American Association of University Women presented "Have a Heart: Take Care of Mother Earth." Pictured are, from left, Gwen Starrett, Mary Thorpe, Michelle Grondin, Lani Chapman and Anne Short. Photo by: Jerry Budrick

Out of its 100,000 members nationwide, 85 American Association of University Women belong to the Amador branch. Nearly half turned out for the "Have a Heart: Take Care of Mother Earth" program on Feb. 14.

Public Policy Chair Mary Thorpe and Program Vice President Lani Chapman hosted the educational event at the Sutter Creek Community Center on Church Street. Speakers included Michelle Grondin, Amador Farmers' Market manager; Anne Short, solid waste program specialist; and Gwen Starrett, educator with the Amador County Unified School District and an educational consultant with Stewardship through Education.

During her introduction of the first speaker, Thorpe explained how the theme of the day's program, "Have a Heart: Take Care of Mother Earth," originated at a Starbucks in New York last March. In the coffee shop, Thorpe had occasion to read the label on a bottle of water, discovering that the water came to New York all the way from California. A bit of research lead to the startling knowledge that 17 million barrels of oil were used last year to ship water around the United States, fueling Thorpe's desire to learn more about such ecological matters and share the knowledge with her fellow members of AAUW.

One clear way to cut down on wasteful shipping fuel consumption is eating local food products. "The average foodstuff travels 1,500 miles to reach your plate," said Grondin. Rather than contribute to this, Grondin exhorted the audience to become, "locavores."

Beyond the obvious benefits to the local economy and finer taste of just-picked produce, Grondin pointed to a few more obscure reasons for staying close to home. "Eating local honey helps your body develop stronger immunity to local allergens," she explained. Raw milk, available directly from some local ranchers, contains beneficial enzymes no longer present in pasteurized and homogenized dairy products. In addition, homogenization alters proteins, rendering them less digestible.

Grondin told of the availability of "cowshares" from Willow Creek Ranch, near Mountain Ranch, in Calaveras County. A cowshare is similar to a timeshare, in that shareholders get some of the milk from a particular cow, plus butter, cheese or meat. Details are available from John and Mary Orr at 754-0790.

Access to more information is available through www.amadorfarmersmarket.com. The Web site links into many sources of locally-grown foodstuffs, which will make it possible for anyone to become a "locavore."

In its efforts to raise public awareness of the mounting problem of disposal, waste management has expanded the three R's to five R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy and Rot.

On the horizon, Short warned, is an ordinance forbidding disposal of organic waste. "Exactly 43 percent of our waste stream is composed of organic material," Short said, "and as organics decompose in the landfill under anaerobic conditions, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas."

Another likelihood is the spread of ordinances similar to one recently passed in San Luis Obispo County, requiring all retailers who sell products that have been banned from the landfill to take them back from their customers free of charge.

Short exposed the presence of mercury in the highly-efficient, long-lasting spiral fluorescent bulbs that are growing more popular every day. She complimented their beneficial qualities while admonishing her audience to dispose of them properly.

The last presentation was given by Starrett, a third grade teacher from Ione Elementary, whose slogan is, "No child left inside." Starrett believes that there is a place between denial and despair when thinking about our planet earth. She hopes to learn and help others to learn how to leave a small carbon footprint on the world.

Starrett called upon the audience to drive less, to increase energy efficiency in their houses, to purchase green electricity or generate their own, to support environmental causes and to teach children about the environment.

Among the many little things each person can do, she included changing the thermostat by 2 degrees, lowering the water heater to 120 degrees, checking for water leaks and increasing the house insulation.

Starrett highly recommends that Amador County residents get involved with one or more of the environmental organizations. She named the Foothill Conservancy, Citizens for Smart Growth, Mother Lode Land Trust, League of Conservation Voters and Amador Citizens Against Global Warming.