October 3, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I went back to it yesterday. I have always wanted to write a book. I started a word document a few months ago, but the work with Rewild Mission Bay inspired me to go back to it. Andrew Meyer the conservation director for the San Diego Audubon Society had suggested we title our advocacy letter one of the local city councilpersons Paging Dr. XXX. For an advocacy letter, I thought it would not go over as well. Paging a physician who does not want to be paged about what they don’t see as an urgent matter, is not the best way to convince them. But it really did inspire me as I realized for non-medical people – it captures their imagination. Plus, at different presentations for the HMO Green Team, I’ve used the phrase “we are always on call for the earth.” And I do believe that.

But that’s pretty much what I’ve done. I’ve settled on a working title and acknowledgements, and thinking about it. I’m at bag #565 about, and it will probably take me two more years to get to #1000 personal bags. That works out perfectly because that is the summer I am planning on taking my well deserved sabbatical and go on my electric car tour around the country. In the craziness of medical training, I’ve never traveled cross country and that is one of the things I’ve always wanted to do. Since this blog has been about taking risks and trying new things, I figured I could do that while spreading my message about physician wellness and climate and health advocacy. Dr. Plastic Picker has always been the ultimate mulit-tasker. Getting exercise and cleaning the earth at the same time!

I have to have San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air designated as an official non-profit with tax exempt status. I’m not even sure how much a book would make, but I just want to make enough to buy stethoscopes for all our premedical advocacy interns. We have nine interns now! They are really wonderful. I want to be able to buy them each a nice stethoscope when they matriculate to medical school from SDPCA and AAP-CA3. But it is getting expensive as I have more interns now! I figure the book sales can go to buying their stethoscopes and otherwise maybe fund a picnic for the children’s arts council, and maybe some Tshirts.

The book can’t be too long. People have very short attention spans. I think 150 pages is enough? What do you think? I’m going to stop by Barnes and Nobles and browse the Physician Wellness section and see about how long those books are. The blog has been a beautiful endeavor and I’ll try to repurpose some of my blog post, but it’s kind of all over the place. I think a book should have some kind of cohesion. I need to figure out my character arc. And I want to sprinkle in tons of local color. I’m pretty sure I can pull off a national book tour (at small independent book shops OF COURSE!) but I know for sure I can do a local tour of San Diego. The local tour would be the most important, because the entire point is to local climate and health advocacy.

That is it. I just wanted to let the blog readership know that I’m continuing to plug away at the climate work, but I’m not forgetting my dream about writing my book! Every Crimson University grad needs to write a book especially before the 25th class reunion. Especially since the idea for this all came during one of the sessions at our 20th class reunion!

October 2, 2021

by drplasticpicker

The San Diego Union-Tribune videographer was looking for me. Well, they were actually looking for San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air. While I’m not SDPCA, and indeed this wonderful thing that has become SDPCA is my brainchild – it really belongs to all of us https://sdpediatriciansforcleanair.com/ . In my heart, I know that. It can’t belong to me, it has to be a group endevaor and no egos/ no show-boating, and that is the only way we grow and we #fightfor1point5 . So when my colleauge asked if I wanted to speak with them or needed to speak with them, I know there is so much to do and we divide and conquer. I told her that I’m good. She speaks for all of us, and just reviewed important developments that the San Diego Union-Tribune may want to know. I know things will go well, and this person in our group is eloquent and passionate and committed to climate and health.

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September 30, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I’m usually up later these days since forgoing coffee. My sleep is deeper. I sometimes miss the 4am writing sessions, but overall this is better for my health. I’m still writing a lot, but more advocacy letters and emails regarding climate. Please know that this blog and the writing practice and your support, has meant the world to me. I could not have done it without this virtual audience. You gave me the strength to speak up. You made me realize that people will respond to my writing, my letters, my words, my speaking.

I am sipping my “Green Awakening” right now which is my matcha soy latte. It’s this beautiful green warm cup of plant-based goodness that greats me in the morning. I also hope I caused a “Green Awakening” amongst some of the pediatricians who showed up at the California AAP State-wide Chapter Chat. It was on climate change, and very powerful. A coordinated effort amongst the four california AAP chapters. Primarily the talk was Dr. Aprana Bole who is a national figure in climate advocacy, and the head of the Council on Environmental Health. I was on the panel discussion along with someone I admire so much Dr. Amanda Millstein, founder of Climate Health NOW.

I received text messages and emails from friends yesterday after the talk. I could tell that my comments paired with those big personalities and figures like Drs. Aparna Bole and Amanda Millstein resonated. I just told them my simple story about burnout and finding meaining in medicine through climate and health advocacy. I shared with them that for me it is a spiritual journey. I notice the butterflies and I notice the snowy egrets. The earth leads me to different projects, and I just grab all my friends and we try to do it together.

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September 25, 2021

by drplasticpicker

My back was bothering me on Thursday night. I had been working virtually or doing climate virtual work Tuesday through Thursday, and that relative inactivity and my seating posture really did a number of my back. But I try to listen to my body now. I made sure to sleep on the floor with the thin mattress pad that is really comfortable. I did some yoga stretches on Thursday night and then Friday morning. I wore good solid shoes I got from the Goodwill on Friday, and wore comfortable scrubs. I made sure to walk around and take care of my plants at home and at the HMO parking garage. Walking around and visiting plants, it very good for my mental and physical health. It’s fun to have a destimation to go to, and to visit.

I named the blogpost this morning the “Green Awakening” because our teen daughter was discussing her history class with us. They are learning about “The Great Awakening” and that term really resonated with me. I truly believe we are all going through “The Green Awakening.” I can’t explain it more than that. For me this entire journey has not been religious but spiritual. I listen to nature and the earth tells me what to do, and where to do. And she is trying to heal me and us at every corner, as long as we allow her and we listen to her.

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September 21, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I’m going to find money. Yes I am. Dr. Sabrina Perrino and I are going to find money for our AirKeepers for South County Schools project. A new grant became available from Eco-America and looking at the application – I think we can easily do it. I have all the material from Dr. Lori Byron from AAP Montana as they had deployed the program throughout Montana. I had presented this program at our HMO talk and it went well, but no one offered to give me money to do this program. Therefore I will work the AAP angle, which makes more sense. There is also a grant through the APCD board I believe. I just need to synthesize this information and actually apply for the grant. I am going to pitch this grant as AirKeepers program deployed in EJ middle schools, and a partnership with pediatricians for the AAP Climate Change and Health Committee and the South Bay Middle School teachers and elementary schools in the south bay. I need to work with one of my great parents who is one of the middle school science teachers. Probably the next thing would be to draw up an interest list from the middle school science teachers.

That is all. That is what I am working on. Oh also two other great projects, but I needed to figure out this one in my brain.

And then our student Co-Founder for San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air and I put the finishing touches on her poster. Super proud. We’ll review her audio recording soon. Just proud of these students and what they are able to accomplish.

September 20, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I’m feeling selfish today. I am fundamentally a giving person but I’m a bit tired right now. Some of it was this wonderful weekend, and as an introvert – it took me emotionally most of the weekend to recover from the coastal clean up. I can’t explain it. I love organizing it and it is the right thing to do. I was energized from it, but also drained. I want to create these experiences for friends as this is a way to activate more physicians and it pushes me out of my comfort zone. But honesetly, it was emotionally draining and I can only do these a few times a year. Yesterday morning I walked by myself along the beach and gathered three bags of trash. That actually refreshed me. Even after I literally stepped in doo doo. But that is an entire saga that is detailed on Instagram.

Anyhow. My sister-in-law has a very productive passion fruit vine, and my mother-in-law as well has a beginning vine. I did not realize how wondrous passion fruit is! My mom showed me how to put the passion fruit innards in a blender, and yesterday I made the kids passion fruit and grape fruit juice with a bit of honey. It was wondrous!!!

Let me look up the nutritional content of passion fruit. [PAUSE] It continues to be wondrous!!! And here is some information I found on the internet. So wondrous!!! We’ll be eating all the passion fruit from our vine, thank you very much!

From Healthline https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/passion-fruit#nutrition

Passion fruit is a good source of nutrients, especially fiver, vitamin C, and provitamin A.

A single purple passion fruit contains:

• Calories: 17
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Vitamin C: 9% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin A: 8% of the DV
• Iron: 2% of the DV
• Potassium: 2% of the DV

Though this may not seem like much, keep in mind that these are the values for a single, small fruit that has only 17 calories. Calorie for calorie, it’s a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A.

It’s also rich in beneficial plant compounds, including carotenoids and polyphenols.

September 19, 2021

by drplasticpicker

It’s 558am, and it’s the day after the 2021 Coastal Clean Up Day. It’s a symbolic day where the community is invited to come together to pick up trash and plastic pollution to help the oceans. I organized a work group to clean up on the bayside of the southern part of San Diego Bay at the Chula Vista Boating Launch Ramp. It was a long process that included sending emails to our department, posting on our MD Facebook group. I figured out how to use sign-up genius, and posted during our differerent work presentation reminders. I considered different areas to clean and texted RN Plastic Picker about advice about where to clean. I drove to two different areas to scope out which areas would be the most approrpriate and settled upon an area in the South County where I grew up, that had plenty of plastic pollution at a scenic walkway. I exchanged emails and text messages with various people. Mr. Plastic Picker and I went to the grocery store Friday night late, after a long day of work to get supplies and snacks for the event. My father-in-law happily agreed to come with me to help set up, mostly to put up our tent that we needed. RN Plastic Picker convinced her tween daughter to come, and another nursing manager came. We arrived at 740am right on time, and quickly set up in about 20 minutes. We didn’t leave until about 1130am, so a good four hours of our time. About 15 people of various ages came with their family and I’ve detailed the beauty of the day on different facebook pages and there are plenty of wonderful pictures of the day. This is one I’ll always remember, because I feel like I found this tree and I got to help clean around her roots and tell a child that I love that I found it for her and she should sit on it.

The actual amount of trash that we gathered was respectable. Here is what it looked like, and given the wind conditions – I know that it would have all gone into the ocean.

Was it worth it? Was it worth all that time? I’m sitting here and it’s 608am now and it’s still dark and I can’t go out by myself to the beach to clean just yet. It’s too dark. But the memories of yesterday and everything that led up to yesterday are washing over me, and every moment was worth it. Every part of the efforts that led to yesterday were worth it. There were so many moments throughout the entire process that I will never forget. I’m closing my eyes again and letting it wash over me. I get kind of choked up when I think about it.

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September 17, 2021

by drplasticpicker

This is passion fruit. In Vietnamese it’s called chanh da^y roughly in my Vietnamese translated to lemon of the vine or lemon of the rope/string. I’ve had passion fruit flavored processed food before, and I saw it plentiful in Peru – but I’d never tasted it. I never tasted it until yesterday. The smell of fresh passion fruit is sweet and sticky. It’s color is yellow and beautiful and it looks like there are a hundred little frog eyes looking at you. At least that is what I thought when I was with my mom yesterday. She had been gifted a big bag of passion fruit from my sister-in-law’s garden. She doesn’t like to eat it, but my father loves it. She was taking out the innards of the passion fruit, and this is what it looked like.

My mom asked me if I wanted to taste it. And I told her I had tasted it a thousand of times. I really thought I had. I must have been confused in my modern world go-go know-it-all MD brain. I told her repeatedly. But then I stopped, and after looking at the beautiful sky outside of her house that sits above the ocean that I love – I came back in from the outside second story deck and said to her, “Mommy. Can I try some?” I tried it, and it was so sour! I made a very sour face, and I did finish them all and spit out the seeds and I laughed. I laughed and said, “There is no way I’ve tried it before. It is so sour???!!!” But it’s a wonderful kind of alive kind of sour. Isn’t that funny?

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September 14, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I had struggled with trying to find the most sustainable coffee. I used the drink the instant packets that come from the Korean market that had the sugar and creamer in it already. I usually needed to add more creamer and more sugar. Honestly coffee was a liquid caffeinated cookie for me. Then there was buying coffee for clinic, and did I buy the carry-away coffee carafes for the clinic, versus the different kinds of coffee makers that have so much disposable waste involved? Little plastic containers for creamers. Sugar packets and different sugar substitutes and then the different wooden versus plastic stirrers. When I pick up trash on the beach, there is an inordinate amount of coffee trash. Think of how much time and effort the world spends on drinking coffee, and it’s because we are all medicating ourselves from a life that is too rushed.

So rather than finding out which creamer was most sustainable or which coffee beans were rainforest certified and fair trade, I just kind of figured out my life and am trying to live a more sustainable life. And then my body did not need coffee anymore. It was a month that was a bit difficult truly weaning my body. I remember again it was because I was binge watching Dawsons Creek that helped me get off coffee. And now I drink a matcha green tea latte in the morning. I put just a bit of sugar in it, and can use any kind of creamer (right now I’m using soy milk) and I make no waste with my healthier kind of caffeine in the morning. My mood is more even as well.

I don’t think the world is going to stop drinking coffee, but I did. It was the right thing for me. There is so much tea in our house and clinic, that I’m saving a lot of money as well. It’s astronomic how much coffee costs and how much waste it generates. But in my little corner of the world, I’ve stopped drinking coffee. If you drink coffee, that is OK. I’m composting those coffee grounds for you and the earth. I was able to get the coffee grounds from the HMO coffee shop yesterday and they are going into our Aerobin 400 composter!

September 12, 2021

by drplasticpicker

Part of the wonderful thing about blogging is that it just gets my creative juices flowing in the morning. We had some HUGE climate wins this weekend. To the extent that I could hardly believe it. I had to roll up in a fetal position with happiness that it all got done. I am but a bit player in all of this, but an active bit player. I know I have a ripple effect on it all.

Harvard University has a $42 billion dollar endowment. I will no longer say Crimson University. I went to Harvard University. I am no longer ashamed (I wasn’t really ashamed but it leant an air of mystery to the whole thing when I started this blog). There was a grass-roots alumni movement called Harvard Forward, led mostly by young alumni that worked to displace the old-fogey Board of Directors with younger more climate conscious board members who would vote to divest from fossil fuels. Through alumni networks, we all mobilized to get our alumni friends to do write in votes. I can say for two weeks I worked every connection I had. This was true throughout the country, as we all canvassed our friends. It happened. Even Mr. Plastic Picker voted. Harvard divested it’s $42 billion dollar endowment from fossil fuels. We donate yearly to the University.

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