Showing posts with label Eye Openers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eye Openers. Show all posts

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

DP- Keepin it Green
Clean Water Activity
With this acitivity we were to read through his educational resources from the Environmental Protection Agency on Safewater, and Needs Factsheet.

I scored an 60% on this test, it is one I should read up on as it could help us til the year 2030.


Going Green With Jayme
Air Quality Index
This had a series of questions aimed for youth to answer based on when can they play outside based on a color chart that represents levels of safe environmental air to breathe.

My score on this activity was an 85%.

Sara Loves Health
Kids Health Activity
With this activity we were to go to a website with an interactive feature aimed for a child. The section we are instructed to go to is the "movies and games" section which has quizzes for us to take. Her topic for the advocacy project was health and so this activity follows that by having us go to http://kidshealth.org.

I learned a lot with my doiing the "Time for Bed" quiz which teaches and quizes you on how many hours of sleep humans need, and various animals need per day.


Thursday, April 2, 2009

Eye Opener: Photo Essay














Would you rather live in an environment full of smoke stacks and pollution filled with loud industrial noises, or live in a clean environment that is spacious and quite.



When we live in developed cities we often forget about how we affect the natural world. When we have "Urban Sprawl" we are diminishing the habitat for animals and other natural environment. The more land we take away the less habitat our wild animals have to live on. If we get to close to their habitat they start to mix in with our way of life. Examples of this are wild bears going into neighborhoods looking for food in people's trash cans. Coyotes walking down the street looking for food and shelter. These wild animals wondering around the neighborhood is not safe for children whom want to play outside as they are fierce animals when agitated. As a society it is important to support your local habitat by giving to nature reserves that help keep the habitats for wild animals intact and abundant. My favorite nature center is in Ely, MN. The International Wolf Center is located there and they support the wolf population.




Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group




In my search for the cosmetic product to review I wanted to see what the lotion I use everyday would contribute to my health. I use Bert Bee's Milk and Honey Lotion. It claims on the bottle to be "All-natural". So, I would assume that I would have a very low rating.


What the Search Concluded
According to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, this lotion scored an overall 4 out of 10, making it a "moderate hazard". The results told me that the ingredients have been linked to: Cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, violations, restrictions & warnings, allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns


The product does not test on animals, which is great news. Also, Bert Bee's is a Compact For Safer Cosmetics signer. This means they are motivated to provide safer products for the public to use.


What I have Learned

Overall, I am happy to see that the "All-natural" product I use is living up to its name and providing a safe product. I will continue to use this product. It is linked to cancer, which is a scary thought. But, seeing how nearly every lotion is linked to cancer I am not too worried. There have been no significant research findings to pursuade me to not to use the lotion.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Eye Opener: Section 13 North America Losing Biodiverity, Say Experts

Summary

What is biodiversity? This is what dictionary.com states about the term biodiversity, “the diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat (or in the world as a whole); a high level of biodiversity is desirable.”

In North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) there is a growing concern of losing natural habitat. The article states from an environmental report, “Half of North America’s most biologically diverse areas were severely degraded.” Many of the businesses in North America are depleting the land, along with affecting the environment and its animal species with at least 235 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians becoming threatened. Fresh water species are the most at risk due to their habitat being taken away or polluted by dams, and physical barriers.

Why is there a lose of Biodiversity?
The main reasoning for this loss of biodiversity is due to the three North American nations not coming together and coordinate efforts to have a working program that deals with environmental issues like cross-border habitats, non-native species, and shared migratory species and water resources. When we affect natural resources from our farming, mining, and fishing industries we should try and replace what we take, or at least fix what we destroy. What we do (dams, taking more water than can be replaced) affects the habitats of local animals.

My thoughts on how to solve declining Biodiversity
With the help of advocacy organizations we can try and educate the public along with the government to make changes in how we affect the natural world. If we take something it should be replaced. When we cut down a tree it should have a seedling planted to replace it. If there is an industry in the business of taking resources, than it should either have a limit on how much of their natural resource they can take, and/or if it is possible the industry should replace what it takes out of the environment.

Discussion Question
How can the countries of North America work together to keep the natural resources abundant?

Hint: Over usage of fresh water, and natural resource industries are the main contributors to taking and not giving to the environment.


The Two Sides of the Story

This is why we need to have biodiversity

Potato Famine


How industry and the natural ecosystem can co-exist

Water management centers can help to keep water levels up, and not use natural lakes or river water for agriculture.


References
biodiversity. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/biodiversity








Thursday, February 19, 2009

Eye Opener:CSPI

In my exam of "Score your Diet" this is what I found.

I scored a (-50) for my grant total score, which is in the "Uh-oh you need help" range of scores, of which ranges from 15 and below for a total score. The other possible scores are 15-59= Good, and +60 is Exellent.

My health Score is at 23

My Environmentaly Friendlys Score is at (-39).

And my Animal Friendly Score is at a sadening (-34).



For which types of food did you score the highest? (look for green numbers). Why?
In my scores I had whole grains as my highest positive rated score. It is my belief that this number is the highest as it is a natural food to harvest and grow makes little impact on the earth comparetivly to other foods, such as beef and pork of which have many feces that raise the nitrogen levels of the local water from feces run-off into local lakes and water supply. The feces from these animals are not properly maintained as the farmers spray the animals living areas down to clean them and the water run-off is saturated in the feces of the animals, thus polluting the local water supply with higher nitrogen, and other chemicals that are harmful to ingest.


For which types of food did you score the lowest? (look for red negative numbers). Why?
Milk (-30), and beef (-28) were both very close of which are a related topic as they both come from a cow. This score was low as cows impact their local environment in a big negative way from the over-crowding of these cow farms. With nearly a thousand cows on some farms with only 100 acres the run-off of feces is a great impact on local water supplies. The chemicals from feces is harmful to anyone whom ingests feces effected water.

Which category do you need the most improvement...health, environment, or animal welfare?
The most needed improvement I need is on Environment (-39).


What can you/will you change to improve the score?
To improve this score it will take people to lobby the government and farm companies to better maintain their run-off of feces from their animals. It will take both local government, and federal government to change the way farms keep environmentally safe practices.


Summary //What does it all mean to you?
As a grandson of a retired dairy farmer, I am familiar of cows and the feces run-off they produce. It takes the assistance of the government to help create water protection systems that help farms pay for updated environmentally friendly farm systems.

When farmers clean off their product (cows, pigs, etc) of feces and other dirt and grim, the water will run-off into the local rivers and lakes if the farm is located near those local water supply. My grandfather's farm was located near a river. To prevent his farm from effecting this river we was equiped with a drain system that lead into a sewage pipe that does not allow water run-off to local water supply, but to the local water filtration system. He only cleaned his cows in the milking area. Of which is equiped with the drains to sewage pipes. He never cleaned his cows out in the fields, he waited until brought them into the milking area cleaning and disinfecting the cows just before milking them.

Many big farm lots clean their cattle in the open field with huge sprayers, and sprinklers of which allows for feces saturated water run-off. This type of cleaning is being allowed to happen, and should be lobbyed in the government to mandate a drainage system area for cattle to be cleaned in. Designate where the cattle can be cleaned that has the proper drainage system surrounding it, so the water goes into the sewage system that is connected to water filtration systems, and not flowing into the local water supply un-filtered.








Thursday, February 5, 2009

Eye Opener: Carbon Footprint

I would consume 3.77 earths if everyone were to live like me according to the Carbon Footprint quiz. This number is very upsetting as we only have one earth to live on. The reason my number is so high to my estimation is because I often go out to eat, and I do tend to buy lots of new products. A great way to reduce your carbon footprint through purchasing used clothing like at any garage sale, or Ragstock is a store in Minneapolis that sells used clothes for a really affordable price. Instead of buying new clothes, buy used clothes so you do not add to factories producing more and more new items.


Air Pollution Indicator
According to where I live based on my zip code, I live in a fairly air safe zone. It is ranked in the 20 percentile, which is very low and in the green zone (healthy).

Earthday Ecological Footprint Quiz said I would need 4.1 earths to sustain my lifestyle. This was a more intresting quiz as you got to have an avatar character. And as you took the quiz it walks around and then you get a question to answer relating to your lifestyle, such as how often do you eat poultry, beef, seafood, etc. Overall, I liked this quiz as it had a "flash" player to give you more of a visual.

Kids Carbon Footprint
This quiz was very much like the Earthday Ecological Footprint Quiz, except you were told wheather or not you were able to make the "Green" choice. It gives you suggestions on what is the most eco-friendly answer to their quesitons.







Thursday, January 29, 2009

Wheather you feel it or not; The earth's climate is changing.

Welcome, my name is Kevin and I am a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth. One of my biggest concerns is global climate changes, especially that of global warming at the polar ice caps. With the melting of huge glaciers and long stretches of ice covered water many arctic animals such as penguins, arctic foxes, and polar bears are without a means of travel as their icy habitat has melted away. So, I would like to raise awareness about how we need to cut down on green house gas emissions. Doing this should help prevent the polar ice caps from melting.

My members of my web group are:

1. Sara
2. Randy
3. Derek
4. Jayme

My Personal Signature




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