Reflection: Weeks 8-14

I can't believe that the semester is almost over! For this reflection I will be talking about the different things that I learned and have had an impact on me for weeks 8-14.

Share and Voice

For weeks 8-14 we created posts that allowed us to be creative and post almost anything related to environmental health. I really enjoyed the share and voice and thought it was very educational. We could post things like blogs we came across, pictures that relate to the environment, websites, or pose a question. This was great because it gave me a chance to think on a deeper level and explore environmental topics/websites/blogs on my own. I also had a great time reading the posts of others and learning from my classmates.

Blogging
I didn't think there was anymore to learn, but I was wrong! I learned more about blogging and I know there is still more for me to explore on my own. One new thing that we did to our blogs was create an "about me" page. It was interesting to learn that there is kind of a guide to follow when writing the "about me" page in order to keep your audience interested and educated but not bored! This is a way for my followers to get to know me on a more personally level so that they can relate better to my posts. Another thing that I learned was about linky's. This is a way to share your post along with others posts all in the same place! It is like organizing posts into a one-stop-shop! Lastly, I learned about favicons and I got to design my own for my blog. This was something that I really enjoyed doing and for me it was a great learning experience. I never really knew what the symbol at the beginning of a web address was or what it was for. Now I know that it is a way to for websites to have their own symbol and use it as a marketing piece. If you think about popular websites like Facebook, their favicon is known worldwide!

Advocacy Projects
For the second half of the semester we started our advocacy projects. This was really a learning experience for me. We started by learning about advocacy, what it is, and using it in health education. I learned how to look for current bills, which ones have been passed and which ones haven't. For my project I looked at "Enhancing Liveability of All Americans Act of 2011 and really looked at air quality and how it can negatively affect our health if our air is constantly polluted. We also did some research on our political representatives which was a bit of a struggle at first but then I found who they are and who they represent. We did this so we could write a letter about the bill we chose and send it to the proper representative. I learned about how we can let our voice be heard and stand up for our rights!

My Junk Project 
We learned about junking throughout the semester and now we got to put our learning into action. Everyone in the class made a junk project and it was really amazing how people reuse different items. I have some very creative classmates and picked up some tips about taking an item and restoring it or making it into something new. What I did for my junk project was took broken hockey sticks and made a shoe rack with them. Our team breaks sticks pretty frequently and for the most part we just throw them in the garbage. I cut the sticks and assembled them into a shoe rack. It is currently being used at my house and we love it. There are 3 of us in the house from the hockey team and it is a way to decorate and store our shoes. My coach has been bugging me to make one for the rink so this is something I hope to do when we get back from Christmas break!

This class has truly taught me so many different things. I notice that in my every day living I am constantly thinking about environmental influences and how I can make a difference in preserving our earth. This class has made an impact on me and I have made changes in my life that I plan to continue even once this class is done.

Share & Voice: Christmas Tree Debate

Artificial tree or real tree? What do you have in your house?

In the holiday spirit I decided to look up some facts about whether to have a real christmas tree or artificial christmas tree and the environmental effects of both. This is a debate that happens every year around christmas time. What I have found is that there is not clear "answer" but there are some positive and negatives about both. After my research I think that going with the real tree is the better choice but I will present some facts and debatable ideas and let you decide. So what will you have in your house? Real or fake?

The Real Christmas Tree 

Negatives: The primary downside of a real christmas tree is the fact that they require repeated treatment of pesticides over their eight-year lifecycle. This means that they may contribute to pollution of local water run-off. This run-off water can lead into water supply's for local areas and end up in our glass of water! Another issue is the proper disposal of christmas trees. If trees are not recycled in proper areas they loose the value that they can bring to the earth when they naturally decompose and give their nutrients to the soil. Some people also debate that we kill trees to use them only for a short period of time and are taking away from our forest.

Positives: Besides the obvious and wonderful "christmas" smell that a real tree brings to your home, there are some other environmentally positive aspects as well. When we go and purchase our christmas trees from tree farmers we are encouraging them to continue to plant trees. The acres of trees they plant absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and soak up storm-water runoff which is full nutrient and sediment pollution, before it gets into our waterways. When the christmas season is over, many towns and cities have christmas tree disposals. This is the proper way to get rid of your tree (unless to took the roots with it and plan to re-plant it in your own yard) as they will dispose of it properly and let nature take care of natural decomposition.

The Artificial Christmas Tree 


Negatives: An artificial tree contains plastic and metal, both which are non-biodegradable. 85% of artificial trees are made in China in a factory and then shipped to local stores for distribution. This means that to make an artificial tree, a factory must be running (pollution) and then transported around the world (more pollution). Labor standards in China don't adequately protect workers from the dangerous chemicals they are handling.They are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is one of the most environmental offensive forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic. Several carcinogens, including dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride are generate during the production of PVC. Many of these chemicals have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage. There are even warning labels on the artificial tree box to avoid inhaling dust particles that come from the tree.

Positives: Convenience! That's how we live our lives right? Having an artificial tree is more convenient then having to go out everywhere and pick out your christmas tree from a local farmer. Researchers have shown that in order to lessen your artificial trees environmental impact you have to keep your tree for a  long time, 8 years is what one research showed, while another says 20! That seems to be reasonable because an artificial tree should last that long, and if you are committed to keeping the tree that long, then an artificial tree is the way you should go!

Sources

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-green-debate-on-christmas-trees-fresh-vs-fake/2011/12/07/gIQAk3mLjO_story.html

http://environment.about.com/od/greenchristmas/a/christmas_trees.htm

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/12/09/real-or-fake-christmas-trees-whats-better-for-the-environment/

http://www.christmastree.org/debate.cfm

Advocacy Project: Letter to Elected Official

Dec 11, 2011
Senator Al Franken
U.S Senate
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Vote YES on H.R. 2609: Enhancing Liveability of All Americans Act of 2011.

Passing the proposed bill will reduce the amount of pollution in our air and will positively impact the lives of all Americans. As a health educator and citizen, I believe that we can improve our air quality by reducing toxins that we as citizens emit into our environment. It is our way of living that needs to change if we want to breathe clean air.

The World Health Organization states that 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution. Breathing clean air is a necessity in order to live a healthy life. Having poor air quality has many negative health affects that can impact us for the rest of our lives. Air pollution can cause skin rashes, asthma, cough and throat irritation, headaches, kidney and liver damage, cancer, nervous system damage, and birth defects. There can be some very serious health problems because of poor air quality, which means more trips to the doctors and an increase in the cost of health care. The US EPA estimates that a proposed set of changes in diesel engine technology could result in 12,000 fewer premature mortalities, 15,000 fewer heart attacks, 6,00 fewer emergency room visits by children with asthma, and 8,900 fewer respiratory-related hospital admissions each year in the United States. If we improve the quality of the air we breathe, we will improve our health as individuals and as a country.

Opponents of this bill might say that it is their right to drive a big, pollutive truck, and use as much heat or water in their house as they want. They might say that it is the factory's that our polluting our world, but we as individuals are contributing to the poor air quality concern in the U.S as well. It is everyone's right to have clean air to breathe and have the opportunity to live a healthy life.

I hope that this letter has helped to inform you of the air quality issue the U.S is currently dealing with. I am asking you to please take a moment to think about our rights as humans to have clean air to breathe. The time is now to act and vote YES to H.R. 2609. I am willing to help in anyway I can and I can be reached at 555-555-1212 or by email at breatheeasy@cleanair.com for any additional information you may need.

Thank-you

Haley Irwin 

Share & Voice: Abundance on a Dime

As I was searching for ways to help me with my junk project I found this blog. I wasn't looking for a blog but rather a "how to" website to help me build my junk project. (I won't tell you what it is because I will save that for Monday!) I stumbled upon this awesome blog during my search. It is full of different ideas and suggestions from food to natural living to reusing and recycling! Perfect for our class :) I spent almost an hour searching through this blog and found some great environmentally friendly ideas! One post that I really enjoyed was called "Seven Natural (and Cheap!) Ways to Calm a Cold. I checked this out because it is now the season for snow, holidays, and of course colds. This blog is really cool and I would suggest checking it out. Click the link below to visit Abundance on a Dime!

http://abundanceonadime.blogspot.com/

Advocacy Project: Fact Sheet

For my advocacy project I have been looking at the "Enhancing Livability of All Americans Act of 2011" (H.R. 2609) and have created a fact sheet regarding outdoor air quality.

Outdoor Air Quality Fact Sheet 

What is outdoor air quality? 
Outdoor air quality has to do with the quality of air we breathe when we are outside. The quality pertains to the amounts of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological matter that is in our air. When there is an increase in any of the harmful substances then the quality of our air decreases.

Where does air pollution come from?
Air pollution comes from many different sources. There are stationary sources, which are factories, power plants, dry cleaners, and degreasing operations. There are mobile sources, which are cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains. Lastly, there are naturally occurring sources such as windblown dust, and volcanic eruptions.

Health Impact of Air Pollution 

• Skin rashes
• Nausea
• Asthma
• Cough, Throat Irritation
• Headache/Dizziness
• Chronic Bronchitis
• Kidney, Liver Damage
• Cancer
• Nervous System Damage
• Birth Defects
• Miscarriages

Actions to Improve Air Quality 

1. Whenever it is possible: walk, bike, bus, or car pool to your location
2. Purchase fuel-efficient vehicles
3. Avoid Idling
4. Keep your car maintained
5. Limit the amount of energy you use at home and conserve water
6. Use environmentally friendly products
7. Install solar energy on your home
8. Recycle

Where can you get more information? 

www.airnow.gov

 www.epa.gov

www.lungusa.org

www. arb.ca.gov

Outdoor Air Quality can be in our control. Vote YES for acts that relate to air quality to let your voice be heard. 

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

For this project I decided to focus on the recycling and garbage disposal on our campus. I chose this as my project because I think sometimes our school does a great job of ensuring there are recycling options beside the garbage cans but then other times you can walk by 10 garbage cans before you find one recycling bin. I think another area our school needs to work on is having all recycling options together with a garbage bin so that you throw the proper items in the proper bin.

The first four pictures are from outside on our campus. In every picture there is a garbage bin but there were no recycling options anywhere to be seen.

The first three pictures above are garbage bins in our school with no recycling options anywhere to be seen. The fourth picture is my first glimpse at a recycling option. The issue is that it is only for paper and other recyclables cannot be recycled here.

Recycling options!!!!! The first picture is taken just outside of the gym and there are 4 garbage bins and two recycling bins where you can dispose your bottles, but please no paper?! Then there is a picture of a garbage bin and a paper only bin, but please no bottles?! Finally in the last picture there is a garbage bin and recycling for both paper and bottles!

The last two pictures are great examples of what our school can offer us in terms of disposing our garbage and recyclables. My question is why can't these options be all over our school instead of just chosen places?

My way of thinking is that where there is a garbage bin, there should be recycling bins (all options). If I am walking down the halls and I continually have the only option of throwing something in the garbage, chances are I might get fed up and throw a recyclable item in the garbage. Easy fix is to have great waste areas like the my last picture shows all over our school!

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Issue/ Bill
The issue that I am addressing is outdoor air quality. Our air is becoming more polluted in several different ways. What I am specifically addressing is the use of motor vehicles and how it is impacting the air we breathe. Enhancing Livability of All Americans Act of 2011 (H.R. 2609) is a bill that has been proposed to help address this issue.

Who is affected by the issue?
We as a society are affected the most. If nothing is done with the amount of gases that are released into the environment from motor vehicles then our society will have many problems. Global warming and not having clean air to breathe are the major problems. If this act is not passed then we loose. Although limiting the use of our cars (as it seems to be a major part of our lives) would seem like we are loosing, in fact it is the opposite. If this act is passed then we will gain from this because it is helping to protect the air we breathe. Car companies might be loosing if the bill is passed because it could lead to lower sales or there could be another bill about car companies having to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that their cars produce.

Consequences 
Society is most effected especially if nothing is done to help solve the issue of air quality. Sometimes it is hard to understand or imagine a world where clean air is scarce because as of right now we don't 'see' it. It is the generations to come that we need to start standing up for. At the rate in which we are polluting our world, it could be our kids or grandchildren that are affected by the actions we choose today.

Economic/Social Impact
If the bill is not passed the economic costs would be that global warming and poor air quality would increase and society would be the one's paying. If this bill is passed, this will help reduce global warming and the amount of carbon dioxide that is released. This will reduce the costs of trying to clean our air in the future, and now. Another costs is the bill is passed would be providing more public transportation and ensuring that all biking and walking trails are safe and updated. If the bill passes the social benefits would be that there would be less money spent on gas and oil each year. We would also benefit from having cleaner air and becoming a healthier society because we would need to find other means of transportation. At the same time the social costs are oil and gas companies as they would loose money as well as car companies.

Barriers 
The barriers to addressing the issue is that car companies, and oil and gas companies would be loosing substantial amounts of money. Another barrier is that we as society are used to driving our cars everywhere we go and this would be a huge adjustment. Another barrier might be that cities and towns would argue that it will cost them to provide more public transportation as well as having to provide sustainable modes of transportation. These barriers can be overcome through education. Maybe car companies can start to produce more environmentally friendly vehicles (I know this is something that has already started) to help reduce the amount of money lost. Educating city and town officials about how this is really a benefit to us, I believe would help overcome the barriers.

Resources
The resources that are needed are car companies to get on board and start producing more environmentally friendly vehicles. Also more buses for public transportation are needed. Another resource is paving trails for walkers and bikers and making sure they are well lit. Money is always a recourse that is needed to help educate society.

History
Air quality is not something that is new. There have been concerns about our air quality for some time now, and bills have been created to try and protect our environment. The Clean Air Act was created in 1963. The EPA, Environmental Protection agency was founded in 1970 and is dedicated to helping protect our environment and our health. There have been many strides to help protect our air quality and many more need to be made.

Allies and Opponents 
Society as a whole should support this issue but I know this would not be the case. I think those who live in urban areas would be more in support of this issue because I know that sitting in traffic is a concern that many have and this could be a solution. I also know that many people who live in the city are sick of looking up and always seeing this haze above them. I think that those who are more educated would support this issue because they better understand the impact we are making on our environment. I think gas, oil, and car companies would oppose this issue. For them it is all about making money and with this bill they could see a major drop in sales. I think I could create an environment where everyone wants to get on board by first educating them. Then I would show the companies what they can do so that they won't loose as much money (producing environmentally friendly vehicles).

My Recommendation 
I vote yes for this bill. Air quality is something we should all be concerned about and this bill is trying to ensure that not only will we have clean air to breathe, but also our children and generations to come.