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

Eye Opener: Photo Essay!

Most of us will be physically disabled at some point in our lives. As a child with a broken leg, a parent with a bad back, an elderly person with a walker, etc. We are all disabled in one way or another. As far as the built-up environment is concerned, it is important that it should be barrier-free and adjusted to fulfill the needs of ALL people equally.  I believe planning for the majority involves planning for people with varying abilities and disabilities.

According to the UMD website, The University of Minnesota's Mission Statement states that,"...founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community...provides an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice and intolerance; that assists individuals, institutions, and communities in responding to a continuously changing world; that is conscious of and responsive to the needs of the many communities it is committed to serving..." 

Stadium's Purpose Statement states almost the same thing, "A community built upon mutual respect, responsibility, and opportunity..."

With the statements above, I found that the environment of Stadium Apartments on campus here at UMD does not follow it's mission/purpose statement. This facility does not provide an atmosphere of mutual respect, does not respond to a continuous changing world, and also is non responsive to the needs of the many diverse communities...especially for people that are wheel-chair bound or have serious allergies.

My photo essay is not to "bash" Stadium Apartments, but for you to take a moment, open your eyes, and step out of your own body. Put yourself in the shoes and mindset of someone who is dependent on a wheelchair or having severe allergic reactions to dust. Now take a seat in your wheelchair and enjoy the ride.....

"I am a student at UMD, their mission statement states that everyone has an equal opportunity of living and learning. I'll check out Stadium Apartments...it's on-campus living, my disabilities won't hold me back! right?...."

"Wait, no buttons or automatic doors for me to enter...I guess I'll just have to wait for someone to come and open the door for me..."

"I'm meeting with my group to study for our test, we are meeting in the study lounge."

"There is no way I can make it up those stairs with my wheelchair, and there are no elevators, I guess I'll have to study on my own..:("

"Since there are no elevators here, I'll check out the rooms on the first floor and see if I can live here!"

"All of the bathrooms and bedrooms are upstairs, there is no way I can go up these stairs!!"

"OR down these stairs!!"

"Wow, so many stairs in this building, but NO ramps of elevators for me!"

"Yikes, just a few weeks worth of dust off the carpet...achoo!"

"There are no plug-ins for Cable TV upstairs..."

"I guess the only option for watching cable upstairs is to get an extra long chord and trail it to the upstairs!"

"The accumulation of chords for televisions upstairs and Ethernet internet chords is crazy!  You can only get internet from the upstairs of the apartment, you would think with wireless internet being so common now, Stadium would be able to get wireless internet so we can avoid all of these dangerous chords!"

"Wow, there is a ton of dust up there, this window is 15 feet high, how do you get rid of the dust up there!?"

"No ventilation=tons of dust everywhere! Even with dusting regularly, so much gets accumulated on the heaters, how dangerous! Achoo!"

"My wheelchair definitely won't fit through this kitchen, how could I make food!?"

"The bathrooms are only upstairs, this shower has no handles or seating for me!"

"Also upstairs, I can't use this restroom, my wheelchair will not fit in here and there are no handlebars for me to grab onto!"

*sigh* 

"I guess UMD's mission and purpose statement was wrong, the environment here is not safe for my health or accessible for my wheelchair! :( "

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

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

Hello!

So for my cosmetic product, I chose my all-time favorite tinted moisturizer, and it is from Shiseido! I went to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. The Environmental Working Group took on this project because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) doesn't require companies to test for their own products for safety. So you can search for your own product and REALLY know what it is in your personal care products!

This is what I found out about my Shiseido moisturizer...This product was rated a 7 in a red dot. This indicates that this product is a high hazard!

Also, the ingredients in this product are linked to....

The most dangerous and hazardous ingredient in this product is called methylparaben.  It's concerns include: violations, restrictions, warnings, allergies, organ system toxicity, irritation, and biochemical changes.

Choh's Thoughts:

Wow, these results break my heart! I am absolutely in love with this product and company. It kind of makes me feel guilty putting it on now! I had NO IDEA about the dangers, the violations and restrictions about this product. I didn't know the FDA doesn't require for these companies to test for their own product's safety! Hm, I always thought about trying out some green cosmetics, maybe it is something I should consider...I am sure many of my other favorite products contain these hazardous materials. This Eye-Opener really was a wake up call for all of us as consumers!! Let's make informed decisions!!

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

Eye Opener: Summary of Reading #6: "Trout Are Wildlife, Too!"

This reading is called "Trout Are Wildlife, Too" written by Ted Williams, a full-time writer about environmental issues with special attention to fish and wildlife conservation.

I personally had a very hard time reading and understanding this article because it had a lot of "fish lingo" and this story was just everywhere. So I read it 6+ times. So please bear with me and let me know if you have questions! I think it is important to read the terms and definitions BEFORE reading the summary so you can have a better understanding of what is being discussed!...

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:

• PMDs-Pale Morning Dun. delicate yellow mayflies that remove their larval skins on the surface. Trout can feed ravenously on duns during peak hatches.
• Cutthroat Trout- Species of freshwater fish 
• Spawning- production or depositing large amounts of eggs into the water 
• Hatchery- facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions
• Fish Stocking- is the practice of raising fish in a hatchery and releasing them into a river, lake, or the ocean to supplement existing populations, or to create a population where none exists. 
• Hybridizing- interbreeding with two different species
• Stockpiling- pile or storage information for bulk materials

SUMMARY: 

This is a multi-dimensional article about trout species in the environment. Trout species such as the rainbow, brown, and cutthroat are being threatened by illegal stockpiling and other activities. There are some programs in place to protect trout species. The dangers for North American trout are greatly ignored by anglers and environmentalists. This article examines the importance of trout to the North American ecosystems and trout protection programs. While many programs want to conserve and protect our trout species, many opposing federations are saying "a trout is a trout". Ted Williams went on to say that a "grape is a grape" and that different types of grapes are used to make different types and qualities of wine. So what's the difference? Many fishermen use imitation PMDs as bait for catching trout, what Ted noticed was that the fish that were eating his PMDs were supposed to be cutthroats but he ended up catching rainbows and brown trouts. The issue here is that browns evolved in Europe and rainbows evolved in the Pacific Northwest. These 2 trout species were unleashed into Yellowstone by managers that were blind to the importance of native ecosystems. The rainbows end up hybridizing with the cutthroats and spawning all over the river tops where the genes get swamped. Of the 14 named and unnamed cutthroat species, 2 are already extinct and the rest are in trouble. Many departments such as the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks support hatcheries, but fish from hatcheries survive only survive in the real world long enough to suppress and displace wild trout. In 1970, Montana stopped stocking hatchery fish (browns and rainbows) in a section of the Madison River. Four years later large fish were up 942%. Cutthroats are fished by bears up to 100 fish a day for one bear and her cubs, Pelicans  get almost all of their nutrients from cutthroats. Cutthroats provide an important food source for at least 28 species of birds and mammals. Ted Williams ends the article by saying, "The trout are priceless works of art that need to be protected for themselves, for the species that need them, and for the people who cherish them for what they are and because they are."

SUMMARY OF DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS: 

Some local anglers call cutthroat trout "stupid, and they fight like slugs". Also, when game and fish departments tried to phase out hatcheries, anglers screamed to their legislators who threaten budget cuts. Anglers and hatcheries believe that stocking was the key to trout abundance. Most of the public are unmoved by the danger of the trout and many see trout genes have no relevance, for which trout is not a part of a native ecosystem, but a slab of meat. Many fishermen's priority  is to preserve the Cherry Creek's alien and mongrel trout, and they thought the fishing was already good- why change species? With a magazine poll, when readers were asked to vote for or against making Cherry Creek a sanctuary for Westlope cutthroats, 98% voiced opposition. Also, water quality protectors are very opposed to the use of rotenone saying "poison has no place in wilderness stewardship." 

ONLINE SOURCES FOR DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT:

• This website talks about how Fish and Wildlife are saying the Rio Grande cutthroat trout does not need federal protection: www.earthjustice.org
  
• This website is a blog that discusses the Wildlife Conservation Groups that oppose the amendment to protect water and conserve wildlife: Click Here
  

QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION:

How important do you think trout are to our ecosystem? Do you think the different trout species should be conserved and restored? or do you think that "a trout is a trout"?

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

Eye Opener: CSPI!

Hello Everyone!

So this Eye-Opener was about doing short quizzes from CSPI. What is CSPI you ask? CSPI stands for Center for Science in the Public Interest. CSPI has been a strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science. They also educate the public, advocate government policies that are consistent with scientific evidence on health and environmental issues. Seriously, check out the CSPI link to learn more. It's really interesting!

So I did the Eating Green Calculator. This calculator asked how many servings of beef, chicken, eggs, dairy, etc. I eat each week. They ask you this to calculate how your diet effects your health and the environment. I usually eat chicken everyday, an egg everyday, a dairy product everyday, and beef 2 or 3 times a week. Here were my results...

 

Results:

WOW, I am bad. 

1.3 acres of grain and animal grass to feed the animals I eat, 44.1 pounds of fertilizer used to grow animal feed, almost a half pound of pesticides used to grow animal feed, and the most shocking...7,700 pounds of manure created by the animals I eat. For cholesterol, I eat 147% of my daily value! I have heard many bad and good things about egg yolks. Moderation is always key.

Making a Change:

So after those shocking results, I had to click a link to improve my diet and protect the environment. You have to recalculate how much you are willing to give up each week. For each animal product, I gave up about 1 or 2 portions of each. The difference of those 1 to 2 portions is astonishing. I would have 39% less cholesterol, only 12 pounds of fertilizer, and the biggest improvement would be 2,157 pounds of manure compared to the 7,700 pounds from before!

I Pledge...:

I took the pledge to protect my health and the environment, I will eat a more plant-based diet—more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts and fewer fatty meat and dairy products. When I do eat animal products, I will emphasize ones that are lower in fat and raised in humane ways that minimize harm to the environment. I took this pledge because I am originally the Protein Queen. I love my milk and my meat!! But I really do need to eat more fruits and vegetables for my health and for the ENVIRONMENT!! (my signature below is my signature to take the pledge!)

Choh's Final Thoughts:

This really was an Eye-Opening activity for me!! I was so clueless before about how much of an impact I was making on this planet by eating my favorite foods. But really, we need to stop and think about where our food came from and the consequences that may follow!!

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

Eye Opener 1: Ecological Footprint!

Hi everyone, although I was really curious to see what my impact on this planet was, I was also cringing at the thought of how NON environmentally friendly I really was living my life! It felt like getting on the scale and seeing your weight after a Thanksgiving dinner (a little guilty). lol.

By doing a few quizzes, I really had some eye-opening moments.....

**The first quiz I took was for calculating my ecological footprint. What exactly is an "ecological footprint"? An ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystem. I calculated my footprint through the Earth Day Network Footprint Calendar which is a quick little quiz that shows you how many planets it would take to support your lifestyle if everyone in the world lived like you.  

Wow, I cannot believe how much of the world's ecosystem I demand! The results of my quiz are shown in the image above^^. The results show that it would take 5 planet Earths to support my lifestyle to provide enough resources. I always think that I don't have "that much" stuff or don't demand that much, but this quiz proved me wrong. Compared to all of the billions of people in the world, we sometimes don't realize how other people in the world are living compared to us. This really opened my eyes to be really grateful for what I have and really start making smarter choices to make my ecological footprint a little more impressive! It also said that 43% of my ecologic footprint comes from FOOD. Seriously, a little embarrassing, but I guess I never really thought about it. I do eat meat everyday and a lot of my food comes from Korea. Buying food locally really would make a little difference and I can change that! I think it is all about the little things you can do to make a big difference. 

**Another quiz I did was called the AAA Fuel Cost Calendar.

This one was an interesting one since many people are always talking/thinking/complaining about gas prices. This assessment estimates the amount and cost of gasoline needed to complete a vacation trip. I thought...how perfect! I went on a spring break trip last year to Panama City Beach, Florida with a bunch of my girlfriends in a CAR. (I never recommend driving 24 hours in a car with 5 girls).

So for this quiz, you put in your starting point, ending destination, your car model and year. Then they calculate the miles and gallons of your trip according to national gas price averages. Here were my results:

Pretty interesting huh? We used about 145 gallons of gasoline for that trip, that is about 30 gallons a person. We never even stopped to think about how much gas we were using! I wonder how many gallons of fuel is used to operate a plane? How much of a difference do you think there is in gallons per person for a trip on a plane to a car? Something to think about....

**Lastly, Kaileigh @ Kaileigh's Nature Blog recommended that I try this one out: Pollution Report Card.

This "report card" was cool because you type in a zip code, for this case I used mine from my home town of Apple Valley. And then they compare your town to other towns in the U.S. For Apple Valley, In 2002, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of water releases. Ohh ouch. Not so proud to be a Valley girl :( this quiz just shows you a glimpse of how the environment you live in can really effect your health! 

**Choh's Final Thoughts:

Well, doing these 3 quizzes really showed me that each person does have an impact in our environment and doing these Eye-Openers really shows you the "truth" whether it's pretty or not. In my case, doing these quizzes has taught me a lot about myself. I discovered that you have to look at the big-picture to realize you can do little things to make a difference. I for one, will be buying more locally and I don't always have to be getting my food from over-seas! Also, doing the gasoline quiz, I realize you just have to be a little more aware of how many gallons of gas you are using when driving. I cannot wait to ride my bike and rollerblade this summer! I hope you all had an eye-opening experience as well and remember, you all can make change! 

Holla Group #1!

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

Welcome to Choh's Changing Environment!!

Hi and welcome to Choh's Changing Environment! My name is Kathy and I am a Community Health Education major at UMD. This blog is going to be a space where students from our Environment Health class can communicate with each other and learn about environmental health without using paper assignments! :)

Remember guys, according to W.H.O, environmental health can be defined as: "all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviours. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments. This definition excludes behaviour not related to environment, as well as behaviour related to the social and cultural environment, and genetics." (just in case Dr. V asks us again!) 

There are 5 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Reviews
5. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are: 

1. Steve @ Steve Goes Green
2. Heather @ Heather's Healthy Environment
3. Christen@ Christen's Environmental Health
4. Kaileigh @ Kaileigh's Nature Log
5. Shar @ Shar's Virtual Environment

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile." 

Thank you for stopping by, I hope we can all learn something new together this semester! 

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