At Home On Earth

SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES

Heidi Mack looks out on the garden she created at her “Unhurried House.” “Most people in the market for a house look for a place in reasonably good shape,” writes Bluedot contributor Alec Ross, “... Ideally they find something that needs nothing more than a few coats of paint before they move in and live happily ever after.” But Heidi is not most people: a house slated for demolition offered her the chance to rebuild not just a home, but her life, ensuring that nothing went to waste. Check out the before and after photos and read about the slow process of turning a wreck into an energy-efficient, and beloved home. And lucky for anyone in the market to buy, the Unhurried House is now for sale, so all of Heidi’s hard work can be your windfall.

“You have to translate fury into things that change things. Protest is supposed to be an inclusive invitation, not an exclusive rejection.” – John Kerry in conversation with John Doerr

In conversation with Bluedot Living founder Vicki Riskin, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson recently suggested that “we should all know an environmentalist.” An “environmentalist,” she was saying, wasn’t anyone special — it was simply someone who cared about the planet. What’s more, she said, all of us environmentalists needed to act as welcomers to the movement, to pull others in. John Kerry proposes the same thing — a movement that harnesses our frustration and, yes, fury, to create change. But to not simply be against something, rather to be for something better. And to invite others, who may have very different ideas and opinions about many things, to nonetheless join us.

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• Grillable Plant-Based Pizza Burgers
• Create a Pollinator Oasis

• Helping Fish Find Their Flow

• Before and After: The Unhurried House

• Bathing Is for the Birds

• City in a Garden: Walk Across and Around Chicago

• NC Transformation: Abandoned Farmland to Juniper Garden

• Check out the Audubon Society Native Plant List

• A Butterfly’s Return

• Preserve That Produce: Ferment!
  

• Dear Dot: How Can I Keep Microplastics Out of My Body?
  

• Bluedot Guide to Getting Rid of … Your Garden Hose?

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 Bluedot Living Kitchen

City in a Garden: Walk Across and Around Chicago

Our friend Miles Howard likes to walk across cities — it’s why we call him “Miles to Go.” He takes us along on part of Chicago’s 210-mile Outbelt Trail, which traces the extensive garden routes through and around America’s second-biggest city: “While New York may have gotten the party started with Central Park and Prospect Park,” he writes, “few American cities leaned into public parks like Chicago did. By the time Al Capone and Eliott Ness were in a shooting war with each other during the Prohibition era in the 1920s, Chicago had constructed so many parks and gardens that the city motto was Urbs in Horto, which is Latin for ‘City in a Garden.’” 

Dear Dot: How Can I Keep Microplastics Out of My Body?

Dear Dot,

I know from news reports that human bodies are full of microplastics. But … how did they get there? How can I stop this from happening?

– Spencer K

Dear Spencer K,

It almost defies reason that plastics have only been in wide circulation since about the middle of the last century. By the time the Second World War was over, plastics had replaced a plethora of more natural materials in everything from parachutes to aircraft windows, and plastic production in the U.S. had exploded by 300%.

Today, we can find plastic particles in the Mariana Trench, on top of Mount Everest, and in the brains, ovaries, testes, kidneys, livers, and bloodstreams of humans and other animals. In other words, there seems to be literally no place on Earth free of plastic.

Which suggests, Spencer K, that the genie is well out of the plastic bottle.

But though plastic exists in our bodies, our babies, and just about everywhere else, it’s nonetheless worth considering how it made its way there, if only to figure out if we can reduce its prevalence, even slightly. Let Dot give you a guided tour … and provide guidance on what we can do about it. 

BUY LESS/BUY BETTER:

Saving Summer’s Best Produce

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

If you’re a regular at your local farmers market or an avid gardener, you know that this is one of the most beautiful, bountiful times of year. Berries beckon and cucumbers call: “Buy me! Pick me!” If you’d like to extend the life of your produce, try preserving and pickling it. It’s easier than you might think. Our Marketplace editor, an avid canner whose preserves have won ribbons at the L.A. County Fair, recommends Kevin West’s book Saving the Season to novices and experts alike (on Bookshop or Amazon).

Put ’Em Up!

Canning, also affectionately called “putting up” fruits and vegetables, is a time-honored way to preserve the best of the season. We like using old-fashioned Mason jars, the versatile glass jars with the two-part (and now BPA-free) lids. They represent a gold standard in canning, and the jars can be endlessly reused, making them a staple in any sustainable kitchen.

Shop on Amazon or read our review.

Have Fun Fermenting

Every culture has its own favorite fermented condiments. Some of the most famous include kimchi, dill pickles, sauerkraut, and hot sauce. If you’d like to try your hand at pickling a peck of peppers, you’ll want to ferment them. True Leaf Market offers a handy fermentation kit and online fermentation guide that makes it easy to get started. Shop today or read our review.

Stock Up for Smoothies

One great way to get a deal at the farmers market is to ask your local farmers if they have any bruised fruit, sometimes called “seconds,” for sale. Bruised fruits and berries are usually bursting with flavor and cost only a fraction of their prettier brethren. Wash and cut the fruit, freeze it in sturdy Stasher bags, and enjoy it in smoothies and desserts for months to come. Shop today or read our review.

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What You Can Do: Plant This, Not That

Choosing native plants over non-natives and especially invasives helps boost biodiversity and is a plus for pollinators. Bluedot’s ‘plant this, not that’ series offers simple swaps for your garden and landscaping. For instance, Bluedot Toronto recommends planting wild strawberries instead of English Ivy and Zigzag Goldenrod over goutweed. These alternatives might also work great in your planting zone, or you can look up alternatives by seeking out a native plant organization in your region.

The Keep-This Handbook

Backyard Bonding

My dad can spend an entire day sitting outside, listening to the blues and watching hummingbirds flutter and fight by his backyard feeder. Thanks to the temperate SoCal weather, he often does — so often that he’s nicknamed the regulars. (Shout out to the Anna’s hummingbird he calls Mr. Green Jeans!) 

Watching the hummingbirds has become our favorite thing to do together, and it never gets old. The tiny birds have big personalities, and as pollinators, they have a big impact on the environment too. We keep the feeder full, changing it frequently, and the birds reward us by returning. However, planting natives is a much better way to support our winged friends, and as it turns out, you don’t need a lot of space or experience to create a pollinator oasis. Our new hobby has inspired me to build a better, birdier backyard. Installing a bird bath seems like a simple enough start.

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

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

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.

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