This youtube video is a public service announcement to help educate people on how to help conserve water use at their homes. It goes beyond the common message of taking showers, and as the man in the video states: not many people make that change anyway. One thing I found interesting but ultimately I can understand was that landscaping is the #1 use of water in the household. It never seems to be the one I think of when I use water but whenever it is on, it does run constantly so those gallons of water can add up fast. Take a look for yourself:
Monday, February 14, 2011
Share & Voice: Whole Foods
One of my favorite stores I have went in to in the last few months was Whole Foods. There is a Whole Foods Co-Op in Duluth but as I discovered on a trip to Minneapolis that was just a sample of the main course. The store I visited was located near the Uptown neighborhoods and I couldn't believe how big it was. There were a lot of new and interesting products that I am very excited to try in the future, along with some really wonderful samples. Here is a couple links to their website and wiki-page, and I encourage anyone who is interested in the store or learning more to check these out.
Whole Foods Website
Whole Foods Wiki
Two quick suggestions that you read on the wikipedia page are under "Whole Trade Guarantee" and "Environmental Record". I think it is wonderful that any company would take the steps to help reduce the waste in our world as has been shown by Whole Foods. They are a company that sets an example that we can all follow.
Whole Foods Website
Whole Foods Wiki
Two quick suggestions that you read on the wikipedia page are under "Whole Trade Guarantee" and "Environmental Record". I think it is wonderful that any company would take the steps to help reduce the waste in our world as has been shown by Whole Foods. They are a company that sets an example that we can all follow.
Share & Voice: Whole Foods + Pricing Power
Here is a link that has a 4-minute clip about the affect that food costs have on our stores and who can afford these new costs. It is interesting to hear how the masses of people are affected my the recession, rising product costs, and how the company is still growing.
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Share & Voice: Monsanto
Share & Voice: Mediterranean Diet
During my time working at the American Heart Association and Duluth Area YMCA, I have spent a lot of time thinking about my own heart and long term health after seeing the affects both good and bad health can have on a persons life. It has given me a lot of time to think about what my good and bad habits are in my diet as well. I have considered for a while making a change like my sister has, although she went vegetarian and I wont be going that extreme. I have decided to try an new diet. The one that is standing out to me as one I would like to try is the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet is known to reduce the incidence of heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It is focused on fruits, vegetables, and good fats. Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic website and the wikipedia page for the Mediterranean Diet.
Share & Voice: Dreamland
Here is a link to an article and trailer for the documentary 'Dreamland' - a look in to the fight for Iceland's natural world. Iceland has become the target of corporations wanting to extract their natural resources for profit, most notably aluminum. This documentary, much like 'Tapped', shows how the local people feel about other people deciding what is best for the natural resources they live near.
My personal view is there is no price you can put on the beauty of a country. But countries must be able to do what is best for most of its residents. Iceland has been hit hard by the global recession for the past two years. And although through hydroelectric and geothermal power that can support its countries energy needs, they have very little natural resources. Many people have been moving to Norway to escape the economic crisis. This is a tough situation for all.
My personal view is there is no price you can put on the beauty of a country. But countries must be able to do what is best for most of its residents. Iceland has been hit hard by the global recession for the past two years. And although through hydroelectric and geothermal power that can support its countries energy needs, they have very little natural resources. Many people have been moving to Norway to escape the economic crisis. This is a tough situation for all.
Share & Voice: What is 'Environmental Health'?
When I told people from the beginning of the semester I was taking an environmental health class, more than half of them responded: "What is environmental health?" This lead me to two questions: 1) Are the people I regularly associate with that out of touch with their health and their communities health? And also: 2) How do you explain to someone what environmental health is, if they have never considered it before? After completing this class, I believe I can give a much more informed answer.
Environmental health is defined by the World Health Organization as: 'Those aspects of the human health and disease that are determined by factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing and controlling factors in the environment that can potentially affect health'.
This is important to all of us because, whether we know it or not, we are affected by our environments as much as we are affecting them. We are affected through our performance, happiness, health, and overall well-being as much as we are affecting pollution in lakes, rivers, oceans, landfills, and everywhere in-between. As much as things can be an eye-sore to look at, the bigger problems often lie underneath. When water is polluted by a factory, those problems will often show up in our bodies as deformities or increased risk for disease. When we don't take care of our environment, it will no longer be able to take care or provide for us. That is why it is important to understand why environmental health is important. And knowing that I can explain that in those terms, I know anyone I describe this to wont forget it anytime soon.
Environmental health is defined by the World Health Organization as: 'Those aspects of the human health and disease that are determined by factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing and controlling factors in the environment that can potentially affect health'.
This is important to all of us because, whether we know it or not, we are affected by our environments as much as we are affecting them. We are affected through our performance, happiness, health, and overall well-being as much as we are affecting pollution in lakes, rivers, oceans, landfills, and everywhere in-between. As much as things can be an eye-sore to look at, the bigger problems often lie underneath. When water is polluted by a factory, those problems will often show up in our bodies as deformities or increased risk for disease. When we don't take care of our environment, it will no longer be able to take care or provide for us. That is why it is important to understand why environmental health is important. And knowing that I can explain that in those terms, I know anyone I describe this to wont forget it anytime soon.
Eye Opener: CSPI
This Eye Opener exercise was a Score Your Diet quiz from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This survey showed how much of an impact the things you eat have on your health, the environment, and the animals themselves.
My scoring breakdown went like this:
The category's I need most help in is both the animal welfare and environmental category. I just consume too much chicken and cow products. I think to help fight against this I could find more balance in my diet. I have been considering going to a more Mediterranean diet so I think I will begin that soon. That diet is a lot more fruits, vegetables, and fish, and I think would help me learn about some more foods I may like, rather than overusing my favorites.
This was an interesting activity to see not only how the food you eat affects you, but also the ecosystem we live in and the animals that we harvest.
My scoring breakdown went like this:
- My Health Score: 54
- Environmental Score: -56
- Animal Welfare Score: -56
- My Overall Score: -58 = Uh-oh, you need help!
The category's I need most help in is both the animal welfare and environmental category. I just consume too much chicken and cow products. I think to help fight against this I could find more balance in my diet. I have been considering going to a more Mediterranean diet so I think I will begin that soon. That diet is a lot more fruits, vegetables, and fish, and I think would help me learn about some more foods I may like, rather than overusing my favorites.
This was an interesting activity to see not only how the food you eat affects you, but also the ecosystem we live in and the animals that we harvest.
Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint
For this Eye Opener exercise, I took an ecological footprint quiz. After the quiz was finished it estimated that if everyone lived the way I do, we would need 4.8 planets to support my lifestyle, and while I wont say I don't have excess in my life, I do think that the number is skewed high.
I answered the quiz to how I have lived in the last few weeks as opposed to my year round averages, and since it is the middle of winter, there is a lot less fruit/produce grown locally, as it is not so easy to do in northern Minnesota in the winter. But whenever it is available, I choose to buy local for several personal reasons, so I don't feel like that was well represented in this. I also think that the size of our home plays a large part of my score. My friends and I rent a large home and it costs a lot for heat/electricity, but I think that since I am 1 of four people maybe it should have 1/4th of the impact on this quiz? Maybe it already took that in to account. I think that played a large part of why my usage% of services is so high (41%). This report also showed that I take 21.4 global acres of the Earth's productive area, producing 21.5 tons of CO2.
Even with my rationalizing for some of the behavior listed above I know there is more I can do to help lower my usage rates. I will look to do more of the things around my house such as recycling/reusing products, and help offset the usage of my home by keeping the windows sealed in the winter and keeping lights off and minimizing use of appliances.
I answered the quiz to how I have lived in the last few weeks as opposed to my year round averages, and since it is the middle of winter, there is a lot less fruit/produce grown locally, as it is not so easy to do in northern Minnesota in the winter. But whenever it is available, I choose to buy local for several personal reasons, so I don't feel like that was well represented in this. I also think that the size of our home plays a large part of my score. My friends and I rent a large home and it costs a lot for heat/electricity, but I think that since I am 1 of four people maybe it should have 1/4th of the impact on this quiz? Maybe it already took that in to account. I think that played a large part of why my usage% of services is so high (41%). This report also showed that I take 21.4 global acres of the Earth's productive area, producing 21.5 tons of CO2.
Even with my rationalizing for some of the behavior listed above I know there is more I can do to help lower my usage rates. I will look to do more of the things around my house such as recycling/reusing products, and help offset the usage of my home by keeping the windows sealed in the winter and keeping lights off and minimizing use of appliances.
Advocacy Project: Letter and Fact Sheet
December 6th, 2010
Amy Klobuchar - Democrat
U.S. Senator
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Vote 'Yes' on H.CON.RES.309 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for a $500 million recovery fund focusing exclusively on travel and tourism to be administered by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the wake of the BP oil spill.
Dear Ms. Kolbuchar,
The proposed bill for a $500 million recovery fund from BP to focus on travel and tourism in the gulf region would greatly enhance the lives of families affected my a catastrophe that they had nothing to do with. The gulf economy is heavily reliant on tourism, and many of the jobs that families depend on for survival depend on the tourism that has been dramatically scaled back because of the oil spill. I am not writing to simply capitalize upon the emotional appeal of the situation, but more to encourage the people in positions of power to make change happen and set things right. What has happened can not be undone. But what we do from now one can influence how long it takes for the region to get back to a state of normalcy. This bill will accelerate the recovery of the tourism industry and help many people whose lives have been affected get back to the way things were so that they too can enjoy their lives again instead of wondering what will happen if we lose our jobs?
Opposition to this bill would likely come from BP, as they would bear the cost of this project. I think for them it would be good PR to be associated with the clean up of the mess they created. They have already donated millions to relief funds but it is simply not enough.
I hope you know how strongly I, and many other Americans, feel about taking care of our own. We need to do this now. It is important to protect the livelihood of our citizens. I encourage you to vote "Yes" to H.CON.RES.309. If you would like, I can provide you with additional information. You can contact me at harol034@d.umn.edu.
-Dane H
Amy Klobuchar - Democrat
U.S. Senator
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Vote 'Yes' on H.CON.RES.309 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for a $500 million recovery fund focusing exclusively on travel and tourism to be administered by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the wake of the BP oil spill.
Dear Ms. Kolbuchar,
The proposed bill for a $500 million recovery fund from BP to focus on travel and tourism in the gulf region would greatly enhance the lives of families affected my a catastrophe that they had nothing to do with. The gulf economy is heavily reliant on tourism, and many of the jobs that families depend on for survival depend on the tourism that has been dramatically scaled back because of the oil spill. I am not writing to simply capitalize upon the emotional appeal of the situation, but more to encourage the people in positions of power to make change happen and set things right. What has happened can not be undone. But what we do from now one can influence how long it takes for the region to get back to a state of normalcy. This bill will accelerate the recovery of the tourism industry and help many people whose lives have been affected get back to the way things were so that they too can enjoy their lives again instead of wondering what will happen if we lose our jobs?
Opposition to this bill would likely come from BP, as they would bear the cost of this project. I think for them it would be good PR to be associated with the clean up of the mess they created. They have already donated millions to relief funds but it is simply not enough.
I hope you know how strongly I, and many other Americans, feel about taking care of our own. We need to do this now. It is important to protect the livelihood of our citizens. I encourage you to vote "Yes" to H.CON.RES.309. If you would like, I can provide you with additional information. You can contact me at harol034@d.umn.edu.
-Dane H
Fact Sheet
Who is affected?
The U.S. Travel Association said the disaster, triggered by an
explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April, could
cost coastal-tourism interests and those that do business with them as
little as $7.6 billion over 15 months or as much as $22.7 billion over
three years.
Tourism supports 400,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast region, where leisure-and-hospitality employment in counties along the shore accounts for 15 percent of all private-sector jobs, compared with 12 percent for the nation overall.
In the worst-case scenario, Florida's $60-billion-a-year tourism economy would sustain more than three-fourths of the region's financial losses, or $18.6 billion over the three years, according to the Oxford Economics study.
Tourism supports 400,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast region, where leisure-and-hospitality employment in counties along the shore accounts for 15 percent of all private-sector jobs, compared with 12 percent for the nation overall.
In the worst-case scenario, Florida's $60-billion-a-year tourism economy would sustain more than three-fourths of the region's financial losses, or $18.6 billion over the three years, according to the Oxford Economics study.
How can the region be helped?
The U.S. Travel Association as part of a 10-point plan it calls "Roadmap to Recovery," hopes to convince the federal government and BP that spending $500 million now on an oil-response marketing fund could generate $7.5 billion in tourism spending that would help offset the group's projected losses.
The U.S. Travel Association as part of a 10-point plan it calls "Roadmap to Recovery," hopes to convince the federal government and BP that spending $500 million now on an oil-response marketing fund could generate $7.5 billion in tourism spending that would help offset the group's projected losses.
Sources:
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Share & Voice: Waste Management
Waste Management Recycling
When I was paying my bill for WM this month, I decided to search their website a bit for anything interesting, since I am always looking for new and interesting thoughts related to recycling. I discovered that as the North America's largest recycler, they offer a lot more than just curbside pickup of all the traditional recyclables. They also offer safe disposal options for fluorescent lightbulbs, batteries, and other electronics that are good to keep out of the landfills. My advice to all would be to see what your garbage/recycling provider offers for services and follow through on disposing of your waste the right way.
When I was paying my bill for WM this month, I decided to search their website a bit for anything interesting, since I am always looking for new and interesting thoughts related to recycling. I discovered that as the North America's largest recycler, they offer a lot more than just curbside pickup of all the traditional recyclables. They also offer safe disposal options for fluorescent lightbulbs, batteries, and other electronics that are good to keep out of the landfills. My advice to all would be to see what your garbage/recycling provider offers for services and follow through on disposing of your waste the right way.
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