At Home On Earth

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“In a quiet creek off the Savannah River, tupelo trees arch over still black water,” writes new Bluedot contributor Allison Braden. “I guide a group of kayakers into what locals call the tupelo cathedral. Overhead, bright leaves catch the sun like stained glass. The trees will bloom for only about a week — just enough time for bees to gorge on their sweet nectar and make one of the world’s most sought-after honeys.

Tupelos, whose name comes from a Muskogee phrase for ‘swamp tree,’ tower up to 50 feet out of the muddy creek bed, and alligators lurk in their roots. They grow densely enough to yield honey in just a few spots in south Georgia and northeast Florida, where, every spring, beekeepers launch their hives into the swamps.”

Read more about this honey so sweet and rare that Van Morrison wrote a song about it.

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“It was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by the hand of man.”

– Teddy Roosevelt, after camping in Yosemite National Park

The great project that has become the U.S. National Park System began, of course, with Roosevelt and Yellowstone in 1872. From there, the system has grown to 430 areas throughout the United States, its territories, its islands, and encompassing not just parks but memorials, historic sites, seashores, railways, and trails. With changes to federal funding threatening Americas vast wealth of land and history, get out, enjoy, and protect these cherished assets. 

• Paddling to the Source of Tupelo Honey

• Nantucket’s Coatue Refuge is a Tiny National Refuge

• Day-Tripping to Channel Islands National Park

• Avoid Mushy Produce: How to Stock Your Freezer

• Red, White, and Blue: Pascale Beale’s Cherry and Blueberry Tart

• Yellowstone National Park Addresses Climate Change

• Kicky, Colorful, Reusable Loqi shopping bags

• Dear Dot Grills the Experts: Are BBQs Bad for the Environment?

• In Nevada, Scientists Decode the Calls of Mountain Chickadees

FEATURED STORIES

BIG IDEAS AND LOCAL CHANGEMAKERS

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 Bluedot Living Kitchen

Dogs around the country are united in their delight that more cities are choosing to forgo the boom and pop of traditional fireworks in favor of dazzling drone displays. But it’s not just dogs and those of us easily startled who are rejoicing. According to this Bluedot Good News story by Lily Olsen, “Fireworks can also worsen air quality …. According to a 2015 study, July 4th brings an average increase in air pollutants of 42%.” This Independence Day, let’s liberate ourselves from pollutants!

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Dear Dot: Are BBQs Bad for the Environment?

Dear Dot,

How bad is it to use my barbecue? Are there good alternatives?

–Lee

While I’m delighted you’re carbon-curious about your grill habits, Lee, the fact is that outdoor cooking in North America makes up just a teensy-tiny part of carbon emissions. What’s more, Dot, as I’ve mentioned before, is Canadian: We Canucks have barely a nanosecond of weather conducive to outdoor grilling, so are more than a little wary of anyone who wants to pry those BBQ tongs out of our hands. After surviving a Canadian winter, we deserve to grill, goshdarnit! But even those of you who barbecue more frequently in more temperate parts of the continent aren’t likely to create an outsized carbon cook-print. In other words, Lee, while I’m happy to grill the experts on how to cut carbon, don’t sweat your outdoor cooking method too much. …

Read on.

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What You Can Do

Want to give back while basking in nature? From trail maintenance to wildlife conservation to greeting visitors to tree care, volunteers are the backbone of local, state/provincial, and national parks. Find out potential volunteer opportunities (read more, though a word of caution: changes to national park funding might impact available opportunities) and read this Bluedot story from the archives about an initiative in Vermont that trains locals in train stewardship.

The Keep-This Handbook

Grill Power

Summer’s in full swing, and whether or not you’re planning to celebrate July 4th tomorrow, you might be thinking about firing up the grill this weekend. As we learned from Dot, outdoor cooking in North America makes up only a negligible portion of carbon emissions, so the best way to make your BBQ more climate-friendly is to swap the meat for vegetables. I know, it sounds strange — but grills are more versatile than you might think. I still remember the wonder I felt when a friend grilled me a mini veggie pizza on her barbecue. I recommend it — and these artichoke sandwiches, and the vegetable-forward recipes in one of our favorite grilling cookbooks, The Gardener & the Grill. 

Happy grilling, and we’ll see you next week!

– Robin Jones (and Emily Cain, 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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