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.