Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

 Maggie: School Lunch Subsidies and Nutrition 

1.What was your school lunch like growing up?
French fries and pizza were offered everyday as a choice at lunch and most kids chose those options.  I think our lunch was very unhealthy.  They had a few good options but very few and they were overshadowed by pizza, corn dogs, and french fries.
2. Would you consider it as healthy?
No.
3. Do you remember how it was paid for/ by whom?

My parents paid for my lunch but I brought lunch from home most days.  
4. What are some obsticles that got in the way of providing American school children with healthy lunches.  
Lobbyists, government, cost, politics
5. What health problems affect American children? Did this surprise you?
Heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, -- diseases that used to only be seen in adults. This did surprise me! 1/3 of children are overweight or obese!
6. Consider what you have read and the video you have watched: What do you think is the #1 thing that you think can be done to improve school lunch?
Better choices for kids and smaller portions sizes.  There is not reason junk food should be served at school lunches.  For some kids that is one of the only meals they get all day.  It should be as healthy as possible.  

Karly: Physical Education in the Schools Lesson 

Did your elementary/middle/high school have a Physical Education program? 

Yes.

How many days a week did you have PE class?

5 days a week

How long were the classes?

One hour

Were you required to participate?

Yes

Did you enjoy this class? Why or why not?

Yes, it was my favorite class of the day because it gave you the chance to move around and have fun with your friends.

What are the current recommendations for children and physical activity?

60 mins a day

What are the percentages of schools that are currently providing physical education? 

3.8% of elementary, 7.9% of middle, and 2.1% of high schools provide daily physical

education

What percentage of schools DO NOT have a PE program?

22%

What are some of the benefits of PE in the school?

• students’ aerobic and physical fitness increased
• reduced body mass index
• improvements in students’ academic performance 
• positive impact on tobacco use, insomnia, depression, and anxiety

Do you feel as though PE in the schools should be a required course? why or why not?

If yes, up until which age/grade? 

Yes, I feel like it should be required for every grade because physical activity doesn't become less important as you grow older.  It is important for all kids to participate in PE classes.

Do you think that it should be the parents job to make sure their children are physically active and not the schools?

I think it is a job for parents and for schools.  Physical activity should be required in schools because not every kids has the same home life or chance to participate in after school physical activity.

Do you believe that having PE in the schools incorporates other beneficial qualities besides fitness? if yes, what?  

Yes, I believe that it gives kids a chance to socialize and to have some fun.  It also helps kids focus better through out the day in their classes.  

Hailey:Water Quality and Sanitation Activity

Across:

1. People are losing their self ___ because of their lack of sanitary resources.

Dignity 

6. The other main issue that is affecting individuals in developing countries

Sanitary Resources 

7. One of the biggest barriers in reducing the amount of people affected by poor water quality and sanitation.

Money

9. The percentage of people who lack access to clean drinking water in the world.

Forty Percent

Down:

2. How many countries worldwide are in need of assistance when it comes to water quality and sanitation.

95 countries

3. One of the main issues affecting individuals living in developing countries?

Water Access

4. An economic impact of poor water quality and sanitation would be reduced worker Productivity

5. People are being infected by _____ on a regular basis due to unclean water.

Diseases

8. The acronym for one of the leading agencies who is helping out with water quality and sanitation problems?

EPA

What do you think it would be like to live without access to clean water and sanitary resources?

Everyday would be a struggle.  Water is a huge part of my life and If I didn't have clean water readily available to me or if the water I was drinking was causing me to get sick it would be hard to function.

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

WHOLE FOODS 

This photo essay gave me the chance to transform my normal grocery shopping experience into something a little more GREEN.  I decided to go to Whole Foods on 610 E 4th St.  

Bike racks and car pool parking spots encourage GREEN transportation! 

I purchased organic fruit and veggies along with locally made bread.  I even found some organic macaroni and cheese for .99 cents! 

Notice one of the ingredients of my bread is LOVE! {Very cute}

I decided not to purchase any meat to reduce my carbon footprint!

My final purchase was GREEN dishsoap.

I had a great experience going GREEN... I suggest everyone check out Whole Food!  I can't wait for my next trip!

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Terms
antiques/antiquing: An antique (antiquus; old) is an old collectible item. Antiquing is a shopping activity.

junk/junking: Waste, any undesired thing or substance or Scrap, recyclable waste used to build new things.

flea market: A market, usually held outdoors, where antiques, used household goods, and curios are sold.

thrift shop: A shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization.

upcycling: The process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life. Aluminum and glass, for example, can usually be upcycled into the same quality of aluminum and glass as the original products.

resale shop: A shop that sells again something that has already been purchased.

What do the terms above have to do with environmental health?
They all have to do with using the resources we already have instead of buying new products.  If we reuse things and stop relying on new products it will save the amount of emissions and chemicals that it takes to produce new items.

Local resources


antiques/antiquing: Canal Park Antique Center
Location: 310 S Lake Ave, Duluth, MN 
Contact info: (218) 720-3940‎


junk/junking: Junkologie 
Location: Wisconsin
Contact info: alvn.mail@gmail.com


flea market: Shady Hallow 
Location: Detroit Lakes, MN (my home town)
Contact info:  adhanson@gmail.com or call 218.847.9488


thrift shop: Savers 
Location: Duluth, MN near target
Contact info:(218) 722-1894


upcycling: Green Mercantie (many upcycled and green products)
Location: Duluth, MN Superior Street
Contact Info: (218) 722-1771


resale shop: Dannie Duluth
Location: 932 E 4th St, Duluth, MN‎ 
Contact info: (218) 724-850


When I lived at home I would go to the flea market with my mom all the time! I have also been to savers and to Dannie Duluth but I have never purchased anything from these stores.  I realize that I do not take advantage of second hand stores and after doing this assignment I have realized that there are a lot of cool things out there to find!

Organ Pipe Photo Holders
I thought this was a very cool project! I love pictures and this was such a unique way to display them.  I also love organs and these old wooden pipes are gorgeous.

Pick Another Daisy

This is so COOL! She took an ice cream cone holder and transformed it into a candle holder, vase, and a place to store office supplies.  Have candles all over my room and this would be a nice way to organize them.  Plus, it would save on my electric bill if I lit my place with candles.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Junk Part 2 

I thought that this was a very thoughtful way to welcome a guest.  It is an old bread loaf pan.  I would never think that it could be used for veggies, office supplies and a welcoming gift but I guess it just takes a little imagination. :)

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

Crest Toothpaste: Rated 5 out of 10 and Considered a Moderate Hazard

I never thought of toothpaste being a hazard.  It is shocking to see that ingredients within the toothpaste I am currently using are linked to things such as cancer and reproductive toxicity.  I need to consider changing some of the products I use.  This is a great site to search for healthy and safe products.  

Eye Opener: CSIP

I took the tour of our food supply on the CSPI website and learned some disturbing things.  It is scary to learn where are food is coming from.  Between the pesticides, the cattle filled with antibiotics, fertilizer factories, polluted rivers and the inhuman practices in slaughterhouses we are setting ourselves up for a disaster.  Not only do these practices harm the environment our health is also in shambles.

Next I took a look at the Green Calculator these were my results:

I thought since I don't eat a lot of meat my scores would be better but the since I consume dairy and eggs I still am effecting the environment with my food choices.

After reducing my servings of cheese, milk, yogurt, and eggs my scores improved:

With even the smallest change the effects on my diet and the environment show great improvements.

I 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 now understand how my choices effect my health and the environment and even the smallest change helps.

My "eating green" grand total was 17 which is considered "good"


Types of foods with the highest score:

Vegetables, Fruit, and whole grain bread.  I scored the highest in these categories because they are the healthiest foods and I usually get all the required amount of servings.

Types of foods with the lowest score:

Cheese and dairy.  I scored the lowest in these categories because they are animal products and I eat too many servings.

Which category do you need the most improvement?

I need the most improvement in the environmental category.


What can you/will you change to improve the score?


I will eat less dairy to improve my score.  I will start by cutting back to the amount of cheese I eat.


Summary

This "eye opener" was very interesting.  I think it is amazing how the choices we make effect the environment in such a big way.  I have control of what I put into my body and I am going to start to make better choices.  In the past year I have basically stopped eating meat and I thought that doing that was enough to help the environment and my health but now I see that cheese and dairy products have the same negative effects.

Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint

According to the Earthday footprint quiz it would take 3.2 earths to provide enough resources for everyone to live my lifestyle and according to My footprint quiz  it would take 3.88 earths to sustain life if everyone lived like I do. I also took the Travel calculator Quiz and according to it I am average.  At first I thought there had to be a mistake because I try to do things to "be green."  It was shocking to see how my lifestyle can have such an impact on the earth.  I am obviously not doing enough to help the planet.  I realize now how selfish I am being and how wasteful I am.  I can adjust my everyday behaviors to reduce my ecological footprint.  I sometimes forget to unplug appliances, I drive my car too often, and I almost never air dry my clothing.  I also now see that I am too much of a comsumer.  I like to shop and I buy too many clothes that I don't need.  I also have always wanted to have my own garden but I have just been too lazy.  There are many ways I can reduce my ecological footprint so now its time to do something about it! 

Welcome to Jordanne's Jungle!

Hi! My name is Jordanne Even and I am from Detroit Lakes Minnesota.  I am a Community Health major with a psychology minor.  I also play basketball for UMD. This is my first time blogging and so far it has been a lot of fun.  My blog will focus on what I learn through the semester concerning the environment.  I am very excited for this class!

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
5. Read 'n' Seed
6. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is 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. (Place labels gadget below blog header but above blog text). All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

1. Jordanne@Jordanne's Jungle 
2. Karly F.@Karly's Karing Habitat  
3. Maggie F.@Maggies Environmental Lifestyle 
4. Hailey G.@Hailey's Healthy 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 reading my post! Have a great day. :)

Blogged for the Welcome Linky Party  hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy .