Share and Voice: My Garden!

Hello friends, I just wanted to share one of my projects of the summer with you! My roommates and I created a garden out of the weeds and scrubs in the backyard.

Here is the before picture:

And here is what it looks like now!

From the left there are tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, banana peppers, carrots, spinach, lettuce and cucumbers. We also put flowers along the outside of the vegetables and plan to have a portable bon fire pit next to the bench. So I'll let you guys know when we get the pit and we can have a bon fire! Hope all is well=)

Share and Voice: Green Stuffed Animals

Here's a little secret...Ben from Ben's Virtual Ecosystem is obsessed with those claw machines where you can win stuffed animals from! So the other day he won me another stuffed animal...and let me tell you that it was really cute;) But it turned out that it was "green stuffed!" It was stuffed with eco-friendly stuffing. So I thought I'd share his green efforts!
Very good grab Ben!

Share and Voice: Passing the torch!

I received this award from Dr. V on my reflection because it was so personal and funny! Now I'm passing in onto .......
Erica at E is for Environment! I thought her post about Gardening Advice from Living North was very eco-friendly and has inspired me to want my very own garden! Plus, it gave helpful advice for beginners to start their very own garden! =) And it's about time we get this girl an award! haha kudos to you, Erica!Award Instructions

1. Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.
2. Within 1 week, create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).
3. Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).
4. Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post.
5. Publish the post.
6. Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won.
7. Continue the process...

REFLECTION: WEEKS 15 &16

Here it is folks....last reflection of the semester~! Sad but true...

Week 15 & 16:
Last week we had the opportunity to meet Sue Whitney a professional Junker! It was really interesting because she shared her past about how she had been junking all her life and finally ended up doing it as a profession! She seemed really cool and laid back about junking questions and her perspective on creating different things! She also gave us these really cool books, "JUNK Beautiful-The Outdoor Edition" which was very generous of her! Because of finals I haven't had the opportunity to look through it but I plan to before I go out garage hoppin' this summer!

For our last class we presented Dr. V with the picture frame with all our junk on it! Then we went outside where everyone had the opportunity to reflect on the entire semester and say the most interesting thing they learned or what experience was most valuable to them. It was really fun to end our class outside and reflect on blogging and the environment. Just listening to everyone's comments made me realized how much we really learned throughout the semester and how close we've all become through blogging!

Our main online activity was to create an online learning activity to educate our blog groups on our issue we chose for our advocacy project! My activity was about indoor allergens and where they can be found in your house. I thought it was pretty fun because some of the places I never knew of. Then our job was to complete everyone's online learning activity in our Group and do an Eye Opener about our results! I thought this was fun and learned alot (photo created to Dr.V.) about phobias, lead, and health insurance! Great job Group #1=)



Overall, I had a ton of fun in this class and learned a lot about blogging and the environment! Some of my favorite were:

Freaking out about blogging the first two weeks of class!

The Story of Stuff

Photo Essays

Bagley Nature Area -learning how to use a compass

Junking-yay for this summer!

Eat less meat and cheese-it's better for the environment

Group #1 is creative-and awesome!

Eye Opener: Learning Activity Results

----Kathy----

For this activity we did an activity about lead based paint and the harm it can cause. Here are my results for Kathy's crossword puzzle!

DOWN
1) Fetal
3) Older
4) 1978
5) Myth

ACROSS
2) Gasoline
4) 1940
6) Paint
7) Sperm
8) 80%
9) Dust

Our landlords don't think lead poisoning would be an issue in my house. I know most landlords are suppose to forewarn their tenants if that could be an issue. My little sister was living in a house where there was extreme levels of lead and she couldn't have small pets living with her! Thankfully, she recently moved out of that apartment.
Thanks for the activity Kathy, it was fun!

----Heather----

For this activity we had to go to the Health Partners website and check out their Cost of Care. The categories you could look up were Annual Planner, Treatment Costs, and Procedure Costs. I choose to look up what it would cost for an annual eye exam since that was the last thing I went to the doctor for. Here was what I discovered:
Overall, kind of a scary activity, I can't image not having access to Health Insurance!

----Steve----

Steve's goal for his activity was to our group on the different types of phobias documented. Here are my results to his activity:

Section 1:

1. Pteromerhanophobia - The fear of flying
2. Tachophobia - The fear of speed
3. Wiccaphobia - The fear of witches/witchcraft
4. Autophobia - The fear of being alone
5. Bathmophobia - The fear of stairs/steep slopes
6. Glossophobia - The fear of speaking in public
7. Chronomentrophobia - The fear of clocks
8. Cacophobia - The fear of ugliness
9. Leukophobia - The fear of color white
10. Mysophobia - The fear of dirt and germs

Section 2:
1.Fear of Cooking-Mageirocophobia
2 Fear of Birds-Ornithophobia
3 Fear of houses-Domatophobia
4 Fear of needles and points- Aichmophobia
5 Fear of clowns-Coulrophobia
6 Fear of cats-Elurophobia
7 Fear of the sun-Heliophobia
8 Fear of gaining weight-Obesophobia
9 Fear of strangers/ foreigners-Xenophobia 10 Fear of large things-Megalophobia

I have never heard of half of these! Crazy that people are really scared to death of these everyday things! Fun activity Steve, now I will dominate when the Jeopardy category is PHOBIAS!! =)

----Christen----

For Christen's activity we had to watch 'The Health Insurance Game', and discuss whether we felt the video showed bias or whether it was an appropriate demonstration. I feel that Health Insurance is such a huge issue and that as students we may not be too worried about it right now but that will change in the future! But I do think that the video made an interesting point and that everyone deserves affordable health care!

----Kaileigh----

For Kaileigh's activity we had to go to the FCIC's page and learn about Long Term Health Care. Afterwords we had to comment on what we learned. Here's what I got from it:

First of all I really didn't know the difference between health insurance and long term health care. Which is crazy because I work in an assisted living facility where many of the residents probably have this type of coverage. But when you get older you can also use it to live in a nursing home. The coverage is also for people who need constant care or if they are in a serious accident.
The policy cost varies depending upon ones age, benefits, and deductible periods.
I never realized that Medicare did not cover long-term health care, this whole time I thought that was the coverage my residents had. I think that long term coverage and care needs to be a nationwide policy.

That's it, nice work everyone!

Advocacy: The Indoor Air Pollution Chase

Hey Group #1!

I did not create an online learning activity however I found one that fit perfectly with my topic, so here it goes...

Title: Indoor Air Pollution Chase
Purpose: This activity is to educate about the indoor air pollution. This activity should help participants to understand where indoor allergens are occurring in their homes and what they can do about it. Hope to this activity influences the problem that indoor air pollution is causing to help persuade participants to be in favor of the bill I chose.
Background/Reasoning: Check out these three sites to learn more about Indoor Air Pollution and why it is a problem.
http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/hpguide.html

http://www.who.int/indoorair/en/

Activity: This is the Indoor Air Pollution Chase. Here's the challenge for you: see if you can find things that can affect indoor air quality at home.

First you go to this website: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/air/in/games-jeux/chasse-air-chase-eng.php

You should see a house! (That is where this activity takes place.) Look around the house, and use your mouse to check out each room. Click on all the objects to find out if they affect indoor air quality.

Side note: Some objects are not necessarily harmful, but you'll still get useful information by clicking on them! Your goal is to find all the harmful things in the house. If you want to know how many are left to find, check your "score", which is shown below the game window.

Make sure 1)to find all allergens for each room. Once you have gone through all the rooms of the house 2) identify which allergen surprised you the most or list the allergen that you are most likely to be affected by. Also, 3) state the solution purposed for the problem your focusing on. Good luck!

Happy hunting! Let me know if you have any questions!

Share and Voice: Grey's Anatomy-Yay!

Ok so, I finally get to do a post about Grey’s Anatomy!!! For those of you who don’t know, it is my favorite show and after watching last week’s episode, all I could think was SHARE AND VOICE!

Anyway, on last Thursday’s show there was a patient named Karen (but she called herself Willow.) Willow had fallen out of a tree and broke all her limbs! What was she doing in a tree you might ask? She was living in it of course. She had been living in a beautiful 200-year-old tree, named Kylee for the past 6 weeks. Willow was bulldozed out of the tree “Kylee” so a company could clear cut acres to build another ski condo complex. She kept blaming her pain on “those corporate bastards” and had planned to be up in a tree in Utah, in a few weeks. However, this was not possible due to her severe injuries.

After Willow’s sister talked with those “corporate bastards” they agreed to pay the medical bills and not sue her for trespassing, only if she wouldn’t sue them and never trespass on any of their properties ever again. Willow denied the agreement because she wanted to stand up and fight for the acres of forest they have single handedly destroyed. She was so concerned about the environment; issues like “the bees dying and the temperatures rising” were part of her explanation. Before she could explain further, she was rushed into emergency surgery.

Although, Willow’s efforts were a little extreme it was interesting to see how strong her character felt about the environment, more specifically the forests that continue to be cut down. Now, I’m not going to tell you how it all rolls out, I’m not even going to tell you if she survives. But I encourage you to watch last week’s episode to find out! For more information about the show, check out abc.com!

Thanks for reading=)

REFLECTION: WEEKS 13 & 14

Speedy-V (in her black hat) leading the pack to the Bagley Nature Area

Refection Weeks 13 &14

Overall, I found the last two weeks to be pretty fun! It was nice to finally get outside after talking about the environment all the time in this class! So here’s the overview:

Week 13

Last week during class, we watched “The Story of Stuff.” It covered all the stuff in our lives and how it affects communities at home and abroad. According to the website, “it is a 20-minute; fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. It exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.” Overall, it really made me think about all the junk that I have and how important it really is. I’m such a “pac rat” when it comes to my belongings but this movie made me realize how unnecessary all that random stuff is. Also, it made me think more about what I’m purchasing before I do.
Ok because here is my problem, I go to Target to get a few things and end up with a cart full-(I know I’m not the only one!) But at the checkout before my items cross the scanner I think to myself, Do I REALLY need this!?! And if the answer is no, then I don’t bother! This usually prevents me from buying all that random stuff.

Class photo taken at Bagley

Also, last Thursday we took an adventure through Bagley Nature Area. First of all, I’d like to say that I thought we were going for a little walk in the woods but I was wrong! We did an activity with compasses and learned how to correctly use them (red in the shed, and follow Fred) and how to navigate with them (leapfrog)! The last time I used a compass was probably in the 6th grade so I couldn’t even remember how to work it. But it was fun to go through the nature area and find the markings on the trees and to understand how to navigate through the woods. Through this activity I also learned what a speed walker Dr V was! Haha We started out by Sports and Health because we had to drop off our stuff and then she was off! Just kidding but we had a hard time keeping up with speedy-V! ;)

Week 14

This week we had the opportunity for Brian to come and talk about his experience in environmental health. I was kind of looking forward to Rae coming to talk about the Environmental Health and Safety program masters program at UMD but it was interesting to hear about Brian’s position on campus. And how he works with our sustainability coordinator Mindy Granley.

Followed by Brian we talked about our letters to our local representatives. It was interesting to try and prove to your representative why your bill should or should not be supported. I think it was a great activity for us to accomplish.
Lastly, we did a Junk Competition on Thursday’s class where we tried to come up with the best ways to repurpose some of the “junk” Dr V brought in. Seriously, this was so fun to try and out beat the other groups and their suggestions! I thought Group 1 has some high quality suggestions, overall;)
That’s all, hope everyone had as much fun as I did! Have a good weekend and we’ll see ya Tuesday=)

Advocacy: Letter to Representative

6789 Veggie Lane
Duluth, MN 55813

April 28, 2009
Senator Amy Klobuchar
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Klobuchar,

It has been brought to my attention that pollution is a rising problem in our society. The problem is not only seen with solid waste pollution but all forms of pollution. That is why I believe in passing the SF1746 bill, which supports improvement in overall state air quality, hazardous waste and water quality standards.

SF1746 bill is about improving the state air quality by reducing all forms of pollution through the adoption of standards from the Pollution Control Agency. The bill also includes promoting solid waste disposal controls by encouraging the updating of collection systems, elimination of open dumps, and improvements in incinerator practices. The adoption of standards for the control of the collection, transportation, storage, processing, and disposal of solid waste and sewage sludge of prevent water, air, and land pollution. Another aspect this bill addresses is noise pollution, which is the maximum level of noise in terms of sound pressure level, which may occur, in the outdoor atmosphere. Lastly, it supports adopting standards of hazardous waste and for the management, identification, labeling, classification, storage, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal of hazardous waste.

As a Health Educator, I feel that people of all ages could benefit from improved air quality, reduced amounts of solid wastes, and reduced amounts of noise pollution. I know that you are a supporter of protecting our environment, and passing this bill would definitely benefit our Minnesota surroundings.

I hope that you support this issue and vote “YES” for the SF1746 bill: to improve the state air quality by reducing all forms of pollution through the adoption of standards from the Pollution Control Agency. These changes could greatly benefit our community’s health and safety.

Should you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at 987-987-6789. I would be more than willing to help promote the importance of this cause, so if there is anything I could do, please let me know.

Thank you for your time.

Shar D.

Share and Voice: Environmental Photo Essay

Hey Guys!!!
This is the moment you've all been waiting for...Here are all the photos I've collected from class. Enjoy=)


Us at the Bagley Nature Area


Steve and Derek navigating through Bagley!


Ben and I navigating through Bagley


That's all! If you'd like/need any of these pictures, feel free to take it off my blog. (Just click on the picture and then right click and choose save as.)
If you have problems, just let me know.
Don't forget assign photo credit to the one and only;) Shar Drew lol
See ya Tuesday=)

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Hey guys, so I scheduled this bad boy to post yesterday because I had to work and I just realized it didn't work! (Jayme, I think you're going to have to show me what I did wrong;)

Another interesting fact, since I last wrote this blog I developed a irritation in my eye due to allergies and contact lenses...funny because my topic started out because I was interested in reducing reducing indoor allergies;) Anywho, let's get to business...

The bill that I chose was SF1746 “State air quality, hazardous waste and water quality standards analysis requirement,” which is about improving the state air quality by reducing all forms of pollution through the adoption of standards from the Pollution Control Agency. Pollutions concerning the air quality would place a limit to emissions of air contaminants from motor vehicles.

The bill also includes promoting solid waste disposal controls by encouraging the updating of collection systems, elimination of open dumps, and improvements in incinerator practices. In addition, to adopt standards for the control of the collection, transportation, storage, processing, and disposal of solid waste and sewage sludge for the prevention and abatement of water, air, and land pollution.

Another aspect of pollution they address is a maximum level of noise in terms of sound pressure level, which may occur, in the outdoor atmosphere.

Lastly, to adopt standards he identification of hazardous waste and for the management, identification, labeling, classification, storage, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal of hazardous waste. However, by recognizing that due to variable factors, no single standard of control is applicable to all areas of the state but that overall there is work to be done.

Who is affected by the issue?

I feel that everyone would be affected by this issue but mostly in a positive way. What could be so bad about reducing pollution? It is hard to think of loses but companies who have to change their protocol to reduce the amount of pollution admitted would be a lose, initially. I feel that people of all ages could benefit from improved air quality, reduced amounts of solid wastes, and reduced amounts of noise pollution.

What are the consequences of the issue?

Again, the consequences following this bill would be the cost of the changes that need to be made to reduce the amount of pollution. I think everyone would be affected equally, because if the waste management companies have to pay more to be more eco-friendly then they’ll raise their prices. Also, to reduce the amount of automobile admissions, individuals might decide to purchase a new vehicle to help improve the quality of air, which may be a difficult decision considering the economy these days.

What is the economic impact of the issue? What is the social impact of the issue?

The economic costs of the issue would be the how much it would cost to change everything. Because by passing this bill it might make things more expensive for tax payers as well as the government. Initially it could be a lot but in the end it would cut back on pollution overall and produce a better place to live for everyone. Cleaner air, water and land could help reduce the costs of health insurance later on in life. The social impact will be similar to that of the economic impact. I just feel this will be an overall great improvement all around, due to less pollution I feel that everyone will benefit on some level.

What are the barriers?

Change. Nobody likes change. So getting something to go from an idea to a law and have everyone support it or at least abide by it is not easy. But this can be overcome be introducing the situation and promoting the lifelong benefits of taking action. Just by keeping people focused on the prize is key to any big goal/commitment.

What are the resources?

The main resources needed to make this happen are people to support the idea of reducing pollution all together. Money is also an important resource needed for implementation and enforcement of this bill. Government support would also be beneficial for the people of Minnesota to see that the government feels it is important.

What is the history of this issue?

I discovered that there were some toxic pollution prevention plans in the early 1900’s but other than that I didn’t find much about reducing pollution in the past. I had a hard time finding the history of this issue so if anyone find more about this topic, please fill me in! Thanks=)

Allies & Opponents

I feel that depending on where the cost lie for this issue is where you’ll find supporters and opposers. I’m sure if you asked someone in your town if they’d like to have cleaner air and water they’d agree. But given the same situation, if that person knew they were going to see an increase in taxes because of the bill being passed, they might have a different opinion. (It’s all about the money, it’s all about the dum dum dility dum dum)

Your Recommendation

After reviewing this bill, I feel that policy-makers should vote YES on this proposed policy! Because in the end, the benefits will outweigh the costs.

REFLECTION: WEEKS 11 & 12

Week 11: Last week we watched the documentary, "Unnatural Causes" in class. I liked this documentary a lot, because it was very eye opening. It showed the influence money has on people's health. I wasn't surprised to learn that poverty and poor health went hand in hand. We were also introduced to the Healthy People 2010 assignment.

Week 12: The main focus of this week was solutions and improvements in the environment. We worked on our second Advocacy Project assignment called "Healthy People- Thomas." We picked a topic that we will later advocate for at the end of the semester. The topic I choose was Indoor Allergen Pollution. I recently developed allergies and I'm interested in learning more about them and it's related directly to the environment because it has to do with air quality. We also read reading 20, which talked about how the ozone is closing! On Thursday, I led a class discussion about the reading. Overall, I thought that people were pleased to hear about the ozone closing and happy to know we're doing something right in the environment.

What I learned about myself: That I could be a professor someday, lol jk! Well, for not knowing that I was even going to lead discussion, I think I did a pretty good job. (But far from prof material, I'm sure)

What I learned about the environment: That the ozone is closing!!! Yay, I would have to say after this semester it was great to learn about something positive about the environment!

What I learned about blogging: I don't think I learned anything about blogging these past two weeks. But that we really must be doing a pretty good job at blogging if Dr. V sent them to HEDIR listserv for other people to see!

Pretty sure that covers everything, hope you all have a great weekend;)

Share and Voice: Green Living for Dummies

Green Living for DUMMIES

Soooo I was at Target the other day (not referring to the trip with Heather) browsing through the dollar section and stumbled upon this little book, "Green Living for Dummies." The one I found and purchased is the pocket edition by Yvonne Jeffery, Liz Barclay, and Michael Grosvenor.
Throughout the book you'll find ways to work greener transportation into your lifestyle, the best ways to eat locally and organically, how to rid your life of clutter, and tips for conserving water and energy in your home!

After reading half of the book so far I've realized that many of the topics they cover are things we've been learning about all semester!

Here are some fun tips the book suggests:
Do laundry only when you have a full load.
Line-dry your clothes.
Skip the pre-rinse if your dishwasher gets the dishes clean without it.
Recycle the sink rinse water by using it to wash windows, floors, or the car, to flush the toilet, or to water the garden.
Choose items that have little or no packaging and that come in recyclable or refillable containers.
Reuse paper that has only been used on one side.

Hope you enjoyed my post about Green Living for DUMMIES...let me know if you wanna borrow the book;)

Advocacy: Healthy People 2010/THOMAS

Area 8-16 Objective: Reduce indoor allergen levels.

Progress Quotient Chart: No progress reported at this time

Progress Information: None

Opportunities and Challenges: According to the Healthy People Website, “No low-cost, practical methods have been available that allow homeowners to assess allergen levels in their homes. Many existing building codes were not developed with health considerations, such as allergen reduction, in mind. Newer building and ventilation practices that may significantly improve moisture control and air quality in homes, and thus impact on indoor allergen levels, have not been widely adopted. Dialog between environmental health scientists, building designers, and the building community is not generally well established. In recent years, awareness of the relationship of the built environment to the heath of occupants has increased. Greater use of building and remodeling practices to control moisture infiltration, reduce moisture buildup, and provide proper ventilation for homes may impact significantly on indoor allergen levels. For example, effective moisture control is essential for controlling both dust mites and cockroaches. Strategies to achieve this control include landscape design to provide proper drainage around the structure, proper air sealing of the building envelope combined with appropriate mechanical ventilation, use of ventilation fans in kitchens and bathrooms, installation of vapor barriers over earthen crawlspaces, and control of condensation from plumbing fixtures.

The Health House program is an example of a national education program intended to raise standards for better indoor environments. EPA is using education and nonregulatory approaches to address indoor air pollution. The HUD Healthy Homes Initiative supports activities that focus on researching and demonstrating low-cost, effective home hazard assessment and intervention methods and public education that emphasizes ways in which communities can mitigate housing-related hazards.”

Emerging Issues: Because of the rising number of deaths from asthma and allergy has provided a need for an increased awareness in producing and worsen asthma and allergy symptom. According to the Healthy People Website, “In 2000, the Institute of Medicine released Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures. This publication reviewed the evidence relating to the causation and exacerbation of asthma by indoor air exposures, including allergens from dust mites, cockroaches, dogs, and cats, as well as fungi and combustion products from gas appliances.” Overall, the study concluded that high levels of dust mite allergen can cause asthma in susceptible populations. “In addition, dust mite allergen and cockroach allergen can produce asthma attacks in persons who already have asthma.” Lastly, the EPA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences within NIH produce educational materials on strategies to control indoor allergens and to minimize exposure to them.

Bill Number: SF1746

Title: State air quality, hazardous waste and water quality standards analysis requirement

Sponsor: Ingebrigtsen ; Saxhaug ; Skogen ; Bakk ; Skoe

Latest Action: 3/23/09 Intro and First Reading, Referred to Environment and Natural Resources

My Political Representative:
Senator Bill G. Ingebrigtsen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
State Office Building, Room 123
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206
651.297.8063

REFLECTIONS: Week 9 & 10

Time flys when you're having fun...

Week 9:

Last week we learned about our advocacy projects and photo essays. We had a class discussion about advocacy on Tuesday. And on Thursday we talked about our photo essays and covered the ethics of photo taking. We also had to complete our first advocacy project assignment by Thursday, which was on our political/local representatives. For this project we had to research our political representatives and find out their contact information. This was pretty interesting to find all our representatives but some of them where pretty tricky to find. Overall, I found it very useful.

Week 10:

Dr. V was gone this week at the AAHPERD convention so our main focus was to complete our photo essays. I choose to do my photo essay on how technology can help the environment! It was pretty fun taking taking pictures throughout the week that related to my topic. Then I combined some of my photos into a collage to better represent what I was trying to show. Some of the main topics I photographed were access to online phone books and newspapers, virtual field trips, video conferencing, paying bills online and of course blogging. I was checking out other peoples photo essays and I thought they were pretty cool, overall I think everyone did a great job! I hope everyone had a good week off from classes! We'll see ya Tuesday=)

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

Hello Everyone!

For my Photo Essay I chose to show ways I think
Technology can help the Environment!

VS

My first set of photos shows that the phone book/yellow pages can also be found online with the help of the internet. I just feel that its such a waste of money to chop down thousands of trees and pay someone to deliver them. I think they should be printed only for the people who want them. Also, when learning about this topic I found out that since 1992, it has been illegal to dump telephone directories into the regular trash! According to the Star Tribune, "85 percent of the telephone directories are dumped into the trash. State pollution officials call it one of Minnesota's biggest solid-waste problems." Crazy to think those phone books are causing the biggest waste problem in our state and I never use mine!
Can you imagine if we didn't have to print all those phone books?

Newspapers VS Online Newspaper Viewing


Again, considering the paper and ink we go through everyday to print these newspapers when the information can be found with the click of a mouse. According to this article, most American's wouldn't care a lot if local newspapers folded.
"When it comes to local news, more people say they get that news from local television stations than any other source..."

VS

Paying your bills ...And paying your bills online!

According to the article Global Warming Survival Guide, "Eliminating your paper trail by banking and paying bills online does more than save trees. It also helps reduce fuel consumption by the trucks and planes that transport paper checks. If every U.S. home viewed and paid its bills online, the switch would cut solid waste by 1.6 billion tons a year and curb greenhouse-gas emissions by 2.1 million tons a year, according to Javelin Strategy & Research. Also, to avoid unnecessary carbon dioxide-emitting car trips to the bank on payday, ask your employer to directly deposit your paycheck. You'll get your money faster that way too!!!"

VS










Instead of meeting up with groups from your class you could virtually meet up over the internet and have a video conference!
This could save you gas, time and money. =)







VS

Sending letters through the mail service takes a lot longer than sending an email and can cost you postage, stationary and envelopes.
Plus when you use email, you'll

receive a message back if your email didn't go through. You are also able to save drafts and edit them later!







VS

Field Trip VS Virtual Field Trip

A virtual field trip is an online guided tour. It contains images, text and other media, that can relate the essence of a visit to a time or place. To learn more about them check out this website. I feel they are better for the environment because they completely eliminate the traveling aspect of the trip. And with the help of videos and images students can go through the trip right from their computer!!!

Last but not least...
Paper Assignments VS Blogging

Well, blogging saves paper but I didn't realize how much it actually helps reduce the amount of paper used for classes. The pictures of the piles of paper (on the left) are from not all but one of my classes this semester... And the semester isn't over yet! Just think, what if all your classes had blogging homework?
Yay, for 21st Century Learning!!!

I hope you enjoyed my photo essay on ways that technology helps the environment! I'm excited to hear what you think=) Have a good weekend!

Share and Voice: Recycling Research

Hey guys!

I hope you're enjoying this week off from most of our health courses! I am doing some research on recycling for another class and was hoping you could help me out! I have created a survey to determine what UMD students know about recycling and if it is important to them. If you could complete the survey AS HONEST AS POSSIBLE that would be a great help! Last, but not least your responses will remain anonymous and I thank you for your time! =)

Recycling Survey -check it out

P.S. If you remember me talking about the Food Stamp Challenge in the beginning of the semester...I am participating in that this week.... and I'M STARVING! =)

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President
Barack Obama – Democratic
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Congresspersons
State Representative
Thomas Huntley – DFL
585 State Office Building
 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

651-296-2228

State Senator
Yvonne Prettner – DFL
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room G-9
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
651-296-4188

U.S. Representative
James L. Oberstar – DFL
Duluth Federal Building
Room 231

Duluth, Minnesota 55802

(218) 727-7474


U.S. Senator
Amy Klobuchar – Democratic
1200 Washington Avenue South, Suite 250

Minneapolis, MN 55415

612-727-5220

State Legislators
Governor
Tim Pawlenty
130 State Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155 Phone # (651) 296-3391
E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us


County Board:

Commissioner
Steve O'Neil
Room 208 100 N. 5th Ave. W
Duluth, MN 55802 Phone #
(218) 726-2359


City Mayor:
Don Ness – DFL
Mayor's Office, Room 402
411 W 2st St Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 730-5230