Newsletter #99

If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production ~Pete Seeger

Dear Friends,

I was interviewed today for a book to be called The New Ruralists (my home was also photographed), and I was asked a simple but important question: What can people do every day that would make a meaningful difference to the environment?

I remembered asking the same question of Dr. Jane Goodall back in 2014. Her answer has stayed with me ever since: Each of us can make a difference, no matter how small. Those words are as true today as they were then.

My own response was to stop buying single-use plastic water bottles. Plastic pollution has become one of the great blights on our planet, and avoiding disposable plastics is a small action that can have a lasting impact. Of course, there are countless things each of us can do every day to help the environment, but one of the most effective is simply reducing waste.

In this issue, I share what I learned about beets, a true superfood that deserves a regular place on our plates; introduce you to a French company I have been fascinated by for years that sells only frozen foods; and tell a story I have been sitting on for more than a decade until I was certain it had truly taken root—and I am beyond delighted to report that it has.

You’ll also find my latest Reading–Watching–Listening recommendations, along with a short film about a wonderful chocolate maker in Hawaii. I hope you enjoy it.

Onwards!