Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Reflection: Weeks 13-14 & Overall Course


Well folks this is my last blog post....at least for Environmental :( It has been a blast getting to know everyone in class, at least those I did not already know. I have to admit I was not sure about blogging but after doing it I realized it was a lot of fun.

These past 2 weeks have flown by! Here is a recap of what we did:
  • Toured Goodwill
  • Did our Advocacy letter/fact sheet and online learning activities
  • Wrapped up our SMART goals
  • Show and Tell of our junking projects
Touring Goodwill was a lot of fun and interesting. I had never been there before this class so I was able to learn a lot. I could not believe how many things they had in the back of the store. It is great so many people donate things. While there I was even able to pick up a cute leopard cardigan!

Our advocacy projects opened up a lot of our eyes to new issues and bills. As I have stated in previous blogs, I had never really participated in government issues but se
eing which bills are trying to be passed was really cool. The bill I focused on was an education act for Emergency Contraception. Not only did I learn a lot of this topic but I hope my blog groups did as well.

After wrapping up our SMART goals I felt such a sense of accomplishment. Being able to succeed at this goal made me feel very good. Along the way I was also able to influence others which was just as important to me. Thanks for all the support from my fellow bloggers! :)

Last, but definitely not least, we did our junking projects. I had the most
fun with this project. It was cool being able to create something from junk and sharing it with the class. My junking project was a wine cork board. It was very easy to make. All I needed was a frame, black paint, hot glue gun, and wine corks. The pictures below are my junking project. Enjoy!

Overall, I learned a lot about myself and the environment. I admit I was a little selfish when it came to the use of the environment. I wouldn't recycle sometimes, never really cared about governmental issues, and used as many resources as I wanted without thinking anything of it. Well now I rethink everything I do. For example, do I really need that bottle of Gatorade or hormone-injected meat....do not think so!! Environmental health opened my eyes to many issues that get swept under the rug....well that rug is rising. It is time to talk and fix these problems before we run out of resources and ruin it for future generations.

Hope everyone has a safe, relaxing break!!!




Picture Source for top picture:This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice, and its copyright was not renewed

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

These Online Learning Activities were made by members of my group. Below I will post my answers to their activities!

Kristen's Air Quality Crossword Puzzle
Instructions: Read the 4 posted articles. After reading, use the articles to complete the crossword puzzle.

Answers:
Down:
1. Air Quality Index
2. Air Toxics
3. Mobile

Across:
4. Asthma
5. Carbon Monoxide
6. EPA


Heidi's Childhood Obesity Quiz
Instructions: Click on the Childhood Obesity Quiz link to take the quiz. Record your results and report back what you learned.

There were 10 true and false questions pertaining to childhood obesity. I received a score of 10/10 = 100%. I knew many of these questions because I have done numerous papers on childhood obesity. This topic interests me because it is such a big issue that needs to be addressed and fixed. One of the questions that could trick people are; a child should have 3 glasses of fruit juice a day. Even though I did get this question right, they should have been more specific because 100% fruit juice is different than juice concentrate.

Brier's Smoking Fact Find
Instructions: Review the posted links. Find 5 things that you did not know before watching the videos or things that really effected you. Post the 5 things learned you learned. Also, provide 1 reason why you remain smoke-free or chose to become smoke-free.

5 Things I did not know or things that effected me:

1. The video, MDCH-It's Like They are Smoking, was very sad. When people smoke around others or their kids it drives me crazy. It is not fair to those who do not smoke to have to be exposed to these chemicals. Why should we have to get sick because of someone else's actions? Smoking around people, especially kids, is one of the worst things you can do to their health.

2. According to the American Heart Association, there has been a 15 percent drop in heart attacks since the Smoking Ban took place. (In 2007, 91,000 Minnesotans got treatment for heart attack. In 2009, 78,00 were treated.)

3. There are new cigarettes called E-Cigarettes that people are starting to smoke. These are cigarettes that contain nicotine but produce no smoke. These are absolutely ridiculous. Things like this make me wonder what they will come up with next.

4. According to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, 446 U.S. campuses are either tobacco-free or are in the works of implementing such a policy. This is amazing that so many schools have taken the initiative to become smoke-free. If campuses can have a policy on alcohol use on campus, why not have a tobacco policy. Many people can be exposed to secondhand smoke on campus so implementing policies should decrease the intake of these chemicals. Hopefully these policies will give smokers the willpower to consider quitting.

5. Smoking costs Minnesota nearly 3 billion dollars in health care costs. Smoking kills. When health care costs rise to 3 billion dollars you know there is a problem. Hopefully with all the work the U.S. is doing with implementing smoking bans and policies we can start to see an even bigger decrease in tobacco use.

I choose not to smoke because I know how detrimental it is for your health and people around you. I grew up with parents who smoked and it drove me crazy. I will never put myself or my family in jeopardy.

Mary's Health Insurance For All
Instructions: Watch the posted video. Visit the two posted websites. Play the game, You Bet Your Health. After completing all of this, share one or two things you learned from this activity.

What I learned:
1. The game, You Bet Your Health, put a lot of things into perspective. If you do not have health insurance you get stuck paying for everything. Doctor visits, medication, and annual check-ups cost a lot of money. It was aggravating seeing the insurer win all of this money because your bills were not covered.

2. I think the new Health Reform has some great points. I like how kids are allowed to stay on their parent's plan until age 26 and that insurance companies are not able to drop you because of a submitted claim.

Emily's Uncovering the Facts About Cancer
Instructions:
First, visit the WebMD site and find 3 facts about cancer that interest you or that you never knew. Second, visit the American Cancer Society site and read about the different causes of cancer. Be able to list 3. Third, go to the webpage Preventcancer.org and read about things you can do to reduce your risk for cancer. Fourth, report 3 common causes of cancer and describe 3 of the ways you think you could best protect yourself against cancer.

3 facts about Cancer:
1. Observation studies have shown that cancer is more common in some people with certain dietary habits--such as colorectal cancer in people who have diets rich in meat products.

2. In the Gerson Therapy, cancer patients are treated with caffeinated coffee in the form of enemas every four hours on a daily basis.

3. An estimated 40% to 50% of fair-skinned people who live to be 65 will develop at least one skin cancer.

3 Different causes of cancer and ways to protect myself:
1. Genetics-Ways to protect myself would be to get screened
2. Tobacco- Do not ever take up smoking and avoid second-hand smoke as much as I can
3. Diet and Physical Activity-Remain Active and Eat more green--add color to my diet

Molly's No Way BPA in Baby Formula
Instructions: After looking over the websites listed, decide if you think the chemicals should be more or less regulated specifically relating to baby formula. Post a short reflection on it.

Yes, I 100 percent agree that chemicals should be more regulated when it comes to baby formula. Our kids are our future generations. Do we really want to put them in harms way? I was surprised by this next piece of information I found. The Toxic Substances Control Act fails to require that chemical companies prove their products are safe before they are sold. How are you able to sell a product without knowing if it is safe or not?

Everyone had great activities. I learned so much about all these topics. They are all important in their own ways. Keep up the great work!