Share and Voice 12: Water Bottles!

So yesterday I went on a Target shopping binge (yes....I do remember "The Story of Stuff") and ran into a colorful display of aluminum water bottles!! I have always wanted one of these, I am sure you have seen Jayme with these water bottles last semester :)... So I ended up getting one because they were on sale for $10! They are usually 12-15 dollars so I thought it was a great investment for our planet. 

There are a ton of cool things about these water bottles, not only are appealing to the eye with bright colors and designs, but they keep my water cold, I can carry it around with ease, and I don't have to keep using and throwing out plastic water bottles! The company Gaiam makes these water bottles, they make green living, yoga, fitness, and organic products!

So why go aluminum? 

• 86% of plastic water bottles used in the U.S. end up in landfills, taking up 1,000 years to biodegrade.
• Transporting bottled water consumes approximately 1.5 million barrels of fossil fuels per year.
  
• When you use an aluminum bottle, your water remains free of unhealthy plastic residues.
  

So go out and get yourself one!!!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Share and Voice 11: Nature Walk!

Environmental Fun Fact: People who took nature walks did 20% better on memory tests than city strollers. This summer, recharge your brain and body with a walk in the park!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Reflections: Week 15 and 16!

Image from Dr. V@ AmysEnvironmentalAdventures

Hey Class!

So our class has finally come to an end. What an "adventure"! Looking back on the last couple weeks of class....

Week 15:

Blogs: We started out this week by creating an online learning activity for our group members to do. This activity was an interactive way to educate others about the issue of our Advocacy Project! My group had some great ones about health insurance, mental disorders, and indoor air pollution! It looks like everyone had a good time with the activties and gained some knowledge and skills with these activities! The Advocacy Project was not as bad as everyone thought it would be!

Tuesday: Also, on Tuesday we were lucky enough to have Sue Whitney as a guest speaker! Sue Whitney is the author and owner of JunkMarket and gave each of us in the class the Junk Beautiful: Outdoor Edition book. Thank you Sue! Sue was a treat to have in class, you could tell she was very passionate about junking and repurposing! She told us about her childhood and how the way she grew up influenced her way of subconsciously reusing things instead of always buying NEW! Some of the people in the class brought their own junk that they did and how they repurposed it, good job everyone! Also, Dr. V provided lunch for us from Subway! Thanks again Dr. V! Unfortunately, class time cut the discussion short, but it seemed like there was so much more to talk about! 

Thursday: Finally, on Thursday, it was our last day of class together. We went outside to the courtyard and sat outside in the beautiful weather and we all talked about what we have learned throughout the class this semester. It seemed like the majority of the class enjoyed this course and have changed their way of life because of Environmental Health! From this class, I am more environmentally aware and felt encouraged to make more informed decisions about life in general. Also, the people in this class made all the difference! It was a great last day of class!

Images from Shar @ SharsVirtualEnvironment

Week 16:

Finals week for everyone! But our last Eye Opener was to actually do the activities the group members have created and post the results! Looks like everyone learned a lot and enjoyed these activities! Shout out to GROUP#1 (Shar, Steve, Heather, Christen, Kaileigh)...you guys were awesome! Looking forward to this summer and spending time together this summer! Same for the whole entire class!!

Choh's Final Thoughts:

Such a sad ending!! I really enjoyed having this class with everyone single one of you! Every individual contributed to the amazing chemistry of this class. I think we have all learned a lot about ourselves and each other and have GROWN to being so much more environmentally aware and blog-saavy! I enjoyed reading everyones Reviews, Eye Openers/PhotoEssays, Advocacy Projects, especially Share and Voices, and going on an adventure hike! This class had such an influence in my everyday life and blogs seemed to be on my mind all the time considering when I see a classmate, I am always tempted to say your blog name, haha! It was fun getting to know everyone and I wish everyone the best!! Keep in touch! :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities Group #1!

Last Eye-Opener!

For this Eye Opener, my group members from Group #1 created some great online learning activities for each of us to finish. Here are my results!

Steve Goes Green

"Name That Phobia"

Steve had created a fun activity for us to learn more about phobias and mental disorders! This was interesting because I didn't know about some of these phobias! Here were my results, I hope they are accurate...
SECTION 1

1. Pteromerhanophobia - The fear of __flying___
   
2. Tachophobia - The fear of _high speeds or rollercoasters___
   
3. Wiccaphobia - The fear of _witchcraft__
   
4. Autophobia - The fear of _being alone :(___
   
5. Bathmophobia - The fear of _stairs and slopes__
   
6. Glossophobia - The fear of _public speaking (I think I used to have this!)__
   
7. Chronomentrophobia - The fear of _clocks__
   
8. Cacophobia - The fear of _ugliness___
   
9. Leukophobia - The fear of _white__
   
10. Mysophobia - The fear of __dirt, contamination, and germs (MONK)___

SECTION 2

1. Mageirocophobia - The fear of cooking
   
2. Ornithophobia (birds scare me!) - The fear of birds
   
3. _Domatophobia__ - The fear of houses
   
4. __Belonephobia_ - The fear of needles or pointed objects
   
5. __Coulrophobia__ - The fear of clowns
   
6. __Elurophobia_ - The fear of cats
   
7. _Heliophobia___ - The fear of the sun
   
8. __Obeseophobia__ - The fear of gaining weight
   
9. __Xenophobia__ - The fear of strangers or foreigners
   
10. __Megalophobia__ - The fear of large things

Kaileigh's Nature Log

"Your Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance"

After reading the assigned readings, I have learned so many things about long-term care.

Nursing homes on average cost $50,000 for a year. That is a very high cost of living and I am sure many places are doubled in price. I think long-term care should be affordable because everyone has a right to health care (although it is not universally provided by the government). Long-term coverage is covered for people who cannot perform activities of daily living such as Alzheimers disease or are paraplegic. I think long-term care should be provided to all! This was a very informative source. I did not know Medicare did not cover long-term care! Why is it called Medi"CARE"?

Christen's Environmental Health

"The Health Insurance Game"

This video clip was a cute way to show the bill that they were representing by playing a game with real life situations. I am a supporter of universal health care because other countries have shown better statistics when it comes to health outcomes. I think it is a creative way to show a bill you are supporting by making it somewhat humorous by appealing to youth. The information that was addressed in this video was very biased but if you are trying to persuade someone, bias is sometimes used! Great find Christen!

Heather's Healthy Environment

"Care of Cost"

This was such an interesting activity to go and look at because I usually don't go to the hospital and see how much things cost! For minor conditions, I thought sore throats and upset stomachs were the most common and those minor conditions costs several hundreds of dollars! Definitely would not be able to cover those costs with my budget! This was a good activity to show what people go through when they cannot even afford health insurance. Who knew that treatment for an upset stomach could cost someone up to $300? 

Shar's Virtual Environment

"The Indoor Air Pollution Chase"

This activity was to educate you on indoor air pollution, a topic that relates to all people!

I enjoyed this because it reminded me of playing computer games! This is what I found out...

Bedroom: Paints and varnishes can cause indoor air pollutants. For plants, if humidity is too high, it can promote mold growth.

Attics: Water leaks can cause mold growth. 

Bathroom: Cleaning products can give harmful gasses, ceiling fans can reduce humidity and mold growth.

Garage: The fairy said OBVIOUSLY! the car can emit carbon monoxide from the exhaust and to make sure chemical products are tightly closed.

Kitchen: gas stoves can produce nitrogen dioxide which is harmful to the lungs.

Living room: Wood smoke from the fireplace

Basement/Laundry room: dryers can create humidity and mold growth if not properly ventilated. Combustion appliances can release pollutants in the air.

One thing that could effect me is mold because when it gets warm and humid, anything can grow mold on it! A solution is to get a ceiling fan in the bathroom!

These were great activities guys! It is always fun to learn by being interactive!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Advocacy Project: Learn, Crossword, Action!

Hey Group! :)

So it is time for my inner health educator to come out and for you to learn more about my environmental issue for our Advocacy Project! With this activity, I hope you learn more about the issue of lead poisoning and I would love for you to take action! If you forgot what my topic was about you can skim over my Advocacy Project: Issue Overview!

WHAT TO DO...For this activity there 3 sections:

1. I will educate you about the issue of lead poisoning from 3 sources. Please be sure to read and really understand what I am teaching you because after the education portion of this activity, I will quiz you in a CROSSWORD PUZZLE which leads us to section #2...
2. There will be 10 questions on this crossword puzzle activity. If you are not sure what a crossword puzzle is or how to do a crossword puzzle, go to this link! Fill in the blanks with the answer of the clues I am giving you! The answers come from what you learned in the education portion from section #1.
3. After you finished the crossword puzzle, section #3 makes you take action! I would like you to take what you learned from this activity and talk to one of your friends or roommates about what you have learned today about lead poisoning. I have learned that you learn more by teaching others and education is a circle, it has no end! So with what you have learned, find out from your roommate, landlord, or housing association and see if your house was built before the 1950's. Are you at risk for lead poisoning? Has your house been tested? Be sure to report your experience and what you found out! :)

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself." ~Chinese Proverb.

EDUCATION (Section #1):

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

• Lead is a poisonous metal. Lead-based PAINT is hazardous to your health. It is a major source of lead poisoning for children and adults. In children, lead poisoning can cause brain damage and can impair mental functioning. It can slow mental and physical development and reduce attention span. It can also affect FETAL development even at extremely low levels of lead. In adults, it can cause irritability, poor muscle coordination, and nerve damage to the sense organs and nerves controlling the body. Lead poisoning may also cause problems with reproduction (such as a decreased SPERM count).
• OLDER homes may contain lead based paint. About two-thirds of the homes built before 1940 and one-half of the homes built from 1940 to 1960 contain heavily-leaded paint. Some homes built after 1960 also contain heavily-leaded paint. 
• Ingesting and inhaling lead dust that is created as lead-based paint "chalks," chips, or peels from deteriorated surfaces can expose consumers to lead. Walking on small paint chips found on the floor, or opening and closing a painted frame window, can also create lead dust. Other sources of lead include GASOLINE. Consumers can also generate lead dust by sanding lead-based paint or by scraping or heating lead-based paint. Lead dust can settle on floors, walls, and furniture.  Settled lead dust can re-enter the air through cleaning, such as sweeping or vacuuming, or by movement of people throughout the house.

Source: Wikipedia.

• Lead was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
  
• One MYTH related to lead-based paint is that the most common cause of poisoning was eating leaded paint chips. In fact, the most common pathway of childhood lead exposure is through ingestion of lead DUST through normal hand-to-mouth contact from dust generated during remodeling or painting.

Source: Karen Guerndt-realtor from Real Estate Services of Duluth LLC.

• About 80% of homes in Duluth, MN were built before the 1950's.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACTIVITY (section #2):

DOWN
1. Along with the other effects of lead poisoning,______development is effected even with extremely low levels of lead.
3. Pick one: "OLDER" homes or "NEWER" homes may contain lead-based paints.
4. Lead was banned in this year for residential use.
5. A common misconception or ________ was that the most common form of poisoning was eating leaded paint chips.

ACROSS
2. Other sources that contain lead besides paint is ___________.
4. About 2/3 of homes built before this year contain heavily-leaded paint.
6. Lead is found in this item that was put on the walls of houses.
7. Lead also effects reproduction. In men, your count of these little swimmers will go down.
8. How many percent of homes in Duluth were built before the 1950's?
9. The most common pathway of childhood lead exposure is through ingestion of small lead particles called_______.

TAKE ACTION! (section #3):

Once you have finished this activity, be sure to educate someone else on what you have learned and find out if you are at risk! So with what you have learned, find out from your roommate, landlord, or housing association and see if your house was built before the 1950's. Are you at risk for lead poisoning? Has your house been tested? Be sure to report your experience and what you found out! :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Reflections: Week 13 and 14!

Hello!

SERIOUSLY?--the last couple weeks of this semester is here!!??! Very bittersweet.

I had so much fun from Environmental Health class from Weeks 13 and 14!

Looking back...

Week 13:

Tuesday, we watched the clip called "Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard. This story was really entertaining and Annie pretty much simplified the complexities of our environment and how us as humans are as consumers. It showed us the process of production and consumption. What was really interesting was the fact that after the Great Depression, we tried to spike the economy by buying more and more stuff. This producing and consuming cycle is still going on today and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon! "The Story of Stuff" made us wonder, why DO we have SO MUCH STUFF?!?!

Thursday was great. As a class, we went to the Bagley Nature Area and learned about compass navigation! I am horrible with navigation and compasses, so thankfully my group (Valerie, Noah, and Kaileigh) knew what they were doing! It was really fun, and nice to be outside for our environmental class!

Week 14:

An overall great week as well!

On Tuesday, for our Advocacy Project, we wrote a letter to our Public Official to vote yes or no to the bill we addressed for our specific issue! Also, we had a guest speaker who is now working for the AmeriCorp and what he is doing with his Anthropology major and what he does for the Civic Engagement program at our school! Some interesting stuff.

Thursday was a hilarious day!! For class, we gathered into our blog groups and Dr. V brought in 5 items of "junk" and we had to come up with ideas on how to "repurpose" these items!! The groups came up with some funny and creative ideas!! (cheese grater, eye poker, nut holder, etc.)

Good job class!

It's been a blast guys- keep up the good work!! :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Share and Voice 10: "Repurposing"

Hey everyone!!

So I think we all did a great job with the "junk" that Dr. V had brought into class today and it was absolutely hilarious to hear everyone's unique repurposing ideas! Everyone was so creative! (I'm still laughing at some of the ideas).

So this Share and Voice is dedicated to a craft blog that I visit sometimes and I really want all of you to take some time and look at this blog! There are some really cool and crafty ideas for things you can make yourself. For these crafts, this blog encourages you to reuse things and the results are absolutely amazing!!! Please take a look at this blog, you may be inspired to make something yourself with the things you find around the house!! Click on this link to view the blog.

Also, from this blog is a list of ways to inspire yourself and to make "repurposing" or "repairing" a part of normal life!!

Have a good day! :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi