Stephanie
LightNews LightNews
banner
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Stephanie
@blooming-burbs.bsky.social
7.2K followers 1.5K following 3.3K posts
Michigander, Environmental Health Educator especially climate change adaptation, PhD & academic has-been in community food systems. Side gig: suburban flower farming, growing native plants, & troubling suburbia at https://www.blooming-burbs.com/. She/her
Posts Replies Media Videos
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
It's Hot-Take Tuesday. It might be a one-and-done event.

Anyways, what's your hot take? You get a gold star if it's climate related.

Americans' fridges are way too big. You'd save money, waste less food (an important climate solution!) if your fridge was smaller.
A screenshot of my hot take. I have a theory that we'd waste a lot less food if your fridges were smaller. I think empty fridges make people anxious so they fill them and then waste what's there.
December 9, 2025 at 12:54 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
False indigo, (Baptisia australis). #nativeplants #Michigan
December 7, 2025 at 6:15 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

@washingtonpost.com, I was not able to gift this from your app. The ‘gift’ button does not produce a link; it just produces unlinked text.
Unfettered immigration in Europe, where I lived for well over a decade, has been a disaster — depressing wages for the working class and resulting in mass social dislocation. I remain an economic progressive, isolated among self-proclaimed progressives that are anything but.”
December 3, 2025 at 6:44 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Gonna repost this because I really haven't heard anyone connect Trump's biz interests to his treatment of Mamdani the other day. I don't discount the starfuckery, but I also think the success of his proposed casino is probably a factor. bsky.app/profile/mari...
Marisa Kabas ‪@marisakabas.bsky.social‬ trump is, first and foremost, a starfucker
November 24, 2025 at 11:52 AM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
This little white squirrel is just very cute.
November 20, 2025 at 10:35 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
The weirdest thing people do in the fall is getting rid of free nutrients and paying for chemical nutrient applications. (And a quiz in the fourth pic alt text)
A pile of leaves waiting to be vacuumed up by a fossil fuel spewing vehicle A pile of leaves waiting to be vacuumed up by a fossil fuel spewing vehicle A pile of leaves waiting to be vacuumed up by a fossil fuel spewing vehicle Guess which yard is mine?
November 19, 2025 at 9:58 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
I understood ~ 50% of this & will re-read. One main takeaway: the AI bubble is a giant predatory cluster coming for your 401k. From @ddayen.bsky.social @prospect.org

(and I *still* don't really understand the social benefit of AI that would warrant this investment)

prospect.org/2025/11/19/a...
So while the biggest names swap money back and forth to buy each other’s stuff, these special purpose vehicles and their investors could be left holding the bag. That increasingly could be ordinary retail investors with 401(k) plans. Financial policymakers I’ve talked to are perhaps most alarmed by this part.
November 19, 2025 at 12:07 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Frosty the squirrel has just started visiting today.
White squirrel sitting on bark path in dappled sunlight, with its front paws in front of its mouth, indicating it is eating something. A black and white squirrel sitting in dappled sunlight. They are sitting a little distance apart.
November 14, 2025 at 6:44 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
"It's most noted for the patches of prairie that are still there that haven't been changed in millennia," Smiley said, adding that Michigan has lost 99% of its lakeplain prairie, a species-rich prairie community...

www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
Groups seek $6 million to save one of the last, best prairies in southern Michigan Story by Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press • 9h • 4 min read
November 13, 2025 at 9:31 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Opinion in @freep.com "The developer behind the Trump-backed Stargate data center...It just so happens that the VP of development for that company, Ryan Friedrichs, is married to current Secretary of State & Democratic candidate for governor @jocelynbenson.bsky.social.."

www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
Saline Open AI data center has powerful backer: Jocelyn Benson's husband | Opinion Opinion by Drew Philp • 1h • 6 min read
November 13, 2025 at 9:24 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
I love that this article ends with "civic next steps"
Civic next steps: How you can get involved Why it matters ⚡ Data center power demands could make it difficult for Michigan to meet its climate goals — and could increase costs for residential customers. Who’s making civic decisions 🏛️ The Michigan Public Service Commission, the state utility regulator, said it will determine how costs are allocated to different classes of customers in future rate cases. How to take civic action now 📅 Attend an upcoming MPSC meeting in person or online. 🌱 Follow the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter and Citizens Utility Board of Michigan for advocates’ viewpoints on MPSC activities. 📩 Email the MPSC at LARA-MPSC-commissioners@michigan.gov ✉️ Mail: Michigan Public Service Commission, PO Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909.
November 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
lol
On Sunday, the Nationals ran ahead of the Liberals to announce that they would formally abandon the 2050 net zero target, citing power price rises of 39 per cent since net zero was committed, and arguing a "technology neutral" approach that included more coal and gas would bring down power prices. As that announcement was being made, Mr Bowen's office noted that wholesale energy costs were negative in every state except Tasmania due to solar generation. "Free daytime power for families across Australia is proof that what's good for the planet is good for your pocket," Mr Bowen said.
November 3, 2025 at 8:58 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
BTW, @slotkin.senate.gov, are you aware that the guy holding your old seat said this about people chalking around his office? He sounds like a Stephen Miller wannabe.

Article here: www.wilx.com/2025/10/31/r...
“There is a clear distinction between peaceful protest and harassment, and this failed attempt to intimidate me crossed a line and will not be tolerated,” Barrett said in a statement. “Your political beliefs should never determine whether or not you feel safe at work, so I appreciate law enforcement investigating this criminal behavior and prioritizing the well-being of my staff who have done nothing but work tirelessly to help their neighbors and serve our communities.”
November 1, 2025 at 2:43 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
I’m giving away both pawpaws and candy tonight. The kids are being adventurous and taking pawpaws !
A table with a bowl of candy and a bowl of pawpaws.
October 31, 2025 at 10:53 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Someone else responds with this as the source and then says they are from Facebook and TikTok reels.
He mentioned his source at the beginning. There are videos/ reels online. They are also organizing a large scale theft November 1st - 3rd. Including Walmart and other grocery stores.
October 28, 2025 at 11:40 AM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Absolutely unhinged posts showing up on my Nextdoor. He ends by telling ppl that if they don’t know this, they need to get their current events from a different source.
If your child is hungry and you are out of food and money, what are you willing to do? You are a person that respects the Law, you follow the rules, you do what's right. To what extent would you go to feed your Family? I've been watching too many video posts showing people saying that after they've taken what they want from the grocery store they are coming to YOUR house. For me, I am thankful every day that Lansing, so far, seems immune to the crazy things happening around the country. We DO have the random shooting. One is TOO many but we are not dodging bullets daily. To the point: in a few days the neighborhood will be full of kids AND adults wearing masks AND carrying bags, going up to homes where the owners will open their doors to them......... I want to shift for a moment to say that for most of the adults I know, 90% or more believe that they will never be victims of crime.. ......Back to the open doors: people force their way into your home. Two of them demand your phone and keep you seated while the other two fit as much food as they can in their bags and then leave. For that 90% of people I mentioned, many would not even be able to speak after such an encounter, let alone run out to the neighbor's to have them call the Police. Speaking of which: if you know a Cop ask them how victims respond to violence. Some even become unabl
October 28, 2025 at 11:35 AM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
One more from #Lansing #NoKings
A panorama picture of the crowd at the Lansing capitol. Many people are holding signs that protest the Trump regime.
October 18, 2025 at 9:27 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Checking in from #lansing #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 7:14 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Is anyone who is not on Bluesky going to get this?
Protest sign says: Trump break law Trump raise prices Trump pollute earth Trump steal money Trump break USA Trump is not America. We are.
October 18, 2025 at 2:18 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
mpacts on communities Warmer winters are linked to increased drownings from unstable ice. Greater nutrient runoff fuels harmful algal blooms and complicates drinking water treatment. Reduced ice cover may extend the shipping season but can harm the US$5.1 billion fishery sector by altering habitats, increasing invasive species pressures and degrading water quality. Winter also shapes cultural identity and recreation. From snowshoeing to skating on frozen lake waters, residents and visitors to the Great Lakes region can share happy memories of wintertime activities. Its loss can erode community ties, traditions and livelihoods. Changing winter conditions also present threats to the traditions and cultural practices of Indigenous Peoples in the region. Many Indigenous Peoples express their cultural relationships to their ancestral lands through hunting, fishing, gathering and farming. For example, lower total snowfall and more frequent freeze-thaw events remove nutrients from soil and may result in changes in the seasonal timing and availability of culturally important plant species. Unstable ice limits fishing and reduces opportunities to pass on skills, language and cultural practices to future generations.
October 17, 2025 at 4:36 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
The last two bouquets of the season(probably). Now I start chopping things down, mulching, planting bulbs, and battening down the hatches for winter.
October 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Frog on paw-paw tree
October 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
I’m excited to use these purple hyacinth beans in this week’s bouquets. 💜
Deep purple bean pods attached to stem, held by my hand.
October 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Really important insight by @chrismurphyct.bsky.social with @gregsargent.bsky.social on The Daily Blast podcast.
“elections. The leaders in those countries just constrain the space that the opposition can operate in such that they never have enough room to win a national election. And that's where I think if we are not already there, but we are really, really close, which is why the only way out of that is to make them pay a political price every time they ratchet up pressure on the opposition. We” From THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent: Chris Murphy’s Extraordinary New Takedown of Trump Should Wake Up Dems, Oct 3, 2025 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily-blast-with-greg-sargent/id1728152109?i=1000729863956&r=669 This material may be protected by copyright.
October 3, 2025 at 1:58 PM
blooming-burbs.bsky.social
Somewhere in Iowa on I-80.
A view from the car window on the interstate. Blue sky over a field of windmills. A windmill is also visible in the rear view mirror.
October 1, 2025 at 2:13 AM