Reflections: Weeks 13-14 & Overall Course

(Junk Project- A scarf that I sewed together using two of my girlfriend's old T-shirts)

Reflection of Weeks 13 & 14:

Well as I figured the past couple of week flew by without hesitation. During these past couple of weeks we got to go to Goodwill to check out their operations of business and learned a lot about their company in general. I had no idea just how big the store actually was and how detailed their production line is. It was cool to check everything out and I thought it was awesome that they give special needs populations the opportunity to work within their company. I could tell by just walking through the company that they were really happy to be working there and had the opportunity to be a part of something. I used to work at Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) here in Duluth and it was the same way; the special needs individuals would light up when they had the opportunity to work on something or be a part of something. It's very cool to see things like that. Goodwill is such a great company in that not only are they environmentally friendly and cost efficient but they offer jobs for those who really need it and appreciate it. Another thing that we accomplished over the past couple of weeks is that we got to show off our junk projects and create an online learning activity/game. I thought the junk projects show and tell was really cool because we got the chance to see what everyone made using odds and ends that they found or took (lol), along with their creativity. I made a scarf using two old T-shirts that my girlfriend was donating to Goodwill. The picture is seen above. The last assignment that we did was to create an online learning activity that our blog members were to complete. I came up with a game called Kiss My Glass that came from The Truth's website which shows people just how manipulative and dangerous cigarettes and Big Tobacco are. My fellow blog members also came up with some very interesting activities as well. I thought Kristen's videos were very eye-opening and shows just how bad smoking really is!!! JD's activity was a refresher Eco-Chic crossword puzzle that covered a lot of what we learned over the semester in this course. Dane's activity was also very opening and showed us what it would be like if Duluth suffered a major oil spill. Sam's activity covered Asthma and it's affects on people who have it and don't have it. Lastly, Carly's activity taught us a lot about food safety and what we should do to keep ourselves safe from food borne illnesses. Once again I learned a ton of stuff in just a couple of short weeks.

(Tettegouche State Park)

Reflection of Entire Course:

Like I stated above, where has the time gone really??? I was actually just talking to my buddy the other day on how when you're a kid time just seems to drag on and a year seems like an eternity, but the older you get the faster time goes by. I only brought this up because as Christmas approaches think back to when you were a kid you just couldn't wait for Santa to come and bring you your presents; time just stood still it seemed, but as an adult time flies right by the older you get and the more responsibilities you inherit. Anyways back to the reflection shall we. As I said in class this past week, what haven't I learned from this class. I've learned so much about not only the environment but about myself as well from taking this course. I learned how to blog which I've never done before and now find to be very fun. Other things I've learned: The carbon footprint assignment was very eye-opening to me and found out that I consumed about 4.4 planet earths which made me feel very ashamed and embarrassed. Since then, however I've changed some aspects of my life including recycling much more than I previously did, cutting back on plastic materials, using different products, and other things that would take to long to mention. The documentaries that we watched were also very interesting and I took a lot of information from them (Tapped, Fresh, and Consumerism). For example, I tailored my SMART goal after the video Tapped. My SMART goal was I will drink five or fewer plastic bottled beverages per week and will recycle all of them when finished drinking them. I now only drink like one or two bottles a week now (Yay!) and recycle all of them. Another thing I learned was the hazards of cosmetics from the Cosmetic Database. I had no idea just how hazardous some of our everyday things can be. I recently changed my toothpaste and mouthwash because of what I learned from this assignment. I now use Tom's of Maine toothpaste and alcohol-free mouthwash. The advocacy projects were also very beneficial and helpful because it had us find out who are representatives are along with picking a topic that was important to us. By knowing who are reps are gives a resource tool in the future if we need or want to advocate something of importance. Lastly, I really enjoyed the photo essays because it gave us the chance to show who we are as individuals along with things that we are passionate about. I could go on forever about other things that I have learned from this class but I would be here for hours. Again I cannot tell you guys just how much I've taken from this course and how much it has impacted my life for the better and how I see the environment. Thank you Dr. V for what you've shown us this semester regarding being environmentally friendly.            

Share and Voice: Greening Up Your Holidays

I realize that there's not much time left to finish your holiday gift buying, but despite all the craziness there's always time to think green for the holiday season. People make thousands of choices when buying gifts for their family and friends. However, you decide what's best for whomever you're buying for, but do you think about what's best for the environment? If you want to make that part of the equation think about how much packaging comes with each choice. The majority of that packaging will probably end up in a landfill. If the gift comes with a lot of packaging think about which parts can be recycled. Hartel's DBJ has worked with area vendors to recycle used wrapping paper turning it into material for ceiling tiles, but there are some materials which are not meant to go in the recycling bin. It's a good idea to take a little time to look for packaging that's 100 percent biodegradable and buying items made in the Northland is also an easy way to live green this holiday season. By shopping carefully you may be able to cut your waste in half this holiday season.

Sources: Greening Up Your Holidays and Hartel's DBJ

Eye Opener: Environmental Learning Activities

Sustainability with Sam

Sam's activity was a quiz from Web MD regarding asthma. I took the quiz and got all of the answers correct, YAY! I didn't realize that asthma can be triggered by emotional stress as well as environmental factors. Also, by taking the quiz I didn't realize that a person without asthma can exhale about 75% to 85% of the air in the lungs within a second, emptying them within three seconds. Sam's activity was very informative and I learned some new things that I wasn't aware of prior to taking her quiz. Nice job.

Go Blue Too with Carly

Carly's activity was a crossword puzzle that tested your food safety knowledge. I couldn't access the actual puzzle because of a server error but I did take the quizzes and read over some interesting information regarding food safety. I took some of the quizzes and found out some very interesting facts about food safety. You're supposed to wash fruits and vegetables under cold water instead of warm water. The refrigerator should be set at below 40 degrees, canned tomatoes can be stored in the pantry for 18 months, and you're supposed to wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds under hot water just to name a few. Carly's activities were very interesting and informative. Nice job.

Earth and Me with JD

JD's activity was very cool in that he related his activity to what we've been covering in class. He used a crossword puzzle to test our knowledge on being Eco-Chic. I believe these are the answers but I'm not 100% sure: 1. down-recycling, 2. down-reuse, 4. down-hybrid autos I think, 2. across-reduce, 3. across-eco-chic, 5. across-junking, 6. across-bus. I enjoyed completing JD's crossword because it was a bit of a refresher on what we did this semester. Nice job.

Kristen's Atmosphere

Kristen's activity was a link of three different videos that showed the effects of smoking. This issue was identical to my advocacy project and I thought her videos were very creative. The parody of the Brady Brunch video was quite comical but showed just how bad secondhand smoke can be as it showed two of the kids with serious health conditions-asthma, and heart disease. the second video, which was extremely eye-opening and morbid showed what smoking does to your organs including your lungs, heart, brain, and eye-sight, just to name a few. This was a very informative video and if people stopped to watch it they might think twice before smoking!!! Lastly, the third video showed and experiment where cigarette's are being burned into a water bottle and after a while the water turns completely black representing the tar that's in cigarettes. Each cigarette contains 18mgr of tar and at the end of the experiment the person boils the black water on the stove and the water evaporates but the tar remains. Absolutely scary! Awesome post Kristen.

Dane's Trail of Health

For Dane's activity we had to write a an essay or picture ourselves in the shoes of those who live in the gulf states whom were affected by the BP oil spill. Dane noted, which I wasn't aware about was that Duluth's economy takes in $400 million dollars from tourism a year. It would affect my job in that with less money comes cutbacks and layoff's which equals no job. It would affect family members and friends in that they too would probably suffer from job losses and money gained overall. It would affect the places that I go in that they would probably have to cut hours of operation and possibly shut down all together and that would affect when I could go there based on my schedule, etc. The national perspective on Duluth would probably be one that not a lot of people would want to visit due to poverty levels I'm sure, which is really sad and I now feel very sorry for the businesses and people of the gulf coast, more than I previously did. Nice post Dane.

Advocacy Project: Environmental Learning Activity

Kiss My Glass

• Title: Kiss My Glass
• Purpose: To educate people on the harmful effects of and poisons that smoking contains/causes.
• Background Information: 1,200 people die each day in the U.S. from tobacco related disease. Nicotine is highly addictive and cigarette smoke contains about 4,800 poisonous chemicals including: Ammonia, Benzene, Arsenic, Carbon Monoxide, Chromium, Acetaldehyde, and Cyanide to name just a few. Young adult smokers are 1.43 times more likely to have a stroke than their nonsmoking peers. It's important to learn about tobacco and its affects because nicotine like I stated above is highly addictive and advertising for tobacco is everywhere! Knowing the facts is the first step in combating tobacco use.
• Instructions: The directions for this game/activity is explained when you click on the link at the top of this post listed Kiss My Glass. It's a game that shows you and explains just how bad Big Tobacco tries to manipulate you along with how bad smoking really is for you. 
• Sources: The Truth, Smoke Free Kids, and NIH 

Share and Voice: Motor Oil Recycling

Automobiles have longer intervals between oil changes than they used to... But whether you're changing your oil at three thousand miles or ten thousand miles; your used oil still needs a safe place to go. Rolling up your sleeves to change your own oil can be a great way to learn about your car and save a little money in the process, but it's critically important to the environment that you dispose of that used oil in a safe manner. Experts say that one drop of oil can contaminate two quarts of water and one quart can contaminate two million gallons of water. Scary thought if you ask me! Most places where you take your car in to service that do oil changes will let you bring in your own oil for recycling and some locations may even find a way to give that used oil a second life. At places like the London Road Car Wash, they re–use oil brought in to heat their facility. It's one of the reasons they were awarded the Sustainable Twin Ports Seal in 2008. So while protecting your pocketbook, make sure you're also protecting the environment. 

Source: Motor Oil Recycling  

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Review and Final Reflection

Weekly Update: 

I must admit that I thought I did a really good job this past week on staying on track with my SMART goal which is: I will drink five or fewer bottled beverages (Gatorade, Vitamin Water, soda, etc.) per week and I will recycle all of them when finished drinking them. I stayed well under my target goal and only drank like one or two beverages from a plastic bottle this past week. The stainless steel water bottle that I bought has really helped me the past couple of weeks along with drinking a lot of things out of my coffee cup at home. I know you're all probably wondering what, coffee cup? Yes, I use my trusting old coffee cup to drink out of; I rinse it out of course after I drink my coffee, but I figure hey why not save on water and dirtying another dish and just re-use my cup and be more eco-friendly. So again like I stated above I felt I did a good job in following my SMART goal and to be honest it's almost becoming second nature now.

Review of Entire Process:

My SMART goal to start out with was as follows: I will drink three or fewer bottled beverages (Gatorade, Vitamin Water, soda, etc.) per week and I will recycle all of them when finished drinking them. My goal did change throughout the process. I tweaked my goal just a bit and changed it from three to five or fewer bottled beverages per week. By doing this it made my goal much more attainable. This goal was much harder than I first anticipated it to be simply because I never realized just how much I drink out of plastic bottles. Since I changed my goal from three to five I haven't gone over one time and I'm really proud of myself for doing so. I think it would have been much wiser to start out with five bottled beverages and scale it down from there because now I only drink like two or three bottled beverages per week. The things that helped me be successful in achieving my goal was the suggestions and advise from my fellow blog members along with some self-dedication and support from friends. My blog members gave me some really good suggestions which included purchasing Gatorade and Vitamin Water powdered packets and buying a water bottle. Some things that got in the way were: deer hunting season and I purchased two cases of Gatorade and Vitamin Water prior to starting my SMART goal. I say deer season because there's no running water or electricity where we hunt and we pretty much have to drink out of  plastic bottles which stinks, however I took all of the plastic bottles that accumulated over the weekends home with me and recycled them so there was a positive that came out of the situation. I can address these types of things in the future by being more aware and prepared of what's ahead and start early on possible goals to allow for miscues that may arise. 

I've benefited not only from this SMART goal process but also from this class in that I'm much more aware now of my environment and I'm being much more eco-friendly. I've learned a lot about myself during this process in that I now realize that I can in fact change my behavior if I really want to do so. I have the self-motivation and dedication inside me to change. I learned throughout this SMART goal process that behavior change is indeed not easy to accomplish due to various physical, mental, and environmental factors and temptations but is attainable if you put your mind and will power to it. Like Bear Grylls says, if you keep your psychological status clear, calm, and collected anything is possible and you can in fact do whatever it is you set out to do. The environment benefited from my behavior change in that I recycled all of my bottles and by not purchasing or using plastic bottles the less factories had to make them no matter how nominal just my change was. Others benefited in that my girlfriend is now much more eco-friendly and she has helped me follow my SMART goal along with partaking in other environmentally friendly things/changes with me. I will continue this behavior and will continue to be more eco-friendly in other various ways that I can. Recommendations that I have for others about making a behavior change is choose a behavior that is indeed attainable and fits for you along with self-motivation and dedication. This has been an awesome experience and has taught me a lot about myself.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 and Final Reflection         

Advocacy Project: Letter and Fact Sheet

December 6, 2010

Senator Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senate
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.

VOTE YES ON H.R.1261: YOUTH PREVENTION AND TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION ACT OF 2009

The proposed bill on educating our youths about tobacco use and its effects is extremely important. Increased tobacco prevention programs and anti-smoking campaigns would significantly impact a teen's desire in using tobacco. As a future health educator, I believe the increased creation of anti-smoking campaigns and tobacco prevention programs throughout the state of Minnesota will help greatly reduce the number of teens who currently use tobacco or those who are thinking of using tobacco. This act will provide opportunities for our young people to discuss pressures and issues they experience in regards to using tobacco or the possibility of using tobacco at this critical time in their lives.

This act would provide education and awareness for teens on the effects that tobacco use causes, especially to one's overall health. Educating young people on this topic would help lower health concerns and deaths (i.e. various cancers and respiratory issues) associated with tobacco use. According to The Truth, 1,200 people in the U.S. die every day from tobacco related disease. Some other facts from The Truth about tobacco include: In the U.S., about 50,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke-related disease. In the U.S., smoking results in 5.1 million years of potential life lost each year. Smoking causes impaired lung growth during childhood and adolescence. Lastly, in the U.S., 443,000 people die a tobacco-related death every year. Increased programs that provide education, awareness, and counseling about tobacco and its affects on our health will help these young people make the right decisions when it comes to using tobacco. We need to keep people, especially young people educated and informed on the consequences that tobacco causes.

Opponents of this bill might say that advertising does not increase the overall quantity of tobacco sold, rather the tobacco industry maintains that advertising merely enhances the market share of a particular brand, without recruiting new tobacco users. Others might say that parents need to do a better job of setting rules and guidelines along with policing their kids on the consequences of using tobacco. However, lets be realistic here shall we. Advertising is everywhere no matter where we turn and the increased use and availability of technology only enhances it. Young people are extremely impressionable so to say that advertising doesn't affect tobacco use among teens is absolutely absurd. In fact, according to one source, six year olds are familiar enough with cigarette advertising that they match the 'Old Joe' Camel character with cigarettes as often as they pair Mickey Mouse with the Disney Channel. As far as the parents angle goes, kids are going to do and try things no matter what their parents say or do to them. This only fuels my point and argument that more programs and anti-smoking campaigns are created so that young people are correctly informed and educated about the effects and consequences that tobacco has on us.

I appreciate your support of the Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act. I hope you realize the best course of action to protect our young people from tobacco is to vote "YES" to H.R. 1261. If I can provide any further information please contact me at (contact info would be here).

Signature

Matt

Fact Sheet About Adolescents and Tobacco Use:

• Close to 1,000 of the 3,000 youths who begin smoking every day will prematurely die of a tobacco-related disease.
• An infant's risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) increases 5 times if he or she is exposed to secondhand smoke in the room. Secondhand smoke also increases the risk of lung cancer and asthma.
• Smoking in childhood or adolescence increases the risk of developing cardiac disease – the number one cause of death in the United States.
• Young adult smokers are 1.43 times more likely to have a stroke than their nonsmoking peers.
• Smoking is linked to not only lung cancer, but also other respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
• Children and adolescents who use tobacco have smaller lungs than their peers, and therefore tend to be less physically fit than their peers.
• Lastly, adolescents' use of smokeless tobacco increases their risk of oral cancer and nicotine addiction.

Sources: The Truth and Smoke Free Kids

Share and Voice: LED Holiday Lights

The holiday season is now upon us and what better way to do a share and voice than Christmas lights! The holiday season often means a lot of green and red lights and decorations, but one of those colors should be your main focus this season. LED holiday lights have been around for several years now and while they may cost a bit more than traditional lights, they can provide significant benefits over incandescent bulbs. When Minnesota Power decorates its annual Christmas tree in Duluth they use only LED lights. So what are some of the benefits of using LED Holiday Lights? LED lights have a lot of benefits, including, they are 75 percent more energy efficient than traditional Christmas tree lights, they last ten times longer, and they're also more durable and they are cool to the touch so they reduce the risk for a fire hazard. Here's the difference: The energy of one seven watt incandescent bulb can power 140 LED lights. Something else to think about...if you plan to ditch those old energy eating strings of Christmas lights, you can do it in a green way. Airpark Products & Services in Duluth has partnered with the Recycling Association of Minnesota to safely recycle your old strings of lights. Last year the "Recycle Your Holiday" program recycled more than 100,000 pounds of lights. This year their goal is to double that. The recycled light bulbs will be crushed and the glass recycled, even the wires will be recycled. The copper inside will be stripped and marketed to area vendors. I thought this was an awesome article and now I know where I can recycle my old Christmas lights when they burn out. 

Source: LED Holiday Lights 

Reflection: Weeks 9-12

I know that many people have probably said this many times already, but really where has the time gone??? It seems like we just started the semester a couple of weeks ago and learned how to blog for crying out loud and we're actually almost to Christmas, (Crazy)! We've learned a lot on interesting things the past few weeks which included:

• My Political Representatives
• Healthy People 2010/THOMAS
• Issue Overview 
• Photo Essay

The political representatives assignment was a very good yet challenging assignment for us because it made us figure out who are local representatives are along with the bigger fish such as the president and senators. This was an important assignment because by knowing who are local reps are the better chances we have at advocating important issues in the future if need be. I mentioned challenging above only because the elections were just finishing up when we did the assignment so people were changing in offices.

The following week after finding out who are political representatives were we had to pick an issue/bill using Healthy People and THOMAS to advocate for followed by a full issue overview the following week. I chose a bill regarding smoking because it's something that has affected me personally growing up and still to this day. Both my parents smoked from the time I was born until now. My mom passed away 10 years ago but my dad continues to smoke quite profusely even in the house which absolutely drives me bonkers and is why I don't visit home very often. I've had respiratory problems from Bronchitis to Pneumonia my whole life because my parents smoked a lot and that's a big reason why I chose the Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act Bill of 2009. Kids are affected by tobacco and advertising every day no matter if they want to believe it or not; it's impossible to get away from advertising and marketing campaigns because technology is everywhere! It's really a shame because some kids don't have a choice if their parents smoke like in my case. I'm very passionate about this subject not only because of my health issues, but because smoking and tobacco is extremely bad for you (i.e. various cancers, respiratory problems, and emphysema), it's nasty and smells terrible especially on people. The overview portion of our bill that we chose gave me even more staggering and mind blowing statistics regarding tobacco and its effects on people and society. I learned a lot more of vital information about tobacco and smoking after doing some research for the overview section so I'm glad we got the opportunity to do that.

Lastly, we conducted a photo essay on anything that we wanted regarding the environment. This was probably my favorite assignment to do the past weeks because the essay I chose is something that I've been doing my entire life which is living off the land including: hunting, fishing, and wild ricing among many other outdoor things. I'm glad that I got to share pictures of myself and my family doing what we've been doing for well over 80 years or so now and probably even before that. Hunting, fishing, and wild ricing is something that I've been passionate about my whole life and they're things that I will pass down to my children and grandchildren just like my dad and grandfather did with me.

In closing, it's been a very fun, interesting, and extremely fast paced last few weeks and I can't wait to see what's in store for the final few weeks ahead. I'm also looking forward to getting to know some new blog members and what they have to say. Again I still can't believe that the semester is just about over, unreal.            

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change: Week 4 Weekly Update

I have to admit that at first this SMART goal was a bit harder than I imagined, but after some resilience and dedication I am now able to follow my goal to a T. In case anyone forgot my goal is: I will drink five or fewer bottled beverages (Gatorade, Vitamin Water, Soda, etc.) a week and recycle all of them when finished drinking them. The hardest part of following my goal at first was that I purchased two cases of Gatorade and Vitamin Water prior to my SMART goal. I still did pretty well though I thought considering but still went over my quota. I recently tweaked my goal and added five beverages instead of three and found that to be much more manageable. Since I switched my goal a couple weeks ago I haven't gone over my goal. The holiday break didn't seem to hinder me at all in staying on track with my goal and I think it actually helped because I drank most of my beverages out of glasses. In fact, on black Friday I purchased a Bisphenol A free stainless steel water bottle to drink out of so I don't drink from plastic bottles. The best part of the purchase is that it was insanely cheap and good for the environment all at the same time! I don't plan on changing my goal and will stick to the five or fewer bottled beverages a week. Suggestions and advice are kindly offered and appreciated.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain  

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

From way long before I was born my family and I have been living off of the land in some way, shape, or form. When I say that I mean that we hunt, fish, blueberry pick and wild rice among other things such as: we've built our own houses, hunting shacks, and cabins along with burning wood for a heat source. My dad taught me at a very young age how to hunt, fish, blueberry pick, and wild rice and still do all of these things today. The picture above was taken a few years ago at our family cabin on Lake Vermillion of myself and my uncle Fred after we cut some firewood for the cabin.

 

These two photos are of our family's hunting shack and cabin. The one on the right is our family hunting shack which is located in Buyck, MN on the Echo Trail. We built this shack with our own hands in 1994 but had previous shacks long before I was born. The picture on the left is our family cabin which is located on Lake Vermillion in Cook, MN was constructed by my family members in 1970 and stands like the picture shows today. We use both of these sites for extended periods of time throughout the year especially during the MN grouse hunting, deer hunting, and fishing seasons.

These two photos represents the fishing that our family has done for many years. The picture on the left was taken last spring on Lake Vermillion of a walleye that I caught which was 27 1/2 inches and weighed around 8 pounds. I released the fish right after we took this picture. The picture on the right was taken by myself last spring of my dad and brother while fishing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. We catch the fish and eat them for a food source not only during the fishing season but throughout the year. We have huge fish fry's during Memorial Day weekend and usually throughout the season depending on what we catch. We use the family cabin pictured above as base camp during the MN fishing season on Lake Vermillion and we use the shack when we go to the BWCA. We clean the fish ourselves and recycle/compost the remains of the fish in the lake for other fish, birds, and animals to eat.

  

These photos represent the deer hunting and grouse hunting that my family has been doing for around 80 years. It all started with my grandfather who began hunting in the area around the 1930's. We process all of our deer ourselves. What I mean by that is we skin the deer and cut it up and package it ourselves to make ground venison, chops, jerky, steak, and polish. After we are finished cutting them all up we donate the hides to hides for habitat and we compost the remains in the woods for the other animals to eat. We gut the grouse out the same way and compost the remains as well in the woods. We usually make wild rice grouse soup with the breast of the bird. We also used to trap animals such as beavers, mink, otter, fisher, and pine martin, but we haven't trapped in some time now. As for the pictures, the picture on the left is of my dad with a grouse he shot this past deer season and the picture on the right is of myself and the deer I shot a few weeks ago. It was an 11 point buck with a 13 inch spread and 10 inch tines.

   

These photos above represent the wild ricing that my family and I have been doing for many years. My dad began wild ricing around 30 years ago or so and still does it to this day. I started ricing around 5 years ago and go every year now thanks to my dad passing it down to me and my brothers. We used to harvest and process the wild rice on our own but now we bring it to a guy in Cass Lake to get it processed. We use the rice to make hot dishes and casseroles or we simply just boil it in hot water. The picture above was taken this past fall in the Brimson, MN area around Two Harbors. The people above from left to right is myself, my brother Craig, my nephew Jacob, my older brother Jerry, and my Dad. My other nephew Tyler is taking the picture. The bags in front of us are filled with wild rice. We picked about 320 pounds total that day between all of us. It was a good day! My dad has taught me a lot of valuable things/skills that I will pass down to my kids and grandkids and for that I thank him very much.

      

                                       

  

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

This past week was the third week of my attempts to meet my SMART goal. I tweaked my goal just a bit the past week so that I would have a better chance of obtaining my goal. My new goal is as follows:

I will drink 5 or fewer bottled beverages beverages a week and I will recycle all of them when finished drinking them. This was a much more manageable goal just because like I've stated before I purchased two cases of Vitamin Water and Gatorade prior to making this goal. I've already begun to cut out drinking as much bottled beverages as possible and I did a much better job this past week in obtaining my SMART goal. I still drank some bottled beverages this past week but I didn't overdo my quota of five beverages, (Yay).  I want to thank my fellow blog members for offering some good suggestions and alternatives to drinking beverages that don't come from plastic bottles. Keep the suggestions and advice coming. I appreciate all suggestions and advice.

I will continue to use the same goal this coming week which is: I will drink 5 or fewer bottled beverages (Gatorade, Vitamin Water, soda, etc.) per week and I will recycle all of them when finished drinking them.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 Hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain 

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Goal: To reduce illness, disability, and death related to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.


What is the issue?
Tobacco use causes more than 440,000 deaths each year in the United States. For every person who dies from a smoking-related disease, 20 more people suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking. Since the release of the 1964 Surgeon General's report on smoking and health, more than 12 million Americans have died prematurely due to smoking. Currently, estimates of annual smoking-associated economic costs in the United States are more than $167 billion. The sub-issue that I'm addressing is the proportion of adolescents and young adults (grades 9-12) who are exposed to tobacco advertising and promotion through the internet, magazines, and newspapers. Healthy People 2010 has moved away from its target by -333% in regards to the internet and moved towards its target by 57% in regards to magazines and newspapers.


Listed below is a piece of legislation proposed to address the issue:
H.R. 1261: Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act of 2009.


Who is affected by the issued?
Although there's a good majority of people who are affected by smoking and its harms, the people most affected by this particular issue are youth and adolescents grades 9-12. The group with the best rate for specified characteristic in regards to internet advertising and promotion were white non-Hispanics and the group with best rate for specified characteristic in regards to newspaper and magazine advertising were American Indian or Alaska Native. It's no surprise to me that white non-Hispanics are most affected by advertising via internet because of its availability and more often than not socio-economic status. Also, it's not a surprise that Healthy People moved away from its target in regards to internet advertising because of the growth and availability of technology. Technology is growing at a rapid rate and that aspect alone makes it tough to combat tobacco advertising.


What are the consequences?
Each year more than 400,000 Americans die from a tobacco-related illness, the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. More lives are lost to tobacco than those caused by fires, alcohol, suicides, car accidents, AIDS, illegal drugs, and homicides, combined. Most of these deaths occur in adulthood, but the damage begin on the onset of smoking which in about 90 percent of the cases, begins at or before the age of 18. Close to 1,000 of the 3,000 youths who begin smoking every day will prematurely die of a tobacco-related disease. An infant's risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) increases 5 times if he or she is exposed to secondhand smoke in the room. Second hand smoke also increases the risk of lung cancer and asthma. Smoking in childhood or adolescence increases the risk of developing cardiac disease – the number one cause of death in the United States. Young adult smokers are 1.43 times more likely to have a stroke than their nonsmoking peers. Smoking is linked to not only lung cancer, but also other respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Children and adolescents who use tobacco have smaller lungs than their peers, and therefore tend to be less physically fit than their peers. Lastly, adolescents' use of smokeless tobacco increases their risk of oral cancer and nicotine addiction.


What is the economic/social impact of the issue?
Currently, estimates of annual smoking-associated economic costs in the United States are more than $167 billion. Tobacco products continue to be one of the most heavily marketed and least regulated consumer products in the United States. In 2005, the latest year for which information is available, the five largest cigarette manufacturers spent a total of $13.11 billion – or more than $35 million a day - to promote and advertise their products. A study published in the May 2007 issue of the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that retail cigarette marketing increased the likelihood that youth would start smoking; cigarette pricing strategies contributed to increases all along the smoking continuum, from initiation and experimentation to regular smoking; and cigarette promotions increased the likelihood that youth will move from experimentation to become regular daily smoking. Certain tobacco products are advertised and promoted disproportionately in diverse communities. Advertising and promotion of cigarette brands with names such as Rio, Dorado, and American Spirit have been marketed toward Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives. African American communities have been bombarded with cigarette advertising. Since the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), the average youth in the United States is annually exposed to 559 tobacco ads, every adult female 617 advertisements and every African American adult 892 ads. Expenditures for magazine advertising of mentholated cigarettes, popular with African Americans, increased from 13 percent of total ad expenditures in 1998 to 49 percent in 2005. While positive trends are noted in eliminating tobacco-related disparities, continued and enhanced efforts across a broad spectrum of players, including the Federal Government, States, and the private sector, need to address tobacco use in racial and ethnic populations disproportionately affected by the health burdens of tobacco.


What are the barriers? How can they be overcome?
One of the huge barriers of tobacco is the constant advertising and growth of technology. Ads are all around us no matter where we go. Technology is also constantly growing and with that comes more and more advertising. Public health efforts continue to be partially offset by several factors that encourage smoking, such as lack of indoor air regulations, discounted tobacco prices, and smoking scenes in movies. Significant countervailing forces include increased advertising and promotions by the tobacco industry. In the time between the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998 and the year 2003, cigarette company marketing expenditures increased by more than 125 percent. More than three-fourths of the total is for discount pricing or promotional allowances to retailers, which undercut the effect of tax increases. Another factor, which may slow or even reverse these positive trends, is the loss of funding for State tobacco prevention programs and national counter-marketing campaigns. Some ways to overcome these barriers are as follows: 

• Increasing tobacco prices.
• Sustained media campaigns.
• Smoke-free policies in workplaces and public places.
• Reduced out-of-pocket costs for cessation services.
• Telephone quit-lines.
• Prompts to clinicians to provide evidence-based intervention counseling.
• Community mobilization combined with additional interventions.

What are the resources?

There are many resources that people can obtain on the prevention of tobacco and it's health risks. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers some great resources and information on the affects and problems associated with smoking and other forms of tobacco use. Some other great resources are: The Truth, Smoke Free America, and The American Lung Association just to name a few.

What is the history of the issue?

Tobacco has a long history in the Americas. The Mayan Indians of Mexico carved drawings in stone showing tobacco use. These drawings date back to somewhere between 600 to 900 A.D. Tobacco was grown by American Indians before the Europeans came from England, Spain, France, and Italy to North America. Native Americans smoked tobacco through a pipe for special religious and medical purposes. They did not smoke every day. Tobacco was the first crop grown for money in North America. In 1612 the settlers of the first American colony in Jamestown, Virginia grew tobacco as a cash crop. It was their main source of money. By the 1800's, many people had begun using small amounts of tobacco. Some chewed it. Others smoked it occasionally in a pipe, or they hand-rolled a cigarette or cigar. It was not until James Bonsack invented the cigarette-making machine in 1881 that cigarette smoking became widespread. Bonsack's cigarette machine could make 120,000 cigarettes a day. The American Tobacco Company was the largest and most powerful tobacco company until the early 1900's. In 1902 Philip Morris company came out with its Marlboro brand. They were selling their cigarettes mainly to men. Everything changed during World War I (1914-18) and World War II (1939-45). Soldiers overseas were given free cigarettes every day. At home production increased and cigarettes were being marketed to women too. By 1944 cigarette production was up to 300 billion a year. Service men received about 75% of all cigarettes produced. The wars were good for the tobacco industry. Since WW II, there have been six giant cigarette companies in the U.S. They are Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, American Brands, Lorillard, Brown & Williamson, and Liggett & Myers (now called the Brooke Group). They make millions of dollars selling cigarettes in the U.S. and all over the world. In 1964 the Surgeon General of the U.S. (the chief doctor for the country) wrote a report about the dangers of cigarette smoking. He said that the nicotine and tar in cigarettes cause lung cancer. In 1965 the Congress of the U.S. passed the Cigarette Labelling and Advertising Act. It said that every cigarette pack must have a warning label on its side stating "Cigarettes may be hazardous to your health." By the 1980's, the tobacco companies had come out with new brands of cigarettes with lower amounts of tar and nicotine and improved filters to keep their customers buying and to help reduce their fears. The early 1980's were called the "tar wars" because tobacco companies competed aggressively to make over 100 low tar and "ultra" low tar cigarettes. In 1984 Congress passed another law called the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act. It said that the cigarette companies every three months had to change the warning labels on cigarette packs. It created four different labels for the companies to rotate. Since the 1980's, federal, state, local governments, and private companies have begun taking actions to restrict cigarette smoking in public places. The warning labels were the first step. As it becomes more difficult for tobacco companies to sell their products in the U.S., they are looking outside. U.S. tobacco companies are now growing tobacco in Africa, South America (Brazil and Paraguay), India, Pakistan, the Phillipines, Greece, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic. Fifty percent (50%) of the sales of U.S. tobacco companies go to Asian countries, such as Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, the Phillipines, and Taiwan.

Allies and Opponents:

Allies of this issue would be health professionals, health organizations, and others who are concerned with the growing rates of tobacco use and tobacco advertisement campaigns. Some very useful allies would be: The Truth, Tobacco Free Kids, CDC, and The American Lung Association. Tobacco lobbyists, however would argue that advertising does not increase the overall quantity of tobacco sold. Rather, the tobacco industry maintains that advertising merely enhances the market share of a particular brand, without recruiting new smokers. I don't see any way of appeasing both parties on this issue. When one side benefits the other fails and vice versa in my opinion.

My Recommendation:

Vote YES on the Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act Bill of 2009!!!

Sources: Center for Disease and Control, American Lung Association, The Truth, Tobacco Free Kids, History of Tobacco, Smoke Free America, Healthy People 2010, Tobacco Control, and THOMAS.

Share and Voice: Amazing Grace

I was browsing the Northland's News Center website and found an interesting article about Amazing Grace in Canal Park and how it is very green friendly. Since Amazing Grace opened they have added more biodegradable options for taking out food. In the dining room they also take a unique route to remain green. The plates that the food is served on, comes from a variety of sources such as Goodwill. Also, if you are taking coffee to go, the cup is biodegradable, and the lid. It can all be recycled. Finally, the majority of the food sold at Amazing Grace is locally purchased. You can check out the video and site below.

Source: Amazing Grace

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

Last week was the first week of my SMART goal which is: I will drink no more than 3 bottled beverages (Gatorade, Vitamin Water, soda, etc.) a week and will recycle all of them when finished drinking them. I definitely slipped a few times this past week I'm not going to lie, only because I purchased a case of Vitamin Water and Gatorade prior to making my SMART goal choice and I was deer hunting and we don't have running water of electricity so I had to drink out of a bottle :( I didn't do to bad though considering my circumstances/environment and will definitely be able to follow my goal better this coming week. As of my feelings towards this goal; I actually felt guilty and ashamed for drinking out of a plastic bottle but on the positive side I took it upon myself to collect everyone's plastic bottles from the weekend and recycled them when I left. What I learned this week is that changing a behavior no matter how big or small can be very difficult and challenging but having the positive discipline and dedication to change will help immensely. I also learned that marketing schemes and advertisements are everywhere when considering a behavior change like mine because you can't get away from them and they can hinder your goals/change if you let them. My plans this week will be to continue with this goal but I may change it from three bottled beverages to five just because I purchased these products before we chose our SMART goals. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated and encouraged.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Goal: Reduce illness, disability, and death related to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

Objective: Reduce the proportion of adolescents in grades 6 through 12 exposed to tobacco advertising and promotion. According to the target and baseline data chart the site used two categories to base their data on. The categories were: Internet advertising and promotion and Magazine and newspaper advertising and promotion. In the year 2000 the baseline for Internet advertising and promotion was at 28% and the target for 2010 is 28%. Magazine and newspaper advertising baseline was 74% in 2000 and the target for 2010 is 67%. Target setting method: Better than the best. Data source: National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), American Legacy Foundation, and CDC. Progress was mixed regarding exposure to tobacco advertising for students in grades 9 through 12 (27-16). Advertising in magazines and newspapers (27-16b) targeted primarily to adolescents decreased by 4 percentage points between 2000 and 2002. In 2000, 74 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported exposure to tobacco advertising and promotions in magazines and newspapers. In 2002, that number dropped to 70 percent, moving toward the target of 67 percent. However, advertising via the Internet (27-16a) increased. Tobacco advertising exposure rates for high school students increased from 28 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2002. Because the Internet has become an integral source of news, information, and communication among younger populations, much work needs to be done to achieve this objective. In 2003, tobacco companies' advertising expenditures represented more than 23 times what States spend on tobacco prevention and control. The tobacco industry has increased its expenditures for advertising and promotions. In 2003, cigarette companies spent $15.15 billion on advertising and promotions, the most ever reported to the Federal Trade Commission. 

Progress: Exposure to tobacco advertising: grades 9-12 (2000, 2002), Internet advertising and promotion -333% (27-16a) moved away from target and for Magazine and newspaper advertising and promotion (27-16b) 57% moved toward target.

Opportunities/Challenges/Emerging Issues: Monitoring emerging tobacco control issues is important because information is continually being acquired to explain the link between use and behavior, exposure, and multiple adverse health outcomes. Research on tobacco product toxicity and the subsequent health effects increases the understanding of individual and population risks of tobacco use as well as overall patterns of use of tobacco products. Internet sale of tobacco products has emerged as an issue of increasing concern, especially as it applies to youth. Internet vendors have weak or nonexistent age verification mechanisms, potentially allowing underage youth to access cigarettes and other tobacco products. Such access may mitigate successful efforts to reduce sales of tobacco products to youth in traditional retail outlets. Finally, as youth access to retail sources of tobacco declines, access to tobacco products through other sources is emerging as an issue. Recent surveys indicate that youth report most commonly obtaining tobacco from other sources, including friends and family. Current knowledge on effective strategies to reduce access to tobacco through social sources is limited. In conclusion, a majority of the objectives made progress toward their targets. Most of the objectives that are not currently measurable are expected to have data by the end of the decade. Focusing on youth smoking is a key aspect in achieving the Healthy People 2010 goal to reduce illness, disability, and death related to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Analyses of CDC's national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys show that lifetime, current, and current frequent cigarette use among high school students was stable or increased during the late 1990s and then decreased significantly from the late 1990s to 2003. However, decreases in State funding and the increase in tobacco advertising and promotional expenditures will likely have a negative impact on many of the objectives, including a potential deceleration of the rate of decline in cigarette use among high school students over the past several years.

H.R. 1261: Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act.

Title: To protect the public health by establishing the Tobacco Harm Reduction Center within the Department of Health and Human Services with certain authority to regulate tobacco products, and for other purposes. 

Sponsor: Rep Buyer, Steve [IN-4] (Introduced 3/3/2009)

Co-sponsors (29):

There are way too many co-sponsors so I'm only going to name a few here.

Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] - 3/5/2009

Rep Bright, Bobby [AL-2] - 3/30/2009

Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] - 3/3/2009

Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] - 3/23/2009

Rep Coble, Howard [NC-6] - 3/3/2009

Latest Major Action: 3/4/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Recommendation: Yes on H.R. 1261: Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act of 2009.

My Political Representative: Congressman Chip Cravaack (GOP).

Sources: Healthy People 2010 and THOMAS