Reflection: Weeks 13-14 & Overall Course

I cant believe that the semester is already behind us.  I literally watched myself grow as a health educator over the course of this semester, and I have to say that this class contributed a huge part to that.  Here is a recap of the past two weeks of this course as well as my overall reflection.

Week 13
We began this week by having an Advocacy Project due where we wrote a letter to an elected official about the bill we had chosen earlier, and also created a fact sheet to support our argument.  This was a very unique experience for myself because I had never done anything like this before.  Also, we met as a class at Goodwill Industries to learn about their mission and how things were really operated there.  It was interesting to learn how they are not about production, instead they are about placing their employees within the community and providing the with steady work.  To finish up this day of class we all participated in a wedding activity at Goodwill and were given time to look for items for our upcoming junking projects.  The final item on the agenda for this week was our final weekly reflection and overall reflection of our Eco-Chic Lifestyle change.  It was very interesting to see how everyone progressed through their goal and their success along the way.

Week 14
To begin our final week of class, we had yet another Advocacy Project due.  This was an online lesson created individually regarding the bill we had previously chosen.  My project was based primarily around educating our class about automobile emissions and how to reduce our impact.  Later in the week we completed each online lesson for all of the members of our blog group, it was pretty cool to see the interesting things everyone came up with.  Also during class on monday we all presented our "Junking" projects, this was an extremely neat way to end the class.  It was great to see everyones wonderful ideas and how much time and effort they had put into their personal projects.  The creativity of our class never ceases to amaze me, and these projects definitely impressed me more than I thought.

My Junking Project was an old oil heater that i had found laying around at my grandparents.

My Junking Project

My Junking Project

Overall Course
Where can I really start with this course, I never imagined that I would take so much away from this class.  This class opened up my eyes so much to issues that I never even realized existed.  An example of this would be the terrible things that go into processing the meat we buy in the U.S.  I guess you could say I was a bit sheltered with that because I have always eaten beef directly from our family farm, wild turkey we have harvested, pork and chicken from the farms of family friends, and wild game like venison and bear that we harvest ourselves.  Seeing the terrible things they do to these animals and the ways they cut corners just to increase production and make a bit more money make me pretty sick.

I could go on all day talking about things that greatly impacted me throughout this class, such as "Tapped," "Fresh," "Future of Food," our lifestyle changes, junking, and even blogging.  I would like to take a second however to discuss how much this class has made me grow and mature.  I honestly think this class has made a huge impact on me as a health educator and opened my eyes to so many more issues than I ever even knew about.  Going into this class I had no idea what to really expect, but walking away from it I know that the information and knowledge I am taking away will stick with me forever. The amount of information and experience that I gained from this class definitely made me much more well rounded as both a student and a professional.

Eye Opener: Understanding Emissions

Tackling Transportation

1. The three places I picked were school (SpHC), the mall, and Holiday on Woodland Ave.  I am usually at the school so I did not have three places that I go to consistently.
2. I always walk to school and when I go to the mall I drive.  However whenever I go to the gas station it is usually for gas so I am kind of obligated to drive there.
3. The most convenient way for me to get to the school is walking which takes about 8 min. The most convent way to get to the gas station would also be walking, taking about 10 min.  And the most convenient way for me would be driving myself because taking the bus there would result in about an hour of travel.
4. The route to school is exactly the same as now, the route to the gas station would just be walking instead of driving, and the route to the mall is completely different.  It usually takes me about 10-12 min to get to the mall, and I don't go there much, so waiting an hour on the bus would be very frustrating.
5. The commute to school is already identical to my current route, I could amend my gas station trip but I only really go there when I need fuel, and the trip to the mass seems like a lot of waiting around wasting time.
6. I plan to try and walk to the gas station when I do not need gas, however the other two routes will remain the same as I currently take

Childhood Lead Poisoning

CDC Web Site

1. Moroccan Tea Glasses, on the market for 4 months before recalled.
2. Boys and Girls Belts, on the market for a year before recalled.
3. All-Star Basketball Chair and Ottoman Sets, on the market for 14 months before recalled.

EPA Web Site

1. Thoroughly rinse sponges and mop heads after cleaning dirty or dusty areas.
2. Clean or remove shoes before entering your home to avoid tracking in lead from soil.
3. If you rent, notify your landlord of peeling or chipping paint.

Water Vocabulary Match

We were asked to play the matching game memory with vocabulary terms.

The Effects of Smoking

We were asked to complete a survey on the effects of smoking from the readings in the lesson.

What You Want to Know About Asthma and Allergies

1. Annual expenditures for health and lost productivity due to asthma are estimated at over $20 billion, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
2. Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children under 15
3. Asthma accounts for nearly 17 million physician office and hospital visits, 4 and nearly 2 million emergency department visits each year.

Breathe-Freeville Mystery

1. Suspect (name of air pollutant): Fossil Phil (Carbon Dioxide)
2. Cause (where does pollutant come from): Carbon dioxide is emitted into the air when fossil fuels are burned to release energy in power plants, homes, factories and vehicles. Carbon dioxide in its sold form is dry ice. It is also used in fire extinguishers.
3. Crime (what health effects is it having on citizens/environment):Carbon dioxide is emitted into the air when fossil fuels are burned to release energy in power plants, homes, factories and vehicles. As CO2, a greenhouse gas, has built up in the Earth's atmosphere, it has contributed to global climate change.
4. Lock 'Em Up (Alternative resources we could use/do to replace/reduce the pollutant): Carbon-free energy sources include solar power, wind power, geothermal energy, low-head hydropower, hydrokinetics (e.g., wave and tidal power), and nuclear power. Alternatively, switching from high-carbon fuels like coal and oil, to reduced-carbon fuels such as natural gas, will also result in reduced carbon dioxide emissions.
5. Case File (what did you learn from this activity): I learned that there were a lot more alternative forms of fuel to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions than just solar and wind power.  It is crazy how accessible these forms are to us as well.

Occupational Hazard Crossword

1. Inhalation
2. Decades
3. Lead
4. Wash
5. Blood
6. Symptoms
7. Work

Share & Voice: Under Armour Green

I was looking at some stuff online, mostly christmas shopping for family members, and I came across this new line of clothing that Under Armour has launched.  This clothing line is recycled and have also developed a mission statement for this line, "Under Armour is committed to building performance gear with a lighter environmental impact."

Advocacy Project: Understanding Emissions

Motor vehicle emissions are composed of the by-products that come from the exhaust systems of automobiles or other emissions such as gasoline evaporation. These emissions contribute to air pollution and are a major ingredient in the creation of smog in some larger cities.

Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to increase awareness regarding the hazards of motor vehicle emissions, and the benefits of walking on our environment.  The facts and details provided will not only increase an understanding of the negative impact of motor vehicle emissions, but they will also provide an understanding of the positive steps we can take to protect our environment.

Aside from the benefits of walking we have been exposed to from a health standpoint, the environmental benefits are just as important.

A fact sheet highlighting the positive impact of walking on the environment

Walkable Communities Video:

Calculate your vehicle pollution impact

A few fact sheets from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:

• Buying A Cleaner Car
• Causes of Motor Vehicle Pollution
• Challenge Your Notions About Commuting
• Health Effects of Motor Vehicle Pollution  

Now that you have read the information provided, you should have an increased understanding of motor vehicle emissions and the steps we need to take to reduce them.  It is easy to see that the steps we can take to protect not only ourselves, but our environment as well are not too far "out of the box."  To finish this activity, please comment on 2-3 things you learned from this information that you did not know before.