Share & Voice: BreatheFree UMD

Today, I was thinking about the BreatheFree Policy at UMD so I decided to go check it out. I am very impressed with the page on the UMD website about this. They offer great information from frequently asked questions to smoking cessation resources. Coming from parents who smoked and having asthma I stand firmly on the no smoking policy. I am proud to say my mom has quit and my dad is in the process (He is very lucky he only sees me once in a while otherwise I think he would quit for how annoying I am about it). I do not judge people who do smoke because that is there decision, I just wish for the sake of their health they would quit. Smoke flares up my asthma so I cannot say I miss smelling it outside around UMD. One thing I wish we could increase on though at UMD is enforcing this policy. I still see many kids smoking on campus. Does anyone know what the fine is for smoking on campus? Hopefully within the next couple of years this policy will be in full force to stop those who like to violate it.

Read'n'Seed: Second Quarter of "The Last Child in the Woods"

During my second Read'n'Seed I read pages 70 to 131. These pages contained the last three parts of section II (Why the Young, and the Rest of Us, Need Nature), titled the "Eighth Intelligence", The Genius of Childhood: How Natures Nurtures Creativity, and Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment and the first two parts of section III (The Best of Intention: Why Johnnie and Jeannie Don't Play Outside Anymore), titled Time and Fear and the Bogeyman Syndrome Redux.

There were many topics talked about during these pages. They were:

• Nature Smart: Paying Attention
• Learn from Nature
• Nature and Creativity
• Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment
  
• Time and Fear
• Bogeyman Syndrome Redux

I learned many new things in these sections. First, Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard, created seven types of intelligences and decided to add an "eighth intelligence" in which he felt was very important. The eighth intelligence was titled naturalist intelligence or "nature smart" (p. 71). He felt being involved in nature and knowing about it was just as important to intelligence as was being intellectually knowledgeable. Another interesting fact I found in the book was a study done on the area children play in. The study showed that children who play on a more natural playground versus an asphalt playground integrate more fantasy and make-believe play than those who have to play on a built surface (p. 87). This surprised me because I would have never thought there would have been a difference. Another fact that surprised me was that many federal and state governments are trying to reduce or get rid of recess time. They feel that pushing for higher test scores is more important than recess which to them is "a waste of time" (p. 98). This shocked me because recess is a time for kids to get out of the classroom for a while and be able to have some fun while doing physical activity. Due to the increased obesity rates among children you would think this would be the last thing they would consider. According to Richard Louv, "40 percent of 5 -8 year old's suffer from cardiac risk factors such as obesity" (p. 98). Test scores are important but so is the health of these young children. Last, I learned about "the Bogeyman Syndrome Redux." The Bogeyman Syndrome is how parents and their children perceive nature (p. 123). Yes, if you watch movies like "The Blair Witch Project" there is a good chance you will be scared but remember IT IS JUST A MOVIE. Nature is not scary. Many times the media like to portray it as a bad place but that is wrong. Also, parents are just not as trusting these days, which I cannot blame them. There is violence but it is not as bad as parents assume. Let your kids go play with friends in areas that are close to home or go with them if it makes you feel better. Overall, just make sure your kids get to explore nature as much as they can because it will only benefit them in the future.

As a society we should care about this problem because it affects everyone, not just children. Nature has a calming effect for everyone that enters it. It is a good place to read, study, play with your kids, or just to sight see. Lately, everyone is so afraid of letting their kids get out there and explore but go with them! Experience nature with your kids, family, or friends because you will enjoy it. We need to start using it if we want to keep it.

Eye Opener: CSPI

For the CSPI eye opener activity I chose to do the Score Your Diet because I was curious to see what my score would be like. Score your diet asks you how many servings of animals products you eat in a typical week. The categories are pork, chicken/turkey, beef, egg yolks, yogurt/milk, fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and candies. It also made sure to ask if these products were fat-free, free-range, extra lean, or organic.
These are my grand total scores:

• Health Score=45
• Environmental Score=-26
• Animal Welfare Score=-13
• Uh-Oh=6

My score is pretty low so I think that means I need help!

Some of the foods I scored highest in were milk/yogurt but only when I clicked that I always make sure it is fat-free, low-fat cheese, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and eating some organic food. I noticed that you got a higher score if you eat foods that are extra-lean, fat-free, organic, or free-range. My highest score was a 30 with fat-free milk and yogurt. Fruit and vegetables followed with scores of 16 and 14.

Some of the lowest scores I received were with milk/yogurt (when I had not clicked fat-free), cheese, beef, and chicken/turkey. My lowest score was a -30 with milk and yogurt. Cheese followed with a score of -28. It is strange how my highest and lowest scores could be the same.

I need to make the biggest change in my environmental score. I never realized how animal products really effect the environment until I took this class and test. What I can do to improve this score is decrease how many animal products I consume. I could lower my score by reducing the intake of diary products and increasing my intake of fruits and vegetables.

I was actually very surprised by my results. My pork, chicken/turkey, and beef scores were very low because I am not a big meat eater so I just assumed my scores would be pretty good. Then I realized I consume a lot of diary products during the week. By consuming less diary and eating more locally grown, organic foods I could definitely increase my scores. After seeing how animal products take away from us and require a lot of upkeep I am considering becoming a vegetarian.