Dear Dot ™

Dear Dot is here to answer all your sustainable living questions from her perch on the porch. Got a question for Dot? Send her a note for a chance to be featured in an upcoming post.

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Dear Dot: Is there a wildlife-friendly way to get rid of mice?

Dear Dot, About 15 years ago my house sitter threw away all the mouse poison I had left around our barn and the outside of our home. She rightly pointed out that I was potentially killing...

Dear Dot: Can I assist migrating birds?

Dear Dot,  I’ve been enjoying the birds that are making their way south. Is there anything I can do to help make their trip better? Elle G., Vineyard Haven Dear Elle, Though the Vineyard tends to miss a lot...

Dear Dot: How Should I Clean My Veggies?

Dear Dot, Do I need to purchase a special wash for fruits and vegetables, or is it enough to give them a good rinse with water?  Will Chilmark Dear Will, For many years, I made my own fruit and veggie...

Dear Dot: How do I get my household on the eco-bandwagon?

Dear Dot,  I am feeling hopeful. I've dispensed with plastic baggies to preserve food, and upped my game on recycling. I buy organic, and try to get out of the market without too much plastic, and...

Dear Dot: How, eggs-actly, can I support happy hens?

Dear Dot, What is the difference between pasture-raised hens (and therefore eggs), cage-free, or free-run? I want eggs only from the happiest of hens. Rona West Tisbury Dear Rona, Oh, my hen-loving friend … your innocent question has opened up...

Dear Dot: Can I make my car more eco-friendly?

Dear Dot, I can’t afford a new electric vehicle. Is there a way to make my internal combustion engine more energy-efficient? Does it matter what grade fuel I use? Poppy MacCormack Oak Bluffs Dear Poppy, For too long, the notion...

Dear Dot: Climate change is overwhelming. Where do I begin?

Dot tackles your thorniest questions from a perch on her porch. Dear Dot, Where do I start? –Overwhelmed in Edgartown My dear Overwhelmed, In 2004, I had three young children and a nascent awareness that their future on earth, this...

Dear Dot: How can I help the monarch butterflies in my backyard?

Dot tackles your thorniest questions from a perch on her porch. Dear Dot, I was told that monarch butterfly cocoons were developing in the bottlebrush near my house, but this year there were fewer than last year....

Dear Dot: What’s the deal with eco-friendly laundry detergents?

Dot tackles your thorniest questions from a perch on her porch. Dear Dot, Ads for laundry strips have been showing up in my Facebook feed, touting their eco-friendliness. Do they work? Also … what are laundry strips? –The...

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RECIPE: Choucroute

“This is a no-recipe recipe that I grew up with,” Carol Gilligan says. “I happen to love sauerkraut, especially the way the French cook...

RECIPE: Anti-Inflammatory Cauliflower Carrot Soup

“I get emails with recipes from The Clean Program ,” Carol Gilligan says, “and this one really caught my eye. It seemed healthy, because it had...

The Bluedot Kitchen: Cooking With Carol Gilligan

Carol Gilligan’s groundbreaking 1982 gender studies classic, In a Different Voice, put her on the map as a psychologist, a feminist, and an ethicist....

What’s So Bad About Chocolate?

Karen, my Guatemalan friend, had a gift for me — a disc of chocolate she’d brought me from her country. “It’s for hot chocolate,”...

In A Word: Autobesity

Autobesity noun: aw-toh bee-si-teethe phenomenon of cars getting bigger and heavier year by year Ours is a supersized world. We live in houses three times...