Reflection: Weeks 13-14 combined with Reflection: Overall Course

Weeks 13-14: The last few weeks we've been focused on our Junking Projects, advocacy project, and we took a class trip to Goodwill and got a tour. I'd say that the trip was my favorite, because it opened my eyes to see how much they really put into their company, and how much they care about reusing and reducing the amount of waste. Also, they provide jobs to those with disabilities. I never knew such things like how they take apart the pieces of mattresses, and use all of the different parts to make something else out of them. I think it's great that they spend time to do recycle all of the parts, even though it sounds like it's a very time consuming process. I think it's great that there are companies that put so much effort forth to continue the recycling chain.

The sharing of our junking projects was also fun. So many creative ideas were introduced and I think the class overall really got a feel for making everyday objects into something more meaningful and useful.

OVERALL COURSE: I'm not even sure where to begin. I've learned so much in this class, more than I thought was possible. I knew about some of the issues (animal farming, genetically modified foods, CO2 emissions) but I have never really gone into DEPTH on them. This class allowed me to dissect the information, and get a personal feel for the issues. We saw some very powerful documentaries that really made an impact on the class, especially "Tapped." I don't think many people knew just how much harm a plastic bottle can make. We each made a SMART goal for our eco-chic lifestyle change project, and the goals ranged from eating organically, taking public transit to school, and eating less meat and more vegetables/fruits. It was very influential to me, because we could see the documentation of how each week went for everyone. I got some new ideas, and insight on how to make the goal easier to reach, or how hard the goal was to obtain.

I've definitely become more aware of my impact to the environment, and what kinds of changes I can make to make my ecological footprint a little smaller. People need to be informed on all of these issues, in order to want to truly change!! It's amazing how many people are unaware of the harmful effects of water bottles, what actually goes on in the raising/killing process of the meat that we eat, the importance of buying local food products etc.

I feel that I'm much more cautious of the things that I eat/buy, and I owe it to Environmental Health. Every time I drive alone and don't carpool, every vegetable or fruit that I buy that isn't organic (I think about how it was grown, and what types of chemicals might be on it), new clothes that I purchase (when i could've bought it from a used clothes shop, and CHEAPER AS WELL!) I will not forget about all of these environmental issues, and I will continue to spread what I've learned to others.

Eye Opener: Environmental Online Learning Activities

1. Ashley's Activity

Total City Miles: 7,200Total Highway Miles: 4,800City MPG: 22 MPGHighway MPG: 32 MPGGallons of Fuel (City): 327.27 gallonsGallons of Fuel (Highway): 150 gallonsGallons of Fuel (Total): 477.27 gallonsTotal Pounds CO2: 9211.31 lbs My Pontiac Grand Am produces a total of 9211 pounds of CO2, and I am astonished by such a high amount!!! My car probably gets about 22 miles/gallon, which is a lot better than trucks and other larger vehicles out there. I never knew that just an individual car could emit that much pollution. Just think, most households have 3 or 4 cars (one per person!)  2. Katie's Activity 1. My BMI: 20.98--> Normal - Yes, I do think this is an accurate way to measure your weight. It Takes into consideration your height, which is a very important factor. 2. I think that I am somewhat adequately taking in the right amount of calories each day. I try and eat as many WHOLE grains as I can each day, but sometimes might not each the 3 oz that is recommended. I definitely reach the milk goal of 3 cups daily, but I also might overeat on cheese (my favorite!) I don't think that I eat the 5.5 oz of meat and beans. -I need to decrease the amount of fatty cheeses that I eat (or at least start buying lowfat/nonfat cheeses. -But, if this is too difficult, I could try and mix in vegetables with the cheese so that I am at least getting my vegetable intake. 3. I chose Pilates (intermediate) and Aerobics (high impact) and I was surprised to see that they weren't very different in calories burned!! I'd think that aerobics would burn a lot more. Pilates burned 254 for 50 min while aerobics burned 276 for 40 minutes. Though they were 10 minutes apart, I thought it'd be much more of a difference. Also, I thought that BOTH would burn more calories. It is so hard to burn the amount of calories in a pound, I feel that after a workout I've burned off so much, when really it isn't that much 3. Kara's Activity -I scored 68 -I pretty much knew all of the information/questions. I am still a little uninformed about biofuel, but I know that it is a form of renewable energy.  4. Lauren's Activity -I am only 10% fit according to the fitness quiz, what a buzz-kill!!! 1. Pilates and shoveling the driveway 2. two days/wk 3. 50 minutes an activity 4.  Jumping rope (in med ball class) 5. 1 day/wk 6. 20 minutes during activity 7. less active than last 3 months 8. I answered 6/7 NO. The one YES that I answered was being dizzy sometimes during exercise. 9. I have been trying to get more physically active 10. control weight, lower stress, look better 11. My sister WOULD help, by helping me get homework and studying done, and motivating me to go to the gym with her. However, she doesn't live in Duluth. 12. I am fairly confident 5. Jamie's Activity -15 pushups -45 sit-ups -1 1/2 minutes -18 inches -14 minutes YOUR SCORE: 32 You have the right idea and are on your way to excellent fitness. Stay where you are and you'll still be ahead of the pack. But if you want to amp it up, check out the SELF Challenge. 6. Dani's Activitiy I was able to answer 6/10 questions. Even though there were resources available, there was a lot of new vocabulary/terms that I've never heard of, so the information didn't stick the first time reading them over. Gasification and pyrolysis were two new terms that I learned about!!

Advocacy Project: Hummers, SUVS, gas-guzzling cars...how big is YOUR footprint?

Hummers, SUVS, gas-guzzling cars.... how big is YOUR footprint? 
Purpose: A need for an immediate switch to alternative modes of transportation to reduce motor vehicle emissions

Rising CO2 concentrations in air in past decades

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is defined as a gas that is the waste product of cell respiration and the combustion of fossil fuels. Types of fossil fuels are coal, natural gas and petroleum, which all contain hydrocarbons.


The amount of CO2 being emitted from human activities is exceeding the natural rate of the carbon cycle. Activities, such as burning of fossil fuels, contribute to the 22% extra CO2 addition to our atmosphere. This rise in CO2 concentration, in turn, adds to the effects of global warming by 50-60%, causing major concern for our environment. Climate change, storm activity, and melting of ice caps all occur as a result of global warming. 


The adverse effects of these vehicle emissions not only cause damaging effects to our environment, but to our health. It can affect respiratory function causing breathing difficulties (i.e. asthma), headaches, and dizziness to humans. 


It is estimated that more than 20,000 air pollution-related deaths per year, per degree celsius rise, have occurred worldwide. This greenhouse gas may be a leading factor in this statistic. 

Here is a list of the top 10 gas guzzling cars of 2010

10. Hummer H3 Alpha

9. GMC Sierra 1500 4WD

8. Nissan Armada 4WD

7. Lexus LX 570

6. Mercedes-Benz GL 550

5. Nissan Titan 4WD

4. Infiniti QX 56

3. Land Rover LR4

2. Land Rover Ranger Sport

1. Porsche Cayenne GTS.  

As you can tell by such evidence, the release of this greenhouse gas emission into our environment is creating problems that can be easily prevented if we simply take action on the matter. Below is a link to a carbon dioxide emissions calculator, that tells you how much you are contributing to its rising rate with the use of your own vehicle (if you own one).

CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS CALCULATOR

If you need to convert your miles to KM, here is a website to do so:
Converter (miles to KM)

Reflection:
Once you receive your results, please briefly describe what you have discovered about your own use. What changes in your modes of transportation can you make in order to reduce your carbon footprint? Have you ever considered switching over to a more fuel-efficient model of car? Why or why not? What types of changes would you like to see in our current environment, that could promote you to drive your car less?