Whole Life Times: Fishing for Trouble

November 2004 | News

Fishing for Trouble

The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is cracking down on local vendors who continue to sell mercury-tainted seafood despite continued warnings that the contaminated fish are unsafe for consumption. For the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, the fight against mercury is twofold, as the longline fishing fleets that target swordfish and tuna also threaten endangered sea turtle populations.

In an effort to draw attention to this alarming issue, Sea Turtle Restoration Project has been conducting regular studies testing swordfish purchased from groceries around the state for mercury contamination. Their most recent findings indicate skyrocketing levels of mercury—at times more than 400 percent of the FDA approved level—in swordfish purchased in California groceries, including several in Los Angeles and Orange counties. “Stores are simply ignoring the data that shows swordfish to be highly contaminated with mercury,” said Andi Peri, a Sea Turtle Restoration Project analyst.

To combat this significant health issue, Sea Turtle Restoration Project has launched the “Got Mercury” campaign, a program designed to educate consumers and put pressure on vendors to halt the sale of contaminated fish. For further information or to lend support, visit www.gotmercury.org, and check out the “mercury calculator” to estimate the level of your personal mercury exposure.

—Eliza Thomas

Clean Needles for Addicts

In a progressive turn, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill which supporters are calling “the most important AIDS prevention legislation in California history.” The “Syringe Pharmacy Sale and Disease Prevention Act”(SB 1159) will allow adults age 18 and over to purchase and possess up to 10 syringes without a doctor’s prescription in participating cities and counties throughout California.

Increased support for this measure has come in light of public health warnings by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioning injection drug users who are unwilling to be rehabilitated to “use a new, sterile syringe” each time they inject drugs. It is estimated that each year in California 1,000 new cases of HIV and 3,000 cases of Hepatitis C are contracted by addicts who use contaminated needles. For more information check out www.HelpStopAids.com

—Deanna Partridge

Dress for Success

Nearly 20 years ago, five politically active Latinas shared a vision: to improve the economic and social conditions of minority single parent families living in Los Angeles. New Economics for Women (NEW) was founded on the core belief that—with the right access and support— every woman is capable of creating a successful family. Today, NEW operates six affordable housing complexes in Los Angeles including La Posada, a two-year transitional residence program offering job training, daycare and child development and parenting classes to single teenage mothers.

NEW’s philosophy of empowerment through support compelled local business woman Freda Kunin, owner of the web-based accessories company FredaLA, to establish the “Success is in the Bag” handbag donation program.

“To get a job you’ve got to walk in the door looking great and feeling great,” states Kunin. “Sometimes, for a woman, it’s as simple as a new handbag.”

In this spirit, FredaLA has donated back-to-school and work-appropriate handbags to La Posada residents while encouraging others to clean out their closets and do the same. For every handbag donation received, FredaLA is offering the donor a $20 coupon off the purchase of a new handbag from fredaLA.com. New and used handbags can be mailed to FredaLA Attention: La Posada, 9903 Santa Monica Blvd. #349, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. For more info call 888.987.5678 or visit fredalLA.com.

—Elizabeth Ralser

Can Angelinos Learn to Share?

When Flexcar, a vehicle-sharing program, came to Los Angeles two years ago, they knew they were taking on a challenge. For as traffic-choked and smog-plagued as the city may be, Angelinos love their cars. But, as Flexcar’s general manager William Del Valle recently told the L.A. Times, “We felt that if we could make car-sharing work in Los Angeles, we could make it work anywhere.”

Car-sharing—a concept that has flourished in European cities for years—has been catching on in cities like San Francisco, Boston and New York, where limited parking, traffic, high insurance costs and easy access to public transportation make car ownership inconvenient. According to UC Berkeley transportation researchers, approximately 38,000 Americans currently use car-sharing services. And despite a slow start in Los Angeles, Flexcar, which has implemented successful car-sharing programs in 16 cities nationwide, is determined to turn L.A. on to the benefits of sharing over owning.

But the idea is taking a while to sink in. In response to sluggish demand, Flexcar recently scaled back its L.A. presence, reducing its number of locations and cars available. Still, Flexcar’s near 1,000 L.A. customers have nothing but praise for the service, which provides car access without the traditional hassles of car-ownership, like insurance and maintenance.

A $35 a year membership and $7.50 to $10 an hour allows customers access to Flexcar’s fleet of 15 Honda Civic hybrids which are kept at more than half a dozen central locations around the city, including several Metropolitan Transit Authority stops. For further information, or to join Flexcar, please visit www.flexcar.com.

—ET

Whole Foods “Walks the Talk”

For their “outstanding commitment” to renewable energy, Whole Foods Market was recently awarded the EPA’s 2004 Power Leadership Award, proving that big business doesn’t have to be bad business.

“I think this honor is a great opportunity to show our shoppers and team members that we ‘walk the talk’ with dedication to our green mission to be a leader in environmental stewardship,” said L.A.-based Whole Foods Southern Pacific regional president Michael Besancon. Currently, Whole Foods Market is purchasing or generating more than 20 percent of its total national power load per year from green sources (the equivalent of removing 8,600 cars from the road annually).

—ET

National

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Instead of waiting impatiently in a long line at Starbucks for your caffeine fix, picture sitting in Julie’s teashop, enjoying one of her fresh baked buttery scones and hot tea drizzled with honey from bees swarming only eight miles away. Welcome to Aylsham, the second small town in Norfolk, U.K., to join Cittaslow, the international network of “slow cities” committed to preserving the joys of the simple life.

A cultural spin-off of the Italian-born slow food movement, Cittaslow was first introduced by a local Italian mayor in 1999. Aylsham is only one of the latest communities to qualify for Cittaslow status, a group that now includes more than 100 towns in 10 mostly European countries. In joining Cittaslow, towns pledge to protect the environment, celebrate local traditions and customs, rely primarily on local produce and products, build with traditional architectural methods and work to foster a sense of hospitality and community. In exchange, Cittaslow towns enjoy improved quality of life—from increased funding for environmental projects to a boost to rural economy and hometown pride.

If the Cittaslow movement inspires you, and you think (or wish) your community could qualify, meander down to www.cittaslow.net.

—Jennifer Summers

Wal-Mart Worship Challenges a Sacred Site

The rural valley of Teotihuacan is home to Mexico’s most sacred ruins, the ancient city and pyramids of Teotihuacan. And if a small but growing group of opponents lose their battle, come December, Teotihuacan’s hallowed ground may also mark the site of one of Mexico’s newest Wal-Marts.

The big box behemoth is in the process of building a sprawling, warehouse-style discount supermarket less than a mile from the gated park housing the main ruins. From the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, the holy structure that has defined the skyline for over 2,000 years, visitors can now observe the progress of the encroaching construction.

“It is an attack on our heritage,” charged local protestor Emma Ortega in an interview with the British journal The Guardian. “It is an attack on our cosmic equilibrium.” Others cite archeological concerns, especially after recent excavations turned up the remains of pre-Colombian figurines, bones and an altar in what is slotted to become the mega-retailer’s parking lot.

But many residents welcome the low prices the new store will bring. “It will bring us progress,” said one resident to the Casper Star Tribune. Townspeople told inquiring reporters that they hope their town will get a McDonald’s and a KFC too.

And as construction on the discount chain is well underway, despite locals’ protests, it is likely the Wal-Mart supporters of Teotihuacan will get what they’ve bargained for.

—ET

Better Than Gaming?

“While I hope that the federal government will soon enact prescription drug reforms, Maine cannot wait any longer.” So challenged John Baldacci, Democratic Governor of Maine, in a news conference announcing Maine’s bold new plan to lower the cost of prescription drugs statewide.

Laying out the terms of his proposal, Governor Baldacci conceded that like many states, Maine would join the fight to import prescription medication from Canada. But instead of allowing multiple distributors to market the imported medication, Maine would grant exclusive distribution rights to the Penobscot Indian Nation, as a means to support and strengthen tribal economy.

While the Federal government continues to deny authorization to imported prescription drug programs, calling them “illegal and unsafe,” Governor Baldacci has already granted the Penobscots a $400,000 advance to build a warehouse and prepare for distribution. Although the Governor has stopped short of crossing the Feds outright, he has requested permission to proceed from Health and Human Services and is conducting a yearlong study to determine whether Maine should pursue importation should his request be denied. In the interim, the Penobscot nation will begin to distribute American drugs to Maine residents, becoming the first Native American tribe to engage in the state-sanctioned sale of prescription medication.

—ET

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: