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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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Our garden writer Laura McLean goes guerilla with these seed bombs that you can use to spread native plants and wildflowers in your neighborhood. She gives a few recipe options, with the messiest one being her favorite. “The joy and magic of seed balls is we don’t know where they might land. Maybe they are purposefully planted in our garden, placed in a seed library, or tossed into an empty lot or the forgotten space between the
sidewalk and street. It’s guerilla gardening!”
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Quick Links |
Skip scrolling! Here's what you'll find in today's Bluedot San Diego newsletter:
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A couple artsy stories for the birds: First, globetrotting photographer Yasmin Namini stops by Lake Kerkini in northern Greece and catches some awesome images of pelicans (Dalmation and Great White). Then writer Lily Olsen talks with artist Thomas Deininger about his mesmerizing bird sculptures. Made from plastic trash, they appear to be amazingly lifelike from one angle, but reveal wild scenes from the others. He says: “What I'm doing is not a practical solution. It's absurdist sculpture. Maybe it raises awareness. But really, it's almost metaphorical. Shifting our perspective is really what's most important about solving bigger problems.” (Watch
the amazing transformation in the Instagram video in the story.)
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– Illustration by Elissa Turnbull
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Dear Dot,
I know moving to a plant-based diet is good for the planet. But I wonder about whether some nuts (cashews and almonds, for example) have a large footprint as well in terms of land use, water use, and transportation. What say you?
– Ann
Dear Ann,
Over the past few decades, powerful marketing campaigns have convinced us that nuts, while calorie dense, are healthy. Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine determined in a study of more than 200,000 men and women in the Southern United States and Shanghai that the more nuts people consume, the lower their death rates from all causes, and especially from heart disease and stroke!
Less death is a good thing, Ann. We can all agree on that. But nuts, like any food, have an impact on our environment. Alas, we cannot live on air. So let’s consider how nuts stack up environmentally against other foods. Let’s, ahem, crack this climate nut open. …
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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Spring has finally sprung, and it’s glorious. Some of you may be embarking on major cleaning projects; others may just want to pull on whatever’s closest and take a long walk outside. Either way, chances are you’ll want to wash at least the socks and undies you wore doing it. This week, we’re showcasing two Bluedot laundry faves and two innovations that may just change how you do laundry.
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Dirty Labs makes super-concentrated, enzyme-powered, plastic-free detergent that’s available fragrance-free and in two sophisticated scents (think magnolia and matcha). They also make an excellent enzyme booster for particularly dirty loads. Save 15% on your first order with code BLUEDOT. Shop today or read our review.
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All dryer balls reduce static cling, decrease drying time, and prevent the need to buy wasteful, often toxic dryer sheets. Only Friendsheep dryer balls make us smile every time we do the wash. The Fair Trade brand’s cheerful colors and patterns have elevated dryer balls to an art. Save 10% with code BLUEDOT. Shop today or read our review.
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A newsletter reader emailed us about the Terra Wash+Mg, a little magnesium-filled satchel that she uses to wash clothes. “I haven't bought bottled detergent in four years,” she wrote, yet “very dirty clothes come out clean.” Our marketplace editor started using it in January and has been amazed. Shop on Amazon or read our review.
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If you often re-run your dryer due to tangled-up sheets, you’ll love the Wad-Free, a little device that you connect to the corners of sheets before washing. Miraculously, it prevents wads, saving you — and your dryer — precious time and energy. Shop on Amazon or read our review.
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Paid Advertisement with Money Pet
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Pet insurance could help you offset rising veterinary costs
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Veterinarians nationwide reported that corporate managers pushed clinics to focus on profit, with vets often paid based on revenue. This encouraged them to see more pets, order more tests, and upsell services, creating a growing burden for uninsured pet owners. Pet insurance could help you offset some of these rising costs, with some providing up to 90% reimbursement. View Money’s top pet insurance picks to see plans starting at only $10/month.
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| SEE PROVIDERS
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January’s wildfires in Pacific Palisades burned through neighborhoods mere feet from the Pacific Ocean. Firefighters couldn’t make use of that ocean adjacency, though, because saltwater corrodes metal
firefighting equipment and absorbs moisture from soil, hindering plant regeneration. But what if ocean water could be used to help fight fires and solve other water shortages? Oneka Technologies, a small Quebec-based company that builds desalination plants, thinks it can, and is currently testing its largest plant off the coast of Nova Scotia.
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Getting Green |
While it took a long time to get here, the rain of the last few weeks has been most welcome. We’re not much into gardening, but watching everything green up is an annual treat. We’ve done a little planting, replacing tired flora with some natives. We also mulch (like our friend Lizzy) to keep the moisture on the plant roots. Like in the garden, we like to think we’re getting a little greener in our lives
and home every day, making modest, easy changes that add up over time. Planting little eco-living sprigs that, with a little mulch, grow into a much more healthy and sustainable lifestyle before you know it. It’s not hard, it just takes a little growth.
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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