Noah's Greenlicious Environment

Reflection: Week 15 & 16

2009-05-13T21:48:00.003-05:00

I would have to say that Dr. V's class has opened my mind to new ways of thinking about the environment and how I focus my contributions to benefit where I live. The finals two weeks of class were more about reflecting on what we have learned.

Week 15

This week started of with Sue Johnson coming in and speaking to us about junk. But talking about ways that junk can be reused and make beautiful, hence her book she put out Junk Beautiful. Sue seems to have the natural touch when it comes to re-purposing junk. I was amazed at home some of the junk she used in her book looks like it could have been bought from an antique store. The next day of class was probably the most relaxing of all. We got to go outside, sit in the sun, and discuss what we learned from environmental health.

Week 16

Definitely one of the easiest weeks of the whole semester for this class. We didn't meet this week because of it being finals week but we still had assignments to do. The eye opener assignment was fun to do, especially to play the games everyone posted on there blog.

I wasn't sure how well using this blog thing would work when Dr. V described it at the beginning of the semester but I feel it was a good idea. I allows you to open your mind and sort of describe things in different ways that you wouldn't do the same when putting pen to paper. Thanks to Dr. V for getting me more in touch with our environment so that I can do my part to improve our planet.

A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Share and Voice: Green Up The Slopes

2009-05-11T12:08:00.007-05:00

One of the key reasons I decided to attend UMD (besides the quality education program) was to live in a place where snowboarding is one of winters best past times. The other day I was just sitting around with not much to do and I realized I missed the winter just a little bit but more of all I miss snowboarding. Then I started to think about snowboarding and if by any chance there has been a push towards making snowboarding more beneficial to the environment. I stumbled upon Arbor, a surf, skate, and snowboard company committed to providing environmentally friendly products. Many snowboard manufactures use a combination of wood cores, stainless steel edges, fiberglass, resin and occasionally Kevlar. Arbor does not use any fiberglass, stainless steel edges, or Kevlar in production. Most of the boards they manufacture are made out of a variety of wood. Some a combination of poplar, solid bamboo, and paulownia. I know some may think "well, it doesn't seem like they are environmentally friendly if they may be harvesting trees to produce snowboards," but Arbor is not marketing a product made of chemicals that harm the environment like steel, fiberglass and Kevlar. I feel that Arbor is starting a big push towards going green in extreme sports and others will follow. Good thing I'm about due for a new snowboard!

Check out there site if your a fan of boarding! Arbor Snowboarding

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activity

2009-05-11T11:47:00.002-05:00

Okay, Sooo I thought this was a fun eye opener, I mean playing games while building your knowledge about health issues. Sounds like a fairly easy learning assignment to me.

The first game I played was...
Valerie's Health Care Wheel of Fortune!

I will be honest, I am not very bright when it comes to wheel of fortune. For some reason I can watch it on TV and guess the words from time to time but the problem I have is getting the word started. I did have luck at guessing a few of the words in this game. Thanks for the Challenge Valerie!

Second I played...
Sara H's Quit Smoking Quiz!

I got a A! Yup, 90 out of 100 points was my score. I got the question wrong about smoking affecting reproductive health in only women because I happen to read it wrong. This quiz was quite interesting...over 4000 chemicals packed into a cigarette! Are you kidding me! How would that not get people to not smoke along with the fact that over 420,000 people die each year from them.

The third game I played was...
Sam's Open Door To A Healthy Heart!

Honestly I took this quiz twice. The first time was after Sam had posted it. So I would have to say I did pretty good on it. Quite interesting to know that your heart beats over 100,000 times a day. That's a lot of work for that little guy.

Lastly, I played...
Shannon's Food Groups Game!

Ha...That was very fun! Cool how the groups started dancing once you complete sorting them out. This game started to make me hungry. Sorting those foods helped me remember what I need to buy for groceries.

I learned more than what I thought I would in completing all these activities. Nice work webgroup!!!

Share and Voice: A Green Greenhouse

2009-05-06T14:33:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I have always been interested in identifying different types of plants. I think I have acquired that knowledge because my ma happens to be a floral designer so I suppose it makes sense. Now I'm not the one to really further my education into becoming a plant taxonomist because its really just a small side hobby for me. It's really just nice to have this green piece of life by you which also happens to be beneficial by reducing CO2. Well I guess the main point of this post is that while I was sitting at my desk with my bonsai ficus tree (I encourage everyone to get one) and jade plant perched on the window sill, I was wondering if there "green homes" for them. By green homes (I'm sure you guessed it!) I mean green greenhouses. I'm not sure how many of you also own a couple different plant but this greenhouse I found would be a cool little home to make sure your plants get the right amount of sunlight. I found this miniature green house made entirely out of recycled plastic so you get to support the environment in two ways. The greenhouse was created by Daniel Schipper and is posted on his blog. Check it out --> Folding Greenhouse.

Enjoy!

Advocacy Project: Health IT Puzzle

2009-05-04T14:30:00.005-05:00

Hi Webgroup!

So I had a little bit of trouble trying to find an interactive game that would spark your interest in Health Care Information Technology but didn't have to much luck finding anything...I then just decided to make a crossword search, guessing that a few college students may still do these so it would seem like the best alternative idea with a topic that is a bit difficult to develop an interactive game.

This will be just like any other crossword puzzle but you will first need to read a couple articles to help you in completing this activity. After reading it you simply have to answers each question to figure out what word you must fill in.

Articles to boost you Health IT Knowledge:

Interoperabilty: The Key to the Future Health Care Systems
Defining and Delivering Interoperable Health Information Technology - Sections on Adoption, Health IT 101 and Social Benefits
Health Information Technology

Click HERE to start the puzzle.

Best of luck!

If you want to check your completed puzzle click HERE.

Reflection: Week 13 & 14

2009-05-01T12:46:00.003-05:00

And then there was one...well technically two but one week of in-class activities. It's exciting to know summer is almost here and then I can move my green thoughts to a more outdoor aspect. Maybe I'll take another compass adventure...
Week 13

I would have to say the compass expedition was the highlight of the week for me. The point of this activity was to learn the proper techniques of using a compass so that if ever it happens that you are stranded by yourself in the middle of nowhere with a compass, you just might be able to find your way out. Luckily my group (Valerie, Kathy, and Kailiegh) proved to be naturals in the arts of compass navigation. Ha. Even if we weren't Kathy's bright fuchsia shirt could have been spotted from ways away. I missed the video "Story of Stuff" but the video on the website explained to me it was about. Wish I wouldn't of missed that day. This week we had the assignment to do an overview of our issue. This assignment was pretty simple. We had to gather information about our bill and blog about it.

Week 14

The first part of this week introduced us to careers within the Environment Health field. Along with this Dr. V. brough in a guest speak to talk to the class about his career and what he does to help with environmental health. The advocacy assignmnet for this week was to compose a letter that we would send to congressional representative regarding our thoughts and how they could help out to pass our bill we chose. The second day of this week we had to get our brains thinking on the junk side of things. Dr. V. brought in an assortment of things that may be considered junk but can also be repurposed in different ways. In our web groups we had to brainstorm ways we could repupose each item.

At first I thought this advocacy proejct was goign to be stressful and a lot of work but it turned out not to be so bad. Taking it step by step made this assignment easy and quite infromative. I'm looking forward to next week's classes, especially the guest speark and pizza day!

Adios!

Advocacy Project: Letter to Public Official

2009-04-28T14:39:00.005-05:00

April 28, 2009
Senator Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senate
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Klobuchar,

The proposed bill H.R. 1309 that encourages the adoption and implementation of interoperability into the health technology systems will provide the United States with improved health care quality, reduced medical errors, and increase in the efficiency of care. With your help on passing this bill not only will it improve our health systems by the actions stated above but it will also allow for greater communication between doctors, patients, nurses, and health office representatives. Improved communication can allow for improved work flow, optimal care, and a decrease in duplicated medical records caused by the standard technology systems. For future insight, the passage of this bill will enable students in college working towards a health care administrating degree's to enter their job with the confidence and assurance that they have the precise technology provided to them to advance the way hospitals operate. Not only will this bill affect the future prospects in the health care field but will affect the present citizens looking for the best possible care from their local hospitals. Because interoperability connects all systems and records into a network it will allow patients to access online medical portfolios that may contain information regarding treatments, status,and future appointments. Interoperability will aid everyone young and old is not forgotten about when it comes to health. With your help by voting "yes" to House Bill# 1309 we can revolutionize the United States health system by simply turning data into intelligence.

Thank you Senator Amy Klobuchar!

-Noah Funk

Share and Voice: Do The Green Thing

2009-04-23T20:40:00.002-05:00

Hey Everybody!

So I came across this sort of whacky/funny site that delivers short films representing ways to be greener. Some of the ideas they have are pretty clever and others are like HUH?....either way it provided me with some entertainment about being green. There are different sections to the site with a variety of videos on each section so be sure to do some searching. Check it out! Do The Green Thing

HERES MY FAVORITE! (I don't need to explain what its about)

Plug Out Boy feat. Green Monday from Green Thing on Vimeo.

Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

2009-04-21T12:00:00.007-05:00

My Issue:

The issue that I am concerned about deals with Health Informational Technology or Health IT. This issue focuses on how the United States health system could be operating more efficiently and effectively if we are to change the current Health IT systems by implementation of an interoperable infrastructure that results in EMR (Electronic Medical Records).

What is interoperability in Health IT?
Interoperability is the ability to have a hospitals computer system connected with other hospital's systems so that the final outcome will be a nationwide network of Health IT systems connected to one another.
Current Legislation:
Representative Sam Johnson of Texas has already started this process to a more effective and efficient health system by introducing bill number H.R. 1309. This bill's title is to encourage and enhance the adoption of interoperable health information technology to improve health care quality, reduce medical errors, and increase the efficiency of care. It was introduced to the House on February 12, 2009.
Who is affected by my issue?:
Being that my issue is correlated with one of the largest cost expenditures in the United States it is surely to affect a number of people. The one's who will be affect the most by a change to Health IT would be doctors, patient, and health care providers.

Gains: Affected the most by this issue would have to be the doctors. With interoperability doctors will have the power to access specific patient data that without interoperability would have possibly been locked in a database or put into hiding in a file drawer. Doctors like to have patient information at their fingertips whenever possible and having a network system that can simply connect a patients records directly to him/her would benefit the doctors accuracy on patients, overall work flow, and hospital recognition. The gains sort of connect like a chain, if you have the doctors benefiting from this Health IT system the next ones down are the patients that work with those doctors. The patients will have the acknowledgment that the doctor has the most up to date records and can administer him/her the best quality care possible. Eventually everything adds up to an efficient and reliable communication tool within the hospital. Doctors will be able to communicate better with their patients, other clinics, other doctors, and administrative staff on ways to further improve there infrastructure. The greatest gain is to the United States health system as a whole. With an update to interoperability systems, we can rely on there to be less flawed processes, more efficient work flow, and top of the line quality medical care. Loses: Those who many suffer the brunt edge of this transformation to interoperability infrastructure is a bit limited. The people and loses coming from interoperability systems can be somewhat questionable. If some doctors can not grasp the way the new Health IT system functions then it would cause them to lose the reliability of patients, patient information, downgrade in work flow, and the worst lose; their jobs. As for the patients, they may inquire loses with insurance companies if their companies gain hold on health records that can make all the difference in being qualified for health insurance, that's if insurance companies have the rights to access the same medical files that doctors can. However, I feel the greatest loss would be our health. An IT system like interoperability has the chance to advance the way the U.S. handles its health care by providing doctors with the information necessary to provide top notch quality care to those patients.

Consequences:
By improving the way technology is used in health care systems it doesn't seem like there should be any consequences to individuals, families or society but begin that technology is not always the most reliable tool we are bound to develop some repercussion with this issue. The consequences of interoperability IT to society would breach mainly the lines of confidentiality. Living in a world that is centered around technology and when things don't go as planned with technology people become impatient, upset, and blame it on the system not working. If there would happen to be a malfunction with the interoperability IT system it would cause much unsatisfactory with the new IT system, decrease patient satisfaction with there doctors, and a burden for families who are unhappy with the new IT.

Issue's Economic Impact:

If there is a nationwide push towards having an interoperability IT system then costs would be weighed upon the government which more than likely would be eventually paid for by tax payers dollars. However if we have certain hospitals designating that they are switching over to an interoperability system the cost would be weighed upon the administration. These costs are countered weight with the future benefit that will come from having an inter connected medical network. Economically this system would greatly benefit the consumer. Interoperability would allow individuals to access information about their health status, eliminate hesitation about switching between clinics now being that they will not have to fear about losing medical records, and benefit from the economic efficiency of less medical error, duplication of records, and increased work flow.
Issue's Social Impact:

The social impact of interoperability would fall upon the tax payers if the government were to make this a nationwide change to the Health IT system. This of course wouldn't be very fond by some while others will not mind and feel that overall wellness should not be decided by a price. Relating back to healthcare providers, this may also impact the group of people who are worried that their insurance providers may view records resulting in a denial for medical coverage and this includes all those who are trying or have been denied coverage that feel it is wrong to have medical records inter connected in a way that allows insurance companies a full detailed report of their medical history. However the social gaining impact will be that ever increase group of people who applaud the use of have medical records inter connected that allows for the most efficient, effective, and grade A doctors that will be able to provide them with the right care. This issue will have a positive impact on the groups of doctors who feel that with an interoperable system they will be able to complete their job better than before by simply having the right medical records in front of them with a click of the mouse.

The Barriers:

The barriers addressing this issue is that of safety for the patient. Having a system that connects every medical records in a network may results in some unexpected problems. Example, a doctor wants to bring up a medical records for Jane Doe. The doc pulls up her records to write out the correct medication prescription. However he did not notice that the record he pulled up was for a Jane E. Doe and thus providing her with the wrong a medication that she may possibly be allergic to. Because the electronic medical records will be entered in by name it will be possible to run into the slightest mix-up with identities. It seems simple to overcome this issue, the IT system will have to be upgraded as to where instead of locating the patient by name they may be located by say a phone number, or address, or even a specific patient number id. The mix up in identities with Jane Doe and Jane E. Doe may also cause there to be billing problems. If Jane Doe's insurance company is looking to bill her for the medication prescribed but by accident confused Jane Doe for Jane E. Doe, then there is going to be a conflicting with payments and result in administrative costs to resolve the error. These two barriers to the issue could be resolved in the same way.
What are the resources?

I would have to say that the most important resource that may come into play on this issue is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPPA. HIPPA aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care system, portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, and to provide consequences to those that do not apply with the regulations stated within the act. As well to address this issue I will need up to date information about certain interoperability software being developed and how they expect each one to be a success. Most of my resources can been found with in depth internet searches, library references, and magazine articles.
History of the Issue:

This issue has been on the rise since 2005. The NHS (National Health Service) is hoping to have 60,000,000 patients with electronic medical records by 2010. The progression of switching to electronic medical records is increasing at a slow rate. This rate may be increasing very slowly due to the limited EMR systems that will be used to inter connect all records. In 2005, to push towards the production of EMR systems that will connect medical records within a networks the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a non-profit organization designated specifically to develop EMR systems called Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). This new organization provided great results in 2006, CCHIT released a list of 20 certified EMR products.

Allies & Opponents:
Allies of this issue would be patients who are encourage by the benefits that interoperability will bring to health care quality, doctors, CCHIT, computer engineers installing these programs, software trainers, health insurance companies, and hospital administrators. Opponents of introducing an nationwide interoperability system would be tax payers, hospital administrators not interested in the costs, and health insurance companies that have to change their record systems.

My Recommendation:

I would recommend that my representative votes yes for bill H.R. 1309 to encourage and enhance the adoption of interoperable health information technology to improve health care quality, reduce medical errors, and increase the efficiency of care. Voting yes would result in a more efficient and effective medical system that allows doctors to provide the absolute best care they can deliver to the patient by having up-to-date medical records at the tips of there fingers.

Reflection: Week 11 & 12

2009-04-17T12:14:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I am absolutely ready for summer time. I think we should have our class time outside when its glorious days like today. Any seconds? Another two weeks of environmental health have been erased from the calendar and just a few remain.

Week 11

We got back into the swings of things this week after having week ten off due to the AAPHERD convention. We watched our last documentary film for class titled "Unnatural Causes." The film consisted of multiple short flicks and the one we watched was "In Sickness and in Wealth." This film was about how the wealth of someone can simply be a main factor in determining there health. Wealthier people live longer and poorer people die sooner. I thought it was a very interesting documentary. I've never really thought about how wealthy people have an advantage in life over poorer people. Second part of the week we had blog assignment to explore a health issue that grabs your interest. A busy week it was.

Week 12

This week was a little more relaxing but gave us an insight into the busy weeks coming up. We went over ways to fully understand an issue, so that we can get the most out of our advocacy project.

I'm looking forward to the coming weeks. Especially next weeks venture outside.

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

2009-04-13T23:19:00.013-05:00

Healthy People 2010 Goal #23 - Public Health Infrastructure

Goal: Ensure that Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies are provided with an infrastructure that allows them to provide essential public health services effectively.

There are four focus points that the Department of Health & Human Services hope to address in order to achieve progress towards the goal; data and information systems, workforce, public health organizations, prevention research. I am going to focus on data and information systems.

Goal objective 23-3: Increase the proportion of major national health data systems that use geocoding to promote nationwide use of geographic information systems
Target: 100 percent
Baseline: 50 percent of major national health data systems geocoded records to street address or latitude and longitude in 2000
Sources: CDC, NCHS

Progress: As of now the Progress Quotient Chart for area 23: Use of geocoding in major health data systems, has shown a 0% increase towards its 2010 goal. The use of geocoding has remained constant, 50% of major health systems using geocoding in 2000 and 2004.

What is Geocoding? - Many current health systems rely on address to base there business decisions off of. Geocoding is a form of location filing by using longitude and latitude. Geocoding can target exact world locations and match that with how it relates to health disparities in race/ethnicity. The process of determining these coordinates and linking this intelligence to a street address is known as geocoding. (What is Geocoding? Business Geographics)

Disparities: Public Health Infrastructure objective 23-3 is not population based, therefore, a disparity study was not conducted. PHI objectives work to eliminate disparities in access to care and health outcomes for vulnerable populations by addressing the capacity and resources of the public health infrastructure and educational training for persons working within it.

Opportunities and Challenges: IT (Information Technology) systems, the core element in public health infrastructure is the focus for opportunities directed to benefit the targeted geocoding objective. There has been three major efforts directed towards development and coordinate public health data.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) - ONC helps by providing leadership for the development and nationwide installment of IT infrastructure. Including exchange of information between different operating systems. This type of infrastructure is designed to improve quality and efficiency of health care and capability for consumers to access their care and safety.
Public Health Information Network (PHIN) - PHIN is managed by the CDC to improve the electronic communication within the public health community.
National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network - The goal for this network is to collect, integrate, analyze, and interpret data from monitoring environmental hazards, humans exposure to those hazards, and human health effects correlated to environmental hazards in order to protect communities from adverse health effects.

Emerging Issues: The most urgent issue that Public Health Infrastructure's have to deal with is the unexpected outbreak of an infectious disease or natural disasters. These unexpected events bring stress upon the pubic health system that focus on responding to these situations. The newest issues that require attention are bioterrorism and emergency preparedness. After all in any situation its hard to prepare for the unexpected. Success in the Public Health Infrastructure rest on the ability to change and overcome these new threats.

H.R. 1039 Promoting Health Information Technology Act 2009 (Introduced to House)

Title: To encourage and enhance the adoption of interoperable health information technology to improve health care quality, reduce medical errors, and increase the efficiency of care.

Sponsor: Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] (introduced 2/12/2009)

Cosponsors: 26 Cosponsors (Click Here for list)

Latest Major Action: 2/12/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

My Political Representatives: U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar

I am a student majoring in Health Care Administration and an issue involving the way major health systems will use information technology will more than likely affect me in the rest of my career. Being that health care consumes a large chunk of U.S. spending it seems only right that we take action to make sure health systems top priority is communication within and outside the health infrastructure. I believe that you should vote YES to the Promoting Health Information Technology Act 2009.

Share and Voice: A Unique Way To Reuse Plastic

2009-04-09T14:38:00.007-05:00

In America we are very fortunate to have access to practically any good or need that we want. Unfortunately it isn't the same for other countries. However, these people find other ways to obtain the goods or needs they so dearly want. Ways that many Americans don't think about using because we just simply don't need to, we have other means of acquiring that good or need. So it made me think about how some kids in the poorest countries reuses plastic to acquire the on certain good that he/she wants.

For The Love Of The Game

I have played soccer all my life and still do so it's kind of a bummer for kids that want to play the game but can't because they lack the ball. I did this post because it's a different and neat way that plastic bags have been reused. I'm glad to say that I have donated soccer balls to kids in Africa so that they can enjoy the same luxury as I can...to have a real soccer ball at their feet.

Links:
Worldvision - a site designated for helping out the poorest kids to keep there soccer dreams alive. Just in case any of you are soccer fans.

Share and Voice: Cleaning The Heights

2009-04-06T12:43:00.007-05:00

Apa Sherpa has to be one of the most ambitious trash cleaners in the world. I don't think many of us will be able to say we've gone to such heights to keep the world a little cleaner. It's good to see that people do what they can to make our planet a little greener. Check out the short article.

Climber to break record with Mt. Everest Clean-up Cli mb

Reflection: Week 9 & 10

2009-04-03T14:00:00.002-05:00

Another two weeks have been checked off besides the fact that it was only one week of class. None the less the two weeks happened to be educational.

Week 9

In week 9 Dr. V. started to give us information on the advocacy project and what the goal of the project is. We were introduced to the very first step in our advocacy project. That included each one of us designating our advocacy project representatives. Later in the week we were then given pointers on being photographers to prepare us for the photo essay. Overall this week wasn't to busy but it did prepare us for the future.

Week 10

This week we had out of class work to do being the Dr. V. was at the AAHPERD convention. The only thing everyone really had to focus on was the photo essay. I felt that it was hard to take the photo essay to high standards if you only had a point and shoot camera. Especially one that is a couple years out of date. I knew I should have spent the extra cash on the Nikon for my first camera. Either way it was fun.

These two weeks have proven to be a little more laid back, which gets me thinking that the upcoming weeks are more than likely going to be busier.

Eye Openers: Photo Essay

2009-04-02T18:04:00.015-05:00

My plan with the photo essay was to show how it is quite simply to be environmentally friendly in a couple different ways. I think a lot of people feel that they must go to extremes to be energy savers and environmentally friendly which is not always true. Every little change in the way you affect the environment or use energy can add up to have an impact on the way you help out yourself to become more friendly to the environment.

Thinking back to my childhood years, It made me think about how you might have started out to be environmentally friendly without even knowing it, mainly because you learned to ride one of these...Over the years I have added to my collection...I'm proud to say that a bicycle and a longboard are the means for most of my transportation during the summer.

Don't forget that while your cruising around on your bicycle its always a good idea to be hydrated...but its even a better idea to be hydrated by an ecofriendly canteen...

So if you are using one of these ----->

It's not a bad idea to switch to
<-----these.

To be incredibly friendly to the environment you can use your bike to cruise on down to a local hardware store and purchase one of these... By far a very wise purchase...a money and energy saver! Speaking of money saving.

With the harsh winters in Duluth heating bills can be costly to us college students. Saving energy is as easy as putting plastic over the windows.

It's the simplistic things that can be done to show your environmentally friendly awareness and by doing them will make you feel better about your contribution to saving the environment.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

2009-03-26T14:11:00.014-05:00

The President of the United States : Barrack Obama

Contact Information:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

House Representative Congressman : Jim Oberstar (DFL)

Contact Information:
2365 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6211 Office
Website: http://oberstar.house.gov/

Minnesota Governor : Tim Pawlenty (Republican)

Contact Information:
130 State Capitol, 75 MLK Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651) 296-3391
Website: http://www.governor.state.mn.us/

Washington Office:
400 N. Capitol St., NW, Ste. 380
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 624-5308

U.S. Senator: Amy Klobuchar (Democratic)

Contact Information:
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510
Phone: 202.224.3244
Website: http://klobuchar.senate.gov/index.cfm

Duluth, MN Mayor: Don Ness (DFL)

Contact Information:
Room 402, 411 West First Street
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 730-5230
Website: dness@duluthmn.gov

St. Louis County 1st District Commissioner : Dennis Fink (DFL)

Contact Information:
Room 208
100 N. 5th Avenue West
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 726-2458

Share and Voice: green.tv

2009-03-13T09:26:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone!

Green.tv is a video sharing website that allows companies, organizations, and people to post there video's concerning the environment. The main reason I did this post is because there is a video "Harvesting Rain," talking about a community in eastern Kenya that does not have a water system to support the community. Due to this the community has gathered together to build a system that helps them harvest rain.We talked briefly discussed harvesting rain water in class and this video shows how one community makes the most of the rain. I think its incredible how something as simple as water can bring a community together. Especially in a poor community like that of one in Kenya where many people might not think there is much they can do to change the way they live but as that community has shown, if people work together they can improve the wealth for everyone.

Reflection: Weeks 7 and 8

2009-03-13T09:12:00.003-05:00

Wow! Another two weeks accomplished. I don't realize how fast these weeks in class really soar by until I sit down and type up these reflections. I guess that's good to say that I am enjoying this class and getting more in touch with my green side.

Week Seven

This week we watched the documentary "Green," which I found very interesting. It talked about a stretch of land on the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, LA to New Orleans, LA. This stretch of land is where a number on chemical plants have set down on without respect to neighboring towns. The main point I believe it was getting across is that the CEO's of these company's are looking out more for the green profit than the dangers they are causing to these towns. I agree that these company's are only in for the profit and only act like they care about the nearby towns. I would have to say this is my second favorite documentary we have watched so far, An Inconvenient Truth being numero uno.

Week Eight

This week was another relaxing week in class. We watched the documentary "Thirst," that dealt with movement towards water being privatized. I am still a bit unsure about my view on the topic. If water is to be privatized I don't think it will work unless its set at a very low price. However I feel that the government will start to over price water just like any other resources that is used by basically everyone. I guess as of right now I would be against it. Being a college student I don't need another expense added to the list.

I am going to continue my relaxation right into spring break. I hope for whoever that may be going somewhere a safe trip and spring break and maybe keep an eye open if your going to another country on how and what they are doing to improve their environment. And of course while your on spring break don't forget to continue going green. I found this site on ecogeek that
talks about going green on spring break. I've linked this to the page on green spring break stats. And for all those doing a bit of drinking in the sun, maybe you can switch it up with a little bit of organic alcohol. Drink Responsibly.

Happy Spring Break Everyone!

Share and Voice: eSolar

2009-03-04T23:47:00.005-06:00

I stumbled upon this website while looking at different means to benefit the environment. This is quite amazing. I don't know if anyone has heard of this yet but for those who haven't eSolar is a solar powered base energy that uses mirror to reflect the sun ray's into a tower that uses the sun rays to boil a body of water and create steam. The steam powers a turbine and produces solar power. eSolar has been thought of and put into production by the Idealab Company.

Eye Openers: Environmental Working

2009-03-04T11:04:00.005-06:00

The product that I chose to research is a body wash product and the one that I use is Adidas Active Body Wash, Sport Fever. I thought even before I searched it that body wash products don't seem like they may be very healthy for your body considering the chemicals used to clean your skin and make it smell fresh.

WOW! The first thing I noticed when I searched it was the number 7 in a nice red circle. Which makes this product a high hazard. Once I started reading I found out that the product I use is linked to cancer, development/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and many other harmful links. Of course the one that stands out the most at the top of the list is cancer. However I found out that the chemical in this product that causes cancer is called FD&C Blue 1 and has a hazard rating of 2. So that isn't to bad but the fact that me using this product could cause cancer is bad enough for me.

The three more dangerous chemicals in this product are DMDM Hydation, Methylparaben, and Fragrance. DMDM has a chemical hazard level of 7 and is commonly found in shampoos and moisturizers. Methylparaben has a hazard level of 8. This chemical is mainly used for moisturizing and cleansing. And the one reason I bought this product because of its scent but I end up finding of that the chemicals that give this product its scent have a hazard level of 8. The fragrance is actually a neurotoxicity.

Overall I find out that this product that I like to use is not a very safe product to be using. And to make it worse, Coty Inc., the company that produces this Adidas product tests it on animals. I'm against testing of products on animals so I am glad to say that I will not be purchasing this product anymore. I am also going to look at the ingredients before I make my decision on a future purchase. Who would of know a product like body wash could have such a harmful affect on your body.

Reflection: Weeks 5 & 6

2009-02-27T10:24:00.004-06:00

Well another two weeks have gone quicker than what I expected them to. Week five and six have been the busiest two weeks for me so far this semester. Not so much as being busy in class but more busy on the blogging side of class.

Week Five

In week five we started off by recapping what reading 15 contained. It was about how there may end up being serious problems feeding the world and keeping countries without starvation to stay that way. It is projected that the U.S. could be dealing with starvation problems in the future. The rest of the week consisted of watching the documentary Diet for a New America by John Robbins. It informed us about the problem of Americans diets. It also covered how the products we eat such as beef are fed massive amounts of grain and grown in tight quarters just so the meat will be more lean and tender. I felt this was a very informative documentary even with it being a bit out of date.

Week Six

Week six was another busy week. Everyone in the class had a review on one of the remaining readings from our textbook. Mine was on Protecting the Environmental Legacy of U.S. Nuclear-Weapons Production. It was a lengthy reading but filled with plenty of interesting points. To summarize, it was about the plans put into place that will help the U.S. clean up the nuclear waste that has been produce during the arms race. It talks about certain disposal ideas that are being planned and what consequences disposes this waste may bring. The rest of the week we watched the documentary, Future of Food directed by Debra Garcia. This was a very interesting film. It focused on agriculture and how food has gone from naturally grown seeds to being genetically modified.

Overview

I feel both weeks were very eventful and I have learned quite a lot over these weeks. It feels good to be becoming more environmentally conscious. It keeps me enjoying class and wanting to attend every day. Good choice on the documentaries Dr. V!!!

Review of Documentary: Future of Food

2009-02-27T10:22:00.011-06:00

The Future of Food. That is something I have always thought of. I feel that from watching this film, our ancestors who spent there lives gathering and planting seeds would be disgusted if they learned that today we live in a world of genetically modified foods.

That's what this documentary, Future of Food, mainly focused on. A company by the name of Monsanto. One of the largest agricultural companies that has had a history of selling genetically modified seed. This has not always been a problem. The history of seed gathering and planting dates back many of years. The events of WWI, with the production of Nerve gas led to a use of this gas for crops. It was classified as an insecticide and would help crop yields. The start of nitrogen for a fertilizer was also being used. This made a great move into the market. Greener crops were being produced. This technology would increase production and bring down the purchasing price. It seemed that many people liked this, of course if you can get food cheaper with the same great taste who wouldn't love it. The era of new technology being used for agriculture was labeled as the "Green Revolution," but what people didn't see coming next was a new era that would be called the "Gene Revolution".

The company Monsanto produced a genetically modified seed that would already be injected with a gene to make it Roundup ready. Roundup is a herbicide that is usually used to kill weeds and help plant growth. Because Monsanto did this they would be able to patent that seed as their own. What was happening was that Monsanto's product would get blown or somehow placed in a large farmers field. When a Monsanto tester would take some of this crop and conduct a study on it, they would find it to be Monsanto's seed. This resulted in Monsanto filing lawsuits against many farmers, even thought these farmers had no idea how that seed got there. This situation would devastate the farmers. Some farmers were able to fight back with enough support that Monsanto would simply drop the case but make them agree to never talk about the details. Two of more popular Monsanto lawsuits were against Percy Schmeiser and also against Greg Nelson. As one said in the film Monsanto was a large enough company that they were filing lawsuits to scare other farmers into buying their seeds.

Monsanto would change the genes of these seeds by means of injecting the seed with a virus or bacteria that simply replaces a part of the gene and copies itself. This led to the first genetically modified food, the Flavr savr tomato. This hit the market huge but after studies done on rats found that this food was showing signs of lesions, which is a abnormal tissue found on an organism. The product was then removed from the market.

Due to farmers concerns the government set up an agency called the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency. People were proud of this happening but in the end it would be disappointing. The EPA was practically controlled by Monsanto. So decisions that were to be made would be made by a corporation that has been destroying the old farms of America. When I saw this sections in the film that listed all the members of the department I was stunned. Practically every seat in the agency is filled by a Monsanto member.

The starting point of genetically modified food has severely impacted farmer. The passing of the law that allows patenting of foods may have been one of the worse turning points for many farmers in America as well as other countries that import our seed. If that law never would of been enacted I feel it would be a much brighter present for everyone.

My Thoughts

I found this documentary absolutely interesting. I think everyone did. I can recall people shaking their heads during the section when the listing of EPA members was being shown. I was doing the same thing. I can't believe the government creates an agency to help out farmers concerns but yet basically puts it in control of the people the are harming these farmers. I lived on farm for 10 years. My father farmed 80 acres of land for most of his life until calling the quits in late 1990's. He grew mostly corn, but also wheat, and barley to feed the livestock. I remember he used to gather his own seed from the harvest and replant it the next year. I can't recall the exact time but I remember a following year he had switched over to purchasing seed. I hope that the future outlook for farmer is better than what it has been. To many people don't appreciate the few we have left. I know I am going to plan on shopping more at places like the Co-Op to support Americas farmers.

Terms

Herbicide - an agent used to destroy or inhibit plant growth

Gene Modification - The chemical repair of a gene's defective DNA sequence.

Nerve Gas - an organophosphate chemical weapon that interferes with normal nerve transmission and induces intense bronchial spasm with resulting inhibition of respiration

Nitrogen - a colorless tasteless odorless element that as a diatomic gas is relatively inert and constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere and that is a constituent of organic compounds found in all living tissues

Virus - the causative agent of an infectious disease

Bacteria - are a large group of unicellular microorganisms

Share and Voice: Greener Dock Systems

2009-02-26T09:21:00.009-06:00

When I make my back home for the summer I work for a guy who owns PowerBlock, Worlds Best Dumbbells (they are incredibly awesome and hes a genius for inventing them). I have been working side by side with him since the summer of 2005. Back home, in Alexandria, there is a chain of three major lakes so dock systems are a hot buy for those having a lake home. A couple years ago my boss, Carl, his son, and I build a prototype DDD (double decker dock) and it turned out in great form. Check out the pictures. The two different ones you see we completed. This upcoming summer we are planning to start constructing a new prototype DDD that is more safe to the environment (aluminum is used to build the DDD and unfortunately there is not a more durable, lightweight, luminous looking metal available to use), but plans are to use less aluminum by building the floor out of a different product, and to acquire environmentally safe floating tanks that help transport the DDD across the water, and the main goal is to install a wind turbine to DDD. It's all a work in progress and if things go as planned it will allow people on lake homes to use wind power to provide some clean power to their homes. Of course it won't be a large enough turbine to power the whole house but its always good to start little and then think big.

So if you've ever around Alexandria,MN on Lake Carlos or Darling you may see one or two of these systems.

Eye Openers: Summary of Reading # 24: Managing the Environmental Legacy of U.S. Nuclear-Weapons Production

2009-02-22T21:30:00.012-06:00

From the start I found my article very interesting. It deals with nuclear weapons which all of us should know has a great deal of impact on our environment due to the radioactive material needed for production. Now don't get confused, its not talking about the USE of nuclear weapons but about the excess material lying around from production of these weapons and how are we going to manage the situation. There are six sections to my article that help in defining the situation of managing the environmental legacy of U.S. nuclear-weapons production.

Nuclear-Weapons Production

During the Cold War arms race with the Soviet Union engineering began on creating facilities that would either serve as two purposes, to recover uranium (a radioactive element used for nuclear production) from mined ore and the other for assembly, maintenance and testing. There are over 5,000 facilities constructed for those two reasons. However, the largest facilities built for the material productions and processing of radioactive elements are Hanford also known as the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Oak Ridge and Savannah River in South Carolina. Those three facilities are ones mainly discussed throughout this article. Scientists at those facilities used uranium, plutonium (a transuranic (element with greater atomic number than uranium) radioactive element) and tritium to develop these weapons. They have estimated that around the 45 years of nuclear-materials production in the U.S. there has been about 103 metric tons of weapon-grade plutonium obtained from Hanford and Savannah River. On top of that, 994 metric tons of uranium were obtained from Oak Ridge and two other small facilities. To put those numbers into perspective, one metric ton weighs 2,205 pounds. So we have a total of 2,418,885 pounds of surplus and highly hazardous nuclear weapons material that somehow has to be dealt with. Looking at a number that large of harmful material it makes me wonder how the government didn't think about only mining the amount need for production of a weapon. They plan on using some of that surplus into fuel for nuclear power plants and the rest will be disposed of in a geological repository, an underground storage unit for nuclear waste. Storing this stuff underground does not seem to be an environmentally safe solution if were looking into protecting the environment.

Environmental Consequences

2,418,885 pounds of surplus nuclear material. That of course has to have consequences on the environment. A lot of this excess material is being stored in special underground tanks at various storage sites. It has been reported that many tanks have leaked some of the material contained within. The DOE (Department of Energy) which governs the nuclear production facilities have reported that at the Oak Ridge facility which works in separating the lithium from tritium to be used for mercury (a heavy silver metal) has leaked about 110 metric tons into the Clinch River-Watts Bar Reservoir system. This reservoir happens to be used for recreation and municipal water supply. When dealing with elements used for nuclear weapons I don't see how they should make this type of mistake. The leak jeopardized a water supply and worse off it puts many people at risk of getting mercury poisoning from eat the fish. Waste material leakage isn't the only problem that has to be dealt with. Nuclear production generates waste that is directly released to the environment in the for of gases. Volatile which is vaporized gas produced during chemical processing is vented straight to our atmosphere not always being filtered. Much of the waste liquid produced from these sites is simply discharged into large surface ponds or into subsurface soil and groundwater. It is incredible how no guidelines were set up as to where or how these gases or waste liquids should be disposed of after the chemical process. Simply dispersing it into our environment does not help manage the environment. It is clear that the production of nuclear weapons exceeded the thought of waste management.

From Production to Clean-up

This section basically talks about the progression that has been made since the late 1980's and early 90's once the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was enacted and the Soviet Union broke up. The one that started this cleanup process is John Harrington, the energy secretary during that time. He shut down the nuclear reactor at the Hanford facility because the simply stated that the U.S. had no need for it being that the country was already "awash in plutonium." He then went onto creating the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management that would establish its main mission: environmental cleanup. Although this program would not seem to accomplish milestones as quickly as hoped for. The DOE has had some successful cleanup points. A geological repository located in Carlsbad, New Mexico will help to dispose of 175,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste from nuclear weapons sites. These repository's are located 300 meters underground within a salt dome or bedrock and are said to be the home for much of the nuclear waste. It may not seem like too bad of an idea to store it in these repository's if it is going to keep the environment from being contaminated.

Reducing and Managing Risk

Described in this section of the article are the milestones that cleanup program hopes to accomplish while keeping the contamination at a minimum and employment rate constant at these facilities. However they have hit a roadblock in their attempts due to a major problem, the lack of technology to reach these milestones. In addition, the milestones hoped to be reached are not focused around protecting human and environmental health. How do you set up milestones that deal with the disposal of nuclear waste and don't focus a majority of the attention around public safety and environmental health. They are simply just laying down these milestones so that progress in the cleanup system can be measured. I think these milestones are a waste of time if the health or people and the environment are not taking into perspective.

Long-Term Stewardness

This final section simply stated that the environmental legacy of nuclear-weapons production will not be eliminated but more on the lines of being controlled. Of course it won't be able to completely be taken care of because we don't have a plan that can make the nuclear material disappear. If anything it is going to be underground, surveillanced, and maintenanced once in a while due to an occasional leak. The cleanup program is planned to continue for several decades even though there are many optimistic views. Once the right technology is developed then hopefully there will be great positive future outlooks for the environment.

My Thoughts

I found the article very interesting but a little lengthy. It was easy to understand that the author is trying to show how we have been cleaning up what has been left behind from the arms race era but yet even after a decade or more not much has been done. I think as of right now the problem is the lack of technology. Your dealing with radioactive, highly acidic and harmful material that you can not have many options in a way to dispose of the nuclear waste. The best bet would to use what you can for nuclear energy and then simply store the rest so that the total amount will drop. I wouldn't like it to be used for nuclear energy because that's just leading to more pollution but storing it underground in specialized tanks that eventually erode and leak would seem to pose more of a threat to our environment if it were to leak into a underground water bed. Overall I learned a lot from reading this article and hope that our new Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu will bring better ideas to the table.

Discussion:

Due to the little progress with the cleanup program and continuous holding of the nuclear waste at facilities , is it possible that the U.S. doesn't exactly want to conduct a full cleanup thinking that it could lead to an increased risk of a terrorist attack?

Online Sources

Yucca Nuclear Waste Site Proposal: A Bad Idea For Future Generations
By: Brooke Neuman

I found one article that talked about the plans of disposing the nuclear waste material into the Yucca Mountains in Nevada. Brooke Neuman the author of the source finds the idea of disposing the material embedded underground as simply foolish. We are simply just leaving it behind for the future generations to deal with. He states that if the proposal does pass and activation for the Yucca Mountains begins in 2010 it would still take 50 to 100 years in transporting the material. It seems that no matter what the outcome may be it is inevitable that we will be leaving the waste behind for future generations to handle.

Nuclear Waste Storage Plan Will Be Safe, Minister Says
By: Shawn McCarthy

This article contradicts what Brooke Neuman was saying about storing waste underground. The Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn of Canada states that nuclear power repository plans are clean and safe and is the best way to handle the problem. You joking! Everything kept in those repository's is not close to being clean and safe. I'm going to have to go with Brooke Neuman on this subject being that Gary Lunn thinks storing nuclear waste in a location underground will directly be safe and clean with no negative outlook on the future at all...not even for our future generations.

Definitions

Radioactive- emitting or relating to the emission of ionizing radiation or particles

Repository- a place where things are or may be stored

Mercury- chemical element of atomic number 80, a heavy silvery white metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures

Plutonium- a transuranic element with a fissile isotope of mass number 239 (plutonium 239) that can be produced from non-fissile uranium

Uranium- a chemical element of atomic number 92, used as a fuel in nuclear reactors

Volatile- a substance easily evaporated at normal temperatures

Methylmercury- any of several extremely toxic organometallic compounds, Hg(CH₃)₂, formed from metallic mercury by the action of microorganisms and capable of entering the food chain: used as seed disinfectants.

Transuranic- Having an atomic number greater than 92.

(Definitions from Dictionary.com and Mac widget dictionary)

Additional Resources

Yucca Mountain Repository
http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/index.shtml

Is Everything We Use In Everyday Life Radioactive?
http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/consumerproducts.html

Eye Operners: CSPI

2009-02-18T12:31:00.002-06:00

I started off with this eye opener by taking a Tour the Food Supply on Center for Science in Public Health website. That was quite an interesting tour. One of the most interesting facts I came upon was that 22 billing pounds of fertilizer would be capable of providing energy to 1 million Americans for a full year! I hope that sometime soon we find an environmental safe way of converting that fertilizer into energy. Something that really disgusted me was the amount of pesticides farmers are using on there crops. And some people wonder why there are consumer buying these foods and getting sick from them. Same thing with outbreaks of food borne illnesses. It is very unlikely that the slaughter house are keep clean but yet those houses are allowed to sell there product to supermarkets. A lot of interesting facts that seem to be ignored by a majority of people.

The Eating Green Calculator is a system that lets you see how your diet is compared to its affects on the environments health. I found out that the environmental burden from the animals I eat a year si 1.0 acres of grains and grass, 36.3 pounds of fertilizer, .3 pounds of pesticides, and 6323 pounds of manure produced from those animals. From my point of view I think its bad that what I eat affects the enviornment by the much. That makes me think about what impact larger people with higher food intake affect our environment. I think it would be possible for me to improve my diet. It would be harder for me during the summer times but during the winter I think it would be much easier.

I then scored my diet by taking Score Your Diet on the same website. This gave me an insight into how the food I eat is affecting the environment and animal welfare. I felt that this was not a very accurate test to take because the selection of servings it gives you in the drop down menus do not fully fit my serving amounts I usually eat. But of course I don't exactly write down my serving sizes so I had to estimate anyway. After entering my serving sizes I found that I scored the highest was in beef, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. I ties with fruits (3) and veggies (3), with whole grains (2) coming in third and beef (0) in fourth. I had all zeros for beef because I very rarely eat beef during the winter. Now if I were to take this during the summer time when I can start up the grill my beef consumption would be much higher. As for my lowest scores, these came in cheese (-17) and milk (-6) consumption. I have to think of ways to change my impact on the environment side of food because I scored the lowest in that category. I could change that number by eating more fat-free product. Overall I had an Uh-oh score of -18...which isn't a good number to be sitting at. It says I need help so I have to try and change my diet in way that will benefit our environment and animal welfare.

All of this means to me that my diet can have a great impact on the environment. I never really thought how what I eat can impact the environment until I did this eye opener. It will make me think of ways to improve my dieting so that I can feel better about my tracks that I leave on our environment. This eye opener definitely opened up my eyes in a new way to help out the environment.

Share and Voice: Environmental Answers

2009-02-13T17:48:00.010-06:00

Take a peak at this video...got me thinking. This video really made me glad to hear that we have certain and positive answers to energy sources that are reducing fossil fuel emissions. This video gives you an idea of a number of sources that are becoming more popular day by day. More than anything I would like to see fields of wind power turbines. I don't totally agree with them being placed in open waters but if the best wind currents are in that region and it will greatly help our environment I am okay with that. I hope Siemens AG continue to bring their innovations into production. Enjoy.

Answers For The Environment

Video linked with Siemens.

Reflections on Week Three and Four

2009-02-13T14:40:00.007-06:00

So another two weeks have gone by and my thoughts about the environment continue to change...in a positive way.

Week Three

Week three was an eventful week for me because I had my first review due on article 27. From that I learned how the film industry tends to depict our environment in good and bad ways, and sometimes even portray nature in a false view. It made me think about how I view these documentaries and will continue to view them, most likely thinking more in depth about whats behind the scenes. Another group reviewed article number 1, which talked about the environmental challenges that we face.

Week Four

Week four in class was very relaxing. We watched the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. It gave insight into the threatening and devastating troubles that global warming is having on our planet. Troubles that are affecting people and our environment. I thought it was a very well directed film and I believe Al Gore has made a huge step in getting people to follow along with the fact that global warming is real and we need to do something about it before its to late.

These past four weeks have been a learning experience getting me to think about the environment in ways that I really don't sit down and take the time ponder about.

Eye Openers: Ecoogical Footprint

2009-02-08T18:22:00.003-06:00

After taking the Ecological Footprint quiz, probably the most interesting thing I found out is that if everyone lived the way I do we would need 4.4 planets to provide everyone with enough resources. Holy smokes, that's a lot. To add to that, it would take 19.7 global acres of Earth's productive area to support the way I live. What really struck me is that, having 19.7 global acres would result in 21.1 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Being that we would need 4.4 planets to provide enough resources if everyone lived the way I do makes me hope that there is a lot of people who may be living a more resource valued life to make up for my usage. I'll be thinking of ways to lower my rate of 4.4 planets. The use of electricity was the highest when I looked at what I use to support my lifestyle. Of course electricity will be the highest for mostly everyone but it reminds me that I have to do what I can to conserve that energy and use it to the very least. I know I forget to shutdown my computer for the night or leave the TV on when I'm not even watching it. Those are things I will change.

The second quiz I took was the Score Your Diet quiz. I thought this was a pretty useful tool in judging how well you diet yourself. I think to many people are to busy to actually pay attention to their diet so I find tools like this helpful to give me an insight on what I should maybe eat more or less of. I found out that I should be eating more fish and less beef. I grew up with my paps pretty much cooking meals with meat in them probably 70 percent of the time so that's been past on into my cooking abilities. My health score was a 7, while my environmental score was a -11 and my animal welfare score was a -6. For some reason I feel like those numbers are necessarily right but It's hard to select exactly how many servings you had of what. Either way it makes me think of how to improve my diet. Guess I'll be thinking of new meals to cook.

The third quiz I took was the Transport Impact Calculator. Once I started taking it I thought I would have a much worse impact on generating emissions but I found out that my annual pollution for road transport is better than average. Good thing I have a car that gets nearly 30 mpg. Thanks Toyota. I generate the most pollution while on trips to visit family, make sense to me since they live about four and half hours away. My sollution to cutting my emission rate is to car pool more often and to catch the bus more than what I have been doing.

I found these three quizes very helpful. They've made me realize a lot of what I do effects the environment. Not only that but what I'm doing I need to change so that I can have more of a positive effect on our planet. I will always be thinking of ways to go greener.

Share and Voice: Tidal Power

2009-02-05T09:26:00.006-06:00

Hey Everyone,

I found this article about a new form of power that Scotland is working on. It talks about the using a tidal wave turbine to capture energy from waves! So far a corporation in Scotland has completed what seems to be the prototype to hopefully determine if they can expand production on this idea. Of course if this does work I'm guessing that this power will not be able to be transferred farther into the cities but if it helps in power the cities near the ocean shore....just another step towards a renewable energy source. Surf's Up To Energy!

Check it out at http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2537/84/

I found this article on another blog called ecogeek.

Review of Reading 27: Seeing Green: Knowing and Saving the Environment on Film

2009-02-04T12:44:00.015-06:00

Seeing Green: Know and Saving the Environment on Film, this was quite an interesting piece of reading. I believe what this article was trying to accomplish is to give the reader a sense of how the mass media depicts its role in establishing and conveying environmental problems and solutions. It goes into depth on the topics of natural processes, environmental degradation and solutions from filmmakers making these documentaries. Because mass media plays a large role on our society many of these documentary films are going to affect the viewers.

These filmmakers are able to display a rain forest disappearing or wildlife in danger and get people into taking action on these problems. A lot of it is due to the dramatic feeling that can be captured from watching these films. Think of the difference, if you are simply told that over in the Amazon Rain Forest trees are being cut down by the hundreds each day. Is this going to have the same effect on you as if you were to view it happening on film and tied in with dramatic music?

The Fantasies of Natural History Film

Much of us will watch a film on the environment and only take in and believe what we see, not what may really be there. For example, the article states that a film that shows a cheetah in dead sprint to catch a gazelle in an open field looks secluded from the world but do we really know what surrounds that area. There may be a van of tourists, roads nearby, or even power lines. So when we view this film we get a sense that the scene is taking place in an untouched, unpopulated, and uncivilized area. It seems as if they do this to mislead us in how our planet really looks like. Possibly the point of them doing this is to comfort us so that we THINK that environement is what it use to be and not becoming.

Framing Environmental Degradation

I would like to go over one of the many films this section talks about. The film is called On Natures Terms (de Graaf 2001). This film shows the life of large predatory mammals in the United States. The main point for this film is that mammals such as wolves, pumas, and bears are "keystone species," which means they are critical indicators to a healthy ecosystem. They get this label because these mammals require so much land and are able to regulate the population of other animals. Due to government polices and suburban sprawl is contributing to the decline in population levels of those three animals, causing a domino effect into ruining the ecosystem health. This film shows just that and how citizens are taking actions into conserve the land and preserve the species but doesn't show any change in attitudes of Americans thoughts on predator loss. You have to be able to show attitude in order to have an impact on others to change thier attitude about the problem and commit to finding a solution. Another interesting point I found in this section was about a Malaysian logging company is cutting and exporting tropical timber on a Solomon Island called Rendova. It goes on to talk about a group called Haforai Development Corporation, villagers of this group are not sure whether to resign a contract to allow them to continue cutting down trees basically because there has been a steep decline in the tropical tree resources on the island. It confuses me to think that these people must have not thought what may happen after continous exportation of thier resrouces. According to one logger interviewd "the devestation of logging is obvious and what once use to be a clear river is now muddy." Such continous acts of degradation will be very detrimental to our planet.

Visualizing Green Crusades

The green crusades reference the films that are entirely up to saving the environment or atleast raise questions about what strategies will work. These films try to illustrate that knowledge on environemental practices are based on social orders and hierarchies, and the role of individuals promoting structural change. The film Save the Panda (Birch 1983) says it all in the title. The goal is to catalyst individuals to take there own actions on saving China's pandas which are still on the road to extinction. It sets the path for people to take action but many people just aren't sure how to go about that path. Setting up signs to tell poachers about the consequences won't get us anywhere. Although these films may encourage peope to act, I just don't feel many people do, they think others will take action. This section didn't give to much insight into solutions that would hopefully lead to green crusades.

I Pondered...

This article contained quite a bit of information so I had to read through it twice but I stil don't think I fully understand everything on the pages. What really made me think was the section about the Malaysian logging company and the villagers of Rendova. It seems to me that this still occurs in our world today. We are cutting down trees and its like DUH!, we don't even get what were doing. The villagers only realize the damage to there environment when its to late. Also I guess I never thought of what may be cut out of scences when I view a documentary like Planet Earth (A MUST SEE) or any othere, there may be roads or power lines or a town nearby. We accept to much of what we see and not the reality. That has made me to be more aware of what mass media is feeding us.

Reflections on Week One & Two

2009-01-30T13:52:00.004-06:00

So it's already been two weeks into the semester and I feel that I have already learned quite a bit. That could be because this is actually my first blog I have created, which makes all this very new to me. Even before creating this blog rarely did I check out other peoples. I can see my self keeping a blog just for fun after this course is finished. I'm guessing that when this semester is over and another is about to start I'm going to hope that class has you set up a blog.

These first two weeks have been mostly composed of going through the expectations that Dr.V has set for us students. Being that you can choose the grade you want to accomplish sets you in a frame of mind to complete the objectives you need in order to receive that mark. Along with explaining the expectations for the class, most of our class times have been consumed by learning all there is to know about Blogger. This has really helped me in getting to know the ins and outs of how to set up a professionally looking blog...at least to my rookie blogging standards. But I have found out that I learn really quick on how to use a blog. In a way it makes me feel a little more professional with technology.

At first I wasn't sure how well this whole blog thing would work, but these past two weeks totally changed my thoughts. Its a brilliant idea to have assignments done on a blog instead of wasting our natural resources. Having assignments done on a blog will benefit one much more than the "old" fashioned way of handing in an assignment. This allows you to gain plenty of feedback from students, that can only affect your learning in a positive way, considering that people leave posts of encouragement and not negative thoughts.

Overall, I feel that the first two weeks have been pretty productive, and only to think there's a lot more to come! I'm ready to start getting in depth with our studies on Environmental Health and adding my knowledge to my blog!

Welcome to Noah's Greenlicious Environmental Blog!

2009-01-29T12:44:00.014-06:00

Hey! Welcome to my Greenlicious Environment!

Hi! Welcome to my Greenlicious blog! My name is Noah, I am majoring in Healtcare Management at UMD. I created this blog for my Environmental Health class and it is going to be used to talk about environmental issues as well as a place for NON-PAPER ASSIGNMENTS!

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

Advocacy Project
Eye Openers
Reflections
Reviews
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. (Use the "label actions" feature in the edit posts tab to add the labels.) You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. (Place labels gadget below blog header but above blog text). All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

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." (Make sure all these gadgets are in place).

Thanks for checking it out! Continute to think GREEN!