September 9, 2020

by drplasticpicker

I wasn’t sure if I was going to publish this Hopeful Wednesday post today. I had started writing this post on Monday to try to find some inspiration. But then as the week rolled in, the California wildfires continue to burn millions of acres and our air quality is poor even on the coast. You can see the orange haze around the sun even at midday. The despair of my litter picking friends in Los Angeles affected me because I care about them. So at 3AM yesterday in a moment of shared pain and anguish, I wrote a call to action and posted it everywhere I am in the virtual world. https://drplasticpicker.com/your-house-is-literally-on-fire-please-join-us-on-climate-action/ And that 3AM post resulted in so much hope. I was able to recruit 5 San Diego based MDs into climate action, and will coordinate with one of my environmental mentors on how to mentor them. The blogpost also was accepted by KevinMD and will be published today reaching half a million email subscribers.

Even as the orange haze continues and we have four more months of wildfire season, those five MDs and the blogpost set to publish today and KevinMD’s platform is a reason to hope. Here are more reasons that will get me, and I hope you, through this very difficult week.

9-9-2020 Five Reasons to be Hopeful This Wednesday

1. Wisconsin farmer planted over 2 million sunflowers to provide a mental respite during this rough year. This family farm planted sunflowers because they thought it would make people smile and give them a respite. “Thompson ended up with more than 22 acres of flowers, seven of which haven’t even bloomed yet. It makes for over 2 million blooms of sunshine. The flowers are planted in more than 15 fields to provide room to social distance and spread out . . . In addition to sunflowers, Thompson also planted a field of zinnias, a field of wildflowers, and Mexican sunflowers that are known for attracting butterflies.” https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/06/us/sunflower-fields-in-wisconsin-trnd/index.html I love this! If I was anywhere nearby I would go! It’s $25 per car and you support a local family business https://www.thompsonstrawberryfarm.com/sunflowers-1
2. Tahlequah (Orca J35) Has a Healthy New Calf. This was the killer whale that made international headlines because she swam over 1000 miles with her dead calf is an act of maternal mourning. Two years later and after 18-month gestational period she has a new healthy calf! “With the birth of J57, the endangered Southern Resident orca population is now 73, according to the Whale Research Center.” A new baby orca! https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/07/us/killer-whale-new-calf-scn-trnd/index.html
3. Baby Elephants Are Falling Out of the Sky at Kenyan National Park. Indeed the baby boom seems to be continuing as Bright Vibes reported that “Kenya’s elephant population has more than doubled since 1989.” Through efforts to tame pouching, the Amboseli Trust for Elephants reports that, “It seems baby elephants are falling out of the sky.” They stated, “Every time our team goes out they find new calves.” They report 140 new calves born this year. “Dr. Winnie Kiiru is a well known Kenyan biologist and leading elephant expert, who works with the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation told the BBC. A combination of good rainfall and a drop in tourism because of the Covid lockdown have led to 140 new elephants being born in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park.” If that isn’t a reason to be hopeful I don’t know what is! https://brightvibes.com/category/good%20stuff
4. Sri Lanka to ban imports of plastic goods to protect elephants. “Plastic in Sri Lankan landfills is a major killer of elephants, with autopsies showing kilos of it in the stomachs of animals who died after rummaging at dumps . . . Environment minister Mahinda Amaraweera told parliament legislation was being drafted to stop imports of plastic goods, including polythene, that end up in landfills. Officials said it would be introduced within months.” https://phys.org/news/2020-08-sri-lanka-imports-plastic-goods.html Dr. Plastic Picker fully supports this!
5. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is ending on E. I’m sorry I had to write about this. Glorifying this excessive lifestyle where umpeenth gallons of water is wasted in their pools, especially at the peak of our last drought in 2015 when our family was catching water in rain barrels to water our tomatoes – I’m happy to see our society moving beyond this. One of the more self centered reasons I started Dr. Plastic Picker was that I was sick and tired of the press citing them for lifestyle advice. I’d rather have my patients listen to me.

And that is it! That is our Five Reasons to Have Hope this Wednesday. Thank you for following along with me on this epic journey, and allowing me to follow along on your journey as well. Our San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air Intern is almost done with her fantastic project and I’m exciting to present it soon. I am so proud of the community that I am part of. One of the Instagrammers on Sustainability posted “Bloom Where You Are Planted.” I really loved that phrase. Bloom where you are planted. Isn’t that a lovely thought?