Before taking this class, I had heard from fellow health education majors that Environmental Health would be a life changing experience. Now, I'm an older student....seriously, how life changing can it get????? But WOW...this class truly is life altering...and we are only seven weeks into the semester. I am looking forward to the continued eye opening documentaries and activities that are associated with this class.
We all want to believe that the government is doing the right things for us, it's citizens. Stories of how elected officials get zillions of dollars from BIG corporations in return for their support on a specific item make me ill. It angers me that some officials in high places (such as FDA, CDC, Dept. of Public Health) worked for some of the BIG corporations before being hired by the government. They are using their power (and money) to skew the view of how our environment is being treated. They don't see how what their previous employer is treating the environment. They make it perfectly legal for these big corporations to pollute and damage our environment. This makes me angry.
The other item that makes me angry is that some of these federal agencies force their employees to keep quiet about the damage being done to the environment. The video from 60 Minutes that we watched entitled "Rewriting the Science" showed us that the government is essentially covering up (and censoring what we read) many of the problems that are country is battling environmentally, such as global warming. It takes people like James Hansen (from the 60 Minutes video), to take a stand against his employer and let the general population know exactly what the government is covering up. If we cannot believe our own government...the people we elect into office in some cases...who can we believe? Who will tell us the truth? How can we truly know the extent of damage we have done to our environment. How serious is global warming? What is the correct answer to these questions?
Watching the documentary "Tapped" certainly changed my views on bottled water and companies such as Nestea, Coke and Pepsi. How can these companies think it is perfectly okay to come into a community and take the ground water without giving taking into consideration the members of the community and the water levels. I am amazed that the FDA has no regulations on ground water...yet tap water is highly regulated.
But it goes so much deeper than just the ground water. It goes as far as what the plastic water bottle is made from and the number of lives that are affected by those petroleum products. All those people that live in cancer alleys across America. These people cannot easily afford to move, as it is likely that no one would purchase their house. So basically, the price we pay for one little water bottle (normally less than $2 a bottle) seems like nothing until you start factoring in the number of human lives that the production of said water bottle affects.
I no longer even want to purchase pop in bottles. They talk about how bad it is to drink water from these bottle....shouldn't that mean that it is just as bad to drink soda out of the bottles? I'm not a big soda drinker, so it shouldn't affect me too much.
As I was cooking dinner the other night, I pulled frozen veggies. As I examined the bag, I was wondering why anyone would want to steam their frozen veggies in the "steam in the PLASTIC bag" that they have created to make life simpler. That plastic bag is also made out of petroleum products. Have you ever actually steamed your veggies in one of these bags and felt how the texture of the bag changes after it's been in the microwave? You cannot tell me that the chemicals in the packaging do not somehow get into the food that is "steaming" in the bag. GROSS!!!!!!
Okay...I'll get off my rant now. This class seriously has opened my eyes to the fact that our environment is being hurt by the things WE do. We need to stop and think about the things we are doing and how they are harming not only our environment, but our bodies. We also need to realize that the effects of our actions go beyond our own communities. Our actions harm people across the world. It harms the wildlife that we are so lucky to be surrounded with.
I've already started making some changes in my own life. They may seem like just little things, but in the long run they can become much bigger changes. Since starting this class, I've switched to using reusable bags for my purchases at the grocery store and Wal-Mart. I've changed some of the lighting in my house. In my basement, I have a bunch of fluorescent lights. I am determined to not use these lights anymore. I have purchased two desk lamps with energy efficient light bulbs. I'm quickly discovering that these two lamps are not anywhere near enough light to replace my fluorescent light...but I'll figure out some other alternatives to go along with my desk lamps. I've also changed some of the ways I eat. Each time I go to the grocery store, I really think about how much processed foods I purchase. In the past few weeks, I have switched to purchasing organic milk and have purchased all natural meats from the meat department. I think the best comment I've heard out of my daughter regarding the milk was that she REALLY liked it. These are just small ways that I intend to continue doing to better the environment for myself, my children and the rest of the world.
We need to lead by example. We need to teach others why it is important to change their habits now before we completely destroy the environment we live in.
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