Reflection: Weeks 11%12

Okay...so I have to say it like everyone else..I CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE AT WEEK 12 ALREADY! ha! This is so crazy to me! Not only have I learned about the environment in this class but I have also learned a lot about myself! I have also really enjoyed the people in this class and really am going to be sad when its over....!(not Jk)  There is so much more that I want to learn about the environment and I think that I can really use the skills that I learned in this course beyond this class! I have also learned that the environment is not just thinking about the trees and air around us...it is so much more! There are many links to health and environment too!  

During Weeks 11 and 12 we actually did a lot. We got to view the film "Unnatural Causes," which is a documentary series broadcasted by PBS. We watched the segment called "In Sickness and in Wealth."This documentary shows that there is much more to our environment then bad habits, health care and unlucky genes. This was one of my favorite documentaries because it was very interesting to how much money actually takes over our environment.  Something else that we did which was very interesting is we all picked a goal from Healthy People 2010 and did some research pertaining to the objectives and progress of that certain goal. The goal that I chose is to improve health, fitness, and quality of life through daily physical activity. I am especially interested in fitness and nutritional health so this was a perfect fit for me.  There is so much that ties the environment and fitness and nutrition together. 

There is so much that I have learned over the past couple weeks that it would take a book to write.  I really enjoy this class and it makes me want 12:00 to come everyday!(looking forward  to class is something new for me!)  I cant wait for these next few weeks and will be sad when this class is over...a little! ahah HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEKEND:)

Reflection weeks 9&10

WEEK 9&10
These past two weeks have flown by fast...and Spring is suppose to be here?  I love Duluth but sometimes the weather makes me think different.  Environmental is flying by, and I have learned so much. Wherever I go, whether its a mall, restaurant, grocery store...etc.. I find myself thinking about the environment and what that place is doing to help.  I am also learning to critical think better and ask questions about things I do not understand.  The benefits I am getting by taking this course are unreal!

During Week 9 we learned about the Advocacy project.  What is advocacy? It is active promotion of cause or principal and it involves actions that lead to a specific goal.  It is one of the ways that we can access a problem in our community.  ALso, during week 9 we were assigned My Political Representatives.  We each asked to research political representatives in the Duluth Area, list their name and political affiliation and also their contact information.  This was a fun activity for me to do because I didn't know who represented Duluth in politics.  Even though a lot of people's posts look the same it was still interesting to see what other people found while researching! 

   

In Week 10, class was not held because Dr. V was attending the AAPHRD conference but we were given an eye opener to work on.  The eye opener was a photo essay where you had to go out(or in like I did) and take pictures of something having to do with the environment.  I decided to work around my house and take pictures of ways that my roommates and I were going green.  It was easy but hard in a way because it made us realize that we aren't really doing that much around our house to help the environment.  Totally made me realize that I need to be doing a lot more such as trying to really restore energy and water by shutting lights off ,taking shorter showers and waiting to do laundry until it is really needed.  This definately was an eye opener for me!

I hope everyone is enjoying this class as much as I am! It has really made me realize what I take for granted everyday and what I can do to help out our environment that is definitely in need of our help! If we all work together it can be accomplished! 

Have a great and safe weekend!!!!

Reflection Week 7&8

WOWza....so were already moving on to week 9 of class here.  Seems like just yesterday we were all venturing into our first day of environmental.  Break is finally here! Lets sum up what we have been doing for the past couple weeks....BLOGGING?  Its funny that pretty much every conversation that I have with my Health Ed peers is about the topic of blogging. We just cant get enough!  Lets take some time here to sum up the past two weeks of class:

Week 7

In week 7, review of reading 16: 111 Winds: The Chemical Plant Next Door was assigned.  This reading is a story about a girl named Becky Bradway, who lives near a chemical plant called Borden Chemical, a blue collar plant which is located a little ways from Buffalo.  The existance of cancer has been a prevalent cause of disease surrounding the area, and Becky decides to dig up a little dirt on the topic.  The topic of carelessness is brought into play because people continue to keep working at the plant and the plant continues to stay in production.The workers and people who live around the factory are suffering from illnesses due to the plants chemical production, and there is nothing being done about it.  This story was

 hard to comprehend for a lot of the class, but the main idea was brought of the article.

A fun eye opener took place during week 7: The Environmental Working Group.  In this eye opener, we were asked to pick one product that we use on a daily basis, and have it critiqued by the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.  You then got a score back saying how hazardous the product was to the environment and if the product was linked to any disease causing chemicals. Eye Opener is right!  I chose to do my Clinique Face Cleanser.  My product was rated a score of 3, which was not as bad as I was expecting. In fact, all of Clinique's product were a score of under 6, which is not as bad as some companies. So props to Clinique for having somewhat eco-fr

iendly products!

Also during week 7, we viewed the film "Green."  Green was made in 2000 and directed by graduate student Laura Dunn. This film takes place from Mississippi to Baton Rouge, LA to New Orleans, LA.  The title "Green" was given to display the importance of the main topic: money.  There is also an epidemic of cancer appearing in these areas, hence the name "cancer alley'' that is given to this part of the country.  25% of the nations petrochemicals are produced in over the 150 petrochemical plants in Louisiana.  This film captures the heartfelt pleads of the citizens of LA and what the plants are doing to their lives.  It was heartbreaking to watch all the little kids on the film and how they have to grow up in such terrible conditions.  This film was definitely an eye opener for all of us.

Week 8

In week 8 of class, we had  reading : Privatizing water. This is a subject that is totally new to me because I have never even heard of the topic of water privatization.  It amazes me that this is even being an issue.

  The reading was somewhat difficult to understand but the main idea is that we are running out of water and we are going to have to start paying for something that was free in the first place.  I don't know what I really think about this topic because never in my life have I ever thought that someday we would have to have ownership over water. Where and when is the line drawn? This is something that will probably be going on for a long time until it gets settled. Also, during week 8 we viewed the film "Thirst," which is a film directed around the same topic of water privatization. I will elaborate more on this topic in my review of the film! Oofta we were busy in weeks 7&8 and now its finally time for a break!

Have a Good Break Everyone!!!

Reflection Week 5&6

Ok...so the last couple weeks have been pretty busy in Environmental(blogging). I cannot believe that we are already six weeks into the semester. Where has the time gone? CRAZY! And....Break is almost here!  In week 5 we had a lot going on, and eye opener, reading review and a documentary! oofta..;)  The second eye opener was called CSPI..Center for Science in the Public Interest.  This is a site where you can go and take calculator quizzes which will tally up your effect on the environment just by living your life each day.  This really opened my eyes to what my impact on the earth is!  I really have to start thinking about my actions and what they do to the environment. Great eye opener!  In week 6 we watched a documentary called " Future of Food."  This film was very interesting and really inspires me to go organic because of all the pesticides and junk that they put on food these days.  It kind of made me mad because a lot of the big companies do not tell you what they are putting into their foods and which ones are GM foods.  I never have thought about food causing side effects until viewing this film. That is a scary thought! Nothing is safe these days.  We also did a lot of blogging during week 6 and a lot of commenting! I have to give everyone props for their Share&Voices...some really good ones out there! Keep it up bloggers:)  I am getting better with the blogging process...which is still a slow one. Haha! Thanks everyone for the great comments and Kaileigh for the Award!

Reflection: Weeks 3&4

Hey there! Wow...can't believe we are already almost a month into Environmental.  I am really enjoying this class and I hope that you are too!  I think that we can really get to know each other by reading blogs and getting a feel for everyone's unique personalities! I already feel like I have learned a lot about our environment!  Everyone's blogs look awesome;) I am planning on spending some quality time blogging this weekend since I haven't had much time to add a personal touch to mine.   I am really enjoying learning about the new things technology has to bring us!  Keep up the good work with your blogs everyone;)

WEEK 3:

During week 3,  two reading assignments were assigned: Reading 1: The Challenges We Face and 27: Seeing Green: Knowing and Saving the Environment on Film.  I feel like we learned a lot through these readings.  Reading 1 was about our earth and the problems we face such as population and health, food, water, energy and climate, and biodiversity.  A group was then assigned to do a blog post on the review of the reading.  (Everyone did an awesome job with their posts by the way!).   We then spent some of the class time going over these readings and the class was open to discussion.  I really enjoy when we have class discussion because it gives everyone a time when they can share their thoughts and ideas with everyone else in the class.  The second reading assignment was Reading 27: Seeing Green: Knowing and Saving the Environment on Film.  I did a review for this reading.  I had a tough time reading the article because i had a hard time putting words into my own terms so I could understand what they were trying to say.  This reading was about how nature films are edited and not done in  a natural way to capture so called " natural" moments in wildlife.  I thought this article was really interesting because I have never thought of environmental films as being super edited and fake.  It really opened my eyes.

Week 4

During week 4: we watched Al Gore's documentary " An Inconvenient Truth".  This is a documentary that portrays Gore's argument of how we can no longer see Global Warming as just another issue in our environment, but as the biggest challenge facing our world today.  An Inconvenient truth is the fourth highest- money making film in the United States.  The film focuses on Gore and his travels around the world trying to spread the message of Global Warming.  Gore's main message is that Global Warming is happening and we need to act now or our world will be in greater trouble than it already is.  This documentary really opened my eyes to things that I have never thought about before.  When he showed the pictures of the glaciers several years ago and then showed pictures of them today, I was stunned on how much of an impact Global Warming really has had on our world.  This absolutely changed my view on things.  This isn't just a hoax like some politicians are saying. How can they not believe this is happening when there is scientific fact that there is?  I think we all can help to spread the message to anyone and everyone we know by being educated on the topic and really putting effort into knowing more about the issue.  

Reflection: Weeks 1 & 2

The past two weeks of class have been kind of overwhelming for me. Learning everything about blogging has kind of stressed me out because I have come to the conclusion that I am not that good with technology and I tend to get really stressed when I do things that I am not familiar with. Also learning what other responsibilities we have in the course seems like a lot to handle right now, but I am excited for whats next and I think it will really be a beneficial course to take. What I learned abou myself is that I am not good with computers and that I need to work extra hard with blogging to grasp all the cool things and applications you can use to make your blog the best it can be. I also learned about myself that I could do a lot more to help the environment; starting with just little things in my everyday life. The only thing that I really do to help the environment is walk to class and recycle. I am excited to learn other ways which I can help better my ecological footprint and just to learn new things about our environment as a whole. I have to consider everything I put on my blog and that it is appropriate for anyone who views it. Blogging Ettiquette is one thing that i do get! Holla to my group members!! whoop whoop;)