Reflection: Weeks 13-14 & Overall Course

I really liked when we went to the Goodwill and learn about how the company operates. I think it was really cool that they help people with disabilities and let them work there. It was also really interesting to hear how much they recycle and what kind of different things they recycle. It was pretty neat to walk around and see how they sort all the different kinds of product.

The online learning activity was good and a fun way to learn about different material. There was a lot of new information for me when I was doing the different activities.

I definitely feel like I learned a lot on this class. I think the documentaries taught me the most, especially the video called Tapped. It is really sad how much plastic there is in the ocean, and even sadder how the water manufacturers are taking our water and selling it back to us with higher prices. It was a really interesting video and after seeing it I haven’t bought any plastic bottles. Another thing that was really interesting and made me change some of my habits was when we did the Ecological footprint. I couldn’t believe that it would take 5 planets to support my lifestyle. I have started to take the bus to school or drive more with my roommates. I really enjoyed making the SMART goal and truly changed some of my habits. I am now drinking more water and only using my reusable water bottle. I also use my reusable bags whenever I go shopping so I don’t have to get plastic ones.

I think it was fun to make the junk project and see what kind of different things my classmates did.

This is my junk project, money bank.

 

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

Air Quality Crossword Puzzle

I think this was a really fun learning activity. There were four websites that pertain to air quality issues both locally and nationally and I needed to read the articles to find the answers to the crossword puzzle. It was fun and I also learned a number of new things about our air quality.

Uncovering the Facts about Cancer

1. First visit the WebMD webpage related to cancer and find 3 facts about cancer that interest you or that you never knew. 

- I didn’t know that there are more than 100 types of cancer and that breast cancer in men is not uncommon. Also, I didn’t know that coffee is used to prevent gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer.

2. Next, visit the American Cancer Society Cancer causes webpage and read about the different known causes of cancer. Be able to list 3. 

- Tobacco, diet and physical activity, sun and UV exposure.

3. Once you feel you know what the causes/ risk factors are for cancer, go to this webpage from Preventcancer.org and read about things you can do to reduce your risk for cancer. 

4. Report 3 common causes of cancer and describe 3 of the ways you think you could best protect YOURSELF against cancer. If you already meet all the criteria, discuss changes you think are the most helpful in general. 

- Smoking can cause lung cancer. I have never smoked and I am trying to get my friend to stop smoking.

- Get screened. I need to make sure that I get screened using tests such as the Pap test and a mammogram.

- Wear sunscreen. Skin cancer is the most common and most preventable types of cancer. I usually use sunscreen, but there are times that I don’t think I need it. I really need to make sure that I use it more often.

By doing this learning activity I learned a lot about different cancers and what the risk factors are for cancer. I also learned what I can do to protect myself against cancer.

Health Insurance for All

I needed to watch a video and visit two different websites and play a game to learn about health insurance. After that I needed to share one or two things I learned from this activity.

By watching the video, I now understand better how health insurance works and after visiting the websites and reading about health insurance I understand how important it is to have health insurance in the U.S.

Emergency Contraception 101

After reading 10 Common Myths, Misunderstandings, and big Ol’ Lies About Emergency Contraception, please list 3 myths and why they are false.

1. The morning after pill is the same as abortion.

EC is called contraception because it is birth control: it can prevent pregnancy. That is what it is designed to do and all it is designed to do.

2. It's difficult to get.

In most areas of the western world, it's not difficult to get and in most of the world as a whole at this point, some form of EC can be obtained. In the United States, those over 17 can get it without a prescription.

3. It's hazardous to my health.

Less so than regular combination pill use, which is safe for users following the instructions and who do not have health conditions of lifestyle habits which make BCPs risky to use.

Next, do some research and find & list 3 places you could go to obtain emergency contraception in Duluth, MN.

1. Planned Parenthood

2. Women’s Health Center

3. SMDC Health System

I think this was a really good learning activity and I learned new things about emergency contraception. I think the 10 common myths were a really good way to learn about emergency contraception.

Smoking Fact Find

Instructions:
1) Review the links below.
2) Find 5 things that you didn't know before watching the video or things that really effected you.
3) Post the 5 things you learned. Can you think of any personal reasons why you have chosen not to smoke too? For example, parents would be disappointed, dont want to smell bad, ect. Please provide one reason why you have chosen not to smoke or have quit because of (if you feel comfortable sharing).

1. Annually, smoking costs Minnesota nearly $3 billion in health care costs.

2. Tobacco use leads to over 5,500 deaths in Minnesota a year.

3. Children of smokers are almost twice as likely to smoke as children of nonsmokers.

4. Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

5. China has more than 350 million smokers — 50 million more cigarette buyers than the entire population of the United States.

There are a number of reasons why I chose not to smoke. The main reason is because I want to stay healthy. Besides that, I absolutely cannot stand the smell of cigarettes. Whether it be after someone puffs a cigarette or how they smell afterwards, it’s all horrible. I thought this was an interesting learning activity and I learned some new information about smoking. This is definitely something I am going to show my friend who smokes to help encourage her to quit.

Advocacy Project: Childhood Obesity

Purpose

I would like to present this topic to you all because it is a major topic in our society. The epidemic of obesity within young adults and children has increased in the United States. We hear about it all the time, but it seems that people are not taking enough action to change it.

Background/Reasoning/Evidence/Resources

Obesity and overweight has increased in children and adolescents over the past decade. In the years from 2003 to 2004, over 12.5 million kids from the ages of 2-19 years old were overweight. http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/obesity.htm

Children at greatest risk are the ones who have both parents that are obese. Obesity varies by race/ethnicity. For example, white children are less likely to be overweight or obese than Black, Latino, or Native American children. In 1998, 21.5 percent of Black children and 21.8 percent of Latino children were overweight, while 12.3 percent of White children were. 

Childhood Obesity 

Obesity can cause many health related problems such as increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems, trouble sleeping, as well as emotional problems.

Obesity In Children and Teens 

Overweight children tend to have poorer social skills than normal-weight children have and this may cause overweight children to socially withdraw. Also, obesity has a negative effect on a child’s learning.

Childhood Obesity

The school system has made some positive steps to reduce obesity among children. School curriculum’s include health and fitness classes, and schools have reduced the amount of junk food that is available as part of the lunch programs.  

Reduce Childhood Obesity

Instructions

Click on Childhood obesity quiz below and it will transfer you to the website.

Childhood Obesity Quiz

Then click on Start Quiz.

After you are done with the quiz record your score and report back about what you learned.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Final Weekly Review & Overall Project Reflection

1. My SMART goal was: I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time when I go to the grocery stores, Walmart, and Target. I achieved my goal this week.
2. I was successful because I kept my reusable bags in my car at all times and I took them with me when ever I went shopping.
3. I felt like I accomplished something when I achieved my goal.
4. I learned that it is not hard to bring reusable bags when I go shopping and it is nice when I don’t have plastic bags lying around at my house.
5. At first my SMART goal was: I will drink 10 cups of water every day, 7 days a week. However, I felt like this goal was too easy for me so I changed it to: I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time when I go to the grocery stores, Walmart, and Target.
6. It really helped when I had my reusable water bottle with me at all times. I was constantly drinking water. Also, I had my reusable bags in my car at all times so I remembered to take them whenever I went shopping.
7. Some benefits from this project are that I am drinking more water now and I am using reusable bags whenever I go shopping. I learned about myself, that I am able to change my habits and achieve new goals. I learned about behavior change, that if you want to make a change it is possible, maybe not the first week but eventually you will be able to change your habits.
8. The environment benefits from both of my changes because I am not going to buy plastic bottles anymore and I am not going to use plastic bags anymore.
9. I will continue this behavior because I need to keep drinking enough water throughout the day and I want to be more eco-friendly and not buy plastic bottles or bags.
10. A lifestyle change will make you feel better about yourself and it can also save the environment.

Advocacy Project: Letter and Fact Sheet

December 6, 2010
Marcia L. Fudge
House Energy and Commerce

1513 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Vote YES on H.RES.996 Expressing support for the designation of September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.

I am a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth and my major is Health Education. I am very concerned about the obesity epidemic in our nation, especially childhood obesity.  There are many different approaches that have been taken to help reduce this problem, but very few that have to deal with affording resources. With that being said, I am pleased to hear about the proposed bill expressing support for the designation of September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.

This act provides to recognize the importance of preventing childhood obesity and decreasing its prevalence in the United States. I think this is very important because during the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, increasing more than fourfold among children ages 6 to 11.

In the past, you have demonstrated support towards the decrease of childhood obesity. I encourage you to vote for expressing support for the designation of September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  If support or any type of assistance is needed, please feel free to contact me at any time. Thank you for your time and support.

Sincerely,
Heidi

Fact Sheet

The U.S has been struggling with obesity for over 20 years now. Comparing the 1970's to the 2000's, the prevalence of obesity has increased for children of all ages at least 3 times over to about 20% of our population less than 19 years old. A Bit of History 

In 1998, 21.5 percent of Black children and 21.8 percent of Latino children were overweight, while 12.3 percent of White children were. Childhood Obesity 

Obesity can cause many health related problems such as increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems, trouble sleeping, as well as emotional problems. Obesity In Children and Teens

Overweight and obesity medical expenses accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998. To put this in a numerical value, the expenses were $92.6 billion in 2002. Approximately half of these costs were paid by Medicaid and Medicare. Economic Consequences

Overweight children tend to have poorer social skills than normal-weight children have and this may cause overweight children to socially withdraw. Also, obesity has a negative effect on a child’s learning. Childhood Obesity

Share & Voice: Environmental Kids Club

I found this good website for children to learn about how to become more eco-friendly.
I want to be a teacher when I go back to Finland and one thing that I want to teach to my class is how to save the environment. I think this website is great for children to read and learn about the environment.
Our environmental class has taught me a lot and it is actually my first class where I have learned about recycling and other things dealing with how to save the environment. I think it is important that children learn early enough about how to save the enviroment because then they will more likely to do the right things through out their lives.
Check out the website here: http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm

Reflection 9-12 weeks

Reflection 9-12 weeks

These past couple weeks we watched a lot of documents. I don’t usually like to watch videos in class, but these documents taught me a lot about different issues related to the environment. We learned about what is advocacy in Health Education and we did a little presentation about it. I really like to do the eco-chic lifestyle change. My SMART goal was to drink more water and only use my reusable water bottle. During these past weeks I haven’t bought bottled water and I am going to continue to use my reusable water bottle to help save our environment from plastic bottles. Another thing we did was find out our political representatives from our home town. I think it was really interesting to find out who are the political representatives in my town because I didn’t know them before. One of our advocacy projects was to pick one HealthyPeople 2010 goal in which we are interested and then we used THOMAS to find related bills. I think that was pretty cool to learn how to do that. Overall, I have learned a lot these past few weeks and I have been able to change a couple of my habits to be more eco-friendly which has been great.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

1.      I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time when I go to grocery stores such as Walmart and Target. I did really well this week; there was only one time when I went to the Target and I forget my reusable bag.

2.      I was successful because I had my reusable bags in my car so I remembered to use them. One time I went to Target with my friend and we used her car so I didn’t have my reusable bags with me. I didn’t want to use a plastic bag but my friend did so I just put my stuff in her bag. 

3.      I felt really good every time I used a reusable bag when I went to the store. I felt better about myself because I was saving the environment.

4.      This past week was my first time using the reusable bags and I really liked them. I learned that if you keep them in your car at all times, you will use them.

5.      I am going to keep this same goal because I didn’t do it 100% last week and I really want to make it a habit that I always use reusable bags.

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

My photo essay is about recycling. I chose this because I think it is important that people recycle at home. These pictures are from my house here in Duluth. We place plastic and aluminium in different garbage cans, and then we have one for every day trash. I know there are many another things that you can recycle but these are the ones that my house has.

 This garbage can is for every day trash.

 

 These ones are for plastic and aluminium trash.

 This one is for plastic garbage.

This one is for aluminium garbage.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

1.      I will drink 10 cups of water every day, 7 days a week. I achieved my goal; in fact, I actually think some days I drank more than 10 cups of water.

2.      I think I was successful because I had my reusable water bottle with me at all times.

3.      I don’t know if I felt any different but it was nice to be able to achieve my goal.

4.      I don’t know if I learned anything new this week. Like last week, I learned that buying bottled water it bad for the environment and you really don’t have to do buy them. All you have to do is carry a reusable water bottle with you.

5.      I am going to change my goal for the next week to have a more challenging goal. I will use reusable bags 100% of the time when I go to the grocery store or Wal-mart/Target.

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Introduction

What is the issue/problem?

Obesity and overweight has increased in children and adolescents over the past decade. In the years from 2003 to 2004, over 12.5 million kids from the ages of 2-19 years old were overweight.

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/obesity.htm

      What current legislation has been proposed to address this? (Identify bill # and name)

HF2793 Healthy school lunches funding provided.

Who is affected by the issue?

Who is affected the most?

Children at greatest risk are the ones who have both parents that are obese. Obesity varies by race/ethnicity. For example, white children are less likely to be overweight or obese than Black, Latino, or Native American children. In 1998, 21.5 percent of Black children and 21.8 percent of Latino children were overweight, while 12.3 percent of White children were. Childhood Obesity

Who loses, and what do they lose?

Those with low socioeconomic statuses have shown to have limited resources to healthy food choices. This can obviously affect their health because the chances of becoming overweight and/or obese from having poor diet choices is significantly higher.

Who gains, and what do they gain?

Those with a high socioeconomic status have shown to have more resources to choosing healthy dietary choices. Because of this, they have a better chance of preventing obesity by nutrition alone. They are more likely to live a healthier life because of those dietary choices.

What are the consequences of the issue?

For the individuals mostly affected?

Obesity can cause many health related problems such as increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems, trouble sleeping, as well as emotional problems. Obesity In Children and Teens

For their families?

The parents whose child is obese may spend a lot of money on medical bills, treatments, and rehabilitation programs. It is very common that if someone within the family is obese or overweight, there is a high risk that the rest of the family are overweight as well.

For society?

The epidemic of obesity has an effect on everyone because insurance plans increase, making the population pay for health treatments.

What is the economic impact of the issue?

What are the economic costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?

Overweight and obesity medical expenses accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998. To put this in a numerical value, the expenses were $92.6 billion in 2002. Approximately half of these costs were paid by Medicaid and Medicare. Economic Consequences

What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits?

Because obesity and overweight has increased, many fast food restaurants have started to sell more salads and low-fat or fat-free choices. They are usually more expensive so fast food restaurants make good profit selling those products.

What is the social impact of the issue?

What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?

Overweight children tend to have poorer social skills than normal-weight children have and this may cause overweight children to socially withdraw. Also, obesity has a negative effect on a child’s learning. Childhood Obesity

 What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits?

As I mentioned before, fast food restaurants have benefited, as well as everyone who can afford to buy healthier choices.

What are the barriers?

What are the barriers to addressing this issue? 

      The biggest barrier is that parents don’t have enough money to buy healthy foods for their children. Another thing is that parents don’t have enough time to participate in physical activity with their children at home. Study finds barriers to prevention of childhood obesity

      How can they be overcome? 

One way to overcome is to educate parents to make healthier choices for their children and find the healthiest food they can afford to provide. Parents should have time for their children and be active with them. Parents need to learn time management skills so they will have more time to participate in physical activity with their children.

What are the resources?

What resources will we need to address this issue?

Providing research, facts, data, and studies for the parents are great ways to supply resources.

Where and how can they be tapped?

Organizations, universities/colleges, and businesses can all provide real life studies, research, data, and facts.

What is the history of this issue?

What is the history of the issue in the community?

The U.S has been struggling with obesity for over 20 years now. Comparing the 1970's to the 2000's, the prevalence of obesity has increased for children of all ages at least 3 times over to about 20% of our population less than 19 years old. A Bit of History

What past efforts were made to address it?

The school system has made some positive steps to reduce obesity among children. School curriculum’s include health and fitness classes, and schools have reduced the amount of junk food that is available as part of the lunch programs. Reduce Childhood Obesity

What were the results?

All the efforts and changes have had positive results for reducing childhood obesity.

Allies & Opponents

Who would support this issue?

People who would support this issue would be the families who are obese, health advocates, medical personnel, and the general public. I think everyone would support any approach that is successful to decrease this issue.

Who would oppose this issue?

The people who would oppose this issue would be anyone who doesn't want to spend money for prevention or treatment. This could be parents who directly have to pay for their children, or it could be for those that don't have a relative or family member with the disease but have to pay for prevention and treatment programs.

Your Recommendation

How do you want policy-makers to vote on this proposed policy?

I want everybody to vote yes for this policy!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

1.      I will drink 10 cups of water every day, 7 days a week. I did really well this week. There was only one day that I only drank 8 cups of water.

2.      I think I was successful because I remembered to bring my water bottle with me almost everywhere I went.

3.      I felt really good during the day because I drank enough water. Sometimes when I don’t drink enough water I might get a headache or just feel really thirsty.

4.      I learned that I don’t have to buy bottled water; I just need to carry my water bottle.

5.      I am going to keep the same goal for next week and my plan is to carry my water bottle everywhere. I think I am going to change my goal after the next week so it is more challenging for me.

Share & Voice: Green Hotels

Green Hotels and Environmentally Friendly Lodging

http://www.istaygreen.org/
I think this is a pretty cool website. You can search for hotels that are making efforts to be environmentally friendly. All the eco-friendly hotels are rated by how green they are. Next time you are planning on staying in a hotel, you should check out this website and support the hotels that are making efforts to be more eco-friendly.

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/Thomas

1.

Nutrition and Overweight
One objective is to reduce the proportion of children and adolescence who are overweight and obese. According to the Progress Quotient Chart, 6-19 years old has negatively gone away from target by 83%.

2.
Progress:
My objective has not met or exceeded it's target.
Progress Toward Healthy People 2010 Targets

Disparities:
Overweight and obesidity has declined within Mexican American and black non-Hispanic children between the ages of 6-11 years old. However, for children 6-19 years olds, the prevalence was 50% lower in white non-Hispanic populations than the Mexican American and black non-Hispanic populations combined.
Progress Toward Elimination of Health Disparities

Opportunities and Challenges:
A few tools are being implemented with trying to reverse the affects of overweight and obesity rates in children. One of them is the dietary guidelines have been revised in the Food Guidance System MyPyramid. Another tool is to educate the public (children) on the food label to demonstrate choosing healthier diets. Food Labeling and Nutrition Education Tools

Emerging Issues:
The best way to implement reduced obesity rates is simply by prevention. By educating and putting in the positive effects on having a healthy diet with advertising and making actions are great ways to promote the importance of nutrition. Because obesity rates have increased, they have developed a couple new treatment options, pharmaceuticals and bariatric surgery.
Emerging Issues

3.
H.CON.RES.11

Title: Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the global food crisis on children in the developing world.

Sponsor: Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] (introduced 1/8/2009) Cosponsors (None)

Latest Major Action: 1/8/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Recommendation: Vote yes for H.CON.RES.11 Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the global food crisis on children in the developing world.

My Political Representative: Congressman Anthony "Tony" Sertich

Share & Voice: Eco-Friendly Clothing Options

This is a very interesting video and article about Sproutlings store in Duluth specializing in eco-friendly products for children. I think it is great that we have an eco-friendly clothing store in Duluth. Hopefully this kind of clothing store becomes more popular and more people start buying eco-friendly clothes.
http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/s1799364.shtml

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My SMART Goal

1. I will drink 10 cups of water every day, 7 days a week.
2. This lifestyle change is eco-chic because I am going to carry my water bottle every where with me and I am not going to buy bottled water. Not buying bottled water will save the environment from the trash and recycling process.
3. I chose to change this behavior because I need to drink more water during the day. Sometimes I forget to have my water bottle with me and I buy bottled water. To change this behavior is important to me because I want to be more eco-friendly and not buy bottled waters.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

The president of Finland is Tarja Halonen. Her political affiliation is social democrat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarja_Halonen

Congress persons of my area are listed in here:

http://www.eduskunta.fi/triphome/bin/hex3000.sh?VAALIPIIRI=Pirkanmaan%20vaalipiiri&kieli=su&otsikko=Pirkanmaan%20vaalipiiri&vasen=vp

The governor is Rauno Uolevi Saari. His political affiliation is social democrat.

Email: rauno.saari(at)eduskunta.fi

Phone number: 0718 74 2101

http://www.laaninhallitus.fi/lh/lansi/home.nsf/pages/10E23FA078EFD220C2256D510035C6A2

State legislators are listed in here:

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampereen_kaupunginvaltuusto#Puheenjohtajat

In Finland we don’t have a county board president; we only have the city mayor.

The city mayor is Timo P. Nieminen. His political affiliation is national coalition party.

http://www.tampere.fi/english/administrationandeconomy/mayor.html

I could not find the president or the city mayor contact information.

Share & Voice: Eco Friendly Ideas

I found this interesting and really helpful website about eco friendly ideas. It helps you to make environmentally friendly choices when considering your home, office, travels and holidays, food and shopping, gifts or presents. It even helps you make greener choices for your wedding and kids! I think it is a great website.
Check it out: http://www.ecofriendlyideas.net/

Share & Voice: A Healthy Environment Starts at Home

I found this interesting website while I was looking for information about healthy environment.
It tells you about different household hazardous products and suggests the use of non-toxic alternatives whenever possible. It also tells you what you should do with the paints and solvents instead of just dumping them down the sink, pour down a storm drain, toss in the trash or pour on the ground because they are a hazard to the environment. The website gives you alternatives for how to properly discard automotive batteries and pesticides. This website is really usefull when you want to become more eco-friendly and take care of our environment.
http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/03sewer/trac/athome.htm

Reflection: Weeks 5-8

I learned how to create a graphical header for the blog. I think it was really unique to learn and it’s great to use it in my blog.
I think it was fun to find out my ecological footprint and how many planets it would take to support my lifestyle. It was a shock when I saw my result. I couldn’t believe it would take 5 planets to support my lifestyle. I have started to take the bus to school or drive more with my roommates.
I chose 1 cosmetic item that I use and I used the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database to find out about the safety of that product. I found out that my product might cause cancer so I decided to find another face cleaning product that would be safer to use.

I learned about antiques/antiquing, junk/junking, flea market, thrift shop, upcycling, and about resale shops. I found out where you can find all of these in Duluth and what kind of interesting things you can make from junk. I think this was really cool because I realized that you don’t need to buy new things all the time, you can be creative and make new things from your old things.

I think the video we watched about plastic bottles and manufacturers was really interesting and it really opened my eyes. It is really sad how much plastic there is in the ocean, and even sadder how the water manufacturers are taking our water and selling it back to us with bigger prices. It was really good that I saw this video because I used to believe that bottled water is pure and safer to drink than tap water, however, it is just the bottled water companies way to advertise their product.

After learning more about the environment, I have really tried to be more eco-friendly and use the bus more and car-pool. I have never really bought bottled water and after seeing the video I am never going to. It’s actually to the point that if I see my friend having bottled water I am going to tell about the video and what I learned.

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

PART 1:

* antiques/antiquing

An antigue is an old item that is collected because of its age and beauty.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique

* junk/junking

Junk is a number of different materials that are used in a different form than it wass used for before.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk

* flea market

A flea market is a place where old and used goods are sold. It can be outdoors or indoors.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea_market

* thrift shop

Thrift stores sell used clothes and another items that somebody else doesn't want anymore. The most known thrift store is probably Goodwill.http://www.wikihow.com/Shop-at-Thrift-Stores

* upcycling

Upcycling is the process of reusing waste materials and making new materials or products.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling

* resale shop

Resale shops sell gently-used goods and they buy their goods from individual owners.http://www.tgtbt.com/consumer.htm#whatresale

PART 2:

1. What do the terms above have to do with environmental health?

They all help to save the environment. Selling old clothes or furniture rather than just throwing them away will help the environment.

2. Identify at least one local resource for each of the terms above...provide name, location, contact info, and link to website or blog.

Antigues/antiguing
Name: Father Time Antiques
Location: 395 S Lake Ave Duluth, MN 55802
Contact info: 218-625-2379
Website: http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Father.Time.Antiques

Junk/junking
Name: Junkologie
Contact info: alvn.mail@gmail.com.
Website: http://www.junkologie.com/

Flea market:
Name: Flea Market at Fair Grounds
Location: Carlton County Fairgrounds - Barnum, MN.
Contact info: 218-273-4096
Website: http://www.visitbarnum.com/SearchResults/Rummagegaragefleamarketandmovingsales/tabid/1787/Default.aspx

Thrift shop:
Name: Goodwill Industries Vocational Enterprises, Inc.
Location: 700 Garfield Avenue Duluth, MN 55802
Contact info: Marge Bray, Executive Director
E-mail: mbray@goodwillduluth.org
Voice: (218) 722-6351
FAX: (218) 722-8108
Website: http://www.goodwillduluth.org/

Upcycling:
I could not find anything specific on upcycling in Duluth, MN or close by.

Resale Shop:
Name: Plato’s Closet
Location: 5115 Burning Tree Rd, Duluth, MN
Contact info: (218) 733-9455
Website: http://www.platosclosetduluth.com/

Identify whether you do any or use any of these things. Why or why not?
I have never been to any of these stores but now that I have learned more about them I really want to go to some resale or thrift shops.

PART 3
JunkMarketStyle.com Projects:

I think this floral display is really cool and very creative. It is made using window frame and a toolbox.
http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/28993/everythings-coming-up-kale

I really like this clock which is made of gear mold.
http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/21319/how-to-make-a-gear-mold-clock

This is a really pretty candle holder, made from an old coffee cup and a plate.
http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/17832/simple-monday-evening

Read 'N' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter & Final Review of "Prevention is Primary, Strategies for Community Well-Being"

I read chapters 14 and 15, pages 313-343. 

The main topics covered in these chapters include the role of public health in violence prevention and HIV prevention. 

Overall, violent crimes have decreased in the United States. With that being said, rates among girls and younger children of smaller towns appear to be on the rise. Even though violent crimes have decreased, there are far too many injuries that occur daily that are preventable. By the end of 2004, more than 944,000 people had been diagnosed with AIDS in the United States, of whom 529,000 (56 percent) had died (Center for Disease Control and prevention, 2005). Reducing HIV infections requires more than relying on individual behavior change. Chapter 15 talked about two new directions for HIV prevention that practitioners can use. The first one is to take cues from other fields of public health, most notably injury prevention and tobacco control, which have used policy as an integral part of the strategy to achieve desired outcomes. The second method involves developing interventions that will directly affect the sexual networks that facilitate viral transmission. 

I think it is horrible how many violent crimes there are and I think it is really important that we learn about how to prevent violence. We should really reduce the level of violence that is shown on television or maybe even establish a ban on guns.
There are many different interventions to prevent HIV; however, there is a lack of understanding with which of these interventions may have greater or lesser effectiveness in different populations. We also need to consider different areas and phases of the epidemic. 

All together this book had a lot of good information about primary prevention and there was a lot of new information for me. 

Three most significant things I learned are:

1. How important primary prevention is and how it helps the health care system not to be overbooked because less people would need medical attention.
2. How effective policies are to improve people’s health.
3. The role of public health in violence prevention.  

It is really important that people learn how to prevent illnesses and injuries. It will help people save some  money because they are less likely to use health care. Policies are a very effective way to improve people’s health. For example, I think it is really good that you are not allowed to smoke in the restaurants anymore because people who don’t smoke were still exposed to second-hand smoke.
I recommend this book to everybody who wants to learn about primary prevention of unnecessary illness and injury. I think everyone who is interested about health topics and how to help people would really enjoy this book.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

I use Clearasil Stayclear Oil-free daily face wash. The website gave this product a rating of six out of ten so it is a moderate hazard. Ingredients in this product are linked to: Cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and use restrictions. Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards.

I didn’t know that this product has so many hazardous ingredients in it. I really like this website and I will try to find another product that wouldn’t be as bad for me.
You can check out my result here: Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database

Share & Voice: Help Protect The Ocean

I found this National Geographic website that talks about making the right seafood choices and it gives tips on how you can help save the ocean. I think it is a really good website for people who likes to eat seafood because it teaches about the impact your seafood choices make on your health and the ocean in this interactive guide.
Visit the website here: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/missionblue/take-action/

Read ‘N’ Seed 4: Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well-Being

1. I read chapters 11-13.

2. I had three main topics that I read about:

1. Environment exposures affect on peoples health.
2. How our environment is built will affect people’s health.
3. Another thing that affects people’s health is the choices we make referring to what we eat. This is made in the context of our social, physical, and cultural environment.

3. I learned that the same environmental problems that contribute to poor air and water quality, as well as neighborhood deterioration also contribute to negative mental and physical health outcomes. Cancer, asthma, birth defects, developmental disabilities, infertility and Parkinson’s disease are on the rise, and they are linked to chemical exposures from air, water, food, and products and practices used in our schools, homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. These health problems are widespread, affecting nearly one of every two Americans (Pew Environmental Health Commission, 2001).

I learned about the physical environment in which we live, work, and play has a fundamental impact on both health itself and behaviours that affect it. For example, the sitting of a truck depot increases diesel emissions in a neighborhood, resulting in higher asthma rates. Another example is, a community without sidewalks results in people walking less and therefore being at risk for increased rates of chronic disease.

Where foods are available, the price of foods, and the advertising and promotion of foods have an influence on the choices we make. Ideally, the food environment would support biological needs, meaning that healthy, nutritious food would be readily available, affordable, and appealing to our community. Unfortunately, the food environment in the United States today is characterized by increasing of heavily marketed snacks and sodas, doughnut shops and fast-food chains, and foods that are highly processed and supersized.

4. Government and local leaders should be doing something to rehabilitating our communities and planning for a healthier and safer environment. We should be building environments that prevent injury and illness and promote health. Ergonomists help design safe, comfortable furniture, industrial hygienists help assess and control indoor air problems, and sanitarians help control rodent infestations in buildings. The environment must be changed to facilitate healthier eating and activity patterns. Many school districts, work sites, government agencies, and health care institutions are making environmental changes to improve access to healthier, sustainable produced food and to decrease the promotion and presence of junk food, but there is still a long way to go with reaching a healthier environment.

New terminology presented:

The precautionary principle borrows from the medical oath to “do no harm” in placing the burden of demonstrating safety prior to public exposure on those who produce chemicals and other substances. (p.231)

You can read more from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle

Community-based participatory research is a vital primary prevention strategy that addresses the need for community capacity building and involvement of key stakeholders in decisions that affect community health.

Read more from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-based_participatory_research

New Header Linky

I designed this header with Picnik.com. It is a really cool website.

Read ‘N’ Seed 3: Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well-Being

1. I read part two, chapters 5-10 from my book.

2. I had six main topics that I read about:
1. Community organizing that occurs in local settings, to empower individuals, build relationships, and create action for community change.
2. Public health and social justice.
3. Collaborative work for achieving preventive health success.
4. Policy formation can be an effective tool for prevention.
5. Public health educators should use the media more to advance healthy public policy.
6. How primary prevention efforts can be evaluated.

3. Community organizing is defined in my book as a dynamic process that encompasses a wide range of community engagement strategies. I learned that effective organizing leads to the community engagement and empowerment that are very important for successful primary prevention efforts targeting environmental determinants of health. I learned about how important it is that we work together and coalitions provide the opportunity to generate broader support to improve prevention efforts. I read about how policies are a powerful tool for prevention and an effective way to improve people’s health. For example, my book talked about how raising the price of tobacco products and prohibiting smoking in certain public places decreased youth smoking as well as a decreased number of smokers. Another important thing I learned was that public health educators should use the media more to get out the healthy public policies. Health practitioners need to learn how to use the media effectively to protect and promote peoples’ health. One last thing I read and learned about was how primary prevention efforts can be evaluated. I think this is very important because then you can actually see the success of primary prevention.

4. I think community organizing is really important and a good way to improve primary prevention. Community organizing is about people defining their community and identifying common problems or goals that they wish to address. I read about coalitions and how to develop effective coalitions. This is a very important skill in all fields because major improvements require a variety of resources and perspectives. Coalitions can accomplish objectives faster and better than any single organization. Policies are a very effective way to improve people’s health. I think it is really good that you are not allowed to smoke in the restaurants anymore because people who don’t smoke were still exposed to the secondhand smoke.

Share & Voice: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

I found this interesting website when I was looking for information about our environment. On this website you can write your home town or zip code and it will tell you how much pollutans are in the air on that area. You can also find out the UV index, current conditions of ozone and other things related to the environment.
http://www.epa.gov/myenvironment/

Eye Opener: CSPI

I took the quiz named Eating Green Calculator, Effects of Your Diet on Your Health and the Environment.
I used 5890 pounds of manure created by the animals. I took the quiz again and entered 1 servings less per week. After that my result was 4076 pounds of manure created by the animals.
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 don't think my result was that bad, however I think I could eat more vegetables and fruits instead of meat to protect my health and make less harm to the environment.
You can take the quiz here: http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/tour.html

Share & Voice: Environmental Tips- How To Go Green

I found this little video from Youtube, called Environmental Tips- How To Go Green. It is short but it includes good information with how you can help save our environment. It talks about recycling, using reuseable bags, using your own coffee mug, and using your own water bottle. I grew up recycling almost everything and I am still doing it. However, I should really start using reuseable bags when I go to the grocery store. I have those bags at home but too many times I forget them and I need to ask for the plastic bag or paper bag. I don't buy water bottles from the store because I use my own water bottle.
These are small things, but if everyone would make better choices we would be able to save our environment.
You can watch the video here: http://www.sustainourplanet.com/

Reflection: Weeks 1-4

I feel like I have already learned so much in four weeks. The biggest thing I have learned so far is probably creating a blog and everything that comes with it. This is my first time using my own blog and I really like it.
After taking the ecological footprint quiz and seeing how many planets it would take to support my lifestyle it really made me think what habits I could change to become more green. From now on I am taking the bus to school every day and I am using a reuseful bag when I go to the grocery store. I am also trying to eat less meat and trying to buy food from locals.
I really liked our last class when we went to the eco friendly building. Hopefully one day I am able to built my own house and by learning about the eco friendly building it really made me think what I could have at my own house. For example, I really liked those windows which are letting the light come in and that would be something that I would like to have at my own house.
I am learning something new about our environment and other topics every day when I read other peoples posts.

Read ‘N’ Seed 2: Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well-Being

1. I read the first four chapters.

2. The first chapter is called The Imperative for Primary Prevention. It talks about how important primary prevention is and how it helps health care system not to be overbooked because less people would need medical care. Also, the chapter presents individual-based prevention and treatment model, as well as shows recent and historical examples of prevention successes.

The second chapter is called Achieving Health Equity and Social Justice. This chapter talks about how health differences are primarily the result of social structures and processes, rather than individual genetic factors. It also discussed how making the community environment healthier can decrease the number of people who become ill or injured.

The third chapter is called Gender, Health, and Prevention. It focuses on how gender affects health outcomes.

The fourth chapter is called The Hope of Prevention: Individual, Family, and Community Resilience. This chapter talks about how strong social networks and partnerships, caring relationships between community members, and education and literacy are protective factors and help people grow stronger. These factors also prevent illnesses and injuries.

3. I learned that primary prevention should generally be aimed at populations, not just individuals. A goal of primary prevention is to eliminate unnecessary illnesses, injuries, and even deaths.

I learned about health disparities and health equity. Health disparities are defined as “differences in health that are not only avoidable and unnecessary, but in addition unjust and unfair.” (Margaret Whitehead, 1990). Health equity is defined as “providing all people with fair opportunities to attain their full health potential to the extent possible.” (Braveman, 2006).

You can read more about health disparities and health equity from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_disparities.

I learned that we should consider gender differences when we want to improve individual’s health.

Also, I learned about resilience research and practice which provides the prevention field with nothing less than a fundamentally different knowledge base, one offering the promise of transforming interventions. Resilience is defined as “a class of phenomena characterized by patterns of positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity or risk” (Masten & Reed, 2002).

You can read more about resilience from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_resilience.

4. I think we should pay more attention to the primary prevention and try to prevent people from become ill or injured. I think it starts with health educators to teach people in communities how to prevent diseases and eliminate health disparities.

Eye Openers: Ecological Footprint

I did the EarthDay Footprint quiz and the result was shoking. If everyone would live like me, we would need 5.7 Planet Earths to provide enough resources. My biggest ecological footprint was services, which was 35% and most of that is because of all the flying I do from Finland to school.
http://earthday.net/footprint2/index.html
 
I calculated my carbon footprint and my total metric tons was 31.73. My greatest one was flying, which equaled 48% of my total usage. I was really shocked when I saw how high my emissions were. I had no idea how much CO2 I was putting in the air.
http://www.sustainourplanet.com/

I calculated how much energy I saved by figuring out how much I recycle. My total savings were 389.80 kWh. I didn't realize how much energy is saved by recycling.
http://www.facilities.fsu.edu/CUP/recyclemania2010.html

Read 'n' Seed 1: Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well-Being

The title of the book I chose is Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well-Being. This book is about primary preventions and how we can build health and equity in communities. It also includes what people can do to prevent health and social problems before they occur. I chose this book because it seems interesting and I want to learn more about primary prevention.

There are three parts and fifteen chapters. I am going to read one part for first quarter, the second part for the second quarter, and the third part I am going to divide in half so I can write the third and fourth quarters.

There are three links where you can get more information about my book.

Publisher description for Prevention is primary: strategies for community well-being:

                      http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0740/2007005823-d.html

You can buy and see the book at amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Prevention-Primary-Strategies-Community-Being/dp/0787983187#reader_0787983187

At this web site you can read the description, see the table of contents, and get authors information:

http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787995630,descCd-description.html

Share & Voice: How a hurricane is born - The Science Of Superstorms - BBC

I found this interesting short video from youtube.com called How a hurricane is born - The Science Of Superstorms - BBC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f45jA5UxB0 
It tells about how hurricanes are born and how they travel and reach the United States. Hurricanes in the Atlantic typically begin in Sahara, Africa, and I think it is really interesting that something as small as someone playing with the sand can develope a hurricane.
It is an interesting video so check it out if you have time.

Share & Voice: Take care of your pet that green way

I really like this article named Take care of your pet that green way. It is on the Duluth News Tribune's website. You can read the article on online http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/178633/publisher_ID/36/. 

The article is about how pet owners can look for environmentally friendly options. A great idea was how pet owners can make the toys for their pets from old clothes or something else they might throw away. This article also discusses how owners should use biodegradable dogwaste bags which are eco-friendly. 

Being that I have a dog, this article made me wonder would I buy the expensive toys when I could just make them myself. The article really opened my eyes to some new and different ways that I can be more eco-friendly when it comes to having pets.

Welcome to Heidi’s Healthy Environment!

My name is Heidi Pelttari. My blog is going to be about what I am learning in my Environmental Health 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 labeled with all six kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget in the sidebar. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are: 

1. Kristen M@Kristen’s Atmosphere 
2. Casey@Casey's Green Daydream
3. Callie@Eco-Friendly with Calista
4. Kara@Kara's Coming Clean
5. Danielle@Tree Hugging with Dani 
6. Ashley@Ashley’s Fresh Air Atmosphere 
7. Sonny@Sonny Days Ahead

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 stopping by!