October 29, 2020

by drplasticpicker

It has been one of those off-odd weeks again. I had the motivational talk at Sustainable Healthcare Project at VCU, testified at the County Board of Supervisors re dangers of vaping, and then attended as part of the AAP the National Children’s Health & Climate Leadership Forum. Then I had a 12-4pm virtual work meeting where we reviewed some pediatric projects. I’m really excited about this video well teen visit for MediCAL patients that we are piloting. I asked if it would be okay if I tried to write it up as a paper and everyone was enthusiastic. It’s really innovative. Plus I want a real publication if I am serious about starting a climate change and health pediatric fellowship program, because I want to be fellowship director. There were the usual annoyances at work with upper upper echelon management people, and then there was that annoying HR (actually 3) issues that are resolved but still bother me. I just go to work and not telling people my business. I just tell my real friends and Nurse L and living my drplasticpicker life. I was so happy to help along with San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air to get that anti-flavored tobacco bill passed. I didn’t do my usual running up and down the hallway celebrating, although it was such a big win. I honestly think everyone who has a teenager should give me $5. Your are welcome! I just saved all of us a lot of headaches, literally. I’m just kidding about the $5. But everyone should realize that we all need to pitch it to change laws or pick up trash. Most people do, but the few that glaringly benefit from all the good changes positive people try to make but then continue to be petty at work – I have deleted you from my mind. Yes that is how I deal with that. I just delete them. Gone. Okay, I will never mention this again.

The Aerobin 400 arrived!!! It was this beautiful gift that came after a off-odd week. It was so easy to put together. It’s settled into the corner of our backyard near where our 2006 Honda Odyssey Minivan used to be. Remember the minivan now has a new family along with our 3rd Costco Olaf https://drplasticpicker.com/the-road-to-fise-let-it-go-the-2006-honda-minivan/. Now we have a relatively high tech composter! For some reason I thought there was a motor that rotated the compost. In the promotional video it was described as an internal lung, which is why I was expecting something motorized. But now that I am looking at it, the passave aeration system looks really interesting. It makes sense not to have mechanical parts and metal parts that can rust and breakdown. It’s a passive system and essentially a carbon sequestering device.

Mr. Plastic Picker and I put our first bag of mixed up organic waste into the composter last night. It was the bunny litter (which is recycled newspaper, hay and rabbit poop) and a small breadbag worth of kitchen scraps that I had chopped up and frozen a while ago. It was dark last night, and we set the bunny litter tray on the ground on our concrete pad. I dumped the frozen kitchen scraps that I had been saving for the last few weeks into the remnants of our bunnies’ lives. We have a small shovel I had picked up on one of my beach plogging adventures, and I gently broke apart the frozen veggies scraps and mixed the whole thing up. It was like a romantic date under the Southern California October moon. It was so romantic composting together. As we walked back the short distance across our backyard, Mr. Plastic Picker mentioned that we save ourselves from using a large plastic kitchen trash bag as well, which he would use two a week to bin the bunnies’ waste.

Just taking some time to read up more on composting. I guess food waste and our bunny litter when encased in a plastic bag and tossed into the landfill goes through putrefaction. “Putrefaction’s end products are methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, organic acids, and heat” according to Mother Earth News https://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/compost-reduces-ghg-emissions-zbcz2003. “Methane is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide in its heat-trapping ability over a 100-year timeframe. And atmospheric methane levels are rising faster than carbon dioxide, according to NAOA. Decreasing methane emissions is the number one reason composting is important.” The key to composting is actually oxygen. The article continues, “Composters have openings for oxygen to enter as opposed to air-tight garbage cans and compacted soil-covered landfills.  Compost piles should be small to moderately sized so that they can be turned over to create oxygen-rich pockets allowing the aerobic microbes that degrade vegetable scraps to breathe.” Hmmm, this is the composter lung that the promotional video mentioned. For some reason I thought it was going to be a mechanical device that keeps on rotating. But it’s a passive aeration system which is better – I think. No metal parts that can get rusted. I think its natural to think higher-tech better. But subtle high tech that doesn’t require mechanization is the ultimate evolution, right? Indeed, perhaps this composter is even higer tech than I thought. It’s high tech without looking high tech???!!!!

We are much better about food waste in our house. I’ve become adept at managing the vegetables and fruits that are on the edge of going bad. I look at browning bananas in glee, because I can made vegan banana walnut muffins! https://drplasticpicker.com/almost-vegan-banana-walnut-muffins/ Mr. Plastic Picker ate two yesterday. Dr. Dear Friend had one. The kids – two each. Nurse L had one. And I just had one for breakfast. We don’t buy much dairy nor meat these days, and those are what used to go “bad.” Our goal is still to reduce food waste in the kitchen, and what is left over to compost some of it. The other benefit is that one of the composting services I looked into actually cost $5 a bucket! The amount of organic material we composted yesterday would have cost us $5!

And that is it. Just excited to have our new family member the Aerobin 400 arrive to our house. Dr. Young-Ho Yoon messaged me that when his composter arrived “I felt like it was three Christmas tree bases stacked up inside a modular plastic box.” And indeed Dr. Young-Ho Yoon we feel the same way. https://drplasticpicker.com/updates-from-the-field-dr-young-ho-yoon-making-environmental-moves/I’m not sure how long it will take to get compost. One of the mothers in clinic told me hers in a home made composting bin took a year. I think it’s supposed to be 3-6 months with the Aerobin 400? Dr. Plastic Picker is patient. I will let our readership know.

Below is our early Christmas present. Someone from CNN started following @drplasticpicker Instagram account. I recognized her vaguely. I try to live in my own little corner of the world and just make noise about the environment for my friends and patients. It’s a bit disconcerting to be followed by someone from CNN. The blog’s pageviews also shot up to 700. This I believe is not an abberation but after a year of this, it just trends up naturally. The funny thing is that my post about Star Trek Enterprise iand the Romance of Trip and T’Pol is actually the most popular LOL! I was going to block the CNN personality, but I remembered what we discussed yesterday during a breakout session at the National Children’s Health & Climate Leadership Forum – that we all need to make some noise about climate. Am I making too much noise? If you are CNN reading this blog, remember this is completely non-monetized and I’m just trying to help save the planet. Please don’t bring your negativity into our small corner of the world. Real people and real pediatricians even if they disagree politicially actually care about eachother. We all need to help save the planet. I am officially turning down any CNN interview offers. I’ve been burned in the past with the world’s negatively even on a small platform like KevinMD. I’m still venturing onto KevinMD to try to reach other doctors, but CNN and the trolls on their feed would break even me. There is only so much an emotionally vulnerable pediatrician can take. I mean, I lost it when someone said an off comment about my hummus recipe when I confused tahin for tahini?

Thank you for reading everyone! I will confess here. I got the Exacto Aerobin 400 for only $149! I asked for a discount on their website and then they had a returned model which made it even more affordable! Okay. done confessing. If I could get this discount for everyone, I would. But Lorraine and the VP of Marketing said one unit. So this is the one. But if you need compost or bunny poop, I’m happy to deliver to your garden. Let’s do this world! Compost. Garden. Eat more vegetables.