November 14, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I’m still not sure how and why it all happened. I haven’t let my virtual and real friends in California know yet, but I will soon. I did tell my friends at the office and the Rady’s residents who were rotating with us. When a big climate and health responsibility and opportunity descends upon me, my automatic reaction is to reach out for help. I reach out to those I think can help me complete the task the best, and those that I can trust. I’ve reached out already to one of the upcoming Rady’s chief residents, and she has agreed to help and is uniquely qualified. I know I can reach out to my friend Dr. Dan Spencer, and I think he will likely be the other person who can help. But I’m just letting it soak in and trying to sort out how I’m going to make sure I give this opportunity/responsibility that has been entrusted to me – and do what is best for the earth and for the children that we are responsible for. Because all of this is for them. We want to give our children and our grandchildren a shot at a liveable planet. The stakes have never been so high.

I let my friends back at my “training home” in Boston know about it. I’ll post it here, because honestly I don’t know who reads this blog especially when the information is buried under my normal posts about how many bags I’m picked up or how much we have donated this month. Those two things are extremely important to me. This has always been about what I need to do to help the earth, and this month I’m at 6 our of 20 bags only. I really need to pick up the pace! As soon as it gets light outside I’m going to head out to the beach or maybe try to reach Kate Sessions Park for a good plogging run. And money (just our liquidity) is a bit tight because we paid our taxes. We are happily very liberal and pay more than our fair share of taxes, but it is still painful. But we paid, and things are a bit tight for our liquidity. I like that feeling of not having too much! So this month, we donated $100 to Eden Reforestation Projects and specific La Tigra National Park in Honduras. I’m just browsing under Ecosia and it’s a cloud tropical forest. There are a lot of animals that live there including “3 species of amphibians ,13 species of reptiles (2 rare and 2 venomous), over 200 species of birds.” Dr. Plastic Picker loves all animals but I especially love birds. Below is the proof and click here to see how much we’ve donated to the earth in total! https://drplasticpicker.com/donation-round-up/ We’ve been very strategic and I usually feel get bang for our environmental buck!

So the big thing that happened which I shared on Mans Greatest Hospital’s alumni facebook page was

“Just wanted to share a career milestone. I’m still not sure how it all happened, and all I can figure is that I showed up and I’m easy to work with these days and am able to bring people together. I’ve been asked by AAP California Executive Director Karmi Ferguson to Chair the State Government Affairs, Section on Environmental Health and Climate Change. We will review bills and make recommendations, and work with our AAP California lobbyist and Executive Director to bring a stronger AAP California voice to Sacramento for the upcoming legislative session on climate change. I’ll be tasked with forming a committee of 5 climate advocates, and then helping plan and write position papers and bring expert voices to testify when needed. It’s a world I’ve dabbled in, but I feel that this is where I’ll have the greatest impact as #fightfor1point5 is an existential crisis. I think the gift that training at MGH and Harvard gives us is the belief that we can do great things, and to figure things out. So thank you everyone for your support. I haven’t announced in California yet, because there is always some politics going on. But wanted to let you guys know back at my “training home.” California is the 5th largest economy in the world. I still can’t believe it.”

But after sleeping on this for a few nights, I think that I may know why they asked me. I think I am trustworthy. I know I’ll try my hardest and take this seriously, and try my best. And I’ll be serious but positive and happy when I do this work, just like I am joyous when I pick up trash. One of my other climate friends who I was text/chatting with also offered to help if I needed anything and I replied back “I definitely will [reach out]! I figure I’m going to need to reach out for help and advice since no one has ever done this before. I think all of us across the system are pretty connected so we will do it together!The best part is we get a lobbyist! Or some of her time at least!” And that is why when the good but not perfect news about COP26 came out, that we are holding onto the #fightfor1point5 by a fragile thread – I knew that I am part of the answer. I’m part of the answer that will push us back to give us some buffer from the existential crisis. It’s up to us. All of us. Individually , especially if you have the super powers of a pediatrician, can do so much. I’m a very normal plastic picking pediatrician and look what I’ve been able to accomplish. And honestly, the first thing I did was just show up. I showed up for the earth and for kids. I hope that you continue to show up as well. We need all of us in this. It’s “code red for humanity” as my gloom and doom friend Dr. Dave Neison from the ED always says. But I’m the closer, the pediatrician who tells you that have hope that is earned. You get to hope, if you do something.