zero waste.” If she and her family can’t compost or recycle it, they don’t buy it. In this Q&A, Fredrika discusses how her family embraces eco-consciousness, navigates challenges, and has discovered the beauty of living with zero waste. Plus, she shares a cookie recipe and homemade soft scrub! |
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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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Transportation accounts for the largest slice of the U.S. carbon pollution pie and a major chunk of other nasty air pollutants. Greening up our rides is going to be a major step in reducing environmental and health problems, so we’ve got a couple of eco-transportation stories for you. First, California’s great public universities have long been hotbeds of innovation, and we love this story from UCLA about roads and bus stops that will wirelessly recharge buses while they are in service, reducing down time. The electric buses will also serve the 2028 Olympics, which will have the athletes’ village at UCLA. Closer to home, UCSD has a cool electric vehicles program that helps students get around without burning gas. Next, Carlsbad-based Aptera is trying to reimagine the car from the ground up to be as efficient as possible and powered by the sun. We visited them in 2023, and they continue to clear hurdles to getting their revolutionary, crowd-funded vehicle on the road. |
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull |
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Dear Dot,
I’ve heard that bike transit could really help fight climate change. Why aren’t cities embracing bicycle infrastructure?
– Kyle
Dear Kyle,
The short answer: While more cities are building cycling infrastructure (thanks Inflation Reduction Act!), there’s a lot more that needs to be done. We can help by getting involved in local cycling advocacy groups (San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, People for Bikes, and others), and pushing our towns and cities to create safer routes for cyclists and pedestrians. Let’s not rest until cyclists are treated with the same consideration as motorists. …
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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It’s a funny time of year. Spring is on the horizon, yet the weather hardly encourages spending evenings (and sometimes, days) outside. At this point in the winter, you may feel like you’ve exhausted your indoor amusements. If you could use a boost, consider one of these great items. |
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What’s a cozy day at home without a good book? You can find almost any volume at a great price on ThriftBooks. The site lists books by condition, with many in perfect shape, and offers a number of rare books and first editions that can be fun to browse.
Shop today or read our review. |
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Puzzlers be warned: British-made Wentworth puzzles may become your next obsession. Fortunately, your family will be able to enjoy these puzzles for generations. There’s just nothing else like the feel of putting together the laser-cut wooden pieces, including the themed “whimsy” pieces that really add to the fun. Shop today or read our review. |
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Oregon-based Mountain Rose Herbs prioritizes sustainability and ethical sourcing in the selection of its wonderful teas and tea blends. The brand offers loose-leaf and bagged teas as well as quality tea-making tools, including steeping implements and a handy tea bag squeezer (no more burned fingertips or ripped tea bags!). Shop today or read our review. |
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On the front lines of climate change in Antarctica, the impacts of a warming world reveal themselves in surprising ways. Megan Cimino, an adjunct professor of Ocean Sciences at UC Santa Cruz and associate researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences, takes us to Antarctica to tell us about her research on penguins, brown skuas, and more. |
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Inside each issue of Bluedot Living Kitchen, you’ll find fresh cooking inspiration for seasonal, planet-friendly eating, tools and tips for creating a more sustainable kitchen, and inspiring stories of the people behind your food. Don’t miss the groundbreaking education and regenerative farming work of Vermont’s Shelburne Farms, our tribute to maple syrup, low-impact recipes to celebrate Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day, and more!
Claim a free sample of this issue now! No payment information required. |
| Get Your FREE Sample |
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Artist Benjamin Von Wong started out as a mining engineer, then became a commercial photographer, but longed for work with more meaning. Now he creates arresting photographs and installations that bring the impact of waste to life as art. How much e-waste will you generate in a lifetime? How much clothing waste? How many plastic bottles or straws? Benjamin has visualized the answers with photos and installations that force us to consider our impact. He says: “I think that so much of the environmental crisis is just a depressing space to be in because these issues just keep getting worse over time. And I think the hope is going to lie in the solutions. And so if I can also balance out this pessimism with some optimism and some solutions, I think that would be a really healthy relationship.” |
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From Here to There |
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While National Parks and other wide-open spaces occupy the imagination of many environmentalists, we need to think more clearly about our “built environment” where we spend 99% of our time: our houses, our towns and cities. We singled out a few green transportation stories for this newsletter. But it’s not just about cars and buses and bikes. It’s also about housing and transportation as a system, and about how the myths we cling to prevent us from doing better.
While researching penguins in Antarctica is important (and cool), how we make our houses and cities greener (and better!) affects a lot more people. Our choices, and our voices, matter more in local issues than in global. And that’s powerful. Use them!
We’ll see you 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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