Opinion

There is a natural resistance to change, in part due to our sense that things will remain as they have been in the past. This tends to make us complacent.

And, even if we commit to change, there is the sobering reality that when we make changes, we never know how things are going to turn out. So, there is an inclination to continue in the old dispensations.

However, the world is changing, and not in a good way. The planet is warming and becoming more polluted, as is or food supply. Cancer (some forms), obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure are on the rise. The plethora of material goods available, even to many poor people, can’t be satisfying us, because few people seem to be thriving.

The task before us then appears overwhelming: change our lifestyle: the way foods we eat, the way we transport ourselves and improve our emotional well-being.

However, in this regard, Lake County would be an excellent place to construct a new paradigm.

For example, we could produce organically grown food and sell it to Safeway and Bruno’s Shop Smart and avoid the 1,500-mile trip that our food (if produce, usually insipid), on average, has to take to get to the supermarket.

We could form an organization to facilitate such an effort. This has been done, in a way, by the Cubans after the Russians left them without gas and spare parts for tractors. They planted a lot of gardens and they did it intelligently with the help of ag specialists.

While the rest of the world, especially China, is utilizing bicycles, Lake County remains relatively bicycle unfriendly. There is a lot that could be done in this regard.

I suggest that while these things should be pursued, we should begin with a small but revolutionary step: Eliminate milk from the school menu.

Before you, tune me out as a crank, I want you to read “Anti Cancer, A New Way of Life” by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PHD, already translated into 35 languages (there are numerous other books and videos on this topic).

Besides the trace elements of pesticides and growth hormones, and the fact that milk contains saturated fats, milk has another, significant problem: The ratio of omega 3 (the good guys) to omega 6 fatty acids (the bad guys) contained in milk, has gone in the wrong direction. This is due to the fact that most cows are not grass fed, but, for economic reasons, are fed grains and other things like corn (this is true for meat from cows as well as milk).  There is much evidence that this ratio, increasingly favoring omega 6, leads to dire health consequences.

So, I suggest that we start with this simple step: Remove milk from schools and replace it with (hopefully organic) soy or rice milk.

Consciousness is beginning to change. For example, I have been staying at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore with my son as he does rehab after surgery. Much of the food here is medically contra-indicated.

I emailed one of the administrators, asking, respectfully, why they are feeding people the same food that put them in here in the first place.

To my surprise, not only was I not dismissed as a nut, but the administrator actually agreed with me, and sent the head of the kitchen to speak with me, and we made some changes on the menu. This was very encouraging. The health and well-being of our children is at stake.

Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.

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Written by: Nelson Strasser

Published: 16 July 2015

I would like to give a special thanks to Hardester's Market, the Middletown Area Merchants Association, Tanya at Star Gardens, the Boy Scouts and our District Supervisor Jim Comstock for supporting “Movies in the Park” in Middletown.

Everyone worked very hard to make it happen.

I would also like to thank all of the good folks in the Middletown area for their generosity, for their typical community spirit and for making a HUGE showing last Saturday night!

It was a truly magical night for me and I was really "feeling the love" that we all share for each other.

We had a few glitches on our maiden voyage and the entire group pulled together (like they always do) and made it work.

I hope that this event will continue to grow and I look forward to our next movie on Aug. 8.

So many thanks to everyone.

Marlene Elder lives in Middletown, Calif.

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Written by: Marlene Elder

Published: 15 July 2015

On Saturday morning I had the thrilling experience of watching the sun rise over a national monument – from my own house!

By creating the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, President Obama has assured that the extraordinary biological diversity at the wild heart of the Inner Coast Range will be protected forever.

Its remarkable geology, ancient cultural resources, outstanding recreational opportunities, dramatic scenic vistas – all of these wonders will be protected forever.

In building his own conservation legacy the president is also doing something much more momentous: he is establishing a legacy for our children and grandchildren and everyone who comes after them.

This achievement is truly cause for jubilation, and for gratitude for the leadership and vision shown by the president, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, Congressmen Thompson, Garamendi and Huffman, state Senators Wolk and McGuire, Assemblymembers Dodd, Wood and Levine, and all the local elected officials, businesses, organizations and individuals who have made this long-cherished objective a reality.

Please join me in sending a message of thanks by clicking the link at the top of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter home page, www.sierraclub.org/redwood .

Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter. She lives in Lower Lake, Calif.

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Written by: Victoria Brandon

Published: 14 July 2015