While I was surfing the internet I found this great website with loads of new and up to date news about topics pertaining to environmental health. It is called the Environmental Health News .
This basically an online newspaper with great stories about the environment and how it pertains to a person's or community's health. For example, they have a column that is specifically to new scientific breakthroughs, and a column dedicated to the specific month and stories in the government or from around the country pertaining to the environment.
If you click on the tabs a the top of page you are given access to hundreds of other informational articles. I particularly found the Science tab useful. It is very well organized by topics and has tons of great information!
I think this website is a great source of information and think you guys should all take a look at it!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Eye Opener: CSPI
1. Taking a tour of the food Supply:
While I was reading the different statistics, I was appalled and shocked at what our food goes through. It surprises me because when I am picking different foods such as beef, I think I may be making a healthy choice when in reality I am not. The livestock or trapped and over-fed which leads to health problems within the animals and health problems in consumers. I was also shocked at how much pesticide is actually used; 181 million pounds of pesticides. To be honest I am kind of nervous to eat meat from the unsanitary slaughterhouses. The fact that bacteria can be transmitted from the animal remains makes me nervous and kills my appetite.
2. Eating Green Calculator:
The first time I took the eating green quiz, I was quite surprised at the results because I am not a person who eats a lot of meat and dairy. I eat mostly fruits and grains, yet I still found the amount or fertilizer and manure it takes to create my lifestyle. My eating choices do not take a lot of pesticides, only about .1 pound. Also, it does not take a whole lot of acres of grass to feed the livestock I eat, only about .4 of an acre. I took the quiz to try and see what I could cut out, but honestly I do not think it would be healthy for me to cut any more meat or dairy, otherwise I would be losing out on necessary nutrients my body needs. I do not even meet the recommended daily allowances at the moment, therefore I do not think I should cut back.
3. Scoring my Diet:
My diet got me a score of 10 which falls in the Uh-oh category. I was just happy that I did not give a negative score because in the beginning I had a really bad negative score until I hit the fruits and veggie sections. I think what really hurt me the most are the dairy products I eat. I do not think I eat that much but I think it would help if I ate more organic products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. The category I did the best in was the fruit category; I had a postive score of 19. Out of every food group I probably eat the most fruit. I think the area I could improve on the most is the health area and eating a more balanced diet and making sure I get the necessary nutrients.
While I was reading the different statistics, I was appalled and shocked at what our food goes through. It surprises me because when I am picking different foods such as beef, I think I may be making a healthy choice when in reality I am not. The livestock or trapped and over-fed which leads to health problems within the animals and health problems in consumers. I was also shocked at how much pesticide is actually used; 181 million pounds of pesticides. To be honest I am kind of nervous to eat meat from the unsanitary slaughterhouses. The fact that bacteria can be transmitted from the animal remains makes me nervous and kills my appetite.
2. Eating Green Calculator:
The first time I took the eating green quiz, I was quite surprised at the results because I am not a person who eats a lot of meat and dairy. I eat mostly fruits and grains, yet I still found the amount or fertilizer and manure it takes to create my lifestyle. My eating choices do not take a lot of pesticides, only about .1 pound. Also, it does not take a whole lot of acres of grass to feed the livestock I eat, only about .4 of an acre. I took the quiz to try and see what I could cut out, but honestly I do not think it would be healthy for me to cut any more meat or dairy, otherwise I would be losing out on necessary nutrients my body needs. I do not even meet the recommended daily allowances at the moment, therefore I do not think I should cut back.
3. Scoring my Diet:
My diet got me a score of 10 which falls in the Uh-oh category. I was just happy that I did not give a negative score because in the beginning I had a really bad negative score until I hit the fruits and veggie sections. I think what really hurt me the most are the dairy products I eat. I do not think I eat that much but I think it would help if I ate more organic products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. The category I did the best in was the fruit category; I had a postive score of 19. Out of every food group I probably eat the most fruit. I think the area I could improve on the most is the health area and eating a more balanced diet and making sure I get the necessary nutrients.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reflection Week 1-4
I have a learned a lot in past two weeks about a variety of topics from blogging to energy efficient power grids and classrooms.
I'll start by talking about what I have learned about blogging. The first week we set up these wonderful blogs. We learned about gadgets, how to design our blog, and how to add our blog and others to our google reader. Gadgets are application you can add to a blog, such as the ability to follow others. It makes your blog sleeker and more efficient. We learned how to use google reader which is through gmail, which allows a person to keep track of all the blogs they are following in one place. We learned how to post on our blogs and comment on other's blogs. We created our profiles by creating avatars.
I have learned a lot about my lifestyle habits in the past two weeks. By taking the ecological footprint test I have learned how much power and waste I create. I found out that my lifestyle is very wasteful and if everyone lived like me we would use 4 1/2 Earths. I found that it was just an insane amount. I realize I that I have to change my lifestyle. One thing specific I want to work on is eating locally grown food. I feel that if I support local growers it will cut down on the amount of fuel that is used to transport the foods across the world and country. Eating locally will not only help the environment but also be delicious!
I am currently in the middle of reading "Citizen Powered Energy Book" which is teaching me about different renewable and non-renewable resources. This book has opened my eyes to the dire energy crisis we are currently in. The book starts off with a dramatic description of what will happen to our economy and our everyday lives if we run out of oil and the other current energy sources. This book is calling attention to the fact that we all must change our lifestyles otherwise we will be hurting in the future.
I learned about the sustainability effort on our campus. We visited the Bagely classroom which is very environmentally friendly. It uses solar energy to keep the building warm, it has large open windows and cement floor that aid in this process. A really interesting thing is that the toilets are not hooked up to the sewage system; they are compostable toilets. Finally, Bagley does require some power to heat the building in the Winter, but it requires very little. In fact, Bagley hopes to have a negative power bill in the future in which the power company actually pays Bagely for the power it has generated.
I'll start by talking about what I have learned about blogging. The first week we set up these wonderful blogs. We learned about gadgets, how to design our blog, and how to add our blog and others to our google reader. Gadgets are application you can add to a blog, such as the ability to follow others. It makes your blog sleeker and more efficient. We learned how to use google reader which is through gmail, which allows a person to keep track of all the blogs they are following in one place. We learned how to post on our blogs and comment on other's blogs. We created our profiles by creating avatars.
I have learned a lot about my lifestyle habits in the past two weeks. By taking the ecological footprint test I have learned how much power and waste I create. I found out that my lifestyle is very wasteful and if everyone lived like me we would use 4 1/2 Earths. I found that it was just an insane amount. I realize I that I have to change my lifestyle. One thing specific I want to work on is eating locally grown food. I feel that if I support local growers it will cut down on the amount of fuel that is used to transport the foods across the world and country. Eating locally will not only help the environment but also be delicious!
I am currently in the middle of reading "Citizen Powered Energy Book" which is teaching me about different renewable and non-renewable resources. This book has opened my eyes to the dire energy crisis we are currently in. The book starts off with a dramatic description of what will happen to our economy and our everyday lives if we run out of oil and the other current energy sources. This book is calling attention to the fact that we all must change our lifestyles otherwise we will be hurting in the future.
I learned about the sustainability effort on our campus. We visited the Bagely classroom which is very environmentally friendly. It uses solar energy to keep the building warm, it has large open windows and cement floor that aid in this process. A really interesting thing is that the toilets are not hooked up to the sewage system; they are compostable toilets. Finally, Bagley does require some power to heat the building in the Winter, but it requires very little. In fact, Bagley hopes to have a negative power bill in the future in which the power company actually pays Bagely for the power it has generated.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Share and Voice: News Story: A Smarter Way of Looking at Power
News Story: A Smarter Way of Looking at PowerThe Univeristy of Minnesota is trying to develop a SmartGridU. Massoud Amin, the director of the University's Technological Leadership Program is trying to develop a smart grid. What a smart grid is, basically your power supply that fights against blackouts. This is a more reliable and more effecient power system. It also incorporates wind and solar power better than the traditional system. you may not think blackouts are a huge deal, 92 minutes of power outrages are recorded in the midwest, and about 214 minutes a year on the East coast, yet compared with other countries such as Japan (who only experience about 4 minutes of blackouts a year) the United States are behind the times. Amin's goal is to first try to get the U on a smart grid system and then eventually the United States. It may be a costly upgrade but Amin claims the money saved by a more efficient power supply will pay for the upgrade within a few years.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Read n' Seed 2: First Quater of Citizen Powered Energy Handbook
1. My first read and seed covers the first introductory chapter "Our Energy Choices"; pages 1-33.
2. This introductory chapter lays down of the current energy crisis we are in. Pahl fears if there is nothing done soon to stop the energy crisis then there will be no hope. It will be to late to turn the tides. The sector that uses the most energy and that will be hit the hardest is transportation. This is because transportation uses 95% of the world's oil production. Then once transportation is effected then food production and product production will be effected. This because a lot of food is shipped across the country. If there is no oil to power the trucks or ships then our local supermarket shelves will soon become bare. The same with any other product. Just think of how much we ship from other countries such as China. The chapter goes on to explain the non-renewable and renewable resources. The non-renewable resources that will be described in this book are coal, oil, synthetic oil,natural gas, and nuclear energy. The renewable energy sources that will be discussed are wind, solar, water, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen and liquid biofuels. These energy sources will be discussed in detail in later chapters.
3. I knew of the basic renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and water. I have learned what biomass and liquid biofuels are. Biomass is plant material such as wood or agricultural waste that is used as fuel. Biofuel is a liquid such ethanol or methanol that is made from biomass products. In this chapter Pahl makes a distinct difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable resources is fuel that is from naturally occurring products that can regenerate through nature such as wind. Non-renewable resources can not be regenerated through nature such as coal. Once these resources are used up they are gone.
4. The effects of the energy crisis may not be entirely visible in our lives at the moment but they will be felt in the future, According to Pahl, the lower and middle class will be the ones to feel the effects first. As there is less and less energy available, prices will rise and the lower classes will struggle to pay for heat and electricity. In order to avoid the economic disaster that will come from using up our resources, society should develop ways to use renewable resources. We must think outside of the box and see the solution that is sitting right in front of us. Renewable resources are better for the environment. They do not cause as many pollutants and can be more efficient.
2. This introductory chapter lays down of the current energy crisis we are in. Pahl fears if there is nothing done soon to stop the energy crisis then there will be no hope. It will be to late to turn the tides. The sector that uses the most energy and that will be hit the hardest is transportation. This is because transportation uses 95% of the world's oil production. Then once transportation is effected then food production and product production will be effected. This because a lot of food is shipped across the country. If there is no oil to power the trucks or ships then our local supermarket shelves will soon become bare. The same with any other product. Just think of how much we ship from other countries such as China. The chapter goes on to explain the non-renewable and renewable resources. The non-renewable resources that will be described in this book are coal, oil, synthetic oil,natural gas, and nuclear energy. The renewable energy sources that will be discussed are wind, solar, water, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen and liquid biofuels. These energy sources will be discussed in detail in later chapters.
3. I knew of the basic renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and water. I have learned what biomass and liquid biofuels are. Biomass is plant material such as wood or agricultural waste that is used as fuel. Biofuel is a liquid such ethanol or methanol that is made from biomass products. In this chapter Pahl makes a distinct difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable resources is fuel that is from naturally occurring products that can regenerate through nature such as wind. Non-renewable resources can not be regenerated through nature such as coal. Once these resources are used up they are gone.
4. The effects of the energy crisis may not be entirely visible in our lives at the moment but they will be felt in the future, According to Pahl, the lower and middle class will be the ones to feel the effects first. As there is less and less energy available, prices will rise and the lower classes will struggle to pay for heat and electricity. In order to avoid the economic disaster that will come from using up our resources, society should develop ways to use renewable resources. We must think outside of the box and see the solution that is sitting right in front of us. Renewable resources are better for the environment. They do not cause as many pollutants and can be more efficient.
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