In Marin / CURRENTS
Education Equality
The latest report commissioned by the Marin Community Foundation stated
that Marin had the second-highest level of income inequality of any California
county. Here are a few groups looking to bridge that gap. LEELA LINDNER
Tick Talk
Dangers lurk around trails and in tall grasses on
our mountains and hills. There’s the usual suspects — rattlesnakes, mountain lions, poison oak
— but another, less visible threat also exists. With
their babies clocking in at the size of a poppy
seed, ticks can be found year-round in Marin, and
they are “vectors,” or disease transmitters, with
about 1 in 50 carrying Lyme disease. Most Lyme
disease can be cured with antibiotics, especially if
the infection is diagnosed and treated early; however, up to 20 percent of people who get it report
symptoms for months and years, even after treatment. It’s common for dogs to receive a Lyme
vaccine, but their owners aren’t so lucky. A Lyme
vaccine for humans is currently in the first phase
of FDA testing after a previous vaccine was discontinued in 2002. Until this new one or another
one is available, here are some tips for staying
tick-free on your outings. KASIA PA WLO WSKA
• Wear light-colored clothing, long sleeves
and long pants in areas where ticks may live.
• Shower and check for ticks after hikes for
several days. In most cases, the tick must be
attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before
Lyme is transmitted.
• Apply repellent to your body and clothes
containing permethrin or DEE T.
• Talk to your doctor if you develop a
bull’s-eye-looking rash or experience fatigue,
headache, fever and/or depression.
10,000 DEGREES This organization is dedicated to helping
high school juniors and seniors
from low-income backgrounds
get to and through college. The
San Rafael–based nonprofit
focuses on instilling a college-going mindset early on and
offers support like college road
map workshops, financial aid
management, year-round mentoring and local campus tours.
10000degrees.org
MARIN PROMISE Thirty partner organizations work together
to change the education ecosystem in Marin. By connecting
major players, this organization
focuses on tracking educational
milestones that are critical for
ensuring a smooth path to future
success. These include making
sure students enter kindergarten prepared, are proficient in
reading by third grade and have
mastered critical math concepts
by ninth grade. marinpromise.org
SCHOOLSRULE Seeing to it that
every child in Marin has access
to basic resources like books,
nutritious food, and new technology is this organization’s top
priority. In the 2016–2017 school
year, SchoolsRule distributed
more than $530,000 across 16
Marin districts, with the largest allocation going to Novato
Unified District in the amount of
$130,000. schoolsrule.org
Bye, Bye Sugar
Local drinks that deliver flavor, without the fake stuff. K. P.
ALTA PALLA Mill Valley
The makers of Hi-Ball
energy drinks rolled out
Alta Palla — “high ball”
in Italian — in 2016.
Made from organic and
fair trade ingredients,
the sparkling juices
contain less sugar than
most other similar product brands, but the real
breakthrough came this
year with the company’s
launch of zero-calorie
Alta Palla organic
sparkling waters.
altapalla.com
FRED WATER Sausalito
The makers of Fred
Water had a simple mission — to make it hip and
easy for people to drink
more water and less of
the other junk. To make
that appealing they put
the water in easily recognizable flask-shaped
bottles that oh-so-conveniently fit in purses
and pockets. Also, unlike
other companies’ versions, the bottles are
designed to be both
refillable and recyclable.
fredwater.com
HINT Ross
Hint, both in its Water
and Fizz form, is big on
numbers, one number
to be specific — the
goose egg. The beverages have zero sugar,
zero diet sweeteners,
zero stevia, zero preservatives, zero calories
and zero GMOs. The
company promotes a
policy of zero fake, only
adding natural fruit
oils and essences to its
drinks. drinkhint.com
RACEFUELZ San Rafael
RaceFuelZ, a sports
hydration and wellness
drink, contains more
than seven times the
electrolytes of many
leading energy drinks.
On top of that, it also has
no artificial sweeteners,
colors, flavors or preservatives — just vitamins
and minerals to fuel your
body. racefuelz.com
