Category: Uncategorized

September 19, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

What a relief just to type out the title of this blog. I’m absolutely exhausted. I’m tired. And yes I’m tired of bullies. You know who you are. Everyone has a bully in their life, even my good climate friends have people who have bullied them in their work-homes. And I have mine. There are bullies on city council. There are bullies in HMOs. There are bullies at school. There are bullies on committees. There are bullies at non-profit foundations. There are bullies in universities. And as my back is spasming and I’m thinking about just the mundane day to day of my life, I’m furious at the bullies that exist in my life.

But those bullies, have prepared me for the climate work. There is no bigger bully than the fossil fuel industry, entrenched interests, and those that sit around while the rest of us worker-bees actually work. I’m pretty sure I never bullied anyone in my life. If I have, please text me and I’ll apologize to you. Maybe I was having the same back spasms I’m having right now and was not in my right mind. Maybe the back spasms is a reminder of my own mortality (which I’m acutely aware of).

But now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I am grateful. I’m grateful for the kind-hearted and loving people who are doing climate work. The real work that needs doing. Not the posturing, not the easy stuff. The hard work. The organizing the summits. The fighting the Tijuana Sewage Crisis. The calling of legislators. The passing of bills. The work that is going to the root of systemic racism, environmental racism and addressing head on the climate crisis and global heating. It’s what my mentor Nicole Capretz from Climate Actions Campaign said, “the cavalry is not coming.”

Actually Nicole, the sad imagery is that the cavalry is coming. It’s coming with Dr. Plastic Picker and it’s literal children. Sometimes I look at the premedical students, medical students and high school students that have joined hands with pediatricians to do this work in San Diego – and I realize they are like toddlers in diapers. We have children that are rising up and fighting back. And it’s absolutely daunting.

But those children have done amazing things this week. They’ve written a blogpost that was published in the AAP-CA3 newsletter about their advocacy. They helped form the backbone of the OC Public Health Advisory Council of Climate Actions Campaign. They helped delivery testimony regarding the dangers of hydrogen sulfide gas to developing lungs and children to the San Diego Air Pollution Control District board, and get a promise of 10K air purifiers to the south bay.

That I have my own bullies makes me a better pediatrician. It makes me understand better what so many of my patients especially those that are neurodivergent go through. That I have my own bullies makes me a better mentor for the medical students and premedical students that dare to dream to be physicians, that though they know they have had to overcome so much to get to where they are. They have many more mountains to climb, financial barriers, prejudices about their gender, growing up in communities that they dearly love that are also burdened by pollution. It makes me a better mother, helping my daughter navigate the dicey world of junior year where some around her don’t believe in her dreams. When you try to rise, others will try to pull you down or others will try to push you down. But to my daughter and to so many that I mentor, we’ll rise up. We have to. There is no cavalry coming. There is just us. But we are a powerful force. Thank you for listening. And I feel better, and I’ll show up to work today despite the ridiculous things I have to deal with day to day sometimes in order to be a doctor.

September 14, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Honestly you can’t make up some of this stuff!!! I called my sister and called our niece Zoe in New York. I’ve told all the details to some friends and patients, but here I can’t tell all the details because the internet is forever. But OMG, honestly life is stranger than fiction sometimes.

We had just almost finished the leaded aviation fuel project which is awaiting the Governor’s signature and then the Tijuana Sewage Hydrogen Sulfide (perhaps there was Hydrogen Cyanide) crisis happened. There was news coverage, gas masks, drones deployed, governor called, chancellor and congressionao delegations, messages to the President of Mexico, competing press conferences, mayors and board of supervisors involved, front line doctors, public health doctors, graphs, talks of swirling eddies and hot spots. But in the end, why I got involved is because I heard about the schools and children that were affected. It was Nestor Language Academy, Southwest High School, Mar Vista High School and Berry Elementary School. These are all schools that our clinic takes care of. So the entire issue hit home.

In the end, I’ll keep the details to myself. If you know me in real life, I told you my version of the story. But this is what is on public record. This is the letter we sent to the Governor of California, Board of Supervisors, San Diego Air Pollution Control District and posted all over our socials. We were told that our letter made a difference, and that at least our patients will be getting air purifiers.

And with that, I made the news for the 50th time. It was wild for sure! For now our part is done. I have to email and thank everyone! But the funniest thing I texted my niece and a few of the students is that in my mind I was thinking the entire time “Why do we need nuclear weapons when you have sewage? Countries can just build sewage treatment plants at different borders, and when they get mad at each other just stop the plants, and then Hydrogen Cyanide will just waft over to the other side.” LOL. A reason to get rid of nuclear weapons.

https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/south-bay-news/funding-for-more-air-purifiers-approved-to-help-south-bay-families-affected-by-sewage-crisis

September 7, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I feel better. I feel better just titling the blog post “It’s hot. I’m tired.” I just sent the Public Health Advisory Council San Diego email group and a included a few other doctors and medical students a plea for someone to show up on September 17 at the Vista Unified School District at 6pm to help present with one of the staff. All this work is volunteer, but the volunteers are very busy physicians like myself. I just wanted to remind them that there is some work that is important, and since we are laser focused on decarbonization – electrifying this school district is very important.

It felt very good to send the following email snippet

“One last plea for anyone who might be available to speak at Sept 17 at 6pm with Climate Actions Campaign to help Serena with the work up in Vista to help electrify.  We asked PHAC members first, but I’m including some of my AAP peds colleagues and some of our medical students who might know someone.  As long as it’s a med student, pediatrician or other physician – we can catch you up easy.

I’m asking because if no one volunteers, I will go. But I will be honest, I’m completely exhausted.  I have a PHAC OC press conference that morning (because we are doing a press release for the CAP report there which is hugely important) but the VISTA work is important too. No one in OC can physically be there yet, as I’m trying to build up the council.  And I have realized I need to figure out how to fit in a bunch of dental stuff for myself and my daughter because her wisdom teeth are coming in.  So asking for help, if anyone can do it. If not I will do it, and it will be fine. But it helps me to ask knowing that I reached out.  I’m not as good as Bruce as keeping connected with everyone, but would like to start making sure I ask because I know everyone wants to help with impactful stuff – and helping VISTA get to district electrification is fundamental decarbonbization and important.”  

I was on KPBS yesterday and the interview went well. It actually got published as an article “San Diego Unified students sweat it out in class as air conditioners malfunction” Let me update my doximity resume. Here is the link if you want to watch it. https://www.kpbs.org/news/health/2024/09/06/san-diego-unified-students-sweat-it-out-in-class-as-air-conditioners-malfunction

I’m glad I can just type stuff on this blog. I posted on Instagram and it’s true, whenever it’s time to retreat and delete the social media – I’ll be okay. I’ll always keep the blog and my personal emails. But the social media Instagram stuff, I’m not sure how much of it is real? You know? I’m tired because I have real stuff I need to catch up on. My daughter has real teeth that we already went through braces, and her wisdom teeth are starting to move. I also need to see the dentists myself. I also need to do my real taxes. I totally forgot we could paid yesterday. But I need to pay the government their substantial portion so I need to file our taxes. I started real folding and organizing our closet, and I need to move our teens ceramics from the extra dining room table we have to the upstairs game room that has a perfectly good display case already. Lots of real things that need to be done today.

Decarbonization is real work as well. So I hope one of my other PHAC and doctor friends shows up in REAL life to help do a presentation. If not, I’ll do it. But I’m hot and I’m tired because there is a heat wave. But at least I was on KPBS for it! That was COOL!

August 30, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Honestly, this one was fun. It was super fun. Here is the online version https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/08/29/opinion-fireworks-near-mission-bay-are-harming-animals/

I wrote to a climate colleague the following, “Adam was so happy today. I really only did a paragraph. It was mostly Adam and Andrew. But I think what I’ll remember most about this one, was laughing with Adam over the word pyro-metallo-mania. He said pyromania and I added the metallo part.” And honestly that’s what I will remember most about this article. It was important to write, to say our piece as community leaders. I posted a lot about this on Instagram.

But here on this blog, I’m just me and I wanted to remember and share that moment. My professor friend, Adam, just laughing and being joyous when we were trying to save the world together.

I have to remember that I’m a person. I’m going to turn it off completely this weekend. I need to do two presentations on air pollution, and I need to start getting my heart rate up to make sure my physical body is strong. Mentally I’m doing wonderful and I’m grateful for this climate and health journey that I am on. But I am nearing 50, and I need to remember to do cardio enough that my heart rate gets up above 140 at times. So just a quick post to say hi, and give the op-ed a read if you have time. I’m almost done with my matcha (still with just a splash of soy milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar) and will go jogging for 30 minutes.

August 19, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

The house is a disaster. There is a gift bag filled with vegetables I need to drop off at Dr. Luis Castellanos’ house. I believe he has peaches for me, which I will come get hopefully Tuesday. They are probably overripe. The last of the cherry tomatoes are on the vines, and the summer is coming to a close for our family. We have the house to ourselves and somewhat our lives back after successfully finishing H3SD 2024 at UC San Diego School of Medicine. It’s hard to describe how successful the gathering was. Just some phrases I posted on my personal facebook page.

“H3SD 2024. It was an absolutely inspiring evening. Day #1 was all about the students. Opening and poster presentation.”

“It’s hard to sum up how wonderful it went. H3SD 2024 , the collective we (organizations and individuals) knocked it out of the park. So it gets an Instagram reel share on Facebook.”

Instagram posts as well with reels and commentaries. But we will write the summit proceedings up, as it needs to be shared as soon as possible. We made important connections during that meeting, and built up regional leadership to address global heating in our region. One of the most important connections we made as an organizing committee, is looping in San Diego State School of Public Health – as they are doing work at our most at-risk community which is the Imperial Valley. Our AAP CA3 chapter actually is San Diego and Imperial Counties so that is our catchment area as well. It’s humbling to know that as one of the chapter committee chairs, I don’t know enough about the children in the Imperial Counties.

But today is just a feeling of exhaustion. I’m sure our hard working coordinators are feeling the same. This year was so different than the first. I think this one belonged to everyone, and overall objectively improved and impactful. But I’m thinking back to last year, and it’s with an overwhelming sense of love. H3SD 2023, was my shooting my shot at global heating. I was shooting my shot at building relationships and connections across institutions. I was shooting my shot at perhaps chance meetings that would lead to some drama. And it led to something entirely different, and something more enduring.

As the person who helped start H3SD, the first one will always be the most loved. It’s like your first child. You don’t know what you are doing, but you know that you absolutely love him/her/they. And that love and fear and anticipation, can never be recreated. But the 2nd child, you are more experienced and it goes more smoothly. And H3SD 2024 was that. This was the 2nd child, well planned and executed. It was other people 1st child, but for me it was the 2nd. I started H3SD with friends as an idea on the wetlands, and it was powered by so much joy and hope. And I am so happy that it’s taken a life of it’s own. It no longer belongs to me, it belongs to the shared community that made H3SD 2024 a hopeful coming together of the house of medicine – raising it’s voice for the planet.

But I am indeed so tired. I need to do our taxes. The entire thing probably costs our family $10K or so? We received some funding for other sources and UC San Diego School of Medicine came through. But we applied for some grants and awards, and I know that this next year – it will be no longer just us but shared. Just letting things soak in and enjoying the exhaustion.

But my daughter reminded me that she’s a junior this year, and she needs my support. I’m going to limit myself this year. I only have her at home for another two years, and these are two crucial years. She’s my climate why, and I have to be mindful that I have to be there for her. I’m trying to save the earth for her, and my future grandchildren – whoever they might be.

I was going to show you a picture for her, but it’s her pictures and she has her own social media now. So I’m going to respect her privacy. I’m learning for sure, and growing and learning not to be so superficial.

August 11, 2024

My good friend and collaborator Dr. Luis Castellanos is at his house this morning, and he is living his life with his family. Being a husband and father. Mr. Plastic Picker and I are in our house, and my radiologist husband had to run out unexpectedly and will work all day at the HMO covering the hospital because of a sick call. He’s going to be “paid back” supposedly, but I never believe that. He’ll make extra money, but it’s money that we don’t need because we are FISE – Financially Independent to Save the Earth (it’s a phrase I tried to make a thing a few years ago). And another friend is nearby in another coastal city, and they have left the practice of medicine essentially. And here I am, Dr. Plastic Picker often collaborating with my friend Dr. Luis Castellanos on trying to save the earth. We have our upcoming H3SD 2024 San Diego’s Heat and Human Health Summit in less than a week at UC San Diego School of Medicine. What amazes me, that at some point we were all first year medical students together, in patient doctor 1 and just learning how to examine a patient. And now we are trying to resuscitate the planet.

But here I wanted to share with the readership the nomination we sent on behalf of my good friend Dr. Luis Castellanos for the Prebys Foundation Leadership Award. It’s a big prize and funds that he will put to good use to help address global heating and health, and address health disparities in San Diego County. Even if we don’t get it, the combined forces of our medical community will keep on trying to resuscitate the planet. And still be normal clinical doctors in pediatrics, cardiology and radiology.

Please send us good thoughts and we hope he is honored in November.

It’s 5:24AM and a Monday morning, and I’m typing on this blog. I’ve started three versions of this blogpost, and deleted them. But it’s been fun, because it’s thoughts I needed to write down which enabled me to return to my email and actually finish a climate project.

I’ve been working on and off with Prof. Adam Aron from UCSD Green New Deal and Andrew Meyer from San Diego Audubon Society on an op-ed we would like to submit to the San Diego Union Tribune. If you know me in real life, you likely haven’t heard me stop talking about the Sea World July 4th fireworks that were out of control, and lead to many shorebirds including elegant terns washing dead ashore. The fireworks are bad for human health as well, which is why I got involved. You’ll hopefully see the op-ed this week and it’s really cool to co-author something with my two climate friends! Prof. Adam Aron and Andrew Meyer are like some of my favorite people in the world!

If you were in San Diego on July 4th, you probably remember where you were and who you were with. You likely remember the fireworks displays. I was with my daughter on our roof deck and watching the fireworks, and thinking a bit “they are a bit out of control” and sure enough the next day, all these elegant terns were documented on social media washed up dead on West Ski Island. That event, led us to investigate further into the hazards of fireworks which includes air pollution, noise pollution and actually heavy metals raining down on Mission Bay. I was fascinated to learn there is something called Firework Dust (FD) and Legacy Dust (LD) that continues to pollute the environment.

Personally, I’ve never taken my children near the fireworks because they don’t like the noise close up. My son when he was a toddler in Boston, had an uncontrollable crying episode over watching the fireworks while sitting on a stroller near the Charles River. I wasn’t there because we had the new preemie baby at home. It makes sense that small children would be adverse to fireworks up close. He probably helped ensure his own good neurodevelopment, because his father brought him straight home and he wasn’t exposed to the noise pollution, heavy metal pollution and particulate matter. Since then, we kind of avoid the entire thing.

So I was standing on the roofdeck with my daughter, and honestly we don’t really enjoy the fireworks that much. Maybe that tells us that those that enjoy the fireworks and the spectacle of it, we are too different. But the community will need to decide what’s best for the children.

For my child during the summer of sixteen, she was with me physically and safe. She was away from the lead, cadmium, barium and copper raining down on Mission Bay. She was away from the possibilities of fingers being blown off. I remember acutely as a resident physician, the orthopedic hand surgeons had to reattach fingers from mostly teenagers living in New Hampshire that were playing with fireworks. It seems kind of silly to let your children do that, or allow them to hang out with friends who would do that. But in the end, everyone raises your own children. I only get involved when it affects all children, and of course the elegant terns and biodiversity.

This summer has been so unexpectedly wonderful for our daughter. It wasn’t the summer she expected. There was no boy, no summer romance (thank goodness!). But there was so much art and learning. The one month California State Summer School for the Arts CSSSA was an intensive 6-day program that was pretty much from 8:30am to 9pm every day. She studied mostly ceramics and had a lot of studio time, but also studied figure drawing, photographer, print-making, arts and culture. She got to go to the Getty and Disneyland with her friends! We saw her just twice for brief snippets the entire month, and we saw lots of selfies. She would send me her “fit-checks” (yes it is a teen thing). She was on artistic fire, honestly. She produced two large ceramics pieces that will be included in her portfolio. I loved seeing them in the pictures she sent us, but honestly they are physically very impressive when you see them in real life! She’s really an amazing 16-year-old.

Then she went to a Vietnamese youth leadership advocacy camp, that is too complicated to explain, but I was able to accompany her on Saturday. She finally met her team that she’s worked with over the year. She’s being mentored by amazing Vietnamese-American women, and meaningfully contributing to human rights work. For a Harvard educated mother, I am floored at times what she has accomplished. I just follow along with her, and try to gently guide her. We had so much fun this last weekend with new friends and connections we made. This is her community as it was mine, and it’s changing and blending and we are there to be a part of it. Plus the food was amazing. And it was cool when she hugged her new friends and we said “maybe we’ll come to Paris next year for the European camps?” And honestly, that is definitely possible.

But she’s tucked back in her room and sleeping soundly this morning. I have to leave for clinic in two hours, and back to clinical work. But I am so grateful to have spent this hour with you writing down my thoughts.

May 25, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s amazing how many climate projects our family is involved with or has donated to or a part of. Some of them are more controversial and not everyone agrees with how to decarbonize, so I don’t want to hurt folks feelings and don’t share some of it. And some of them are because of personal connections that are so complicated but innocent, that I only tell close friends. Being emmeshed in climate work locally has been a wonderful thing. I feel so connected and loved, and I’m able to give forth love.

And that’s what our family felt yesterday. We have been embraced and we embrace the wonderful people at the San Diego Audubon Society. We went as a family to their 75th anniversary gala. Mostly I’ve been working with San Diego Audubon by bringing a healthcare voice to the Rewild Mission Bay work. But under that umbrella, met so many wonderful organizations and amazing conservationists and climate minded people. When you fight for something you love together, it brings you closer to really wonderful people.

There were so many wonderful people there yesterday. And we are so grateful we went.

May 7, 2024

by Dr Plastic Picker

I am so sad today. I am so disappointed in what happened on campus 5/6/2024 at 5am in the morning at UCSD. The encampment at UCSD was entirely peaceful. I know too many students and faculty who can testify to that. Students were having peaceful gatherings and fostering community and discussion. And now after students were exercising their freedom of speech and assembly and speaking their truth, they were mocked and hurt by entities of authority and supposed trust. It’s heart breaking to me to see the students hurt, and mostly that their trust and idealism smashed. They saw an injustice and used their voice to ask the university to address that injustice. I don’t agree with everything the student movement asserted or asked for, but I certainly agree with their rights and the spirit of their actions. Then administrators and law enforcement officers of a city /municipality that many of them were raised in and chosen to spend these crucial years of learning, hurt them. Student and trusted peaceful religious figures were maced and beaten. There were snipers. This is absolutely ridiculous

The failure of leadership is so obvious. That the powers that be are trying to intimidate and instill fear into these students, shows the depth of some kind of deception or corruption. I do not pretend to know everything, but I do know when something seems fishy. If you are paid 1.5 million dollars to manage the university and you had to have police arrest peaceful students when other universities were able to address the protest differently, then you have failed. You do not deserve your 1.5 million dollars. You made how many more times my salary, and I work tirelessly for my patients (for which I am paid) and then for my community (for which I am not). I am unimpressed with your academic accolades. I am incredibly angry at this chancellor although I have never met him. In the end I am paid to take care of my patients and I take that responsibility seriously. In the end you are paid to take care of the UCSD students (and at the core are the undergraduates) and you failed.

And for those that are trying to rewrite/reframe what was happening at the UCSD encampments. I see it on some news outlets. Shame on you. Shame on you for trying to gaslight these students. The students will remember. When they become leaders in their fields when the rest of you have long left San Diego because you were never from here nor cared about these students and our region, you will be reminded when you had to made an important decision – and you decided wrong.

Dr. Plastic Picker

February 17, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged and updated the readership. It’s been nice to be able to document this climate and health journey on Instagram, because I can essentially make my own music videos. I think everyone is enjoying it, and I am trying to moderate how much I share and how much I post on that platform. I am writing a lot of emails these days, and doing general writing – so I haven’t needed the blogging outlet as much. But I wanted to be here and let the blog readership know that I’m still here. I’m still plugging away at decarbonization.

I was sitting at San Diego City Council Chambers last Thursday. I’ve testified many times virtually, but I had never been in the actual city council chambers ever before. It was a very interesting day. I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it, since I had a full morning clinic and the City Council Environmental Committee meeting started at 1pm. But I was able to make it, and find parking in ever crowded downtown. I sat next to my good climate friend Andrew Meyer from San Diego Audubon, as Rewild was there as well to make comments about the DeAnza plan. I was really there to support the SanDiego350.org Youth Vs Oil group, as they brought forth a city resolution to defend SB1137. They had asked me to support and I came because the kids asked. This is one of our top legislative priorities from the AAP California anyway. I feel honestly humbled by these youth activists. As I was telling some of my friends, it takes a lot for teenagers to trust adults and to have that trust means a lot and I take that trust seriously. So I made comments, after their presentation and I think they were impactful.

I more importantly need to do my part as an adult. SB1137 is an oil and gas setbacks bill, and indeed I’ve been advocating for this for the last four years. Our group San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air actually formed partially from a former defeat of a similar gas and setbacks bill, back when our state senator was Ben Huesos. Lets just say he was never a good friend of this particular pediatricians especially since he was getting so much fossil fuel money to fund his political career (at least that is what some of my climate friends told me). Well, Ben Huesos is gone and Dr. Plastic Picker is still around! And SB 1137 did pass and was signed by the governor, and now we are part of a statewide coalition to defend this win.

I’m continuing to focus on decarbonization, and have various projects deployed with many students. My good friend Dr. Anne-Marie Birkbeck Garcia and I were at UCSD AMSA speaking. OMG, that night was so fun! We were just talking about random things, and mostly about our lives and motherhood and being young doctors coming up the ranks together. I think our story resonates because we are both mothers with children the same age as many of the students that were sitting in the audience.

So just wanted to let the blog readership know that I’m around. Working on so many different projects, but it all seems to interconnect and make sense. But wanted to share a big one, which is defending SB1137. Thank you to all that have linked virtual and real arms with me, to try to fundamentally address this existential crisis of climate change and global heating.

Will try to turn off most of it this weekend, because my own college freshman is home. We picked him up at the airport yesterday and I’m about to drop him off at a central location so he can join high school friends for an esports tournament in LA. His baby sister made him homemade cinnamon rolls. It’s a sweet life we have, and that sweetness makes me even more desperate to save it from big oil.