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Featured in this newsletter :
- A Revolution of Greens: Veggies & Sprouts for health and survival
- Earth Through a Lens prize winners
- Smart meters - ALERT!
This week the PSGS "NEWS" page brings you the following articles:
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A Revolution of Greens : Veggies & sprouts for health and survival
Current dramatic
global events, as well as situations that have been unfolding over
decades, remind us that there are smart and simple ways to help
ourselves and the planet - in the everyday long term as well as in
times of crisis.
And I'm talking about food. We all eat, right? There are a
lot of issues about food that are raised in some of this week's
featured articles above:
"Animals Among Us" begs the question: do we really want to eat animals?
"Beyond Food Miles" points to the fact that the big-energy-intensive part of the global food system turns out to be food processing,
packaging, selling, and preparation. Our kitchens command the biggest
slice of the pie, using twice as much energy as the farms that grew the
food in the first place. "The USDA’s report offers some insight into what kinds of food are made
with all the energy going into the system. More than half of that
energy it is used for highly processed and packaged ‘junk food,’ like
chips, doughnuts, soda pop, and beer. About a third is used for animal
products, like meat, eggs, and dairy. A measly sixth goes to the
grains, fruits, and vegetables that are the foundation of a balanced
diet. In other words, the relative energy we invest in each food group
reflects the opposite of how we should be eating. Eating well doesn’t necessarily require a lot of energy; eating badly does."
"Local Food Sovereignty"
reflects on the growing movement in some parts of the country to
legally reclaim local power over federal and state food
legislation. In the face of a dominant corporate food system the
small farmers and local natural food processers are losing their right and ability to
operate. And everyone who cares about clean, healthy, sustainably
grown, organic, non-GMO food are currently looking to lose some battles in Congress as well.
It's no longer news that food prices have risen and will
continue to do so. If you hadn't noticed, you might want to read the following LA Times article : Cheap food may be a thing of the past in U.S.
Climate change and resulting droughts, floods, earthquakes, and other
natural disasters, world population boom and increased demand, as well
as the rising price of oil all contribute to this state of things.
So what can we do? A report from Worldwatch Institute points out some very interesting facts:
"In contrast to staple crops, vegetable crop species have shorter
cycles, are faster growing, require little space, and thus are very
dependable. They often constitute the necessary ingredients to make
staple foods more palatable. Vegetables are the sustainable solution
for a diverse and balanced diet. Today, a “revolution of greens” is
within reach.
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As the impacts of climate change become more evident. indigenous
vegetables that had been neglected as weeds are regaining attention.
They are often more hardy, drought tolerant, and resistant to pests and
disease. Organizations such as Slow Food International are
working to reignite an interest in indigenous vegetables, and research
institutes, including the World Vegetable Center, are teaching
consumers how to cook the different varieties. These vegetables make
staple crops taste good and significantly enhance the nutritious value
of a meal. |
Researchers, nongovernmental organizations, and farmers are
rediscovering traditional diets and improving the availability and
cultural acceptance of nutritious vegetables. As people realize how
much better food tastes—and how much less fuel and time it takes to
cook—they do not need much convincing about alternative methods."
Worldwatch State of the World 2011 - The nutritional and economic potential of vegetables
As we explore the wide-ranging benefits of a simple, unprocessed, plant based diet,
there is one miracle super food not to be overlooked - SPROUTS!
Sprouts: An ideal emergency preparedness food by Sherry L. Ackerman, Ph.D.
During World War II, considerable interest in sprouts developed as a
result of an article written by Dr. Clive M. McKay, Professor of
Nutrition at Cornell University. Dr. McKay opened his article with this
dramatic announcement: "Wanted! A vegetable that will grow in any
climate, will rival meat in nutritive value, will mature in 3 to 5
days, may be planted any day of the year, will require neither soil nor
sunshine, will rival tomatoes in vitamin C, will be free of waste in
preparation and can be cooked with little fuel and as quickly as a ...
chop." Well, there you have it!
Given the rapidity with which critical global events are unfolding,
preparedness just makes good sense. |
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The question isn't whether or not
to be prepared - it's what to be prepared for? Earthquakes, nuclear
accidents, tsunamis, power outages and gasoline shortages have been on
this week's menu. Each, of course, has its own specific type of
preparedness protocols. But, no matter what kind of unexpected event
looms large, there is always a need for food. Food shortages could
result from any of the aforementioned potential scenarios, as well as
from any number of scenarios that I haven't mentioned. There are any
number of ways to approach food shortage preparedness, but my preferred
method is sprouts! Sprouts are, in my mind, the number one, perfect
survival ration. I think that sprouting seeds belong in every
household's emergency kit. Let's look at some of the reasons that I
think this.
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Earth Through a Lens
Winning Photos Selected in National Environmental Photography Show
“Earth
through a Lens”, a national environmental photography show, has
announced the three top entries in the 2011 display. The images,
which portray both the natural environment as well as human impact on
the environment, are designed to highlight the importance of developing
a more sustainable environment.
Several distinct themes are present in the current display. First, the
show highlights the impact of the automobile on the environment. It
asks the viewer to consider how the car has changed the landscape and
how we might address questions of environmental impact caused by this
mode of transportation. The show also highlights both deforestation and
the development of deserts providing haunting photos of the natural
environment. The show also asks how human habitats impact the
environment and how housing density and placement affect the values
that are placed on open land. And finally, the show provides images of
our attempts to use renewable resources and how these choices impact
our world.
The top prize was awarded to Maureen Ruddy Burkhart of Longmont
Colorado for her image, “Meeting Our Needs” which contrasts the raw
beauty of the Gobi desert of Inner Mongolia with the impact of
encroaching industrial cities.
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The
second prize was taken by John Griebsch of Pultneyville, New York for
his aerial photograph of rolling green hills in Nebraska.
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These
three images are among 45 selected by an international panel from
nearly 400 photographs submitted to Earth Through a Lens by
photographers in 31 states and three Canadian provinces. Roughly 30%
of the photographers are amateurs with the remaining 70% either
professional photographers or instructors of photography.
And for the
first time, the winning photos submitted by school children in the Palm
Springs Unified School District will also be displayed representing
elementary, middle school, and high school students.
The winning photos
will stay on exhibit at the Rancho Mirage Library from March 15-April
30 with half of the images being moved to the lobby of the Hyatt
Regency Suites Hotel in Palm Springs for the month of April. The show
is a public event for which there is no admission fee.
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Finally,
Gary Dorothy, a local Palm Springs photographer, took the third prize
for his photo “Old Truck in Brittlebush” an intensely colored photo of
a junked truck against the mountains and wild flowers of the Coachella
Valley.
| Selection of the finalists and the project winners was made by a
distinguished international jury of artists, photographers, and
environmentalists including Katherine Hough, Chief Curator of the Palm
Springs Art Museum, Colin Westerbeck, Director of the California Museum
of Photography, Richard Lui, Staff Photographer for the Desert Sun, and
Andy Adams, Editor of the photographic website, Flakphoto.com.
Requests for more information and for high definition images should be made to Larry Fechter
Chair Earth through a Lens earththroughalensps@gmail.com 760-325-3215
Smart Meters - ALERT!
We
have all heard some gripes about the perceived hike up of bills from
Southern California Edison subsequent to homes having been fitted with
the new "smart meters". Living in a HOA, I did not feel
particularly concerned and never even noticed when the utility company
came and changed our meter. To be quite honest, I never even
delved into the technology behind the new meters. The Desert Sun
article is all I had read about recently.
Mar 13, 2011 |
K Kaufmann The Desert Sun
... of a pen." Peevey is in fact passionate about energy-efficiency,
although his support of smart meters, the smart grid and new
transmission lines have at times put him at ...
However, just a couple of days ago I received this message from a PSGS
reader, who alerted me to another aspect of these meters :
"I
don't know if this is something you get involved with, but if not,
perhaps you can at least point us in the right direction. I live in the
Mountain View Apartments, they are the government subsidized four-plex
units on Dinah Shore Dr. The Electric Company has recently installed
their 'smart meters' here, and it appears that people are not only
getting sick, ending up in the hospital, but reportedly, the death rate
has gone up considerably here.
The meter is
outside my bedroom window, which I keep open year round. I notice my
breathing has become much more labored and my energy low... this seems
to go deeper into my lungs.
These
smart meters definitely need to be investigated and removed if
necessary. Especially since I am hearing reports from other sources
with similar problems in other locations of the desert."
Right away the
"light went on" as I am aware and concerned about the exponential
increase of EMFs (electromagnetic fields) in our living environment
resulting from all the new wireless and/or radio frequency technologies
such as cell phones, cell towers, as well as microwaves and
transmission lines etc. And the
one thing I did know about the "smart meters" is that they transmit
energy usage info to the SCE utility. But what I didn't know is that
the data is being transmitted by both microwave and radio frequency.
This is really bad news.
Having done some research, it appears that
there is trouble brewing throughtout the country, as various utility
companies roll out their smart meter programs state by state. A
huge ground swell of people are starting to campaign against them,
mainly due to their scientifically proven negative health effects.
Northern California caught on last year and has leaned on the CPUC
(California Public Utilities Commission) to force PG&E to accept an
opt-out option for persons who do not want to have smart meters
installed at their home.
Unfortunately, Southern California Edison, the electric utility that services our valley,
has proven to be extremely confrontational and hard nosed when people
raise issues about a possible health impact, or request to opt out.
It is now clear that the smart meters are part of a much larger plan -
the "smart grid", and that Southern California (and more specifically
the city of Irvine) is going to be the testing ground for all the new
interloping technology. We are NOT going to be given a choice - except that of having our electricity cut off.
THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
Tell the CPUC Commissioners that you want the choice to keep
the existing Analog meters or FIBER OPTICS, (the healthier alternative
to wireless meters).
Contact:
CPUC PRESIDENT MICHAEL PEEVEY
Chief of Staff, Carole Brown
in office (415) 703-2971
COMMISSIONER MIKE FLORIO
Ernie Menendez, Administrative Assistant
in office (415) 703-1840
The following articles and resources will bring you a sound basis of information on the subject.
Smart meters face CPUC
scrutiny
Update from Idyllwild on PG&E and SCE opt-out options.
ENERGY: Advocates ask for smart meter opt-out
Northern San Diego & SW Riverside County update on opt-out option
Smart Meters Are Hazardous to Your Health and Violate Your Rights
Long blog packed with a series of absolutely relevant articles and important info.
Also action items - what you can do.
Smart Meter Alert
Excellent 23 min. informative video
No Smart Meters in SF
Details about the experimental aspect of the technology
Stop Smart Meters
sample letter to your local government
Smart Meter Briefing
Website covering EMF & RF radiation from various sources, health effects, and videos
Short PowerPoint Presentation on Smart Meters
Takes a few minutes to load
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