January 30, 2020

by drplasticpicker

I am so happy this morning. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed last night. Many things are happening and I am trying to help the earth, but suddenly I have this opportunity to interact and help amazing pediatricians who were environmentalist and have some real-effect on carbon emissions. As I was going to bed, I sent off one last email to a medical mission trip that needs a pediatrician to go to Mexico. But there are plenty of folks who love and need to do that work. It will energize their souls like it did mine when I went to Peru to do similar work. I offered names of some of my colleagues who are looking for that opportunity and want to go on that specific trip. There is an infinite amount of work that needs to be done, but I have never been one to need to be front and center and if someone else wants to do it – why not? I am hoping they will let her go. If not, I will go. But I have so much to do for the earth. And right now not many pediatricians want to pick up ocean plastic. So I feel the calling to focus on this plastic picking work. But I think my new hobby is going to become super popular!!! Here is why.

It all started with a drawing contest I had on the blog 4-5 months ago. We had 6 entries and 1 winner https://drplasticpicker.com/the-sea-turtle-is-our-spirit-animal-at-drplasticpicker-com/. @drplasticpicker was not even on Instagram at that point, and just beginning to be formed in my imagination. Above is the beautiful turtle that won the competition. I tallied votes from everyone who was working in my home clinic over 2 days and then my own family members – especially Mr. Plastic Picker since his work subsidizes much of my crazy shenanigans. The above beautiful drawing by Daniela won the competition.

Then my brilliant crafty little sister, who happens to be an attorney as well and has her own blog at LifeAtAnchor https://www.lifeatanchor.com/, lovingly gifted our blog her talents. You will see her blog is very beautiful and inspirational, as she is actually a very good photographer. I make up for my poorer photography skills and aesthetics on my blog for my lack by sheer volume of blogposts, my sense of the ridiculousness and my enthusiasm. She designed me my logo below! I love her. She has also made me plenty of Tshirts with my logo, more to come. They are all extra Tshirts that she has around the house, because as I implored her the whole point is to reuse and repurpose rather than buying new.

And then I decided I wanted to get reusable grocery totes printed. I know this has been a huge extravagance, almost the price of a Louis Vutton purse. But I have never purchased a Louis Vutton purse or any purse over $20 for that matter. Since I need to lug so many paper schedules around and work folders (I still am a middle manager at our HMO) and I have common sense as a physician to care for my body, I wear a semi-nice black backpack. Yes, I wear a backpack because I need to support my good posture and take care of my shoulder. I wore this purse that my mom bought me which I think was $300 for a year many years ago, and many nurses and friends complimented me on it all the time. But after a while, my shoulder hurt. I’m sorry. I am very practical. My shoulder is worth more than compliments and that purse couldn’t hold my laptap that I sometimes need. So I ditched the purse and got another backpack.

Can I tell you my non-fancy purse and back pack habit drives my mother crazy! I am not sure why because my mother is wonderful and she raised me. I have always been the person that I am. But it drives her crazy. She has intermittetnly given to me and taken back fancy purses. I have brought them to departmental parties and fancy events, which are maybe four a year? I make sure to tell her I brought them and sent her a picture when I do. She will always ask me where the fancy purse is when I go over to eat my single-use-plasitc-free lunch and coffee with her. Plus food at my parents’ house is free. Anyway, I always forget where I put that fancy purse. It’s probably with her again. But when Mr. Plastic Picker and I finished our estate planning and will (yes we are that prepared), I already wrote down that our daughter gets that purse along with our crazy black puppy. If we predecease our 2 bunnies, they go back to the local House Rabbit Society with a sizeable donation.

Anyway, rather than buying a fancy purse – I spent over $1000 on buying 500 Reusable Grocerty Tote Bags made in the USA and from 100% Recycled PET bottles with my logo and beautiful picture from my patient Daniela! Here is where I blogged about the cost breakdown if anyone else is interested in the real cost of getting similar bags for your blog/project https://drplasticpicker.com/splash-by-daniela-aged-11-wins-our-turtle-is-our-spirit-animal-drawing-contest-reusable-grocery-tote-bags-coming-soon/ I am so happy. I am very frugal by nature but this was money well spent. I negotiated with the company a 6% discount as this blog is non-monetized. I worked with Malisa at Reuseitbags and she was super nice. We emailed back and forth several times negotiating and deciding on the design.

Due to controlling cost, because even though I was open to spending $1000 – I did not want to spent $2000. I still need to donate money monthly to the Rainforest Trust and other environmental organizations, I had to go with just one side and one color for the image. Multiple colors really drives up the price. A good friend from high school lent our blog his graphic design chops and precious time. He initiated the work on our bag designs to convert it to a vector file which saved me some money. We survived the same honors 7th grade English class, so that bond is true and real. Thank you Doug Hollingsworth, who is Vice President at a local successful company Pacific Safety Solutions https://pacsafetysolutions.com/

The bag is Maui blue. When I picked the color, I emailed Malisa, “Maui blue sounds like a gorgeous color! We’ll take maui blue. After the new year is totally fine! Thank you and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” And then Malisa helped me chose a white imprint color. From Malisa “Attached is our artwork proof for your bags.  If you really want the logo to pop I would go with a white imprint. Please let me know if this is approved or if you want to change the imprint color.”

So Malisa just sent me notification that the bags are en route via Fed Ex. I have already promised probably half of them to various volunteers who have helped with our plastic pickings, to fellow pediatricians who will be starting their own ocean beach clean up adventures, to the friends who have leant us their reputations and time to be interviewed for this blog, the children who entered the competition, and 20 to the wonderful little girl who drew the winning picture. I am not sure how many bags I will have left, but I am so happy and will be handing these out with joy. This project is almost done and I think the bags will arrive it time for me to hand out one to each volunteer at our 2nd Office Beach Clean Up this Sunday!!! Come if you can!