Reflection: Weeks 13 & 14 and Overall Course Reflection

Week 13

I was unable to make it the the Goodwill field trip this week because of some on-going car problems but I heard that it was very interesting!  We wrote our advocacy letters and I thought that was a really fun assignment.  I have never done something like that before and I feel like I did something that will make a difference.  It was nice to be able to put into action something we have been researching and learning so much about these last few weeks.  I also posted my last Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change post and have decided to stick with my goal!  I can honesty say that it has become a part of my lifestyle.

Week 14

It was really fun to put together my online learning activities for my group members.  I also enjoyed completing the activities that they posted because it gave me a chance to learn more about their topics.  I thought they all did a wonderful job and I was definitely able to learn something new! It was great to see everyones junking projects! We have a very creative class.  My favorite part of class this week was our discussion that we had talking about how environmental health has changed us.  It was great to hear from everyone! I really believe that I have learned things in this class that I will take with me and incorporate into my everyday life.

**This is a photo of my Junking Project!!

OVERALL

I had a lot of fun taking this class! I can't believe the semester is already over.  There were so many eye opening experiences through out this class and I have learned to change some of my habits and be more aware of my surroundings.  I enjoyed all of the documentaries, they really opened up my mind to some very important issues that we face today.  Because of this class I have started to do more things to decrease my impact on the earth.  I believe that every little bit helps.  I have also started to tell others what I have learned and encourage them to change as well.  The challenge will be to keep it up! I hope everyone in this class continues to do their part.  Thank you Dr. V and thank you to my wonderful group members! I really enjoyed reading your blogs.  :) Have a GREAT winter break!

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.

Advocacy Project: Water Quality Problem Solver

WATER QUALITY PROBLEM SOLVER

The purpose of this excersise is to look at the different contaminants that may be in your drinking water. Or if you think there might be something wrong with your water you can narrow down the possible contaminants and find treatments and solutions to your problem.

The quality of our water is vital to the health of Americans.  It is important that water is tested by our government in order to maintain the health of our lakes and rivers.  That is why I am in support of bill H.R.1262 the Water Quality Investment Act.


Water contaminants have negative effects on people's health. The EPA Ground & Drinking Water Website has a list of contaminants that may be infecting your drinking water, along with the health effects of long time exposure to such contaminants.  After looking through these possible contaminants I thought it was important to evaluate my own drinking water.  That is why I developed this activity.

Instructions

This link below will take you to the Water Quality Association website.  Next, click on the diagnose your drinking water.

You will find a water quality symptom search engine. Now, test your water! If your drinking water has any of the symptoms listed click on them and you will find which contaminate was found in your water.  Click on the contaminate and you will find treatment methods, effects on the water, and the source of the contaminate.

***Pick two contaminates that are either in your water or that are interesting to you and list the treatment methods, effects they have on your water and the source of the contaminate.

Share & Voice: Food Inc.

Food Inc.

Hungry for a Change

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.review from official Food Inc. Website

I really enjoyed this movie! 

Check out the trailer!

Share & Voice: Green your Holidays

12 Ways to Green your Holidays

Buy green holiday gifts

Choose a real Christmas tree

Illuminate with eco-friendly Christmas lights and candles

Choose eco-friendly holiday gift wrapping and cards

Use eco-friendly Christmas decorations

Cook a vegetarian Christmas meal

Serve local and organic food for Christmas dinner

Reduce your holiday travel carbon footprint

Make eco-friendly holiday baking

Choose eco-friendly dinnerware over paper plates and plastic cups

Recycle your Christmas tree
Compost your kitchen scraps

Read 'n' Seed 6: Final Review of Omnivore's Dilemma

Overview 
This book is divided into three sections corn, grass, and the forest.  In each of these sections the author Michael Pollan attempts to answer the question, What should we have for dinner?  He follows different foods to find out where they come from or how they were made. He covers topics such as hunting, organic farming, processed foods and fast food. His goal is to uncover the consequences of the choices we make when we choose what to eat.
Most significant

1. Processed foods:  Corn is in everything.   When you add together the natural gas in the fertilizer to the fossil fuels it takes to make the pesticides, drive the tractors, and harvest, dry, and transport the corn, you find that every bushel of industrial corn requires the equivalent of between a quarter and a third of a gallon of oil to grow it-- or around fifty gallons of oil per acre of corn.  Over processed foods have lead to increased obesity in Americans where three of every five Americans are overweight and in the United Nations it is reported that in 2000 the number of people suffering from overnutrition --a billion-- had officially surpassed the number suffering from malnutrition-- 800 million.
2. Organic Farming: I learned a lot about the organic farming industry and what makes something organic.  100% Organic means that every ingredient in the product was raised and harvested in an organic environment as approved and certified by the USDA.  I have began to start eating organic foods and it was interesting to read about the process the food goes through in order to be certified as organic.  
3. Fast Food:  It was shocking to read the section about fast food.  I learned that there 38 ingredients in a Mcnuggets.  I also learned that over 19% of the meals Americans consume are in the ca

Why is it important?

Reading this book has inspired me to think about the food I eat.  I have found myself asking where does this come from instead of mindlessly eating.  The choices we make effect of environment, our health, and our happiness.  I have also made the choice to limit the amount of meat I eat.  After reading about the meat industry I don't know how you couldn't think twice before eating a hamburger.

Recommendation
I recommend this book to everyone! I thought it was very entertaining and I learned a lot from reading it.  It honestly has changed the way I think about the food I eat.  

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

SMART goal

My SMART goal: Over the next ten weeks I will use reusable water bottles 100% of the time when drinking water and other beverages such as coffee, sports drinks and juice and I will consume 8 glasses of water a day.  Over the course of the project I added the "consume 8 glasses of water a day" part because I wanted to challenge myself and drink more water through out the day.  

Successes 

Overall I believe that I was successful reaching my goal.  I was able to use a reusable water bottle the majority of the time and I significantly increased the amount of water I drink during the day.  I have also started drinking less soda, coffee, and sports drinks because they are no longer convenient.  

Challenges

I faced many challenges during this lifestyle change.  I found it the most difficult to stick with my goal when I was traveling and out of my normal environment.  I also had a difficult time drinking 8 glasses of water a day at the beginning but as with any lifestyle change it takes time.

Future
In the future I plan on sticking with this lifestyle change.  Using reusable containers and drinking more water has too many benefits to go back to the way I used to do things.  

Benefits
My personal benefits include: saving  money, saving on waste, less headaches, drinking less soda and sports drinks, and improving my overall health.   

 Behavior Change
I learned a lot about behavior change in general from this project.  I learned that it takes time and focus in order to change a behavior.  It took me awhile to steer away from bad habits and I had to constantly remind myself of my goal.  I also learned that if you stick with something it will continue to get easier until it is a new habit.

Environmental Benefits 

When deciding not to drink out of plastic bottles I also decided not to be a part of the following problems:


Americans will buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill. 
-- Container Recycling Institute


Worldwide 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year. 
-- OneWorld 


1.5 million barrels of oil is used annually to produce plastic water bottles for America alone - enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year. 
-- Earth Policy Institute 

By drinking out of reusable containers I am lowering my carbon footprint and negative impact on the earth!

I Will Continue! 
I will continue to use reusable containers to drink water and coffee! I will also strive to drink 8 glasses of water a day.  

Recommendations
Stick with your goals and follow through! 
I suggest that everyone use re-usable water bottles to cut down on the amount of plastic we use and abuse.

  Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10 hosted by http://ecochicwithamy.blogspot.com/

Advocacy Project: Letter to Public Offical

December 7, 2009
Senator Amy Klobuchar
United States Senate
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2304 


Honorable Senator Amy Klobuchar,


My name is Jordanne Even and I am a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth.  I am very concerned about the water pollution and the testing of lakes, rivers, and estuaries. In Minnesota our lakes and rivers are very important to its residents.  Many people use these bodies of water for recreational purposes and for their drinking water.  It is important that the water quality is tested in a uniform matter to ensure it is safe to use. 


 I am writing you to vote “yes” to the bill H.R.1262 that is working toward the guidelines set forth by the Clean Water Act, which is the cornerstone of water quality protection in the United States.  This Water Quality Investment Act’s goal is to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations for State water pollution control revolving funds, and for other purposes.


This issue deserves the funds that it will take to regulate water quality testing.  People deserve to know that the water they are using is safe.  This issue is personally important to me because I live on a lake and I appreciate all it has to offer.  I want to know that the water will continue to be clean and tested regularly.  


This bill has been introduced and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works and has been passed by the House.  The next vote will be in the Senate.  I strongly encourage you vote “Yes” to H.R.1262 so we can move in a positive direction in the regulation of water quality testing.  If you have any questions, please, feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time.


Sincerely, 




Jordanne  Even
 (Contact information)