Reflection: Weeks 13-14 & Overall Course




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  The final weeks of the course have just occured and it went fast.  Over the last two weeks we have many discussed junking and our advocacy projects.  The class visited the Goodwill but unfortunately I was unable to go.  That week we also finished our Eco-Chic Lifestyle goals, which overall I would deem very successful for all.  I think we all definitely benefitted from the changes we made.  I actually enjoyed making the Fact Sheet for our advocacy projects, it was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.  We continued to link up to Dr. V's linky party, which is actually an interesting thing to do. 


The final week of class we had our Junk Project Show and Tell.  This was probably my favorite class period because we all had such great ideas and each project was really unique.  I created bookends, which are below.  The Advocacy Project Learning Activities were more interesting than I expected.  I had no idea what was the best way to have mine, so I did a survey format.  I loved that we all had different ways to learn because it definitely made it more fun.  I did find it a little tedious to report on all the activities, but I really learned a lot by doing the activities.



Junk Project!

 Overall Course
Overall, I learned a ton in this class.  My favorite part was definitely the application of the course.  I really took what I learned in class and applied it to my life and the real world.  My favorite part of the course was in the beginning doing the ecological footprint.  It really put things in perspective for me.  I would say for the most part I enjoyed the documentaries we watched.  Sometimes it is just hard to watch movies in the afternoon in the dark.  But they provided really valuable information.  The junking projects were also really fun.  I would say we should almost do two.  One earlier in the semester and learn about what everyone else did, and then do another one when we have even more ideas.  The blogs were super beneficial and I think were an essential part of the course.  It was so weird for me to not have a folder to bring to class each day.  But I really felt that I was doing my part to help the environment by not printing things off.  Blogs are definitely environmentally friendly and a great way to learn technology.  This has been a very challenging and educational course, and I would recommend it to other students. 

Share and Voice: Effects of Smoking

First I want to say Great Job!!! You guys as a group did awesome.  All answers were anonymous so I do not know who answered what, but overall you did very well.  I really appreciate that you guys really took the time to look over the fact sheets and learn some valuable information on the effects of smoking.  As promised, here are the answers to the questions I asked....

1. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in males and females in the United States.  TRUE
2. Secondhand smoke can account for approximately how many deaths in the United States: 50,000
3. Females tend to have a significantly higher smoking rate than males.   FALSE
4. What percent of smokers want to quit? 70%
5. Smoking cessation can provide which of the following health benefits? Check all that apply.  LOWERS RISK OF CANCER, REDUCES RISK FOR HEART DISEASE, REDUCES RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS, REDUCES COPD
6. Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.  TRUE
7. Children of smokers are almost three times as likely to smoke as children of nonsmokers.  FALSE, they are twice as likely
8. Tobacco is the #1 preventable disease in the United States.    TRUE
9. Approximately how many people in the United States die each day due to smoking or smoking related diseases?   1200
10. Annually, smoking costs Minnesotans how much in health care costs? 3 Billion

Any questions, let me know :)

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

Treeific Time with Alyssa
 Alyssa asked:

1. Go to the CDC website here for lead recalls.
2. Look through the different recalled items.
3. Find three recalled item (preferably in the past year).
4. Tell me the name of the product and how long it was out before it was recalled.
5. Then go to the EPA website page on lead, click on the "What you can do to protect your family" link and list three ways you can prevent lead poisoning in your home.
6. Watch the short video below on lead Poisoning and give a short reflection on what you have learned or what surprised you overall from this whole activity

3 Recalled Items --
1. Love Tester Mood Rings and Necklaces;  Item sold Sept 2005 - June 2010; Recalled Sept 2010
2. Tiny Tink and Friends Children's Toy Jewelry; Item sold Nov 2008-Nov 2009; Recalled Feb 2010
3. Nature Wonders HD Pinto Horse Toy Figures; Item sold Jan 2009-July 2009; Recalled Jan 201

3 Ways to Prevent Lead Poisoning--
1.  Keep play areas clean.
2.  Clean up paint chips immediately.
3.  Clean or remove shoes before entering home to avoid tracking in lead from soil.

Short Reflection:  This video was pretty self explanatory.  It was easy to understand and fun to watch.  I learned about all the different things that contained lead.  As well as many of the symptoms that one can have with lead poisoning.  I was surprised at how many items were on the recall sheet from the CDC for lead content. 

Samantha Green with Envi
Sam asked us to complete the crossword puzzle and provide a short description of the interesting info I found.

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

The most interesting thing I found out here was about how the most common place of exposure is work.  That is really frustrating because you obviously have to go to work.  It is really scary how often we are exposed to lead, and we really don't have many options around it. 
Eco Friendly with Calista
Calista asked us to play with matching game with water infrastructure terms.

ground water*Underground water.
chlorine*Water additive used to control microbes.
contaminant* A substance that is present in an environment where it does not belong.
coagulate* To gather together or form into a mass or group.
minerals*An inorganic substance, e.g., calcium, copper.
intake* An opening through which fluid enters an enclosure.
settling*To clarify by causing dregs or impurities to sink.
reservoir*An artificial lake where water is collected and kept in quantity for use.
pH* A measure of acidity and alkalinity of a solution.
infrastructure*The underlying foundation of a city, such as the sewers, the water systems, the electric
aquifer*A water source under the ground

Adam's Outdoor Connection
For Adam's activity we had to calculate our vehicle pollution impact and write 2-3 things we learned

My pollution impact was better than average.  The activity was a little tough, because I had to estimate my mileage and I may not be accurate

3 Things that I learned: 
1. E85 is actually made up of  starches of corn and sugar cane.  And can be used in combination with real gasoline.
2. In Minnesota more than 50% of toxic air are from motor vehicles emissions.
3. Another thing I never realized was noise pollution put out by vehicles.  Walking helps reduce the noise level.

Sonny Days Ahead
Sonny asked us to investigate and interrogate our suspect.  We had to look up the following information:

1. Suspect (name of air pollutant) : Carbon Monoxide
2. Cause (where does pollutant come from) : Incomplete burning of fuel; vehicles on the road produce it; unvented gas; kerosene heaters; wood stoves; cigarette smoke
3. Crime (what health effects is it having on citizens/environment) : may cause seizure, coma, or death;  Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning: headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue and weakness. 
4. Lock 'Em Up (Alternative resources we could use/do to replace/reduce the pollutant) One way I found to reduce Carbon Monoxide production is switching from gas to electric versions of the same thing.
5. Case File (what did you learn from this activity)
    I learned that learning activities can be really fun and creative!  But I also learned that there are many harmful chemicals out there and are polluting our environment.  Carbon monoxide is definitely a foe and pretty deadly.  I also learned that we have been using carbon monoxide since prehistoric times, even without knowing so.

Take a Hike with Sarah

Sarah asked us the following:

1. Pick three locations that you go to often. School, Work, Grocery Store
2. How do you typically commute to these locations? 4 days a week, 4 days a week, 1 day a week
3. Access Google Transit
4. Map your transit route by plugging in the addresses of each location and which times you would usually leave to go to these places. Choose if you would like to walk, bus, or bike to these locations.
5. Report the most convenient route to your 3 locations and the modes of transportation.

• For home to work: none of the options were conveniet (sorry!).  They took at least 40 minutes for something that I can drive in 10 minutes.  The quickest route had me taking a bus to one location then walking to the nearest bus stop and getting on another bus and then walking a few more blocks to finally get to work.
• For home to school: the most convenient option is hopping on Bus 18 on the half hour to get to school by the hour (so 7:30 for 8:00 class)
• For home to Cub: once again, these weren't very convenient because I had to walk more than half my trip to get to the nearest bus stop.

         6. How does this route differ from your typical commute?  These routes all differ because they take a much longer time.  The only one that is very similar to my current route is from home to school.  But the other two going much different ways then I typically would.

         7. Are these commutes a realistic change you could put in your schedule? why or why not?
 The only one that would be a realistic change would be to take the bus to school, but after this week I will no longer be attending UMD on a daily basis so it is not really a realistic change.

       8. Do you plan to try incorporating this routes into your routine?
  I actually will not incorporate any of these changes.  It bums me out that to take the bus to work it is more than 40 minutes.  That is disappointing because I do not find that to be convenient at all.  If I were still attending UMD next semester, I could see myself using the bus (but I'm not).

Share and Voice: Junking Project

I thought it would be fun to share a bit about my junking project.  I decided to finally put to good use a bottle of sand I collected from the Nile River in Egypt.  Along with dried hisbiscus flowers I bought in the market while in Egypt.  I then found 2 jars in my garage, that were actually salt and pepper shakers of my great grandma's.  I did have to purchase some ribbon though.



My materials

The inspiration -- the "junk"

The Final Project!  My new bookends for my cookbooks.

 I originally wasn't looking forward to this project, but after I finished, I love it!  I am really excited about my new bookends.  I may even look for more items that I can "junk."  I hope everyone else enjoyed their junking projects as much as I did.

Advocacy Project: The Effects of Smoking



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 The Effects of Smoking

The purpose of this activity is to make you more knowledgeable on the effects of smoking.  Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health, but what is it really doing to society? To others?  To yourself?  If people are able to educate others on the effects of smoking, it may increase their success in the cessation process.

Background:   For a quick resource sheet, click here.  Also, from the same site listed above, click on "There's Hope for Minnesotans"
Here is another fact sheet. 

I am very passionate about this subject and have gained a lot of knowledge in it rcently.  I think it is really important to educate people on the effects of smoking because as a health educator, we want to work on primary intervention, not tertiary. 


Resources:
We all Pay the Price
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Smoking and Tobacco Use
American Lung Association: Stop Smoking
The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General


Instructions:  View the suggested fact sheets above.  Then Click here to take survey on the effects of smoking.  On the survey you will be asked 10 questions.  Please select the correct answer and submit your survey when finished.

Good luck!

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

Week 5 Overview

1. I will drink 40 ounces of water out of my reusable stainless steel water bottle 7 days a week.
2. I was finally successful with my goal.  Even though I traveled out of town for a conference, I brought my reusable bottle with me.  This strategy allowed me to maintain my goal of drinking water while using a reusable bottle because I provided it myself.  Going out of town for three days was my greatest challenge, but I was prepared to overcome that.
3. Excitement, confidence, happy.  These are just a few of the feelings I experienced this week.  I am proud that I finally accomplished my goal because I have been striving for it this whole time.  I really believe that I can continue this lifestyle change.
4. I learned that with hard work and preparation you can accomplish your goals.  And now they don't even seem hard.  If you work at something long enough, it just becomes part of your daily routine.

Reflection

1. My initial SMART goal was to drink 8 oz of water out of my reusuable stainless steel water bottle 6 days a week.  Throughout the process, I modified it to be more challenging.  Which led it to become: I will drink 40 ounces of water out of my reusable stainless steel water bottle 7 days a week.  In the beginning, the goal was far too easy.  It was not my intention to make it that easy, but challenging myself was definitely a good thing. 

2. Be prepared was probably the biggest thing that led to my success.  Always having my bottle with me and knowing where I could fill it up at, or the times that I could really helped.  Making my water bottle easily accessible was a huge advantage.  Traveling, meetings, and events got in the way of my goal and led to me not always being successful.  But as I have mentioned, if I am prepared and remember to take my bottle with me to these locations, then I should be able to address these issues in the future with a positive view.

3. I benefitted from this project in multiple ways.  First, my health.  I was not drinking nearly as much water a day, this definitely is a good thing to be putting more fluids into my body.  My change also benefitted the environment by not using or purchasing plastic water bottles.  This in turn benefits me because I live in this environment. It was also a good learning experience for me.  Challenging myself with a goal and being successful is always a great thing to accomplish.  I learned that changing lifestyle habits can be difficult at first but eventually you catch on and it becomes the "norm" in your life.  I also learned that I am able to challenge myself maybe a little more than I would originally intended.  Difficult tasks can be fun to work on.  Behavior change is possible, especially with support from others.

4.  The environment benefitted because I used to purchase a case of water every month and now I have not for awhile, plus I am not drinking out of these bottles creating waste.  Others can benefit by seeing the challenges and successes I had and build off of them.  They can be successful sooner than I was just by learning what worked and what didn't work.

5. I will definitely continue this behavior because it really will not be that hard to maintain at this point.  I just have to keep bringing my reusable bottle with me and it will just be a part of my life.  By chance, I could try to increase the water intake, but for now I will just contine with the same goal.

6.  If others make a lifestyle change similar to mine I would say for sure have a few reusable water bottles and carry them with you everything.  Even if you don't think you'll need it, keep one in your car or purse.  Try to eliminate going through areas that will tempt you to purchase bottled water.  If you are not around bottled water you won't think twice about buying one.  And lastly, just be confident.  You can be successful in making lifestyle changes.  Sometimes they just take work, create a partner support group so someone can hold you accountable.  Anything is possible, the sky is the limit so Good Luck :) !!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Share and Voice: Ultimate Eco-Friendly Winter Holiday Guide

With the holiday season approaching and everything we have learned over these last few months, I thought it would be beneficial for us to get some tips on how to have an eco-friendly holiday season.  This site has lots of great tips including how to save money, what toys are environmentally friendly, and some essentials like an eco-friendly Christmas tree or wrapping paper.  I found it quite useful, I hope you do too!

Click here for the Eco-Friendly Winter Guide