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Every other week, Bluedot Living Martha's Vineyard will share stories about local changemakers, Islanders’ sustainable homes and yards,
planet-healthy recipes and tips, along with advice from Dear Dot. Did your friend send you this? Sign up for yourself here. Not interested? No
problem — click here to be removed from Bluedot Living emails.
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SIMPLE / SMART / SUSTAINABLE / STORIES
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We love this painting by Lanny McDowell, courtesy of the MV Hospital’s Permanent Art Collection. It’s included in our “Art of the Great Ponds”
exhibit at MV Bank’s Chilmark Branch and our slideshow. Also see our Great Ponds
story. Lanny grew up on the Tisbury Great Pond, near Middle Cove. “Out there,” he says, “looking in any direction will stir the emotions in some way. You just can't ask for more natural inspiration for artwork. You feel as though you are paying homage to the elements by visually interpreting the sights and sounds, the feel of the weather, and the powerful ebbs and flows that have been sculpting the land and our souls since forever."
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Quick Links
Skip scrolling? Here's what you'll find in this edition of the Bluedot Newsletter:
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Leading the Vineyard Way
“The indifferent have missed the point — that to clean up the air and earth and water in the few years science says we have left to us, means personal involvement and personal sacrifice. America must undertake a
revolution in its way of life — to scale down its standards of living. Someday, the world will be a better place — if it listens and acts …”
That was late Edgartown resident Walter Cronkite, on a broadcast. The date? April 22, 1970. The first Earth Day.
There are always those ahead, who clear the path for others. For us on the Vineyard, that includes those involved with creating The Vineyard Way, our Island blueprint for navigating and mitigating the effects of climate change. The plan has just officially been released. (Read Bluedot’s Q and A with Liz Durkee, Meghan Gombos, and Cheryl Doble, three of the plan’s architects.) While, yes, it has been more than a half-century since Cronkite spoke those words, responding to climate change remains more contentious than ever. Which is what makes The Vineyard Way all the more remarkable and valuable. It shows what can happen when a community, led by rational and wise experts in their fields, focuses on the enormous task at hand. Let us not overlook how lucky we are. Many communities lack a cohesive response to climate
issues.
More than 52 years ago, Cronkite signed off that first Earth Day with these words, which resonate more profoundly than ever: “What is at stake, and what is in question, is our survival.” –Leslie Garrett and Jamie
Kageleiry
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And the majority of these short trips hold just one passenger.
How might micromobility change those numbers?
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He’s a lawn lover. She … not so much. Lawns are green and beautiful, he insists. Lawns are an expensive and unhealthy monoculture, she counters. “Please know that I am not a lawn anarchist,” our essayist pleads. “I grew up with the suburban ideal of
a lawn. I have fond memories of lying outside, grass blades tickling my feet, staring skyward at the clouds.” She continues, “I am not anti-lawn at all. I am anti-so-much-lawn. Which is my appeal to my husband: Let’s just … not have so much of it.” Can a couple in the process of building and landscaping negotiate a green new deal? (And might it include illustrator Kevin McGrath’s delightful
goats?)
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Rothy’s Shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles — 125 million to date! Wear them anywhere you can’t
go barefoot. “They’re incredibly comfortable,” Bluedot Founder Victoria Riskin told us. She loves hers and has several pairs, plus the ones her dog Maisie also loved (and chewed up. Oops.). Rothy’s also has bags and men’s shoes.
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Dear Dot,
I recently read an article about “fatbergs” in our sewers and I’m afraid I might have been part of the problem. I’m wondering what is the best way to dispose of cooking oil?
–Concerned Cook
Dear Concerned Cook,
The bacon grease jar is a mainstay in my kitchen. I’ve long been a faithful adherent to the practice of collecting oil for fear of blockages in our own plumbing, though I don’t seem to be as concerned about blockages in my arteries. But imagine the shock I felt when I heard that this greasy waste can grow into something nightmarish when it reaches the sewer systems (or our septic tanks!). Even the name makes me shiver — fatberg. Eek.
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The Solarazzas — Steve and Emily — were such solar energy fans that they changed their name to reflect it. Solar power and straw bale construction (check out the video) means their annual utility bill is around $200. Take a peek inside their really beautiful home.
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Bluedot Living contributing editor Catherine Walthers specializes in making cocktails that might use herbs right from your garden (see her Herbs 101 guide here). We love the vision of sipping from a glass full of summer colors, toasting to Vineyard summer. Here’s that cocktail.
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Bluedot Living magazine and bluedotliving.com are published by Bluedot, Inc., and distributed by The Martha’s Vineyard Times. Visit the Bluedot Living MV website here: marthasvineyard.bluedotliving.com, and our new national site here: bluedotliving.com.
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The Martha's Vineyard Times, 30 Beach Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, United States
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