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.

Reflection: Weeks 9-12

This semester has been speeding by, I can't believe this class is almost at it's end! For these past few weeks, we've been mainly focusing on our Advocacy Project and our eco-chic lifestyle change. I've learned who my political representatives are, and have been researching up on a Healthy People 2010 objective that deals with finding alternative forms of transportation. We did an issue overview on each of our objectives that we chose, and I found out a lot about who this issue affects and how it affects society and our economy. I've never really thought that far into some issues, and this assignment made me look deeper into this issue and really realize how important it is that I vote when I'm given the chance. My voice should be heard, because these objectives need to be met. 
For the eco-chic lifestyle change, we each made our own SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) to work on throughout the remaining weeks of the semester. I chose to increase my intake of tap water, and use a BPA-free water bottle. I've really seen a difference in the amount of energy I've had since I've been working on my goal, and I feel so great that I'm actually able to obtain my goal each week. I've felt a sense of pride ever since I set this goal for myself. I know now that if I just make a conscious effort, I can achieve whatever I aim towards. 
We've been doing some other projects such as our photo essay, where we had to document some type of environmental health issue through photos and then present it to the class. Our junking project is in progress (we do it on our own time) and we had a mini junking project in class where we had to think of what we could make out of some random objects that were brought in. Now when I look around at things, I see it with a different view. I see not for what it IS, but what it CAN BE! I never knew that was such a creative thinker!

Reflection: Weeks 5-8

Already halfway over with this semester, it's amazing how quickly each Monday comes!! The last few weeks we've been watching a lot of movies, we've learned about junking, and we learned  how to add/make our own header for our blog pages (which I really enjoyed since I love playing around on Picnik). The movies covered topics such as genetically modified crops, animal factory farms, water and the effects of the plastic companies etc.
The movie that stuck out to me the most was "Fresh." It told a story of an organization called Growing Power, with a man that owned a greenhouse where all of the plants were grown organically and from his own compost filled with worms that produced nutrient-rich soil. It talks about how food that is made in such a way is so much more nutritious and tasty, while the other genetically modified crops end up losing much of the needed nutrient content. I thought it was so inspirational to see some of those farmers put so much care and work into their crops, and to share the movement with others. It also went into the scene of a farmer that raises his cattle and animals the natural way. The land and animals give back to each other, and that is the way it's meant to be. It is so wrong to see how they raise animals in factory farms. It is unnatural and the conditions are abusive.
I also thought that learning about "junking" was awesome. I've never heard about the term before, and now when I see all of the creativity that some people put into recycling and reusing items, it makes me inspired to do more of that myself. I'm excited for our junking project!

Reflection: Weeks 1-4

Although all of this posting can tend to get a little excessive, I've actually enjoyed going on the web and searching up new topics to report on about the environment. I'm not usually UP on my news and this class has pushed me to look out there and actually see what's going on in the world, after all.... it IS what is affecting me, right?! 
I briefly learned about blogging when I was in a high school writing class, but technically, Environmental Health has taught me everything new about a blog: how to design the page, how to link the blog to a Gmail account, how to follow other users, how to look up/add gadgets etc. I never knew there were so many different fun links to share with other bloggers. 
The ecological footprint Eye Opener was a cool exercise that made me think a lot about how many resources I actually use. There are many things that I can do to try and reduce my energy consumption, and already I've tried to begin. One little thing that I've been doing, is making sure electronics aren't plugged in if they're not being used.
The class period where we learned about the Bagley Outdoor Classroom was my favorite. Everything from the bird protectors down to the wall panels were sustainable and ecologically friendly. It's amazing how much energy you can save in the long run even with such a smaller establishment. And in the winter, UMD might actually GET payed for their energy--just going to show how efficient the building is. 
I've learned a lot so far from this class, and can't wait to go further into the semester. This is knowledge that is important for everyone to know, because it directly effects them.

Welcome to Elly Dreams Green!!!

My name is Elly Sturm, currently attending UMD as a Junior. My blog reflects what I've learned throughout my Environmental Health course.

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Eco-chic Lifestyle Change 
5. Read 'n' Seed
6. Share and Voice

The members of my web group are:

1. brier@lovinnaturewithbrier
2. Kristy@kristysfuninthesunspot
3. Jamie@jamiesaysjump
4. Lauren@laurenspouringrain
5. Mary@blueskiesformary
6. Sarah@takeahikewithsarah

Now you have learned a few basic things about what I plan on accomplishing this semester, and invite you to continue to check out my blog page for new updates!