Eye Opener: Photo Essay

These are pictures of recycled or re-used items that are in our house. Some of the items are old, some are more recent. Before taking this class I have never really thought about where these items have come from. I never even knew we had some of the things I found and was surprised how many recycled or re-used items we had in our home. My mom was setting up Christmas decorations at our house this weekend so some of the items are Christmas related.

My grandpa made these two items about 10 years ago. On the right is a candle made out of part of a birch tree. Then he stapled ribbon and pine cones and pine needles on for decoration. The bigger log on the right holds two candles sticks and is decorated the same way as the small candle. This is just a simple way to make a nice looking candle or holiday decoration.

This was an old sled that was sitting in storage at our house and my mom decided to make it into a Christmas decoration for the outside of our house. She put a ribbon, wreath, and bells on it and it sits by our front door.

This is a lamp that is in our bathroom. It is made out of a glass jar and has been painted and decorated with twine. I think this is a cool use of an empty glass jar.

This is a bowl made out of recycled glass. One of my mom's students made it and gave it to her as a gift.

This cabinet was taken out of my great grandparents house and was in rough shape. We refinished it and it looks as good as new. It is currently sitting in our dining area with some other decorative type things inside.

This is a picture of some christmas decorations my mom has made in the past. On the left is a reindeer ornament made from an old christmas light and pipe cleaners. On the right, since my mom is a teacher, she made these apples out of a crushed pop can and wrote holiday messages on some.

The box that is temporarily holding up our new t.v. until we get a shelf built in our entertainment center was an old wooden fruit box that we sanded and painted and is usually used a decoration in our home.

This is the exercise room at our house. The floor is rubber matting that was torn out of the hockey arena in my hometown that was going to be thrown away. We asked if we could have some and cleaned it up and put it in our exercise room and it has worked out great!

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Problem:

Schools water and water outlets containing lead

This is an amendment to the S-875 Safe Drinking Water Act to require additional monitoring of contaminants and for other purposes.

Whom does the issue affect?

This issue affects students who attend the school and staff that work at the school the most. The school loses due to the money that would come out of the budget to test the water and outlets for contaminants. The students, staff would gain the most knowing they have safe drinking water. The community would also gain from having less health problems due to drinking water. The company that tests the water and water outlets would also gain business from this amendment.

What are the consequences of the issue?

High doses of lead can damage the nervous system, kidneys, and blood system and can even be lethal. Continuous low-level exposure causes lead to accumulate in the body and cause damage. It is particularly dangerous for babies and for small children because their bodies and brains are growing rapidly. These health issues would also cause emotional stress to families and friends. Other contaminants may also cause cancer and reproductive complications. Consequences for society include increased health issues in the community and increased health expenses.

What is the economic impact of this issue?

The economic cost would fall on the school budget would have to cover the cost for the increased monitoring of the water. Which would cut into spending for other things in the school. The economic gain would be increased health and less medical expenses for students, staff, coaches, and other people who use the school’s drinking facilities.

What is the social impact of the issue?

If this bill passes it would result in healthier and happier individuals, families, and communities. Without the worry of contaminants in their drinking water it will relieve stress. The cost of the issue would be less healthy individuals, families, and communities. More emotional stress to individuals, families, and communities due to not knowing if drinking water is safe.

What are the barriers?

The biggest barrier is the financial barrier. You would have to find money to pay for the inspections and money to replace equipment if a problem occurs whether it comes from the government or funded by the school.

Another barrier could be proving to people that this is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with. Some people may think there are better ways to spend the money.

What are the resources?

Some resources we would need are a company to test the water and water outlets. They could then present the results in a meeting open to the school or community to attend. If you held a meeting you could inform people that there is a need for this and figure out the funding for the project.

History of the issue:

Lead is rarely found in source water, but enters tap water through corrosion of plumbing materials. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. However, new homes are also at risk; even legally “lead-free” plumbing may contain up to 8 percent lead. The most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures, which can add significant amounts of lead into the water, especially hot water. With the amount of old school buildings still being used, monitoring the contaminants closely is important to ensure safe drinking water.

The first Safe Drinking Water Act was born after four years of work by Congress to develop a national program that would ensure the quality of America’s drinking water. For the first time, the 1974 act authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set standards for any contaminant in public water systems that adversely affects public health. Passing the proposed bill would further monitor drinking water contaminants to ensure safe drinking water in the schools.

Allies and Opponents:

Allies would be the students, staff, and other users of the schools. Other allies would be community members, the company or inspectors that would do the inspecting and repairs of the water system, and also parents who have children that attend the school.

Opponents could be the school, government, or the community depending on where the funding is coming from.

My recommendation:

Please vote “yes” to require additional monitoring of contaminants in schools.

References:

http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/ndwc/pdf/OT/OTw99.pdf

http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/lead/index.cfm

http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/objectiveslist.aspx?topicId=12

Share and Voice: Deer Hunting 2011

I have been deer hunting every year for the past 8 years. During my time in the woods I have seen many other animals besides deer, including: squirrels, rabbits, birds like owls, eagles, wood peckers, also foxes, porcupines, beavers, woodchucks any probably even more. This year when we walked through the woods to set up our deer stands, the trees were marked for logging. When we got home, we researched to see how much they were logging off and when it was going to take place. It was an eye opening experience to see how much of these animals habitats they were going to log off, not to mention the woods that we have hunted in for 8 years. To think of all the old trees and plants that are going to be destroyed and all the animals that are going to have to find a new home is kind of disturbing. And its all to produce paper and paper products.

For my eco-chic lifestyle project I eliminated the use of paper products such as paper plates, napkins, paper towels, and fast food containers. To see first hand how logging and the production of paper affects the environment and the things that live there was shocking. Since taking this class my awareness for the environment has increased a ton and it was interesting to experience that while taking this class. So I urge everyone to try to reduce the amount of paper products they use and think about how your decisions are affecting the environment.

Here is also an article about logging in MN that I found while writing this post: Click here

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/ THOMAS

EH-16- Increase the proportion of the Nation’s elementary, middle, and high schools that have official school policies and engage in practices that promote a healthy and safe physical school environment

EH- 16.7- Inspect drinking water outlets for lead.

Baseline: 55.7 percent percent of the Nation’s elementary, middle, and high schools inspected drinking water outlets for lead in 2006

Target: 61.3 percent

Target Setting Method: 10 percent increase

Data source: School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS), CDC

S-875: Drinking water right to know act

OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:

• A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require additional monitoring of certain contaminants, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] (introduced 5/3/2011) Cosponsors (None)

Last Major Action: NONE

Status 5/3/2011:

Referred to Senate Committee

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Recommendation: Vote: Yes to S-875: Drinking Water Right to Know Act

My Political Representative: Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken

Share and Voice: Zebra Mussels in MN Lakes

About two weeks ago, I went to my grandma and grandpa's house near Breezy Point, MN. The live on Lake Ossawinnamakee. About late October/ early November every year I help them take their docks, boats, and swimming raft out of the water for the winter. About 6 or 7 years ago we started noticing little sharp shell shaped objects attached to the docks, boats, and swimming raft. We did some research to find that these were actually an invasive specie know as zebra mussels.(The picture to the right is a cluster of zebra mussels on a native mussel)

Zebra mussels are native to Eastern Europe and Western Russia and were brought over to the Great Lakes in ballast water of freighters (used as weight to stabilize ships). Populations of zebra mussels were discovered in the Great Lakes about 1988. The spread of zebra mussels has reached the Mississippi River and are now slowly making their way into Minnesota's inland lakes. A single female Zebra Mussel can produce at a rate of 100,000-500,000 eggs per year. These eggs than develop into larvae and within two to three weeks they start attaching to docks, boats, swimming rafts, seaweed, rocks, and almost anything they can find. These Zebra Mussels also eat plankton from the lake which fish need for food to live healthy.

So to sum it up these are very troubling species that do not belong in Minnesota's inland lakes.

Each year when we take out the dock, swimming raft, and boats, the zebra mussels get thicker and thicker. The past two years I have even seen them attached in clusters to rocks in swimming areas on the lakes. With the sharpness of these species this causes the potential for them to cut swimmers. To help prevent the spread of zebra mussels, examine boat hulls, swimming platforms, docks, aquatic plants, wood and other objects along shorelines of lakes and rivers. Also do not transfer water from one lake to another by boat or any other type of container. There is a Volunteer Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program where you can report your efforts each year.

The Minnesota DNR has also been studies done on this lake and a video with more information can be found by clicking here.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President:

Barack Obama Democrat
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Governor:
Mark Dayton Democrat
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: 651-201-3400

Congresspersons:

Amy Klobuchar US Senate, Democrat
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3244

Al Franken US Senate, Democrat
Duluth Office:
515 W 1st St
Suite 104
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 722-2390

Chip Cravaak US House, Republican
Duluth Office: Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building and United States Courthouse
515 West First Street, Room 235
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 740-7803

State Legislators:

(HOUSE)

Kelby Woodard (R)

539 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-7065 or 800-920-5887

Michael Beard (R)

417 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-8872

(SENATE)

Al DeKruif (R)

75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room G-24
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
651.296.1279

Julianne E. Ortman (R)

75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room 120
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
651.296.4837

Mayor of New Prague:

Chuck Nickolay

(952) 758-7737
cnickolay@ci.new-prague.mn.us

Reflection: Week 1-7

Reflection:

Weeks 1-2: I didn't really know what to expect coming into this class. I had little knowledge about blogging and how to create my own blog. This class makes blogging very easy and goes slow enough for me to catch on without any problems. The first two weeks were pretty laid back, we just set up our blog and watched a 60 Minutes video on Rewriting the Sciences. This video talked about the how the government has been hiding science that has information regarding global warming.

Weeks 3-4: These two weeks we learned more about blogging and different features. We also got web groups of people's blogs we had to read and comment on. I also created my eco-chic lifestyle change activity where I created a SMART goal. My goal was to use less paper products, such as paper plates, cups, napkins, and eat fast food only once a week. I really enjoyed this change and found that making one small easy change leads to making more small changes. Like I started washing my dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher. We also did a few fun outdoor activities with a jump rope and a meditation type of activity.

Weeks 5-7: We watched "Future of Food". This was a great video that showed how genetically modified foods affect farmers and the food we eat. We also watched "Fresh". This video showed where our food was coming from and how animals were being treated. So we need to keep in mind where the food at the supermarket is coming from and how it is processed. All the videos we watched have really got me thinking about where the food and drinks I am consuming are coming from. So far I have enjoyed and learned something from every video we have watched in class.

Overall, this class has been very enjoyable between the blogging, videos, class room discussion, and now we just got introduced to junking so I am looking forward to that the next few weeks!