Dear Readers,

As we embark on International Women’s Month, I’d like to tell you about a woman who inspires me: Victoria Riskin, author, screenwriter, producer, human rights activist, and the founder of Bluedot Living. Vicki and my mother were great friends who belonged to the same women’s group, and I’ve known her almost all my life. I always saw Vicki as a powerhouse, a builder, and a connector. And that was before the terrible events that eventually helped plant the seed for Bluedot Living. 

In January of 2018, I received a call from my dad letting me know that mudslides had destroyed Vicki’s Montecito, Calif. home, in addition to killing her beloved cousin (and 22 others). I was stunned. This wasn’t an unstable structure on the banks of a river; it was a substantial home, surrounded by others, swept right off its foundation. The mudslides gave me a more immediate, more visceral understanding of climate change, and triggered a recurrence of nightmares about a small wildfire that had begun near my own home the previous year. 

After losing a home and a close family member, many would have crumbled. Vicki did not: She organized. Vicki began working with engineers who sought to turn the street where her home had stood into a basin that could protect the area from future disasters. She rallied her neighbors, petitioned local politicians, and helped get the basin built. (And during the historic rains of 2023, the basin held.) 

In Vicki’s words, “that spirit of collaboration, of ‘we’re all in this together,’” inspired her to start Bluedot Living, a magazine and website for people who “want to know what they can do to protect the place and people they love and to prepare for climate-related challenges ahead … to share stories of local innovations, climate champs, and regular people trying to live lighter on the planet each day.” 

Ever practical, Vicki understood from the beginning that commerce also has a role to play. In her honor, today I’m highlighting some of the amazing woman-founded companies we offer in our store, The Bluedot Living Collection. Like Vicki, the women behind these brands have passion, vision, and a desire to help others make more sustainable choices. To celebrate these female entrepreneurs, we’re offering 10% off all woman-owned brands now through March 31 when you enter code WOMEN10 at checkout. 

To learn more about Vicki’s story, listen to “Rethinking Wildfires” on our new podcast, Imagine If. In this episode, Vicki and co-host Janet Kraus talk with Jordan Thomas, an anthropologist, wildland firefighter, and the author of When It All Burns. 

Happy Women’s Month and happy shopping! 

– Elizabeth Weinstein, Marketplace Editor