At Home On Earth

SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES

“With their tails cocked and chests puffed, male Marsh Wrens pour out song after song,” writes one of Bluedot’s bird columnists, Ilene Klein, “and those with the largest repertoires often attract the most mates … This bird belts out songs at a volume that borders on operatic.” Though Ilene photographed this male in California, you can find Marsh Wrens all over the U.S., southern Canada, and Central America. Birds are on the move right now, and you might see Marsh Wrens migrating in the upper Midwest and from Texas to West Virginia. To see what’s flying over you at night wherever you live, check out the Cornell Ornithology Lab’s Birdcast. In Tulsa one night this week, for example, close to 300,000 birds crossed the night skies. Want to hear the mighty Marsh Wren? Listen here.

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”

– Louise Lancaster, U.K. climate activist, in The Guardian

This Sunday, there will be Sun Day events around the world, celebrating the incredible spread of solar energy and reminding all of us that nobody owns the sun, nobody controls the sun, and it continues to offer us its power day after day. It’s a chance to remind ourselves that we are building a better future, even if the headwinds are strong. That, as author, activist, and Sun Day founder Bill McKibben put it, “We now live on a planet where the cheapest way to make energy is to point a sheet of glass at the sun.” Countries around the world are taking full advantage of that reality, installing solar power at record speeds and moving their countries and their people into a clean energy future. Building the new, rather than fighting the old.

(Want to watch the new Sun Day video showing just how this amazing technology is changing the world? Check it out.)

Make sustainable living simple with the Bluedot Living’s Green Home Deluxe Kit — a $170+ value collection of our editors’ favorite Earth-friendly products, free with your membership. You’ll also enjoy exclusive member savings, inspiring community connections, and more planet-positive perks.

• Climate Quick Tip: Calling All Motorheads

• Chilled Asparagus Soup and Dungeness Crab Salad

• Dear Dot: Wildlife-Friendly Mice Eviction? 

• Illinois’s Efforts to Train Solar Workers is Paying Off

• Mighty, Mighty Marsh Wrens

• Field Note: Sustainable Harvest International

• A Restaurant for the Community in San Diego

• Ecotourism as an Alternative Income Source in Panama

• Job Training for Green Careers in Rhode Island

FEATURED STORIES

BIG IDEAS AND LOCAL CHANGEMAKERS

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The cost of veterinary services has been rising recently, with some common surgical procedures costing up to $7,000. Pet insurance can help cover accidents, illnesses, and even routine care, with some plans reimbursing up to 90% of costs. Our Best Pet Insurance list can help you find affordable coverage starting at just $10 a month so you can focus on what matters most – your furry friend's well-being.

Field Note: Sustainable Harvest International

The use of harmful chemicals, monocultures, and slash-and-burn techniques in the farming industry are degrading forests across the globe. Sustainable Harvest International works with family farmers in Central America to reverse this damage through regenerative agricultural practices that help families maintain their livelihoods while protecting the environment.

Dear Dot: Is There a Wildlife-Friendly Way to Get Rid of Mice?

Dear Dot,
About 15 years ago, my house sitter threw away all the mouse poison I had left around our barn and the outside of our home. She rightly pointed out that I was potentially killing the wildlife, and she feared that our cat might get poisoned too. She needn’t have worried about Jessie the cat since she isn’t a hunter. But it isn’t unusual for us to come home after a trip to a mouse nest in our car or engine. A mouse once popped out of our hood onto the ferry! I assumed they were attracted to our car by the Cheerios our then-toddlers dropped. But now we have teens and a new Cheerio-free electric vehicle, and still we came home to a mouse nest in the glove box! What should I do?

– Rona

Dear Rona,

Mice are wily. An adolescent mouse can squeeze into a space roughly the size of a dime. Give them a hint of cold weather, and they’re on the hunt for some winter digs that will keep them cozy. And seldom-used cars — so many nooks and crannies! so easy to access! — act like a well-lit vacancy sign. (As appealing, apparently, is my fireplace, where, as I tap away at my keyboard writing this, my cat captures a tiny mouse in his jaws. I had wondered about Bobcat’s recent fascination with the fireplace. Now I get it.)

But while utterly adorable — those little ears! those teensy whiskers! — mice can be very destructive. Tim Hanjian, owner/operator of Eco Island Pest Control in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, gets lots of calls about rascally rodents. Car parts, including wires, hoses, and upholstery, are often made of organic materials such as soy, peanut oil, and rice husks, making them a veritable buffet for hungry critters. He recommends adopting more than one solution to thwart tiny intruders. …

What does Tim suggest? Read on.

BUY LESS/BUY BETTER: Time to Start Baking

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

It’s almost fall, and we’re ready to start settling into cozy season (even if it does seem  unseasonably warm). One of the best ways to get into the falliday spirit is by baking. This week, we share some favorite items that will help your cookies taste better, and lower their environmental impact: a true win-win.

Flour and Chocolate Chips for Less

Misfits Market sells discounted produce and packaged goods that don’t make it to stores because of sizing, cosmetic, and packaging discrepancies. You’ll find baking essentials such as King Arthur Flour, milled from regeneratively grown domestic wheat, for great prices. Shop now.

Always Oven-Fresh

Enjoy warm cookies and save energy by baking with the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro instead of turning on the oven. Our founder and Dot both love this versatile appliance, which is great for making just a few cookies at a time (and even a whole Thanksgiving turkey!). Shop on Amazon.

Non-Stick Necessity

Silicone baking mats both combat waste and help ensure perfectly unstuck cookies and bakes. Made in France since 1965, Siplat brand mats come with an impressive lifetime warranty, which the company defines as 3,000 baking cycles. The mats come in a number of sizes to fit both your wall and countertop oven. Shop on Amazon.

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Want to make your workplace more sustainable? Check out Harvard University’s guide to making your office greener.

The Keep-This Handbook

Avoiding food waste is one of the most impactful actions you can take at home to mitigate climate change. Here are step-by-step directions on how to compost at home (with worms!).

Bluedot on the Go

Bluedot founder Victoria Riskin has always wanted to bring Bluedot readers together. Starting next year, we’ll be doing just that, in some pretty amazing destinations. We just launched Bluedot Living Travel — trips that will take you to places such as a Montana ranch; Santa Barbara, California; or Little St. Simon’s Island in Georgia (pictured above) — where you can stay in sustainably designed lodging, meet the sorts of local environmental leaders who inspire our stories, and eat great farm-to-table meals. Come along! We have five trips scheduled for next year.

Explore our destinations, and let us know if you have any questions. 

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

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

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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