The Loma Prietan
March/April 2002
Meandering
by John Maybury
DIY and e-waste
Keep broken appliances and hardware out of the landfill by fixing them. Spare parts and do-it-yourself advice are available at www.repairclinic.com. Also you can recycle old electronic devices (computers, cell phones, etc.) instead of dumping
them in landfill. Newer equipment can be spruced up and reused by schools and charities. Older stuff can be scavenged for useful materials and scrap metal. So don't just toss that gizmo in the trash. Info: 888/442-2666 or www.recycleworks.org.
Heifer Project International
This Little Rock nonprofit alleviates hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation through gifts of food- and income-producing farm animals and training. The animals provide protein (milk and eggs) for children and generate income for families through the sale of animal products. Since 1944, HPI has helped more than four million families in 125 countries become self-reliant. Each family passes on the gift by giving one or more of its animals' offspring to another needy family. Info: 800/422-0474 or www.heifer.org.
D.C. dozers
Daly City keeps gobbling up land and putting up monster buildings. Check out
its latest attack on the flanks of San Bruno Mountain. A year ago, Daly City rezoned the area from open space to low-density residential. Find out how you can help save the mountain at 415/467-6631 or www.mountainwatch.org.
Earth flag
Get down to earth. Fly a flag of the home planet on your car, right next to (or instead of) the Stars and Stripes. Suzanne McLeod of Arlington, Mass. has created these hand-printed, hand-sewn beauties designed to be taped to your car's antenna. They are colorfast, and will wave brightly for many, many miles. Order from Suzanne at 61madison@mediaone.net.
Streetcar comeback
Twenty years ago, light rail came to North America, first in Edmonton and Calgary, then in San Diego, joining forces with the ancient streetcars of San Francisco, New Orleans, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Newark, and Boston. Since 1981, light rail also has rolled into Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Jose, Buffalo, Portland, Baltimore, St. Louis, Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Jersey City. Coming online soon: San Juan, Tacoma, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Houston. Light rail
is popular with planners and taxpayers because it is flexible and affordable compared to the heavy old streetcars. Light-rail ridership is up all across the country. (National Association of
Railroad Passengers)
Sycamore fence
Among the most photographed sights
in San Francisco is the row of brightly painted Victorian houses called the Seven Sisters. Postcards and picture books feature this Alamo Square showstopper. A guerrilla gardener named Dave has created fences in front of the Seven Sisters made from branches pruned off sycamore trees at the Civic Center. Dave bends and ties the branches, which sprout green and beautify the Western Addition tourist attraction.
Smoke and mirrors
PR Watch exposes the hidden activities of secretive, little-known public relations firms like Ketchum and Burson-Marsteller, "the invisible men" who control political debates and public opinion, twisting reality and protecting the powerful from scrutiny. PR Watch www.prwatch.org is a publication of the Center for Media and Democracy, a nonprofit dedicated to investigative reporting on the PR industry and its propaganda that junk food, pollution, and Big Business are good for America. PR Watch editors John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton have written three books: Toxic Sludge Is Good for You; Mad Cow USA; and Trust Us, We're Experts.
Cheap sunglasses
Don't be cheap when it comes to eye protection. Buy good sunglasses that are
comfortable and block at least 99 percent of harmful ultraviolet (UVA/UVB) rays. Brown or amber lenses help reduce glare and improve contrast. Gray allows true perception with the least distortion. Green, the most preferred color, allows the most useful light to reach the eye, reducing eyestrain. Yellow, rose, and vermilion are ideal for skiing. Info: www.technical-gear.com.
Plastic death
The newest monster on the block: poly-bromo diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Scientists have been discovering these toxic, and possibly carcinogenic, chemicals all up and down the food chain, in breast milk and human blood, in sewage sludge used to fertilize crops, and now particularly in the ruins of the World Trade Center. PBDEs leach out of the plastic in appliances, TVs,
computers, upholstery foam, and carpet and drapery fabrics. See www.rachel.org.
The inner environment
Popeye was right: Eat more vegetables, especially leafy greens. The vision antioxidant, lutein, is highly concentrated in spinach: 4,000 mcg per serving... Low rates of Alzheimer's disease in India's elderly prompted researcher Dr. Sally Frautschy to speculate that curcumin,
a compound found in the curry spice
turmeric, may help prevent and treat Alzheimer's... Many Americans are chronically dehydrated. In many people, the thirst mechanism is so weak it is often mistaken for hunger. Lack of water triggers daytime fatigue. Eight to ten glasses of water a day can ease back and joint pain, plus possibly reduce risk for various kinds of cancer.
E-mail Meandering John Maybury at mayburrito@mindspring.com.