Reflection: Weeks 8-14

The second half of this semester went by so fast! I feel that the first half of the semester we learned more information and content and the second half was spent applying that information and being hands on.

Advocacy Project
I have never been very political and always thought of politics in terms of the big issues. I had never written to a politician and stopped my advocacy after voting for my representatives. I am glad we spaced this project out to take time to really understand what we were doing, dig into the issue, look up the facts, think about who it affects, and then write the letter. It was a way of summing up what we have learned. I enjoyed the Thomas website because it is a way of finding out what is going on in our country and issues that affect us. My project was on water quality of the Great Lakes which is where our drinking water comes from. I definitely want it to be kept clean!

Photo Essay
I enjoyed this project because it made me open my eyes to things I hadn't been paying attention to. I didn't realize how green UMD is and the steps the university is taking when building new buildings. I also am glad we learned about the ethics involved in taking photographs to save me from any trouble in the future.

Goodwill 
I loved going to Goodwill! I had no idea about how involved they are with bettering the community and offering jobs to people who may not be able to get them otherwise. I am glad they provide them additional training that will benefit them in the future. I was very impressed with the mattress machine and all the recycling they do with cardboard boxes, blankets, and stuffed animals!

Junk Project
This was my favorite part of the class. I liked being able to save something from the garbage and turning it into something I use on a daily basis. The best part is that the mirror I used to make the chalkboard was only $0.99 at Goodwill!




I have learned so much in this course that I am currently and will continue to use in the future!

Share & Voice: Local Products

I have to apologize for the poor picture quality, it was taken on my cell phone. This is a picture of a poster in a local bar that says "Buy American, Locally Owned, Grain Belt Premium Will Change the World... I Don't Know How but it Will!"

I've seen this poster countless times in the past but never really thought anything of it. Even the poster says it doesn't know how buying Grain Belt will change the world. After this class I've been introduced to the idea of buying locally. I knew it was important but never really understood how it effects us. It also is a way of voting with our dollar. I don't recall what movie it was but it showed a clip of the grocery store that offers locally grown products, you just have to look a little harder. I want to take the extra time to look to benefit our community. 

I did a little search on local food and came across the Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.  It is a group that supports farmers, families, restaurants, and grocery stores. You can donate to them and they support local farmers who then sell their products to the community. It even offers contact information of the farmers who have products to offer year round. It is based out of MA so they don't have information about our area, but what a great idea! I wonder how many farmers we could get involved.. 

Advocacy Project: Letter to Elected Official

December 12, 2011

Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann
House of Representatives
103 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515

VOTE YES ON H.R. 425: GREAT LAKES WATER PROTECTION ACT

I am writing to you as a health educator and concerned citizen of one of hundreds of Great Lakes communities. I believe that we are currently not doing enough to keep our water sources clean. The Great Lakes Water Protection Act will improve the care and quality given to the waters that flow into the Great Lakes.

This act will improve the Federal Water Pollution act, more commonly known of as the Clean Water Act. There are currently requirements for water treatment but publicly owned treatment centers are not required to to treat all waters that flow into the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes is a vast source of drinking water with 33 million people drinking from it on a daily basis. The lakes contain 21% of the world's fresh water. Although the earth is mainly covered by water, the amount that drinkable is about 1%. We need to pass this act in order to to keep the health of our citizens safe.

Some may say that it will cost too much too treat the water before it goes into the lake. We need to consider the cost of the medical implications if this bill is not passed. Diseases spread quickly when passed through water. It is a preventative measure that will end up saving us money in the future.

I appreciate the initiative you took when voting to protect clean water when you voted yes on H.R. 2018, Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011. I hope you realize how the quality of the Great Lakes affects the health of your voters and vote "yes" to H.R. 425: Great Lakes Water Protection Act.If you have any questions I can be contacted at 123-456-789 or healthstudent@advocacy.com. Thank you for your time.

MS

Share & Voice: Chalkboard

I wanted to share my a project I just completed with you! When we were at goodwill I came across an old mirror that was really dingy so it was no longer usable as a mirror, but it had a beautiful metal frame around it. Ok.. it wasn't beautiful.. it was originally gold but someone had painted over it with white paint. The paint had started peeling but the actual frame was very pretty. I got the idea for this off of pinterest.  You need to check this website out if you haven't!

I started by borrowing some of my roommates art supplies. Green Martha Stewart chalkboard paint, and some teal spray paint.

The mirror came out of the frame just like a picture would come out of a picture frame. I braved the freezing cold to spray paint the frame blue and then painted the mirror with the green chalk board paint. 

Let them dry overnight, and volia! I now have a fancy NEW to me chalkboard. We hung it in our entry hallway so we can leave notes for eachother. My roommates love it! 

Advocacy Project: Fact Sheet

What is the issue?

• The Great Lakes are at risk of an increase in pollution
• Currently, not all streams that flow into the lakes are being treated

What are the effects of pollution in the Great Lakes?

• Many of us drink water from the Great Lakes which is very dangerous if it is polluted
• We can come in contact with more harmful bacteria and viruses
• Recreational activities in the Great Lakes is at risk and harmful if the water is not monitored

This type of pollution is called Source Water Pollution.

•  Every day, 2 million tons of sewage and industrial and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s water
• The St. Louis River has already been declared an area of concern by the EPA
• This is the largest tributary to Lake Superior
• 9 out of the 14 beneficial uses of the tributaries are impaired

What can you do?

• Vote YES for H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Acthttp://epa.gov/greatlakes/aoc/stlouis.html

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

I was thinking for a few days what I wanted to do my photo essay on and realized how much UMD has done within the last 4 years that I have been a student here to become more sustainable. I've heard that the business school as well as the new engineering building have been built with sustainability in mind but I wanted to focus on the little changes in the rest of the school that are making a big difference!

On the second floor of Bohannon the women's restroom has some simple reminders to students about conserving water and energy. There was a map on Lake Superior with the caption "Every drop counts." This was placed right about the sink as a reminder to not waste water while washing hands. It is helpful to get your hands wet and then turn the sink off as you lather, and then turn the water back on to rinse off.

There was also a sticker over the light switch suggesting that people turn the light off when they leave the bathroom. When I came in the light was off which I of course noticed right away. I think this is great! It is a smaller bathroom with only three stalls so it is not used very often. Such an easy and effective way to save energy.

I also noticed that the soap in the bathroom is Green Seal Certified. I find it interesting that this soap is not used in all of the bathrooms at UMD. I wonder how expensive it is compared to the other soap the school purchases

All around campus there are new trash and recycling containers. Some of them are for cans, paper, bottles, and my favorite is the trash can outside. The trash can uses solar energy to reduce garbage pickups by 80%. It wasn't until I noticed that tidbit that I started thinking about the tons of garbage that UMD must produce! I think it would be great to start a composting site in Bagley Nature Center.

When I was home I was surprised to find that the local small town bar was also becoming more sustainable! They have installed toilets that use less water while flushing and included instructions on the stall door on how to properly use them!

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Currently there is the Federal Water Pollution Act (also know as the Clean Water Act, bill number 33) which does set requirements for water treatment but it has not covered all the bases. The Great Lakes Water Protection Act takes it one step further and demands that publicly owned treatment works don't intentionally bypass any streams that need water treatment before they flow into the Great Lakes. The water treatment centers may not want the extra work that comes along with treating additional streams, but with the passing of this bill all streams would be accounted for .

Because we live in the Great Lakes region we are the ones who are most affected by this. Most of our drinking water comes from the Great Lakes. It already is at risk of pollution because of how accessible it is, but why would we want to allow water treatment centers to skip over streams that need cleaning. If we ignore this problem we will not have safe drinking water unless we spend much more money on the treatment of the water once it is already in the lake. If this bill is not passed the water treatment centers will benefit from not having to spend the additional money on treatment.

Others in surrounding areas are also affected by this because many people use the Great Lakes for drinking water!

The money that we spend in taxes go towards the community budget which is in control of the treatment of water. Purdue University explains that when you receive your water bill, if the company gives water to more than 10,000 people, there will be a report of the water quality included. This is helpful because many of us so blindly take things as good without question if it comes from the government. The report also tells where the water comes from!
If the companies were to not treat all the water that goes into our lakes, they would be able to save time and money. They would surely benefit from this but it would harm all of us that drink and enjoy the water of the Great Lakes.

Cities that are located on the Great Lakes benefit greatly from the location. Duluth, Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee all pride themselves on being located on the lake. They are often used for recreation like swimming, fishing, and boating. If the streams were not treated correctly, all of these social benefits would not be enjoyable.

The biggest barrier to passing this act is money. The city may have to raise taxes in order for the treatment centers to have enough money to treat the streams that they may have been avoiding previously. It is hard to come up with money when so many people are in debt. It may be possible however that there would be less money needed to treat the water after it had been in the lake so some of the budget could be shifted around.

Community members will need to play a large part in getting this bill passed. It is important to educate others on where our drinking water comes from and the large effects it has on our health. It is also important to write to our representatives so that they know how we feel about the issue and that it is important to us.

I think that people that are for water quality will want to support this cause. Also, women with young children will see the safety issues with their children drinking poor quality water.

I would try to find a way to keep taxes the same but have enough funding to ensure that all streams that flow into the Great Lakes have been properly treated. This will hopefully come from money that is already in the budget for water quality, but it will be done in a more efficient way.

I want policy makers to vote Yes on this bill. I want to be able to know that what I am drinking is safe water, and will continue to be safe for years to come!

Share & Voice: Environmental News Network

The Environmental News Network offers a bunch of top stories in America on the environment and how it affects our body.  It is not run by the government which is something that comes in handy when trying to look at things from a different point of view.

One of the articles I read was Saving the Environment One Spoon at a Time. A spoon has been developed that   only takes 3-5 weeks to biodegrade. We've talked a lot about bags while shopping, but I hadn't given much thought to how many plastic utensils are used especially with how much our country relies on fast food. The spoons have a similar texture as a milk carton so they aren't all that sturdy. Hopefully they can improve them a bit so that it is easier to eat!

One thing I really like about this website is that in the article they offer a lot of links. This makes it very easy to understand what you are reading because you can look up anything you need more information about!

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act (Introduced in House)

Title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a deadline for restricting sewage dumping into the Great Lakes and to fund programs and activities for improving wastewater discharges into the Great Lakes.
Short Title: Great Lakes Water Protection Act

Sponsor: Rep Dold, Robert J. [IL-10] (introduced 1/25/2011)
Cosponsor: Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 1/25/2011

Latest Major Action: 1/26/2011 Referred to House subcommittee.
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Recommendation: Vote YES for H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act

My Political Representative: Congressman Michele Bachmann

Share & Voice: Water Bottle Solar Lights

I've attached a youtube video that I hope you can take the time to watch! It is in another language but there are subtitles and it is so worth your time!

This Youtube video is about a village in the Phillipines where there houses are so close together that there is no space for windows. Because of the lack of windows the houses were in complete darkness except for those who could afford a bit of electricty. 

Solar Demi can up with the idea to upcycle plastic water and pop bottles. He fills them with water and a bit of bleach, and then attaches them to the roof of the houses through a hole. The body of the bottle hangs into the house and when the sun hits the top of the bottle the whole thing lights up which is enough light for their small houses!

After seeing the negative impact that plastic water bottles have on us and our environment it was nice to see a way people are using what once was garbage in a way that has changed their lives.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

I am going to share with you some of my political representatives. This is important for knowing who to talk to about making changes

President: Barack Obama, Democrat
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111

Congresswoman:Amy Klobuchar,U.S. Senate/Democrat
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3244

 

Congressman:Al Franken, U.S. Senate/Democrat 
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20500
202-224-5641 

Congressman: Thomas Huntley, U.S. House of Representatives/Democrat
351 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-2228 

Governor: Mark Dayton, Democrat
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

State Legislator: Mary Murphy, Democrat
343 State Office Building
100 Rec. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
 St. Paul, MN 55155

Reflection: Weeks 1-7

I have really been enjoying taking this course. I have learned so many things already and we are only half way done.

Week 1-2: These weeks were overwhelming because of all of information about the blog. We have a large class which made it difficult to get everyone's problems solved all at once. I feel much more familiar with blogger now and do not run into the problems that I used to.

Weeks 3-4: This was when I really started enjoying the course. I chose to read "Last Child in the Woods" for my read n seed and learned many things about how the next generation is being negatively impacted by their lack of interaction with the environment. I loved the outdoor activities we did. They were great ice breakers and we also applied the simple activities to real life issues and discussed how we solved them.

Weeks 5-7: I have always known that we have problems with food and that it is genetically modified but it wasn't until we watched "Future of Food" that I really started understanding the big issue and how it is negatively affecting our farmers. Also, we need to stop being so worried about the convenience of our food. "Fresh" pointed out how we don't take responsibility for where and how our food is produced. We can't simply buy things blindly off of the super market shelves. Watching "Green" was especially eye opening. I have heard of Cancer Alley before but had no idea how serious this problem is. The rate of childhood cancer is startling and it is scary that they are doing such minor improvements to supposedly make the are more safe.

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Some terms about junking defined:

An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features.

• Sellers Auction in Duluth auctions many antiques. Their next auction is November 5th at 4:30. They are located at 2103 ½ W. 3rd St.

Junk is discarded material, such as glass, rags, paper, or metal, some of which may be reused in some form.

• Calvary Crushing and Recycling is a junkyard. It is located at 5197 Lavaque Road, Duluth, MN. You should be able to walk around the property and find junk.

A flea market  is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered.

• Lake Superior College has an annual flea market and car show. It takes place every August at 2101 Trinity Rd.

A thrift shop is a shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization.

• St. Michael's Used A Bit is a thrift shop in downtown Duluth at 16 N 1st Avenue West. They can be reached at (218) 722-2171.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

• I did not find any specific locations for upcycling, but if you went to the junk yard you would be able to find junk to upcycle.

A resale shop is a store that sells items for a second time.

• Dannie Duluth Consignment is located on 932 East 4th Street. They buy and sell clothes. 

These are all great ways to re-use items that would likely end up in a landfill. Also, if we re-use items it saves us from having to go out and buy new items. If there was less production of products that would be linked with less pollution.
I currently do not do many of these except for going to flea markets and consignment shops. Now that I know of the resources in our community, and the great ways to re-use items, I do plan on being more active.

After visiting Junk Market Style I found many great ideas for projects to upcycle.

This is an old record player, with the creator's favorite Johnny Cash album, attached to a frame and on display on the wall. I think its a great way to personalize and really spice up the walls. 

This was really creative! The creator took apart an old sewing machine and made jewelry with the pieces. I am showing a picture of a necklace but she also made bracelets and earrings. 

This junker found a grate which was likely used for cooking on the grill, she turned it into a magnet board. It is also handy because it has a lip on the bottom to set things on. 

Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter & Final Review of "Last Child in the Woods"

I have just finished reading the end of Last Child in the Woods. It was 316 pages in total. The last few chapters covered what Louv calls "The Fourth Frontier." This is the future of our country and what needs to be done to save our children from nature-deficit disorder.

One of the main things that needs to be done is create "play reservations." These would be safe places for children to play in the nature. They would be outdoors in nature but they would have boundaries so that there is a sense of safety. One of the reasons these need to be created is because land owners have a huge sense of fear of what could happen if a child was to get hurt on their land. Laws about this are very confusing and any legal action has been inconsistent from judge to judge. By creating the play reservations, children would have somewhere in nature to play and landowners would be safe from legal action.

Another solution that Louv listed was that houses need to be constructed with green roofs. These are the roofs that have grass on top and he wants to take it a step further to include plants that are native to the region. This would help with the wildlife to stay connected to the area as well. He calls it "re-enchanting the city," which deals with inviting the animals back to the city. It seems like a good idea but I immediately think of the deer we have in Duluth. They exist here but they do not seem happy or healthy by any means. I do not think of that as the nature we should be experiencing.

Overall, I liked this book. It was biased about the need for nature in children's lives but Louv did a good job of not targeting anyone or group of people for being completely at fault. He also offered advice of what you can do in your community to help.

The three most significant things I learned:

1. Nature would be a great additional therapy for those with ADHD.
2. Some schools are cutting recess, yet others are adding gardening in with their science courses
3. Fear of safety is the largest barrier standing between children and nature. This is somewhat because of their parents. 

I grew up spending the majority of my free time outside. We went fishing and hiking on every family vacation. It is scary to think that children in kindergarten are being diagnosed with depression which may be due to them spending so much time inside in the dark. It is clear to me that there is a correlation between not spending enough time outside and unhealthy lifestyles. We need to encourage parents to educate their children about the outdoors so that they can enjoy it just like we have in the past, and so that they live healthier lives!

I recommend this book to someone who enjoys the outdoors. It was a bit dry and would not be intended for someone who prefers spending time inside because I do not believe the information would be enough to simply change their opinion on the outdoors. It would be a great aid for those who want ideas and support for getting children outside. 

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

I have used the same mascara for the last few years. I use L'Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara. I have never had any issues with the product and use it because it does not irritate my eyes.

On EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database it earned a score of 4. This means it has a moderate health concern. I am  not alarmed because I know that are healthier alternatives as well as more dangerous options. It does make me reconsider my choice. I have sensitive skin and in the allergies and immunotoxicity area the mascara had a moderate to high warning. This makes me nervous because even though I do not notice any side effects there definitely may be some.

Read 'n' Seed 4: Third quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

For the third quarter of the book I read up to Chapter 17. It started by discussing how many experts in nature are getting older and older and younger people are not becoming interested in the field. It isn't until a species is under the threat of becoming an endangered species that many people learn about it.

This section of the book focused a lot of nature in terms of what is learned in schools. Teachers spend time discussing what is happening in the rain forest and other far away places but they rarely spend time teaching about what is surrounding their own community. One teacher from San Diego took her students on a field trip to the desert. She had assumed that her students had already explored the national parks that surrounded the school but less than half of the students actually had.

Another problem with nature only be taught as being far away is that children have a fear of it. People are often afraid of what they don't understand. The jungle and rain forest can seem scary because of all of the unknown which children sometimes apply to their own community. One mom says she tells her daughter to "pay attention" instead of "be careful." This helps children become aware instead of creating fear.

Richard Louv also offered ways to be constructive with boredom and encourage them to enjoy nature

1. A bored child needs to spend more time with a parent or other adult
2. No TV
3. Designating unstructured time

This book has been offering ideas about creating classroom gardens which I think would be beneficial for children. It also discusses taking your children fishing to get acquainted with nature. I was surprised that Louv is against hunting but was so for fishing. I personally do hunt and fish and always enjoy the time that I spend time outside with nature. 

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

I just finished reading the second quarter of Last Child in the Woods. I read up to page 159. This section started out a bit dry, which was one of the biggest warnings when I was looking at reviews before I started reading.

The first chapter I read discussed the "eighth intelligence." This is the idea that people have greater skills in certain areas of intelligence than others. People with this intelligence have great sensory skills and enjoy spending time outside and learning from nature. An idea that was brought up was that people don't only get 'delight' from being outdoors, but also 'enlightenment.' Being outside allows children to explore and learn and it is likely they learn more from failures rather than their successes. Many parents shelter their children so much from failure that they never learn from it.

Chapter 7 discussed the idea of "loose-parts" toys. When children play indoors with technology they play with it the way it is. While outside they are given a bunch of loose-parts. They can take a branch and collect others to make a fort and then take other loose-parts like leaves to make a canopy. These loose-parts encourage discovery.

The rest of this section mainly discussed ADHD. It really pushes that nature can be an added therapy to medication. Playing outside can be considered nature's Ritalin. It calms children. It is pointed out that playing outside is "widely accessible, free of side effects, non-stigmatizing, and inexpensive."

The follow chapters introduced some of the reasons why parents don't allow their children to play outside freely. The fear of abduction is extremely high while the action rate of abduction by strangers in extremely low. Parents are even making their children wear GPS bracelets that if cut off immediately signal emergency response teams to the location.

I strongly agree that being outside can help children calm down and focus. I think it is so important to let children run free in an open field and allow them to explore things for themselves and not be afraid to fail. One of the major issues that we face, I believe, is television shows that spotlight crime. We have such a fear of children being abducted, which is a real fear, but now we have been led to believe that if happens all the time. It is not as prevalent as many parents assume it is.

Eye Opener: CSPI

For the second eye opener I chose to do the Tour of the Food Supply. The website had a simplified map of a community. The hospital showed facts about how much it costs to treat cholesterol and high blood pressure. I had no idea that it costs $30 billion a year to pay for these drugs! Also, 1,000 Americans die from food-borne illnesses which amounts to $7 billion in related medical costs.

 The main cause of this is usually related to manure which affects the fruits and vegetables. Manure emits methane which has the same amount of negetive impact as the carbon dioxide released from 33 million automobiles! Livestock has even more negative effects. The crops that we use to feed the animals ruins the soil and the ground that they live on is compacted and the soil erodes.

 Another important fact was that 181 million pesticides, which is only 1/3 of the pesticides used in farming , is used on grains, hay, and the pastures. I had no idea how many pesticides were used annually.

I think that we need to have stricter laws put out by the FDA. Currently I am not very familiar with the guidelines that are out there for farmers but I feel more needs to be down. I would also like to learn more about the animal rights and whether or not there is a requirement of amount of space per animal.

Read 'n' Seed 2: First quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

I just read the first quarter of "Last Child in the Woods." I read up to chapter six which was 70 pages. I was very impressed with how Louv, the author handled the issues that were presented.

The first chapter is entitled Gifts of Nature and discusses how much nature has to offer us. It is compared to what we are offered by watching television. The main idea is that nature allows us to use all of our senses and our imagination and creativity. He also compares nature to Ritalin. I never had really thought about it, but after spending time outside I am much more relaxed even if the activity is high in energy. Louv also discusses how much less children play outside now then compared to how much their parents did. Many parents don't allow their children to simply go run in the woods without them. He calls this lack of time outside nature deficit.

 The time period that we live in now is called The Third Frontier and is discussed in chapter two. The chapter spends time discussing these four ideas:

1.   "For the young, food is from Venus, farming is from Mars."
2.   The end of biological absolutes. Are we mice or are we men? Or both?
3.   A hyperintellectualized perception of other animals.
4.   Contact with nature: so close yet so far 

 The third chapter is entitled "The Criminalization of Natural Play" and discusses how we cant explore the land in ways that we used to. A tree fort now requires a building permit. There are city laws about "injuring" wildlife and plants. Climbing a tree in a city park would be considered injuring it. Part II of the book discusses the health benefits of being outside. It compares how many children are being diagnosed with ADHD and the amount of time spent outside. I did not realize how many kindergarten students are diagnosed with depression and take medication. Louv also makes a connection with parents unwillingness to allow their children to wander outside and a lack of social skills. When I think about my childhood neighborhood, I think about how we wandered from yard to yard and park to park. If children aren't allowed to wander outside or even walk to their friends house are they missing out on social skills?

 I learned so many things while reading this first quarter. I found it very interesting that little research has been done on the subject. This is because in the fifties no one thought that things would change so there is no record of time spent outside. Also little research is being done today because of money. There really are no companies that would benefit from promoting children spend time in the woods. Therefore there is a lack of funding. One statistic that stood out to me is that "In the United States, children ages six to eleven spend about thirty hours a week looking at a TV or computer monitor." That's almost the same time as a full time job!

 I look forward to reading more about the implications of being nature deficit. The main thing is that we simply need to spend more time outside. We can play or just lay on the grass but it is very important to stimulate all of the senses! More and more children are being diagnosed with behavioral issues as well as becoming obese. These may not be cured by spending time outside, but it can certainly help! I'm having issues with Blogger currently, but will hopefully have some links and pictures available soon!

Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint

To be honest I don't think I have ever heard the term 'Ecological Footprint' before, only 'Carbon Footprint.' After reading the article Ecological Footprint I found out that the footprint is equal to the amount of land and water needed to hold the natural resources that we use. I had no idea that we use 1.4 times the amount of resources that the Earth has, meaning that we don't give the Earth enough time to recover. When I went to take the quiz I was pretty sure I knew the results would be bad. I try to be green but honestly I'm not the most environmentally friendly person. When I was taking the Ecological Footprint Quiz  I was really dreading the results because I knew I was giving "ungreen" answers. If everyone lived the same lifestyle that I do, we would need 5.5 Earths to supply the resources! My main issues were services and food.  The Carbon Footprint Calculator showed that I use 11.85 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is lower than average for the United States but is still higher than most countries. I then took the Carbon Footprint of Nations quiz and found that the U.S. 28.6 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. This is way above the world average. I knew that the United States had a large carbon footprint, but I have never seen it compared with numbers from other countries. This really is something that we need to change. I will buy more locally grown food and products with less packaging. I will also carpool more often.

Read 'n' Seed 1: Last Child in The Woods

Hey guys! I'm really excited to start reading Last Child in The Woods by Richard Louv. This book discusses how children are spending less and less time outdoors. This is called nature-deficit. The book starts by discussing the reasons that people have for spending time inside rather than outside. Two of the major reasons are that there is a lack of access to nature and that children have been taught so much about 'stranger danger.' The lack of nature is then linked to issues that our children have today, such as obesity, ADD, and depression. The book will then discuss solutions to these problems. 


I choose this book because I love spending time outdoors and think that it is very beneficial for children. This book will give insight on how to show the importance to others. I look forward to reading the ideas he has for getting people more active. 


Here are a few links for more information on the book

1. The author's website
2. A review of the book from a nature group
3. An article about nature-deficit

Last Child in The Woods has a total of 336 pages and was published in 2005. There are 16 chapters within this book and I will read 4 chapters each week. 

Good luck to everyone with their readings and behavior changes!

Welcome to Morganne's In-Tents Outdoor Adventure

Welcome to Morganne's In-Tents Outdoor Adventure!!

My name is Morganne and I am a Senior at UMD. I am double majoring in Exercise Science and Community Health Education. I love spending time outside, especially fishing and hiking. When friends come with its even better! I am a waitress and bartender at Outback Steakhouse. I live a very busy life but try to take time to relax outside. This blog will be a reflection upon my outdoor adventures. I like to go to state parks or find random trails along roads and see where they lead! 

There are 5 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Read 'n' Seed
5. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are: 

1. Jamie@PerservingtheWaysofHanaumaBaryJamieKay 
2. Ashley@Ashleysgonegreen
3. Emily@LetsGoGreenWithEmily
4. Dr.V.@Enviro-Surfing

You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile." 

Thank you for stopping by! I look forward to interacting and learning a lot from each other!