Read 'n' Seed 2: First Quarter of Environmental Epidemiology: Epidemiological Investigation of Community Environmental Health Problems

Wow. So this week has been crazy for this read 'n' seed. I went to check out my first book I had chosen, only to find out it had already been checked out, and not due back until November 3rd. I then looked on the UMD library website for another book, only to once again find out it was not available. The librarian and I searched for new books on the library website once again, and I finally found a book that looked interesting to me. My friends and I went to where that book was located, only to find one next to it that looked more interesting to me. So here, I finally have a book called Environmental Epidemiology: Epidemiological Investigation of Community Environmental Health Problems by John R. Goldsmith. It has been interesting so far.

I was able to read the first 4 chapters, which was about 63 pages. The first chapter pretty much just talked about definitions, concepts, and problems. It talked about measuring environmental exposure and one term that I found interesting was "Personal Exposure Estimate", something attached to a person in order to obtain a measurement of indoor pollution levels. I thought that was interesting to hear about.

The next three chapters talked about a couple of the significant cholera outbreaks in our world. Chapter two was all about the Broad Street Pump and how Dr. John Snow discovered what caused the outbreak of cholera in a London district back in the 1800s. Everyone in a certain neighborhood was getting their water from a local pump, and Snow found that the water from the pump was contaminated and was causing the cholera which caused a great number of deaths in a short period of time. The handle to the pump was then removed, although it was when the epidemic was subsiding.

Chapter 3 talked about the cholera outbreak in Jerusalem in 1970. It was learned that farms were getting their irrigation water from sewage systems and the people who ate the plants from their crops were infected with cholera because of the fecal specimens from the water. Within a seven week span, there were a 176 cases in the town of Jerusalem, the peak being during the 5th week, with 59 cases. It was intresting to hear about these different cases between London and Jerusalem.

Chapter 4 was just about cholera in our day today. It just talked about how it is spread through fecal contamination of drinking water. There are simple household methods to treat cholera such as using a mixture of salt, sugar and water, just by drinking it, to retain all of your fluids back.

It is possible for another cholera outbreak to happen, it is just a matter of when and where. That's why it's important for our water to be clean from contaminants and pollution. Because you never know when your water might be unsafe. Scary stuff!

Share and Voice 1: Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

This year, blog action day is about climate change. The government seems to be trying to hide global warming from us and telling us it isn't certain. But the documentary by Al Gore titled "An Inconvenient Truth" shows what is really happening. So many glaciers and ice shelves are melting away and he even shows before and after pictures to prove it. It truly is outstanding. I'm so glad the nations are getting together soon to talk about it and try to find solutions. I sure wouldn't want to see what Earth will be like when I'm the age of my parents, and have my kids in school being shown what Earth used to look like before humans destroyed it.
I have made some changes to my habits, some of which include using a reusable water bottle that I have bought, instead of plastic water bottles. Plastic is polluting our planet and our oceans. I also plan on changing from using plastic bags at grocery stores, to using my own reusable bags. If everyone took action together to change some of their small habits, it can make a big difference to our planet in the long run.

Eco-chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

My SMART goal was to stop using plastic water bottles and use a reusable bottle. It was tough at first because I was out running errands and I figured a grocery store or wal mart type store would have those kind of water bottles, but I could not find any anywhere! So for a few days I used one that my roommate had in the cupboard until I could find one for myself. When I finally got a chance at school, I went to the school store and had quite a few to choose from. I found one that even had its own tag from BioGreen Bottles.

On the tag it says "This bottle is 100% biodegradable, recycable, reusable. BPA, DEHA and DEHP free. It is made from recycles materials also. I'm excited to know that I have something better than a plain plastic water bottle and something that will last me a long time. This week I learned how simple it can be to change one small thing that can help the environment. Things aren't always that simple though. Next week, I plan on keeping up with using my new bottle. I take it with me everywhere! Class, gym, in the car, next to my bed...I'm constantly carrying it with me.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Eco-Chic with Amy.

Eye Opener: CSPI

I read the facts about the items on the homepage. I never knew that cattle could develop so many problems from having too much grain. I also never knew that pigs had their tails cut off, chickens had their beaks cut off, and cows were castrated, all without pain killers. I knew that meat, poultry and dairy were high sources of food bourne illnesses, but I never knew how often it happened.

For my eating green calculator, the environmental burden of animal products I eat in a year turned out to be: 0.7 acres of grain and grass needed for animal feed, 17 pounds of animal fertilizer used to grow animal feed, 0.1 pounds of pesticides used to grow animal feed, and 4175 pounds of manure created by the animals I eat.
When I calculated the changes I was willing to make, I reduced my environmental burden by: 0.3 acres grown, 6.9 pounds of fertilizer, 0 pounds of pesticides, and 1993 pounds of manure. Who knew that just cutting a few servings could change some of those things so much. I'm not a vegetarian, so I didn't want to cut ALL of my meat intake, but I am definitely willing to cut how much I eat. I definitely need to cut my cheese intake, and that I had already known. It will be better for the environment, and my own health, because cheese contains so much fat.

When I scored my diet, my health score was 20, environmental score was -27, and animal welfare score was -15. My grand total was "Uh-oh" -22. I scored the lowest on cheese, and highest on vegetables. I do try to eat a lot of vegetables each week, but I do consume a lot of cheese. I am definitely willing to change my cheese diet, and lower it. I could use the most improvement on my environmental score. I am will to eat less processed meat, and more vegetables and organic food.

I learned that my eating habits do make a huge impact on the environment and I am willing to change some things to help that. I will eat less cheese, less servings of meat, and more fruits and vegetables. It will be better for the environment, and for myself.