Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

Here are my results to the online learning activities created by my group members:

The Salmon Challenge
Lauren's learning activity is called The Salmon Challenge. The first step is to do some online readings related to water quality of rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Then I played The Salmon Challenge. My salmon remained healthy, grew up, and made its journey safely all the way to Puget Sound! I thought this was a good activity, and it presented a lot of good questions. For instance, I enjoyed the ones related to landscaping near the river. One example is the question that dealt with keeping weeds from growing and using landscaping cloth was the best choice. I knew that this cloth deterred weeds from growing, but I never thought about how it also helps absorb rainwater! The other neat question that I specifically remember was the one about paving the driveway and how instead of using asphalt or concrete, other materials can be used that allow water to slowly soak into the ground instead of quickly running off the driveway and eroding the river banks, and this material also allows grass to grow between the cracks.

This activity does a great job of alerting participants of how to make easy simple choices everyday to protect our water sources and the wildlife that make their homes there.

Excellent find, Lauren!


Test Your WaterSense
Erika's learning activity is called Test Your WaterSense. The first step is to look at a few websites and read about water-efficient products and how we can help the environment by reducing our water usage. I'm always shocked to hear statistics on how much water is wasted to keep lawns looking super green. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "An American family of four can use 400 gallons of water per day, and about 30 percent of that is devoted to outdoor uses. More than half of that outdoor water is used for watering lawns and gardens. Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day. " Well, I'm all for making a home look nice, but is watering the grass REALLY worth it? Just one of those personal preferences, I guess.

The second component of the activity is to take a Test Your WaterSense quiz. I only got to answer 8 questions before I lost all of my lives (I've never been good at computer/video games, haha) BUT I got 7 of those questions correct! I thought the game did a good job of testing how well I read the info on the website.

This was a fun game - good find, Erika!


I Don't Want to Clean my Room!
Jessica's learning activity is called I Don't Want to Clean my Room! It's a great activity that's geared towards kids but is great for anyone at any age. I thought it was a great review of how to sort items into various recycling, compost, and garbage bins, and also items that can be donated for someone else to use them. I especially liked all the helpful hints that appeared when an item was correctly sorted, such as a reminder to rinse out aluminum cans before throwing them in the recycling bin. Also, it was great that compostable items were included, because I think that's the one area that most kids (and people in general) are least aware of when it comes to recycling, reusing, and reducing waste.

Great activity, Jessica! I think I might even make my younger siblings check out the EcoKids website. They LOVE computer games like this - especially my little brothers - and these games would actually teach them something. :)


Health Care Definitions
Jeff's learning activity required us to find the definitions to 10 commonly used health care terms. I think it's important for everyone to know basic terminology such as this so they can take an active part in managing their health! Also, I think all too often we assume we know the meanings of such terminology, when in reality we may not be as correct as we think.

Here are the definitions I found:

Pre-op: an abbreviation for preoperative; pertaining to before surgery

Post-op: an abbreviation for postoperative; pertaining to after surgery
Out-patient: a patient who receives treatment at a hospital or clinic without having to spend the night

In-patient: a patient who is admitted to a hospital or clinic for treatment that requires having to spend at least one night here

Receptionist: an office work who receives visitors and answers the telephone

Doctor: a licensed medical practitioner; any medical professional with an MD, a PhD, or any other doctoral degree

Nurse: a person trained, licensed, or skilled in nursing

Pharmacist: a professional who fills prescriptions and is trained to distribute medicines and give information about them

Anesthesiologist: a physician with a doctorate who is specialized in the practice of anesthesiology (the branch of medicine involving the use of drugs or other agents that cause insensibility to pain)

Radiology: the branch of medicine that uses ionizing and nonionizing radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease

One new thing I learned from this activity was the difference between an anesthesiologist and an anesthetist. Aparently, an anesthesiologist has a doctorate, whereas an anesthetist does not. (An anesthetist is a nurse or technician trained to administer anesthetics.) I had always assumed that these two titles meant the same thing! Like I said earlier, sometimes we really don't know as much as we think we do. :)

Good activity, Jeff!

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

Hello everyone!

Alright, so I know that all too often people think, "Well, what can I do? I'm just a college student," when it comes to being more environmentally friendly. We tend to think that "going green" is out of our control because we can't afford it, or because we live in rental housing -- the list of excuses can be quite long. Other times I hear my peers (and I'm not picking on anyone in this class, I'm talking about all college students in general) say they'll become more conscious of the environment "once I have my own house" or "once I'm out of college." Admittedly, I'm definitely guilty of this myself sometimes.

The question we need to be asking is, WHY WAIT? There are numerous ways that we can lessen our impact on the environment right now! I know we all know this, and we have all learned about new creative ways to do so over the past couple of weeks through class discussions and everyone's Share and Voice posts.

The purpose of my photo essay is to reinforce the idea that college students can -- and are -- making a difference right now, despite our temporary housing situations, limited budgets, hectic schedules, etc. All of these photos were taken at residences of UMD students and show simple ways to make your home, and life, a little bit greener.





Take turns among housemates making family-style meals. You'll use less electricity when cooking, less water on the dishes, and even less packaging because food will be purchased in bulk. As a bonus, you'll gain extra time on the nights it's someone else's turn to cook. Even if it's impossible to gather everyone for a meal, it is always nice to have leftovers waiting after a long day at school and work.




Find creative ways to reuse items, such as turning an empty jar of pasta sauce into a cool-looking drinking glass!
























For items that can't be reused, be sure to recycle them.





Start a compost in your yard for food scraps and yard waste. This one was made last summer and used diligently until winter.







Speaking of food, try to purchase organic and local foods whenever possible.



Keep reusable bags in your cupboard or by the door so it is easier to remember them when heading to the store.














Buy natural cleaning products, or better yet, make your own.





Forget about those old, uncool, energy-wasting light bulbs...










...and switch to more efficient bulbs instead.



































Save energy by hanging clothes up to dry instead of using a dryer. This works especially well in summer when clothes can be hung up outside on a clothesline.




Keep the thermostat turned down, especially during times when no one is home or at night when everyone is asleep.

Make sure that precious heat is not escaping from your house - or that cold air is sneaking in. Plug up any holes...




















...and put plastic over windows during the winter months.


















Minimize vehicle use by biking and walking. It can be done, even during Duluth winters.


I hope this has inspired you to look for changes that could be made in your own homes!

Thanks for reading!

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

My Product

For this activity, I chose to evaluate my Curel Ultra Healing lotion (or, as this website called it, Curel Ultra Healing 24-Hour Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Extra-Dry Skin with Extra-Strength Skin Hydrators dispenser) . I have used this lotion for years and am a firm believer that it works better than any other lotion! Also, I have to be very picky because I am sensitive to many smells that are put in soaps, lotions, etc. and Curel does a great job of making non-irritating products, or so I thought...

The Results

According to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, this lotion scored an overall 3 out of 10, making it a "moderate hazard".

Apparently, ingredients in this product are linked to

• cancer
• developmental/reproductive toxicity
• violations, restrictions & warnings
• allergies/immunotoxicity

Other concerns for ingredients used in this product:

Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns

Yikes! And to think that lotion is a product we are constantly letting our skin absorb!

In addition, the manufacturer of Curel, Kao Brands Company, is NOT a Compact for Safe Cosmetics Signer and it is unknown if they conduct animal testing on their products.

Most of the ingredients scored an individual rating of 0, 1, or 2, but acacia senegal gum scored a 4 for allergies/immunotoxicity and organ system toxicity, and DMDH hydantoin scored a 7 for violations, restrictions & warnings; allergies/immunotoxicity; irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs); and contamination concerns.

What this means to me?

Even though I was initially excited that this product only scored a 3, I took a closer look at the study. It appears there is a rather large data gap of 82% for this particular moisturizer. This concerns me because it means many effects are unknown. 93% of ingredients in this product have no data/high uncertainty and no FDA review, 62% have no industry review, and 6% are considered a high hazard. This means that my lotion may not be as "safe" as I think it is!

Now what?

Will I keep using my lotion? To be honest, I probably will. I am interested in trying out some alternatives, however, and I will try to keep an open mind. Perhaps my beloved Curel is not the best after all. In fact, according to this assessment, 33% of moisturizers have lower concerns. I took a look at the list and there were a lot of products with a score of 0 which was encouraging, but as I browsed through them they all had names such as "Rosemary Aromatherapy" or "Orange Sweetness" that for me are just a migraine waiting to happen. I guess I shouldn't give up before I start, however, so I will try to keep my eyes open for new, safer lotions without irritating scents.

I thought this was a good activity to really get us thinking about products we use every day! The last few weeks have gotten me so caught up with thinking what I'm putting IN my body, that I've completed failed to think about what I'm putting ON my body! I'm debating looking up the other toiletries I use on a daily basis... do I really want to know?

Eye Opener: Summary of Reading 21: The Weather Turns Wild

Article Summary
This article was written in February 2001, right after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met in Shanghai and released the report stating global warming is both real and man-made. Considering this, I found the article to be a little dated, but I believe the concerns about global warming that are focused on in the article are still major concerns of today.

The main focus of this article is that as global warming takes its toll on the earth, incidences of bizarre weather could become more common, inflicting increasingly severe consequences on victims. All countries would be affected in some way, whether through flooding that destroys buildings, reduces land area, and contaminates water; the spread of disease; or loss of crops due to heat and lack of water.

Natural disasters already take a huge financial toll and societies, and this would only crease as weather becomes more violent and unpredictable. According to key climate scientists, major points of concern include:

• Death and pestilence

• Wildfires

• Rising sea levels

• Water wars

• Refugees

Although it may be too late to avoid all impacts of climate change, actions can be taken to keep conditions from worsening even farther. Of course, two major steps are conserving energy and using cleaner energy sources such as wind instead of oil and coal. Fortunately, such efforts are being made: some Western European countries have levied taxes on carbon emissions or fossil fuels, and corporations such as DuPont and BP Amoco have reduced greenhouse-gas emissions and invested in renewable energy sources. Preventative measures against destructive weather are also being taken. For example, the Netherlands is strengthening its sea defenses to contend with rising ocean levels. Societies around the world must adapt to changing conditions and learn to live in new settings that may arise.

Different Viewpoints
Of course, not everyone believes that global warming and its anticipated consequences are truly a problem. Here are some additional sources with other viewpoints on this issue:

The opinion of the Heartland Institute is that “global warming is not a crisis.” They feel that a majority of the U.S. scientific community does not agree that global warming is linked to human activity or that it causes increased hurricane activity, and therefore is not a crisis.

This article on the Skeptics Global Warming website discusses how there is no real link between global temperatures and the frequency or intensity of hurricanes.

A Question to Ponder
As a citizen of the Midwest region of the United States, which effects of increased severe weather do you think would directly impact you the most?


(Photo of flooding in Worcester, England. Taken by me on Jan. 12, 2008.)

Eye Opener: CSPI

For this eye opener, I decided to take a tour of our food supply. Here's what I found out...

Shocking Statistics

• Growing grain for beef and dairy cattle requires a total of 8.5 BILLION POUNDS of fertilizer per year.

• Livestock manure releases many dangerous gases such as methane, ammonia, and nitrous oxide, and hydrogen sulfide. In fact, the methane released from livestock and their manure is equivalent in environmental destruction to the annual release of carbon dioxide from about 33 million automobiles. Talk about air pollution!

• Healthy farm animals are routinely fed antibiotics to promote healthy growth and balance out filthy living conditions. Personally, I am very wary of our overuse of antibiotics because it can lead to resistant strains. This really scares me! European nations have begun to move away from the use of administering antibiotics in healthy animals, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has done nothing of the sort.

• Small amounts of 21 different antibiotics were found in one survey of streams and rivers throughout the United States. In rural areas, those antibiotics are probably coming from factory farms.

• Livestock of all varieties are often forced to live in over crowded conditions, left to live in their own manure. Do you want to eat anything that was living in a pile of poop?

• Slaughterhouse workers have an injury rate three times higher than that of the average factory worker.

• Factory farms feed animals everything from industrial sludge to discarded restaurant oil to ground-up newspapers. This is extremely disturbing, considering these toxins and carcinogenic agents are then passed into humans who consume these animal products.

• The water used to irrigate just alfalfa – 4.7 trillion gallons per year – exceeds the irrigation needs of all the vegetables, berries, and fruit orchards combined!

• It takes about 18,000 gallons of rain and irrigation water to produce one pound of beef.

• The average American consumes about 11 more pounds of red meat, 54 more pounds of poultry, 5 more pounds of fish and shellfish, and 24 more pounds of cheese per year than he or she did in the early 1950s.

• Livestock manure is often the source of disease-causing bacteria on fruits and vegetables. Gross!

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that contaminated food causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year.

• The overall cost of diet-related diseases is about $90 billion annually.

My Thoughts

Those are just a few of the new facts I learned. The more I read, the more I just felt sick to my stomach. How are factory farms allowed to operate like this? I mean, yes, I had heard horror stories, but for some reason I chose to believe that was the exception rather than the norm. Now I am not so sure...

In the last couple of years, I have greatly reduced the amount of meat in my diet, but I do still eat a lot of dairy products. From now on I will definitely think twice about the foods I am purchasing and eating. I had no idea how many resources it took to raise these animals! And all the pollution from the livestock? It's almost too much to process at one time.

The thing I find most frustrating about trying to change my diet is that some people just don't understand, and they consider others to be "food snobs" if they don't want to eat certain foods. For instance, my family would be very upset if I refused to eat what they were having for dinner the next time I visit them. I feel that since food is such a huge part of culture, it can be a very touchy subject and a difficult habit to change. I think the best way to go about it is to just take small steps and try to educate people about these issues without offending them.

Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint

The first quiz I took was an Ecological Footprint Quiz. Apparently, we would need 3.8 Earths if everyone lived like me! I was quite shocked by this result and it made me genuinely upset. The result said it takes 16.8 global acres of the Earth's productive area to support my lifestyle. I rarely eat meat, I try to recycle everything, and I purposely left my car with my parents this semester and these things seemed to be giving me an advantage while taking the quiz. Obviously, I was way wrong! Here is the breakdown of my footprint: services 46%, food 22%, shelter 12%, mobility 5%, and goods 15%. I was unsure of what fell into the "services" category, but then found out it is societal things such as health care, entertainment, restaurants, the military, real estate, legal services, and the government. These are things that are automatically allotted to my footprint because they are national services. This really opened my eyes to the many factors affecting my footprint!

The second quiz I took was called Score Your Diet. I scored a 115, and the scoring scale said an excellent score was 60+. This made me feel much better after taking the first quiz. :) I noticed, however, that this one didn't discern between locally grown and transported food, so that helped my score. I eat a lot of dairy products, but barely any meat so that kept my Animal Welfare and Environmental scores down. I make a daily effort to eat a healthy diet, and this quiz reassured me that I am on the right track, although there is always room for improvement!

My third quiz was a Carbon Footprint Quiz. According to this quiz, if everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 4.03 Earths! Once again, so very disappointing! My Carbon Footprint was 49.5 compared to the national average of 91.4. My Food Footprint and Goods and Services Footprint were also lower than the national average, but my Housing Footprint was higher.

These quizzes were a great learning experience! What sorts of changes can I make in my life to lessen my carbon footprint? The answer is... many! First of all, multiple improvements could be made in my house. These generally involve things such as electricity and heating options that I currently have limited control over because I am in rental house. I know this is no excuse, however, and there are changes I can still make. Investing in energy efficient appliances would be a good start - our washer and dryer are so old they just make me cringe every time I use them. Also, my housemates have multiple video game systems that don't get turned off when they're not being used, running our electricity bill quite high. Some other factors that deal specifically with my own habits would be easier to adjust. For example, I can eat more foods that are locally grown, organic, and in-season. Frequenting farmer's markets should be a must, and planting a garden would be very beneficial. I could also put more thought into the products I buy, by purchasing more recycled products and cleaning products that are biodegradable.

Welcome to Environmental Edification!

Hi, my name is Hannah and I'm currently taking an Environmental Health class at the University of Minnesota Duluth as I work towards a major in Community Health Education. This blog will be used for posting all assignments for this class, including reviews of environmental readings and documentaries, and exchanging new ideas with my classmates.

There are 5 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Reviews
5. 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. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

1. Jessica
   
2. Erika
   
3. Jeff
   
4. Lauren
   

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".

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I am looking forward to a very educational semester and welcome any comments you would like to add to my blog!