July 2025 Ditty Bag Currents
Award-Winning Salad, Big Not-So-Beautiful Bill, Organixx Composting, Kate Weaving, Mark Your Calendar
Jason Hine Wins Major Salad Award
My son Sam, just graduated from Stonington High School. I’m so very proud of him! We of course celebrated with friends and family and had a huge picnic. In addition to grilling hotdogs and hamburgers, I was also responsible for making a salad. So, OBVIOUSLY I ordered my leafy greens and edible flowers from Pollinator Farm through Healthy Planeat.
I followed these easy steps:
chop the lettuce
wash the lettuce
put lettuce in bowl
sprinkle edible flowers on top
As I recall in my imagination, the salad was unveiled and the crowd went wild. I gave an inspiring acceptance speech at the awards ceremony and was sure to thank Pollinator Farm and Healthy Planeat for providing such wonderful foods!
Be sure to check out Healthy Planeat to create your award-winning salad!
Big Not-So-Beautiful Bill
“Big Beautiful Bill” is Not So Beautiful When it Comes to Climate Change
House and Senate Republicans are moving forward on the passage of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. For starters, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that roughly 12 million people will lose their health insurance due to cuts in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces (NPR). It also includes slashing SNAP benefits, ending Biden-era federal clean energy tax credits, and it adds an estimated 3.3 trillion to the deficit (BBC).
When it comes to our planet and climate change, it’s just as ugly. According to Yale Climate Connections, the following tax credits would be eliminated:
used clean vehicle credit
alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit
energy efficient home improvement credit
residential clean energy credit
commercial clean vehicles credit
new energy-efficient home credit for contractors
clean hydrogen production credit
Additionally,
other incentives, including for nuclear power production and wind and solar manufacturing, will be phased out early… The bill [also] has climate implications beyond gutting clean energy incentives. Climate journalist Emily Atkin reported that the bill is “basically a copy-paste of a secret oil industry wish-list.” Items in the bill include ending a tax on methane pollution and speeding up approval for new fossil fuel projects.
It’s our civic duty to protect the planet and our children’s futures. Continue to do what you can - build community, read and keep up-to-date on the issues, and stay active. Ensure that your activism is a sustained effort.
Thank you Organixx Composting and Casey Adams for Visiting with Us
In case you missed it, Casey spent a few hours at the Ditty Bag helping folks to plan for their composting futures! Curbside pickup is available throughout the Greater Mystic area, and we want everyone to learn how to get started.
Weaving With a Sheep
by Kate Tarinelli, Ditty Bag staff member
Did you know that in the Alps, the return of sheep is considered a great holiday for people from mountain villages? I didn’t either! Not until I read about it in Bajo’s Weaving with a Sheep Weaving Set. This simple, but cute toy had me occupied while I had some downtime working at The Ditty Bag. From someone who had never touched any sort of weaving craft, I found this new experience to be both challenging and rewarding.
In the set, you’ll find a wooden sheep, two bundles of white and black wool, a shuttle (a tool that carries wool, thread, or yarn neatly while weaving), an elastic band, and a directions packet. If you’re like me, you’ll know to skip the instructions and just get right into the weaving (spoiler alert, this backfired) …
To read the rest of Kate’s article for free, click here:
Save the Date: Coffee with your Representative
Saturday, July 12 from 10am-noon
Happy Birthday to Representative Bumgardner! Aundre will be traveling on his Birthday, the first weekend of July, and for that reason we’ll be pushing his visit to the Ditty Bag back one week. Please make a note of this change on your calendar so you can join us!
Save the Date: Design Circle with the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed
3 Days on the weekend of July 19
Save the Date: Paws, Pages and Kids
Sunday, July 27th at 10am-noon
Save the Date: Honey Tasting with Drew’s Honeybees
Monday, July 28th at 7pm
Learn how and why Drew’s Bees are some of the healthiest bees in the United States! Learn about Drew’s sustainable practices and how caring for the environment is worth the time and effort. Also learn how delicious his honey is when paired with fruits, cheeses, and breads. Join us for this FREE family-friendly event and experience our delicious world!
Product of the Month: 860 Kombucha on tap
Bring your growlers! Bring your 16 or 32 oz bottles! Bring a mug! And fill up with as much ice-cold, fresh kombucha (made in Groton) as you like!
Visit the Ditty Bag, support local, and refill on 860 kombucha!