Reflection: Weeks 5-8

Weeks five through eight in Environmental Health have shown me many things in the world that I have been oblivious to. Some of the things we have discussed are:

• The Future of Food
• CSPI-Scoring Your Diet
• Read'N'Seeds-Last Child in the Woods
• Graphical Headers
• Movies-"Fresh", "Green", "Tapped"
• Environmental Working Group-Cosmetic Products
• Junking

The future of our food is at stake. Many farmers are having to make the choice of whether to raise their animals and crops naturally or use pesticides or hormones. Even though hormones can help your animals produce more they are not good for them. Animals should produce what they were born to make, not what we want them to produce. Pesticides are also not good. Many times they can damage crops or crops can become resistant to them after so long.

After doing our CSPI activity, Scoring Your Diet, I learned a lot about the choices of food I make. When buying food you should always check the labels. If possible you should always try to get organic or natural foods. For example, when looking at meats look for hormone free or grass-fed. These will be the best meats for you because they were raised the right way. I was actually really surprised by my results because my meat intake was low but my diary products were high. Many people are under the impression that eating animal products does not really affect the environment when it is the exact opposite.

For this class we had to choose a book to read. I read "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv. This book was great. Its main point was to address the lost connection between children and nature. Before reading this book I never even thought about this because it never affected me. This is not true. It turns out my generation along with several others are part of the children that never really experienced nature. This saddens me because I see now how much nature has to offer and I missed out. To this day I am guilty of taking nature for granted. As the saying goes, "You never know what you have until it is gone". I want to change this by starting to play an active role in the environment.

A couple of other interesting activities we did were made a graphical header and searched a cosmetic product we used often. Making the graphical header was a lot of fun. We were able to choose a photo then upload it onto a site called Picnik. This site has many ways to edit pictures from adding borders and text to changing the color to reducing red eye or exposure. The other activity we did was eye opening. We got the chance to search a cosmetic product we use often. I chose hairspray. My results showed my hairspray was moderately hazardous and could cause cancer, allergies, reproductive toxicity, or etc. This was scary because you never seem to question the products you use daily because they "seem" safe.

The movies we have watched so far have also been very eye opening. From chemical plants on the Mississippi River to clean drinking water to fresh foods. I have learned a lot from these movies but the one that stuck out the most was "Tapped". When Dr. V asked the question, "Who owns the water?", I had no idea. The first thought that came to my head was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When it comes down to it though, big corporations end up owning a lot of our water. What blows my mind is if we are able to drink water out of a facet for free why buy a bottle of water? Yes, I am guilty of buying plastic water bottles but that is going to change. By reducing the use of plastic water bottles we could dramatically lower the amount of garbage produced.

The last topic I am going to discuss is junking. Junking to me is when you take something you or someone else no longer wants and make into something new. I think junking is a great way to save money, make a homemade decoration, and be creative. By making something yourself it shows your original and talented while also helping out the environment because it is one less item you have to buy. I am very excited to start junking my own projects for when I get my own place!

Share & Voice: Wake Up to Reality

I was looking on youtube and came across this video, Wake Up to Reality. I thought this video did a great job summing up some of the issues we are facing today. We need to realize what we do today not only affects us but everyone around us. I know in Dr. V's class this week she brought up the acronym, NIMBY, Not In Our Back Yard. I know of a lot of people that live by this. If they do not have to see it or deal with it right now they do not care. That is not the case. Lets do something now to prevent future problems! Hope you enjoy the video below!

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Part 1 Terms defined:

• antiques/antiquing: "an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features. Antiquing is the act of shopping, identifying, negotiating, or bargaining for antiques." (Source: Wikipedia, 2010)
  

• junk/junking: taking something you own or something someone else owns that they no longer want and change in into something useful; ex: a house decoration
  

• flea market: a place someone sells things they do not want at lower prices; you can also buy things from vendors that they no longer want (Source: Wikipedia, 2010)

• thrift shop: a place that sells used items to others for lower prices than normal (Source: Wiktionary, 2010)

• upcycling: "the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value" (Source: Wikipedia, 2010)

• resale shop: taking an item that someone no longer wants and sell it again (Source: Collins English Dictionary found at Free Dictionary, 2010)

PART 2: Answer the following questions:

1. The above terms have to do with environmental health because they help reuse old products so new ones do not have to be made. As the old saying goes "Ones junk could be anothers treasure." By selling or donating your old, used items you could be benefiting someone else. Instead of throwing older things away give them to a new person to be reused. Buying new things only uses more materials. By reusing other items you are being environmentally friendly and saving money because it is one less product that has to be made and purchased.

Antiques/Antiquing:
Father Time Antiques
Location: 395 S. Lake Ave Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218)-625-2379 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (218)-625-2379 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Junk/Junking:
Blog: Junk Camp, A Junker's Diary
Seaman's Yesterday's Treasures
Location: 5617 Grand Ave Duluth, MN 55807-2539
Phone: (218)-628-1969

Flea Market:
Studebaker Drivers Club Swap Meet Flea Market and Classic Car Show
Location: Lake Superior College, 2101 Trinity Road Duluth, Minnesota, 55811

Thrift Shop:
Goodwill
Location: 700 Garfield Avenue Duluth,MN 55802
Phone: (218)-722-6351

Upcycling:
I had some trouble finding a local upcycling place but I feel like this is something you could do on your own. You could possibly change something you have or look at a friend or family members things they no longer want.

Resale Shop:
Plato's Closet
Location: 5115 Burning Tree Road Suite 315 C Duluth, MN 55811
Phone: (218)-733-9455


When talking about junking or antiquing I really did not think I did until looking at the definitions of the terms. I actually do more of this than I thought. I sell and buy clothes at Plato's Closet all the time. If there is something I do not wear anymore I bring it somewhere to get some money or donate it to benefit someone else. Usually if my clothes do not get bought from Plato's Closet I will donate them to Goodwill or Savers. I also go to Savers a lot to look for things for around the house. If I can go to Savers and get a dresser or coffee pot for half of the price than at a department store why not do it. You are saving money and helping out the environment. I really want to start getting creative by making things for when I get my own apartment or house.

PART 3: Get your junk on!

Project 1: The Fish or Cut Bait

I thought this project was very cute. I am addicted to candles and always want new ideas on how to decorate with them. This project would be able to be outside or inside of a house. I think if I ever did something like this I would make it have a more indoors look.

Project 2: Must be L-O-V-E

This project is my favorite. It looks like it would be so fun and easy to make. You would need to find some old wood blocks and get script paper to make it look like it is actual dictionary paper. What I also like about this is you could do a lot of different words besides love like passion, laugh, live, life, or even peoples last names. These blocks could be set outside, in the living room, bathroom, bedroom, or etc.

Project 3: Simple Mondays-Take Two

The last project I looked at got my attention because I like flowers. I think flowers add so much more to a room along with a nice smell. I am interested in finding ways to make the flowers I buy stand out more because just putting them into a vase is boring. You need different ways to make them look pretty and have detail.

Source: Project Ideas from Junk Market

Read'n'Seed 5: Fourth Quarter and Final Review of Last Child in the Woods.

This week I finished Last Child in the Woods. I covered part VI, Wonderland: Opening the Fourth Frontier and part VII, To Be Amazed. These two parts went from page 233 to page 309. Some of the main topics covered were:

• Decriminalizing Natural Play
• Fear of liability
• Green Urbanism
• Chicago-A green city
• Faith-based Environmentalism

There were many significant points talked about in the remaining pages of the book. Decriminalization of natural play is when areas are taken away from kids because of fear of destruction. Many places are becoming off limits because they do not want the nature to be disturbed due to people climbing or walking on it. I agree and disagree with this. I understand we want to preserve the nature we have but nature is meant to be used. There should be off limit signs to some of the more delicate areas of nature but people should be allowed to experience some forms of nature.
Fear of liability has become a major issue in the United States. Many people are afraid of letting others use their things or be on their property for fear of being sued. As mentioned in the book most people call attorneys now when things happen instead of trying to work it out (Louv, 237). I find it pretty sad when you cannot trust some family members or friends for fear of being sued if something by chance happened.

Green urbanism is trying to make its way to the United States. Right now this is very big in European countries and it actually works. It is amazing how well countries like Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden function with these environmentally friendly ideas. One of the major things these countries are doing is using "greenroofs." According to Louv, "greenroofs are covered by vegetation, grass, or trees-such roofs provide protection from UV rays, clean the air, control storm water runoff, aid birds and butterflies, and cool homes in the summer and heat in winter" (246). I cannot believe just having "greenroofs" could do so much for the environment

Chicago is one of the greenest states in the United States. After visiting there about seven years ago I would have never thought this. According to Louv, "Chicago has developed one of the best renewable energy rebate programs in the nation, built a mass transit system to avoid the overuse of cars, and made many bike paths" (253). I think it is great the city of Chicago is trying to become environmentally friendly and attempting to get others out in nature. If a big city can do this so can many other small cities or states.

Faith-based environmentalism has to with god and mother nature, the creators. This part of the book basically stated the difference between how different religions view nature. Some believe god made it and it should be used by everyone. Some religions view it as sacred and that it should be left alone or that it has evils lurking in it. Most people did however correlate nature and religion as a positive for people to use (Louv, 296).

A couple of words that were unfamiliar to me were:

According to Wikipedia Idolatry is, "usually defined as worship of any image, idea, or objects opposed to the worship of a monothesitic God" (Wikipedia, 2010).
According to Wikipedia Greenprinting, "relates to the conservation of land. Greenprinting is the creation of conservation scenarios that help communities make informed conservation decisions" (Wikipedia, 2010).

These decisions have a big impact on society. How we do things now affects the future generations of kids and their parents. Being one of the generations that has not got to experience nature like I should have I want to change that for when I have kids. I want everyone to feel comfortable with nature. Hopefully within the next few years schools, parks, colleges, forests, and etc will become more environmentally friendly and informative.

Overall, this entire book was about the affect nature has on everything in our society, especially children. Our views of nature are much different than they used to be. Kids used to play outside, build tree houses, play kickball in the street, and run through the forests playing games with their friends. In general kids just used their imagination a lot more than now. These days kids are addicted to electronics. Game companies keep coming out with new ideas for kids which only keeps them inside more. Not only did Last Child in the Woods want to talk about how we have lost our connection with society but ways to get it back. There are many things we can do to get back on track, it will just take some time and hard work but in the end it will be totally worth it. Lets use it before we lose it.

Three significant things I learned were:

• My generation is a part of this gap of society who has lost touch with nature.
• I learned a lot about the Bogeyman syndrome. I never knew this term existed but I definitely believe in it. I have let media influence me so much that I am very scared of nature. When I am outside I am very aware of my settings and never fully feel at ease.
• How calming nature actually is. I never realized how much nature can affect ones' life. The fact it can help lower the symptoms of ADHD and stress levels is so crucial to many childrens lives. Take part in nature because this is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to help clear your mind and feel better about yourself
  

This book means a lot to me because I am part of the percentage who has lost contact with nature along with most of my friends and family members. I love being in nature but I realize I do not use it as often as I wish I would. There were times growing up when we would travel to other states and I would sit in the car and watch DVD's instead of going out to see nature. This upsets me because why would I not have been more interested? After reading about how many of our nature areas are being destroyed or cut off from the public it makes me realize how much I have missed out on. I do not want my kids and the future generations to miss out like so many of us did. The last thing our next generations need are to be addicted to electronics like kids are now.

Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to others. Not only is it a current issue but it is so interesting. Many people within the last ten years would be apart of the gap that has been cut off with nature so they would be able to relate well. Older people would also be able to relate because I bet they question why kids these days do not do what they used to do. This book has many descriptive points about why this issue is so alarming and why things need to change. It really puts things into perspective and makes you want to make a change to better our environment.



Picture Source: (C) Michael "Mike" L. Baird bairdphotos.com; You are free to share-to copy, distribute, and transmit the work

Share & Voice: Monopoly at McDonald's

This week I wanted to share my opinion about the game Monopoly at McDonald's. I really knew nothing about this game or how it was played at McDonald's so I did some researching on the McDonald's website. According to the Monopoly Game on McDonald's website there are some rules and guidelines you must follow to play this game from who is eligible to play to how to obtain your pieces. What I found interesting was the food options that these pieces are on. The only way to obtain monopoly pieces from the restaurant is by purchasing these foods listed below:

• Big Mac
• Hash Browns
• Filet-O-Fish
• Large Fries
• McGriddles
• Chicken McNuggets (10-piece & 20-piece)
• Medium Fountain Drinks
• Medium & Large McCafé Drinks (Hot & Iced)

Do you notice anything about these choices? If the obesity issue in the United States isn't already big enough lets just throw out a game where you can purchase only these food items to play. Why can't stamps be placed on better choices like skinless chicken breast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, or salads? One thing I did notice on the website though is you do not have to purchase these foods to play. You are able to participate without having to buy anything. It only mentions sending in a letter with your address and the right amount of postage so I am not sure if you have to send in money or what to get these pieces.

Another thing I noticed on the McDonald's website are the odds to winning the prizes they offer. For example, you have a 1 in 6,797,351 chance of winning $100.00 dollars cash or a 1 in 273,825,959 chance of winning the 1 million dollar grand prize (Which if you do win read the fine print, you get $50,000 dollars every year for 20 years). After seeing the odds to winning I do not know why so many people would want to play. Some friends of mine that have been playing have mostly been winning free fries or pops from McDonald's, which is what I would imagine to be the majority of the prizes.

Overall, I find this game to be a joke. This is just another advertising ploy by McDonald's to get people to buy their foods. Yes, you may get a free Redbox dvd or a free medium fry but in the end is it really worth it? You end up spending more money than you really get back in prizes.

Question Time: After hearing my overall opinion I want to know what you guys think. Do you think this game is a good idea? Maybe you play it and have more information for me? Let me hear your thoughts and opinions. Thanks!


Source: 2010 Monopoly Game at McDonald's; http://www.playatmcd.com/default.aspx?accepts=cookies
Image: The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

For this eye opener we were suppose to think of a cosmetic product we use in our daily lives to find out how it affects ourselves and the environment. This website is called, Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. You are able to find almost any kind of cosmetic product you use from hair to skin to nail products. I decided to search TRESemme' European Tres Two Hairspray, Ultra Fine Mist because I use hairspray everyday.

My score out of ten for this product was a five, meaning it is moderate hazard. Also, 27% of other hairsprays have lower concerns. The ingredients in hairspray are awful for you. Some of the ingredients in this hairspray are:

• Alcohol
• Hydrofluorocarbon
• Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylamineothyl Methacrylate Copolyer
• Fragrance

Some of the things these ingredients can cause are:

• Cancer
• Developmental/Reproductive toxicity
• Allergies/immunotoxicity
• Organ system toxicity
• Irritation
• Enhanced skin absorption
• Contamination concerns

These findings shocked me. I have never even considered the ingredients in any of the cosmetic products I use. I use tons of cosmetic products including nail polish, face wipes, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, lotion, body wash, perfume, and etc. If these ingredients really do cause some of these things that is very scary because I use many of these products daily. What I do not understand is why companies put ingredients like this in the product. Is it really not possible to put other natural ingredients into the products? I have never really looked but the next time I go to buy another cosmetic item I am going to look for natural or organic cosmetics.

Read'n'Seed 4: The Last Child in the Woods

For this week's Read'n'Seed, I read pages 132-222. These pages covered the last two sections of section III, section IV, and part of section V. This portion of the book covered many different, important topics. Some of the important topics were:

• Education, a barrier to nature
• Death of natural history
• Parks and historical sites
• Endangered environmentalists
• Attachment theory
• Boredom with nature

I learned many significant things. I want to start with education as a barrier to nature. School systems are focusing most of their time on math, language, and science instead of subjects like the arts. Also, like I discussed in last weeks Read'n'Seed many schools are trying to get rid of recess. Why would we try to permanently cut nature out of a child's life when it is already almost non-existent? Another topic was the death of natural history. This is a very scary topic. If kids stop learning about nature why would they care about it? According to Louv, most kids and their parents are able to name different types of ATV's but not animals or plants (140). When kids experience nature they relate it to riding ATV's or looking at sites through the car window.

Another interesting topic was the decline of visitation to state parks and historical sites. The number of people attending parks and historical sites is declining because of the fee of accessing the parks, kids are getting bored, and most importantly the declining relationship between the young and nature (Louv, 197). Attachment Theory was mentioned during the book. Attachment theory according to Louv is, "kids need an attachment to feel compelled to protect nature as an adult" (155). If you do not learn about something, how would you know or care about it.

The boredom with nature is kids are not finding it interesting. One of the most influential ways to get kids involved is to get the parents involved. Kids cherish the time they get to spend with their parents because of the time constraints that most families are under. Lets get kids to become NATURE SMART! Louv made a wonderful comment when he stated, "teach kids to pay attention, not to be careful" (178). The reason for this stems back to the bogeyman syndrome. Kids and their parents are so afraid of nature because of how media depicts it. It is important to be aware of crime or dangers but do not let it control your life.

A couple of terms I was unfamiliar with were:
Ecophobia: fear of ecological deterioration (Defined in the book, page 133)
According to Wikipedia, blasphemy is defined as an irreverence toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs (Wikipedia, 2010).


If I have not stressed it enough nature plays an important role in everyone's lives. Incorporating nature into your everyday life will only help you in almost every aspect of your life. Think of when you are outside just laying in the grass, playing in water, or making a snow angel, don't you feel at peace? I know I do. Going outside to take a walk helps me clear my head and bring my stress level down dramatically. Hopefully in given time schools and colleges will start incorporating more of a nature environment to get students involved.