NORTHAMPTON—Vincent “Vinny” Valetutti has published “If I Were President: 29 alternative ideas for solving global problems” in the days before the presidential election to get Americans thinking about solutions—rather than controversy.

Valetutti is not a candidate for any office. His book is intended not as a platform for a campaign but instead to raise awareness and offer frustrated voters some food for thought.

“Thanks to Greta Thunberg, the young Swiss environmental activist, I was motivated to get my ideas down on paper, in this book,” Valetutti writes in the book’s introduction. “I set my ideas down, and now I hope to motivate you.”

The 29 ideas in “If I Were President” are presented in these eight categories: Invitation to All World Leaders, Military, Constitutional Amendments, Capitalism, Social Issues, Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection, Health Care, and Patents. 

Valetutti is a retired engineer. What is unique about his book, and his ideas, is that they do not fall on party lines. He is not a Democrat, Republican, or Independent; his ideas are fresh and varied in terms of perspective.

As he is quoted as saying in the foreword—written by Janice Beetle of Janice Beetle Books, who helped Valetutti develop the manuscript— “I consider myself a realist.”

“If I Were President” is now available at www.levellerspress.com/product/if-i-were-president-29-alternative-ideas-for-solving-global-problems/. An ebook is also available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M6382NW/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=if+i+were+president&qid=1603978614&sr=8-7.

Before working on his book, Valetutti’s first public show of activism came in the spring when he designed and constructed a Sea Level Rise Ruler to raise awareness about the problem of rising sea levels in the world.

The traveling flagpole assembly holds a 30-foot high banner that replicates a ruler, with exact measurements in feet. Valetutti towed the ruler to Northampton and had it on view this summer, and in September, he towed it to Washington, D.C., for viewing. 

“When people stand next to the flagpole and see how high that really is, it shows how legitimate and scary the reality of rising sea levels is,” he said. “If sea levels rise this much, we will face an economic disaster that will be very significant, drastically changing the world as we know it.”

Valetutti hopes to reach concerned citizens across the country. To learn more about his Sea Level Rise Ruler, visit www.sealevelriseruler.com

Valetutti can be reached at vinny@sealevelriseruler.com.

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Terra Missildine, founder of the first eco-friendly cleaning company in Western Massachusetts, to lead  

AGAWAM—Glenmeadow will offer an education program on protecting the planet on Tuesday, November 19 from 10 a.m. to noon at Agawam Public Library, 750 Cooper St., Agawam. 

“Environmental Responsibility: Taking Steps to Protect Our Planet” is the third and final program in the fall Glenmeadow Learning series, which provides free educational offerings in the community.

The presentation will be led by Terra Missildine, who will speak about how her mission to protect the Earth began and why it’s important for everyone to commit to doing so. 

Missildine will also outline what individuals, organizations, and legislators can do to begin to bring about positive change and environmental healing. She will offer samples of earth-friendly products.

Missildine has had a lifelong passion for sustainability. While in an early iteration of a sustainable living program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2005, she founded Beloved Earth, the first eco-friendly cleaning company in Western Massachusetts. 

Since then, the business has blossomed to support 18 team members and still operates by cooperative principles and the values of the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. Missildine also helps to support her sustainability and that of her family through running a small suburban homestead, where they grow a fair amount of their own organic food.

Environmental Responsibility is free, but space is limited, and reservations are required. To register, contact Jazlyn Wanzo at jwanzo@glenmeadow.org. For more information, or to register online, visit glenmeadow.org/events.

Glenmeadow Learning is one of many free programs Glenmeadow offers to members of the wider community. It represents only one facet of the life plan community’s mission to serve seniors across the region and to operate as a socially accountable organization.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit, accredited life plan community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.  

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

About Glenmeadow 

In the 1800s, elderly individuals without family or means were sent to live at what was called “the poor farm.”  In 1884, a group of civic leaders raised funds among themselves and other area families and purchased a house on Main Street in Springfield’s south end, establishing The Springfield Home for Aged Women. Quickly outgrowing that house, land was purchased on the corner of Chestnut and Carew streets, where a new home was constructed and opened in 1900.  In 1960, the name was changed to Chestnut Knoll, and, in 1992, it began to admit men.  

In 1993, the organization purchased a 23-acre parcel in Longmeadow to build a new community that would provide both independent living and assisted living in one building with various common areas.  This was a new concept known as a continuing care retirement community.  Existing residents from the old Chestnut Knoll property were moved to the new campus in 1997.  Shortly after the move, the board voted to change its legal name to Glenmeadow to coincide with the name being used by the developer of the property.  

Continuing care retirement communities are now referred to as life plan communities, responding to the needs of the aging population with new opportunities for care, plus creative, educational and personal exploration. Glenmeadow offerings, which include everything from senior living options and handyman services to personal care and travel programs, are provided at its Longmeadow campus and across the region through Glenmeadow at Home. Glenmeadow strives to fulfill its mission of nurturing the whole person in mind, body, and spirit.

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