Category: Plastic Picking Totals

May 9, 2021

by drplasticpicker

21 engagements yesterday from facebook to the blog regarding the Big Island Pipe Dream of buying 25 acres. 21 engagements! https://drplasticpicker.com/physician-wellness-institute-im-pretty-sure-i-could-do-it-better-and-cheaper-than-1300-if-i-own-the-land/I hope some people come back to the blog this morning and read about what this blog is REALLY ABOUT. Picking up ocean plastic pollution! I am DR PLASTIC PICKER not DR REAL ESTATE INVESTOR, although I do invest in real estate. But on this blog we glorify the eco-avatar half of ourselves. Am I speaking of myself in the third person? My sister thinks that is really funny and telling for various reasons.

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April 10, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I received a very touching message from a reader, about how a certain blogpost resonated with her. Those messages are the most meaningful to me. I never believed that I could reach people I know and do not know through writing. No matter how long this eco-avator / Dr. Plastic Picker journey lasts, I will always treasure the writing the most.

But let’s get down to business! A teenager I know emailed me and asked me if I thought she should start blogging. I am unsure what to tell her. The writing part is the best, but the blog has to have a point. And this point of this blog is to pick up plastic!!! So let’s let the esoteric ephemeral stuff for another day and get back to business. Through this blog, I write for fun. I write about picking up plastic pollution, and in lieu of meaningless consumption – I donate some of my extra bucks to the earth.

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April 3, 2021

by drplasticpicker

We had such a huge climate victory for our region, that I can’t even begin to describe. We were at the right place at the right time, and continuing to build authentic and honest connections within our community. A trusted and well regarded pediatrician was appointed to the San Diego Air Pollution Control District Board, who is qualified and passionate about the earth and Environmental Justice Community Children that she will help us move the needle on climate change. Then the SDGE Franchise Agreement might be back in play. This is the nitty-gritty agreement when San Diego chooses who gets to place natural gas pipes and electrical lines in our actual land, and this is leverage on pushing SDGE toward cleaner fuel. This will be the next big battle. But yesterday’s win regarding the Air Pollution Control District and the new goal of the SDGE Franchise Agreement, was enough to have me literally running around the clinic yesterday so happy for the earth. But this morning after an ok night sleeping and watching a weird period drama (which would have been interesting to the previous me), is leaving me a bit lethargic. I have to catch up on charts today, continue plugging away at the journal article which is going relatively well, Girl Scouts this morning and also just taking care of myself a bit. I need new glasses and I need to schedule a visit to the dentists, even an eco-avatar needs to get my teeth cleaned.

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March 6, 2021

Thank you for following along my plastic picking journey! This is Dr. Plastic Picker who can only be Dr. Plastic Picker if I’m picking up plastic! The first official bag for March 2021 was at Rohr Park which is across from where I grew up. I live in a different neighborhood now, but this park and Bonita are still where I feel most at home. Our tween just started volleyball in that area (masked and distanced practice) and I got a bag around the bike trail and park. It was actually very clean already, but always a lot of stray plastic water bottle caps.

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February 7, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I am reminded this morning that not every post has to be soul-wrenching or an introspective piece. My environmentalism is about doing something now about the climate crisis. And the thing that started it all is plastic picking! So here are my monthy totals. I commit to at least 20 bags a month and I hit my goal. Feburary is a shorter month, but I’ve already gathered 3 for the month. If I’m low, I’m just do a quick bag at work because the HMO parking lot is still a mess. At least I cleaned up around where I park my car.

For Janaury 2021, I cleaned up 20 bags of plastic pollution and salvaged 67 Items from the ocean or landfill. In total, I’ve cleaned up 381 bags of plastic pollution and salvaged #1461 Items! Click here to see my lifetime totals page https://drplasticpicker.com/plastic-picking-round-up/

20 Bags of Plastic Pollution

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January 19, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I watched my KevinMD podcast at least 15 times, maybe more. Mr. Plastic Picker asked me if I was watching it AGAIN, and I got a bit irritated at him. The reason I was watching it multiple times because it was almost like my Plastic Picking Senior Thesis. My actual senior thesis in college likely only three people ever read. It was a year of futility because I picked a topic that would be doable within the year at Harvard, and not something I was passionate about. I was so focused on the mechanics of getting into medical school and not a passion. I need to remember this for my now 5 AAP-CA3 Climate Change and Health interns. I need to find them work that they are PASSIONATE about. This is the only way to true growth and progress. I was not passionate about cleft palate and eugenics theory. I learned the mechanics of academic historical writing. I AM PASSIONATE about plastic picking and ocean beach cleaning, and physician wellness and management and environmentalism. I think this is demonstrated in the KevinMD Podcast interview. Plus, I kept on listening to the podcast because honestly I did not prepare for it. I thought I was very tangential as I was giving the interview. But the interview is actually the culmination of what picking up almost 400 bags of ocean plastic pollution and salvaging over 1500 items from the ocean/landfill and reploying it into the circulation of human consumption does to a person. This litter picking journey and ocean plastic pollution reduction journey for me has been about passion. I think that passion is evident in the podcast interview.

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December 31, 2020

by drplasticpicker

It’s been a tough month. For the most part our family was able to find joy in being together and grateful to be in good health over the holidays. But the last few days with my arm sore from the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and being fatigued kind of wore me down more than I expected. But the bright side of things is that I’ve started picking up litter around the HMO parking lot, and there is so much litter that it’s very quick to fill a bag. It’s oddly satisfying as I don’t have to walk as far. This gives me more time at home to focus on other things. I’ve committed to picking up 20 bags a month, and this month I finished early and I’m really proud. I’m going to end the month totals today.

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December 6, 2020

by drplasticpicker

Thirty-three facebook engagements on the blogpost “I send my kids to private school.” https://drplasticpicker.com/i-send-my-kids-to-private-school-and-thats-ok-i-didnt-know-how-to-cook-and-they-got-organic-food/ OMG. Over 500 views on the blog itself. I try to write my truth and this blog helps me process things, but it’s a delicate balance. Mr. Plastic Picker loved the blog and if he approves I know that it’s appropriate. I do have to correct the mileage on his Prius which is only 100,000. Two-hundred-thousand-miles sounded more dramatic, but he corrected me in my error. But it’s good to have a more standard blogpost today. I try to share bits and pieces of our journey if I think it will help especially to younger MDs. In the end this blog is for the people in our lives and they are real making these decisions about public versus private, where to spend their money, and hopefully making some thoughtful decisions with the earth in mind.

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November 6, 2020

by drplasticpicker

I was not focused on picking lots of bags this month, as I was very distracted by the election. Indeed while I’m typing up this post, I’m watching Jake Tapper at CNN at the same time. He is a handsome man. I also did other environmental projects that I thought would have a greater impact on climate change especially giving my first graduate student lecture at Virginia Commonwealth University and my first medical student lecture at University of California San Diego. The truth is that I am feeling in general so much healthier, and I try to meet my minimum goal of 20 bags a month. This month I met my goal of 20 bags and exceeded just by 1. Total bags are #321 since I started.

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