3/31/2021 Hopeful Wednesday

March 31, 2021

March 31, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I’m not sure why, but I was out of sorts yesterday. Frustrated and impatient with the state of the world. I know that within the last 2 years of this environmental activism committment, I’ve been able to do a lot especially since it’s the job that doesn’t pay. But I was at the job that pays yesterday at a regional San Diego wide vaccine meeting, and I was frustrated at the state of the world. There is a goal that this group wants to get to, and has received money from the government. Yet they don’t know where they are, and initial ideas are things we implemented over seven years ago. When I’m part of something, I want it to succeed. I am committed, because professionally that is my goal to work on pediatric quality metrics. But it’s frustrating sometimes, seeing the money that is given and I think I could have done so many more with it. I’m sure this group will do well and move the needle. But I am who I am, and I don’t mince words. I did not mince words yesterday and spoke my piece. But I’ll continue to show up and help make it a success, because vaccinations are important.

I was also out of sorts because I took time to educate myself further regarding climate change. I watched Damnation, the movie about the tolls dams have taken. Just watching the history of this ecological disaster is sad, and how certain things were built and maintained for no good reason. The financial and ecological waste made me sad as well. And then I watched Project Drawdown’s six free educational modules on climate solutions. It was very informative and did make me look at the “big picture” but seeing all of it made it very daunting. The speaker was a bit dismissive of regenerative agriculture and also of plastics, things that I am passionate about. Not really dismissive, but in the entire scheme of things. What struck me, is the idea that food waste is such a big contributor to this all. I remember being told by my mother that wasting food is a sin – and that has always stuck with me. I think what I can do is tailor the A-Z cookbook as a food waste cookbook. Most great dishes are foodwaste dishes, pizza, pancit from the Phillipines, Pho, bananan mango muffin, oatmeal, even cookies can be food waste. Yes food is a large part of fixing the climate problems.

But it’s Wednesday and I have hope, or at least I need to look for hope. I have hope because I am writing this journal article still and after finishing this article – I have ideas for how further to move forward our climate work.

Five Reasons to Be Hopeful This 3/31/2021 which is the last Wednesday this month!

Klamath Dam Removal Project. This project is already happening. I had read about it vaguely and featured it in previous posts. Also the movie Gather addresses it as well, as some of the indigenous youth are from one of the six federally recognized tribes in the region. Watching the movie Damnation kind of all made it more clear, how much removal of this dam can do. On the website it states, “It is likely that personnel and equipment will be deployed in mid-2022 and pre-removal construction activities will commence. We expect dam removal and the return of the river to a free-flowing condition in 2023. Restoration activities will immediately follow dam removal and continue for several years.” Here is the website if you want to follow along https://www.klamathrenewal.org/the-project/ It will be exciting the read about it, and watch over the next few years the healing that will happen when those four dams are finally removed.
Sustainable Pharmacy Project at Virginia Commonwealth University. I’m continuing to work with these students who are so great! They got their project to fruition “Less Litter More Health is a litter picking competition hosted by Sustainable Pharmacy Project and the VCCA. The event aims at getting us involved in our community and recognizing our waste patterns! To participate, fill out the RSVP form using the flyer QR code or this link: https://forms.gle/5GncGMzHuPZXeNde8Participants have April 8 – April 11 (Thursday to Sunday) to pick as much litter in their local community as possible and should take pictures of the amount of trash picked! You can participate as a group or as an individual. After the 11th, we will send out a second form to have participants submit their pictures so that we can pick winners. Group prizes and individual prizes are available for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! All prizes are from small, local Virginia businesses and will be shipped out to winners. We will host a virtual celebration event on April 16th (Friday) to announce winners and results! Please let us know if you have any questions about the event and feel free to email us at: karimnejadl@vcu.edu or pangilinakd2@mymail.vcu.edu. We look forward to seeing your trash!”

3. Point Loma Native Plant Garden. This garden is really close and a way for me to connect with nature and maybe take a walk with my mom and my children. I’m just excited to know about this place, and to learn more about native plants that is very close. https://www.sandiegoriver.org/point_loma.html I want to eventually have native plant gardens throughout the HMO clinic sites. I first need to just educate myself and buy some plants. We shall get there. I saw another super-being, a bee on our roofdeck so I know it can be done. It was buzzing around the lavender up there. I think I’ll get a few more lavender plants. They seem relatively easy to grow and good for pollinators.
4. Seaspiracy is a new Netflix Documentary that is coming out. This will raise a lot of awareness regarding ocean plastic pollution. Need to watch this soon.
5. My Own Activist Community. Sometimes I feel despondent and especially watching the movies Damnation and Project Drawdown really reminded me how bad everything is. But it goes down to morality and the innate goodness of people. I just found this quote and my daughter I think will be happy, as she did her History Day Project on Mahatma Ghandi. And all of those that I am working with in the American Academy of Pediatrics Climate Change and Health Committee, my co-author group, my student premed interns, the kids on the arts council, the folks that judged the recent science fair and awarded our inaugural green ribbon, and out candidate for the Air Pollution Control Board. All of them embody the goodness in humanity, and for that I have hope.

There are seven sins in the world: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice and politics without principle. Mahatma Gandhi

Have a wonderful hump day dear readers. You give me hope, because I know someone is reading out there. Averaging at least 500-1000 readers a day. Wowzer!