January 19, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I’m really excited about this project that has been on my mind for years now. It’s been meandering and developing in my brain as I’ve been wandering around doing climate and environmental health work. Everything I do – I do volunteer, and I use my own money to fund most of the little projects we do. I almost left medicine during burnout, so I figure since I’m happy now and still adding to the family finances – I have $20-$30K a year to play around with. That’s how this all stays fun. I usually use about $20K a year and Mr. Plastic Picker is okay with that. We have always had a savings rate of over 50% of our earnings, as we live mostly simply (other than private school and buying the oregon farm) and invest all of our remaining money in real estate and stocks and savings and all that stuff. We are two physicians so high earning couple, that actually loves our vocation and I honestly have been working most of my life since I was 8 years old. But because we care about patients and our own families, we care about the earth. Money is not worth much if the world burns (which it is).

Anyway, I’m no longer a personal finance blogger but I always think of things in terms of the most efficient use of my time and money – to try to make an impact! And this whole thing has to be fun. If it’s not fun, than unless it’s fighting with the mayor of Irvine and some not to be named meanie pediatricians in OC regarding OCPA (which was hugely important for the climate movement) – than I won’t do it.

This project is FUN!!! I get to work with my own son who has the connections and skill set necessary to get it done. I get to finally get a meaningful project to two young teenagers who have been doing climate work with me for over 7 years now! They are my patients and have shown up to so many events! I get to continue to work with the San Diego Bird Alliance, who are my close climate friends. I love shorebirds and I love the San Diego Bird Alliance, because they are all super nice people! So we are going to work on prescribing birding!

I don’t want to let out all the details but it’s a fun idea and innovative. And 100% it will involve fun people and be able to be written up in a poster and abstract and paper!

Oh! If you are around, come to I Love Your Wetlands Day. You have to register! And we’ll be presenting the project to share ideas with folks. But you have to come to the wetlands because we have to protect the wetlands for the children, the birds, and for clean air and clean water! It’s always been about the wetlands!

January 11, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

One of my best climate friends just texted me and asked for our daughter’s advice on her bread. We hadn’t texted in a while, since she’s going through some things and I’ve been pulling back on some climate projects this year to give our daughter my full attention during college application season. She’s our last child out of two, and after taking care of so many other people’s children and also mentoring so many students – I’m being 100% selfish and just enjoying this application season with her as she lives the heartache and hopefully joy as she finds out where she’ll end up. I texted my friend that our youngest can’t render advice this morning on my friend’s bread, because she has her Georgetown interview. Georgetown interviews everyone which my friend does not know, since she does not have a college-applicant child this cycle. So my friend was impressed. My friend loves my child, and my child loves and respects my friend. It’s a real relationship that has come from my weird circuitous path of climate work.

Georgetown is just one of 26 schools she has applied to. And I am like every parent, so incredibly proud of how she’s conducted herself and worked so hard during her entire high school career. She’s had her nose to the grind, keeping up top marks and leading her clubs/teams at school. She’s shown up for the underclassmen, making sure she shows up to coach the younger students and hosting team-building events. She’s mostly not been able to participate in the social whirl, because after being deferred from her early action school (which shook our over-Ivy League educated household) – every one of her remaining schools that she is applying to has become even more precious to her. Like every parent, her father and I keep on musing to ourselves – she could not have worked harder. She could not have prepared more. She absolutely could not have had higher SAT, AP scores or GPA – and still retained her sanity. She is a far superior student than both of us, which is saying a lot since we were obviously good students.

What I’m most grateful for, is that she’s been so happy during this application cycle. She’s been up late at night, refining short answer questions. She’s used all the resources we’ve made available to her, and appreciates those resources. Her father has probably over-caffeinated her with Starbucks throughout this cycle. He’s been up late at night, sitting on the side of her bed helping her refine thoughts and been a sounding board for her. I probably will miss that the most. He’s been so incredibly proud of her, and admires what she has done and how she is intellectually. I’ve been there mostly cheering her on, and been there to listen and drive her to places. Interviews, shopping for clothes, or for walks around San Diego at our favorite places – when she needed to decompress. It’s been so fun to live this time in life with her, and she chatters about her friends dreams and hopes as well. There are three of them, that are sticking close emotionally trying to get through this time together. I’m not sure if they will fully appreciate how incredibly sweet this period in life is. The not knowing. The dreaming. The high-school drama of who got in already, and who hasn’t. In the end they’ll all scatter into their lives. All their friend group is very lucky and will do fine. They are prep school kids and their parents are like me, just enjoying this time and being selfish. We all do our part in the world, but especially for me since I missed so much being a young resident when I had both of our kids – I’m absolutely reveling in this last stretch when I get to know so much and she gets to be 100% my kid and wherever she goes gets to be 100% her journey.

It’s not EXACTLY 75 days, but it’s around 75 days until all the final decisions will roll in. And you know what I keep on thinking every time she shares with me some of her angst and joys? I am at my heart a very simple person. I just keep on thinking, YOU ARE SO PRETTY! LOL

She was HOMECOMING QUEEN. OMG this entire thing has been so much fun! And she’ll have fun so matter where she goes to college, and there will be tons of cute boys.

So pretty! Okay. Will continue to save the earth for our homecoming queen because I hope in 15 years to have grandchildren. I used to say 10, but 15 is better. She’ll planning to live this fantastic life and live abroad too. I can save the world from anywhere, and she loves me – so I’m invited along as well! (just to visit and go to cute coffee shops some amorphous place in Europe where I hopefully will get to meet her amorphous boyfriend at some point). I keep on teasing her that I hope she doesn’t fall in love with a boy from Irvine! Because of I have climate beef with the Mayor of Irvine. LOL. Only my friends know the true story or Irvine and the homecoming drama and triumphs.

December 31, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s Christmas Eve Day and I’m working just the morning shift, and then I have our Educational Time. I think this is the first holiday season I haven’t felt resentful because we all have to cover, mostly because our two kids are almost grown and life is more peaceful now. I’m grateful for every day in clinic, and to get to be kids’ pediatrician hopefully for a lot of them their entire childhood. It’s a powerful statement, that I don’t think I fully realized when I joined our HMO. Now that I’m toward the latter half of my career, I realize how rare that experience is. My patients are lucky, but honestly I’m the luckiest. I get to be part of their lives in very specific ways and to help guide them to a healthier future.

I mentor a lot of young adults, as they are trying to find out what their profession is. And I think as one is choosing your life’s work, it’s important to remember that what you choose to do and who you choose to do it with – will fundamentally change you. Getting into medical school is certainly hard, but the practice of medicine itself can be transformative. It can make you a better person and a better listener. It demands so much and certainly can burn you out (cue the increased rates of physician suicide and burn out), but at it’s core devoting your life to healing and protecting children makes pediatricians better human beings.

I’m not sure why I’m thinking these thoughts this morning? It feels really good to be back on the blog! Oh, mostly I wanted to let the internet know and some of my extended family know that I’m sorry if there are people in your life, or at your school or at your work that ever bullied you or made you feel yucky. As someone who has gone through bullying in multiple places, it doesn’t feel good and it stays with you. But please tell your pediatricians, your parents and other people you trust. It’s important to share the burden and bullies isolate their victims. But staying connected and speaking up, will defuse and 100% help the situation. There is no reason any child should be bullied in this age.

And Dr. Plastic Picker made some Styrofoam people to fight off the bullies!!!

December 23, 2025

OMG! The BLOG is BACK!!! For certain weird reasons the blog has been down for 6 months. When the blog disappeared, I was really sad. I had six years worth of thoughts and ramblings and climate work in over a thousand of blogposts just suddenly gone.

But this entire endeavor has really been about climate work and having fun, so I figured I would not stress about it too much and know that somewhere out there my internet ramblings were still out there – somewhere. I continued to do climate work, and shared on Instagram and Facebook. But in my heart, I missed this place on the virtual ethernetwork the most. Where was my blog? Where were my ramblings? Where were my thoughts?

And suddenly like that, because one of my family members who helps me manage things updated his credit card information and for $10 – by BLOG is BACK!!!

I’m so happy! But honestly I’m generally happy these days but definitely HAPPIER that I have this forum again to share my rambling thoughts on climate, children and raising kids and being a pediatrician.

Wishing our blog readership a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year, and Happy Winter Soltice (however you choose to celebrate this winter). An atmospheric river is coming so I’m going to go clean the street gutters around my neighborhood today. I hope you get out and do something great for yourself and the earth!

Yeah my BLOG is BACK!!!

July 4, 2025

It’s 657AM and I’m going soon to jog to my parents’ house to visit my dad. He had cataracts surgery. I’m getting older too and I didn’t fully realize what happens to a woman’s body as she ages. It’s been much harder on me than I realized, knowing that I have to wear this patch and take supplements that my doctor recommended to feel okay. It’s hard to know that you are relying on something to feel like you – does that make sense?

Just here typing on the blog, and returning to where I can be me. I think there are still folks reading? But I’m not really sure and honestly this was always just me living in my own head.

Our own son wants to be a doctor now, and a pediatrician in fact. It feels so right. His father and I have told him his entire life not to be a doctor. We are both physicians. And even with that and being born during our residency and how chaotic our parenting and our lives were during the years we were raising him, he still wants to be a doctor.

I’ll be honest. I’m still a practicing pediatrician despite my forays into legislative advocacy, buying a tree farm and all the “side quests” I’ve been on. I still see patients and have to decide diagnosis and imaging, and talk to so many children and families through the day. I’m absolutely happy being a pediatrician. Every day I walk into clinic and I am so happy to be where I am. I don’t think too much about the next clinical day. I absolutely don’t dread it anymore. I just do what I’m meant to do, which is doctoring. I’m happy.

But the realization that our son wants to be a doctor too, makes me worried. It is bringing back all the good and the terrifying moments that my husband and I lived together. The journey has not been easy, and in fact it’s been incredibly hard. I am not dissuading him. I am supportive. But as a mother who is a doctor, it’s the next stage in my life that I did not expect.

I just wanted to let the readership know. It’s terrifying to me. I wish he’d pick something easier.

But he’s the kindest boy. He was the easiest baby. And he’ll make a wonderful pediatrician. He has the absolute biggest heart. But it’s understandable that as his mother and knowing exactly the path he is entering, I am knowingly . . . reflective about it all.

June 19, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I can’t believe it was only 5 days ago. It was one of those days that will be seared in all our memories, when our resolve and our activism was leveled up. I remember those moments so vividly. When I first started picking up trash and realized I could make a difference. The first time I was able to identify certain shore bird species, and began considering myself a birder. The first time I testified at city council, or reached a certain advocacy milestone. The first academic paper. The first blogpost. The first grand rounds. And first premedical student admitted to medical school with climate and health on their resume.

This one was a first, and again like anything – it was organic and through natural connections and it just happened. At least from our standpoint.

My mentor Bruce Bekkar actually told me about it. He texted me and asked me if I was going, and I’m always doing so much advocacy that I was overtired and irritated. There are so many protests and things to do for environmental health that sometimes it seems endless. But Bruce reminded me pointedly that this one was important. I had honestly blocked a few of the organizers on Instagram because I just know too many people and was being asked to speak at so many gatherings that it was overwhelming, so this one was not on my radar screen. I was irritated and not sure, and our family mulled over it for a few days. The kids were concerned about climate, but honestly other political issues too. Mr. Plastic Picker had been texting with a like-minded radiologist friends about the state of the world. We were all, the four of us, despondent. Climate laws were being overturned. Public lands being sold. Neighbors being snatched from their homes. News of chaos from Los Angeles, but from San Diego – LA always seems chaotic.

And in the midst of this milieu and I was working on Sunday, I was being reminded by a wonderful friend to come – to show up at #NOKINGS. And then our family slowly together decided over several dinners and quiet conversations that we were going to show up. I sent one email to the larger advocacy group and here is the text of that email. It’s a group of almost 100 members of the climate and health community (but I made sure to delete the email addresses of those from my actual work place to keep things clean). I actually do want to keep my job, and you never know how these things are going to go.

Here are some phrases that I sent to that large listserve.

“I wanted to let you know our family friends know that we have been struggling with what is happening in the world. Everything we care for is being threatened, our community, our climate and the health of our children. I had a long conversation with Dr. Bruce Bekkar who I consider a close friend and mentor, and our entire family. These are difficult times and I realize if I’m tired and afraid (and we are established physicians and community leaders) than there are others who are afraid as well. And how in the world did we get here, and how do we move forward as a community? . . . Everyone has to make the decision that is right for their path. I have never pretended to know the path of others. I wanted to let our network know that we will be attending the “No Kings” March at the Waterfront in San Diego and Mr. Plastic Picker (who is a doctor too) and I will be wearing non-branded white coats. This is likely the single largest mobilization of the climate movement along with the broader community, but the Climate folks will be out in force and I feel the need to be there as a Climate and Health Leader. Our children will be there as they are worried and anxious about the world as well. We also donated to the march organizers (that is another way to take action). We will be cautious with safety in mind. Sierra Club and San Diego 350.org is part of the very large coalitionAgain, I am not encouraging anyone to go. I just wanted to let you know that on a very busy weekend with so many other things to do – our entire family will be attending together. If you should want to meet up and feel safer together, please reach out so we are connected.

Much love from our entire family.”

And after this message, we made it there. We weren’t sure what would happen, whether it would be safe. We hoped it would be. We are protective of our two children, and had plans to leave it case things were not peaceful. But it was peaceful and 13.1 million people showed up for our country, our community and our climate. 80K in San Diego waterfront showed up. Thinking back to that day is still overwhelming. The entire day is seared into our memories and it will be something that we shared together as a family, and together with other 13.1 million concerned Americans.

June 20, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I’ve woken up in abject terror. My friend Prof Adam Aron texted me some stories and updates about the speed that we are expected to be at 2 degrees warming and what is going to happen to certain ocean currents. Some areas of the world will have catastrophic sea rise and others will be plummeted in even more frigid winters some 50 degrees F colder than now. I keep connected with him because as a pediatrician and a mother, I want to know the truth. I want to know how bad it will be. What the world will be like in 20 years (I will be about 70), if we do not act now.

But the reality of today is that it is – we are not there yet. It is not 20 years from now. And the only answer I have after asking myself so many existential questions is this – I exist. I exist. I exist.

And my children exist at this moment, and they are allowed their mother. They are allowed their mother to be present and not dwell in terror. I can’t mother if I’m terrified. I can’t climate organize if I can’t even imagine the future. And I realized this while I was texting my friend the professor. I’ve already lived through terror. I know there are forces out there that are evil. There are forces of chaos. There is no greater evil than fossil fuel companies and the rapid militarization of our world, at the cost of children and the climate.

So I realize I can disagree with my friend the professor. I vehemently disagree with him. The answer to this climate crisis is our human relationships, and that we exist together. And the webs of connection and social cohesion that make us people, that literally allow us to exist. Those were the bonds that will solve the climate crisis. We must be bond more tightly together to literally survive what is to come.

So build your networks and build those bonds. Of friendship. Of marriage. Of family. Of common vocations. Of alumni networks. Of whatever titles and branding that gives you joy.

And you are allowed to exist. And we will continue to exist if we live lightly upon this earth. I did an incredible amount of climate organizing yesterday on AMICUS briefs for Our Children’s Trust, on H3SD , on combating fast fashion, on interesting projects for students and physicians. And in those moments, I know I am doing what I’m meant to do.

I still haven’t finished a post about the #NOKINGS march. It’s half way done reliving that momentous day. And I would like to remind my friend the professor, 13 million people marched. And neither you my friend nor myself are that unique. The both of us have done an incredible amount of climate work, and can you imagine another 13 million of us now more tightly bonded and connected? You can’t predict what will happen when people meet. What thoughts are exchanged. What growth people will have, and what actions they are inspired to do next. We were both at the same march, but saw such starkly different realities. And I think between the both of us, and 13 million other people, there will be a future that will be livable. I have to project my dreams into the future. Manifesting that desired destiny is very powerful. And I have to do that for my children. Every day they give me strength to move forward.

I exist. And this morning I have to exist in the office, and see a full day of patients.

June 10, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s 5:51am and I’m still alive and kicking! The world is kind of messed up right now. Greta Thunberg is on a boat that has been intercepted by Israel, as they’ve tried to reach Gaza/Palestine. The National Guard has been deployed to LA. I try not to watch the news too much and concentrate on doing what I’m supposed to do, but even after working the late shift – it was disheartening. All of it.

I’m not going anywhere. I’m not sure why folks are asking if we are moving to Oregon, but that is our climate bunker. We are here and advocating and part of this community. Oregon was a good investment and at some point it might make sense to migrate there, but for now – the problems in LA and the problems with our climate are our problems. I briefly mentioned to Mr. Plastic Picker around South Korea, and whether that is an option if things become unsafe. But I rethought, and honestly – I am not one of those. I’m not abandoning the only area that we know and call home. There is no where to run from climate change nor civil unrest. If we don’t stay strong, than who will? It’s crazy talk and it shows how confused the bad actors are trying to make us.

But do not be confused!!! I am not confused. I saw my patients yesterday and for the most part closed most of my charts. I have stuff to do and children still to parent. I am not being incapacitated by the chaos. If I’ve irritated by it, than there are others. I hope everyone votes at midterm elections, and that is what our family is concentrating on.

But there are more mundane things to worry about. I need to write two letters of recommendations. I need to respond to a very important email. Actually I need to respond to several emails. And I need to write an article about the Tijuana Sewage Crisis and give several talks at Harvard Medical School regarding the crisis. So this is what I will do.

Plus it’s our daughter’s last day of junior year and I want to pick her up at 3pm and have a fun SIDE QUEST! I am excited about the side quest! Just some thoughts as the national guard and marines are being deployed to LA. It’s really messed up all of it. We should have more native flowers around, and are we really deporting Mexicans and our citizens. Wasn’t all this part of the world formerly Mexico and before that it really belongs to the Kumeyaay. Maybe we should just give it all back to them. I think they’d do a better job than the current national government.

June 2, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s June! I can’t believe it’s June! I’m sure if you see me in clinic today that is what we are all going to be saying. “Dr. Plastic Picker! It’s June! I can’t believe it’s June!” I’ll be seeing Dr. Melissa Campbell in clinic today for the entire glorious day, and I’m really happy about that. It’s June, and I can’t believe it is the last June of her three years with me in clinic. She’s graduating and going on to be chief resident beginning in July. She’s my first continuity clinic resident after having been a pediatrician for almost 20 years. I decided late that mentoring suited me, even though I had been mentoring for most of my career – because that is naturally what doctors do.

But it’s June, and everything is in full bloom.

But I’m holding it all back. Purposefully slowing down time. Mindfulness, prayer, bird-watching, plastic-picking – are all very powerful. Because they all literally slow down time. And with time, we have joy and can be effective in doing the things that we need to do.

Everything is in full bloom, but I need time. I need the year until Mr. Plastic Picker agrees to be chief of his department. A position that I am absolutely dreading. The job is literally killing him. It’s too stressful and he needs to take care of his health. I need the entire 365 days until our little one graduates, because her life has taught me so much about my own life and the world. I have no desire to see her leave me one minute sooner than she will, as she likely will go off to college away from us and away from my mothering. I need the entire 365 days to organize and to work on climate projects, interwoven somehow into my clinical work. I need the entire 365 days to be a daughter-in-law to my in-laws who are getting older, and these 20 years with them have been wonderful. We’ve raised the four of us two wonderful human beings. I need the entire 365 days to be a daughter to my own parents, to spend more time with them. We are always working our family, and isn’t it time we were just together?

I need the entire 365 days. So it’s June, and everything is in full bloom. What do I do now? I live. I live every second and every moment of this beautiful chaotic life. I get to live today. And not worry about tomorrow.

May 24, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It was exactly three years ago that I decided to leave middle management and return to full time clinical work, ostensible to take over the Public Health Advisory Council Chair of Climate Actions Campaign. But it was also to choose to do things that brought me joy.

I don’t think I could have predicted how life would end up. I’m home upstairs and it’s 7:41am. Mr. Plastic Picker is at work, still on the path to chief of his department despite my best efforts to stop him from going that route. I’d rather he be chief of his own health, and just do clinical work. But he is who he is, and he still reaching for the titles. My parents-in-law are still in relatively good health, despite some minor recent setbacks. They are in their 80s, and not as vigorous as they used to be. But we life each day together. And my sisters-in-law, two of them, are here from New York and the house is full with their back and forth with their parents. At these times, I’m more of an observer than a main character – and I’m okay with that. They are here to see their parents.

But what I wanted to share today is how incredibly grateful I have been for these three years. For odd circumstances, I have been jotting down my climate thoughts and thoughts on my own daughter regularly for three years. And I have so many memories of her that are precious. Things she said. Little dramas about friends and schools. Snapshots of her creative process with her ceramics. I’m so incredibly grateful for those three years of observing her and noticing her, and being truly present for that time.

It was scary to leave. It’s always scary to take a path that is uncommon. But I never realized I would in return get to live this incredible three years.

Our daughter is finishing junior year, and she tells me she’s technically a senior now. She has a fancy digital camera and already I can see her capturing snippets of her life and her narrative voice is more powerful than mine. I think this next year I’m just going to live it with her and not document daily anymore. The reason for documenting is gone now, but the emails remain as this beautiful window into how I raised her.

She went to junior prom with her friends, and the three girls were very beautiful. They got to join their larger friend group later. And even during the climate and political chaos of the present, they get to still be teenagers in high school.