The Loma Prietan
May/June 2002
Meandering
by John Maybury
Blue-collars and watermelons
"The environmental movement's failure to appreciate and support the needs of working people is merely a symptom of an even larger problem: Because we have all pursued single-issue politics for three decades, natural allies are failing to learn about each other's struggles, much less work together." (Rachel's Environment and Health News, Jan. 17, www.rachel.org)
Too hot
Despite a thickening Antarctic polar ice cap, warm temperatures at the South
Pole are driving penguins away, and they are reproducing less. Global warming interferes with penguins' food supply; scientists consider this a warning about what may happen to other species unless we reverse the warming process worldwide. (www.independent.co.uk)
Beach nuts
Beach cleanup and habitat restoration
go year-round. Join the fun at
www.pefplus.org.
Alarming
Smoke detectors save lives by giving you time to escape, doubling survival rates. Detectors are required in most states. Here's the drill: place one detector outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including basements and cellars. On floors without bedrooms, install detectors in or near living areas. Make sure everyone sleeping in the house can hear the alarm. Smoke rises, so mount detectors high on a wall or on the ceiling. Don't install detectors near a window, door, or air vent. Test detectors monthly and install new batteries at least once a year. Plan your escape routes. Know at least two ways out of each room. Agree on a place outside where all residents will meet after they escape. Practice escape plans twice a year.
Birdland
Visit wildlife refuges and grasslands near Merced, Gustine, and Los Banos. The fun begins on Sandy Mush Road. The wetlands are full of ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, herons, and hawks. The geese, which winter in the Central Valley on their migratory journeys, swirl in vast eddies. Full choirs of black-robed starlings screech their lungs out from the trees. In the tule elk preserve, these huge Golden State natives graze lazily. You might have the whole place to yourself on a weekday. Hiking/biking trails are available. Info:
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, 209/826-3508 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 800/344-WILD.
Trains in trouble
"Privatize," cries the Amtrak Reform Council, while the airline industry and
the highway lobby continue to reap the lion's share of federal transportation funds. Help save the national passenger railroad from the loony liquidators. Call your representatives in Washington. Info: Ric
Silver, Railpac, 888/508-2640 (toll-free).
Energy patriot pledge
Register with www.saveabarrel.org and promise to keep your car tuned up, tires properly inflated, new air filter, appropriate type of oil and gas, observe speed limits and avoid fast starts, use transit and bike when possible. Your actions could save 10 barrels of oil a year.
In the mail
Ruth Waldhauer says old appliances use more energy than newer energy-efficient models, so it might be more cost-effective to recycle and replace than to repair.
Recycling tip
Leave your trashcan liner bag untied so the refuse collectors can empty it and leave it in your garbage can for reuse. (Thanks, Amy Owens.)
Spare the rod
Bewildered by the worldwide escalation of violence? Find answers to your fears in a new booklet, "The Plague of Violence: A Preventable Epidemic," by Goddard College sociologist Mitch Hall. He shows how violence is caused by child abuse, gender abuse, structural violence (inequality of wealth and power), and cultural violence (myths and ideologies that justify violence). Hall also suggests peaceful alternatives and solutions. Order from
www.checkmatenow.org or toll-free 866/923-9223.
Spacy
Out of This World is a friendly little telescope and binocular store on historic Main Street in Mendocino. From its front window you can scope out migrating gray whales in the ocean. The knowledgeable staff makes buying complicated scientific instruments more fun for amateurs struggling with owners' manuals. Shop online at their user-friendly website:
www.discounttelescopes.com or call 800/228-8252.
Instant activism
Track your elected representatives with this nifty website: capwiz.com.
E-mail Meandering John Maybury at mayburrito@mindspring.com.
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