Environmental Health - MPH632 Fall 2018

Navigating the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH) website was a bit difficult but focused my attention on the Earthquakes section. Living in the Bay Area, the one thing that comes to mind in disaster preparedness is Earthquake readiness. I remember the big 1989 earthquake so well, I was only 5, and remember waking up in cold sweats because I was so afraid of another one. Since then, I have a built-in fear of earthquakes, I have anxiety about them. According to the NCDMPH website " More than one million earthquakes occur every year worldwide, and the health effects caused by them are unique and are complicated by the potential damages caused to the health infrastructure." Luckily my father was really good about being prepared and picked up on some of his tips. This website has helped me understand earthquakes better, and provides knowledge not only on health impacts but the psychosocial impacts as well. I was also able to locate local resou...

The one thing I find most troubling about climate change is that almost everything we as human beings do in our daily lives is contributing to the increased temperature of our atmosphere.  As a public health professional I think that the issue of livestock emitted greenhouse gases should be addressed and made more aware of publicly. Most people do not know that the raising of chickens, cows and other livestock contribute to a majority of released methane in the atmosphere.  If my grandmother was still alive I would tell her how over the years that due to the increased amounts of air pollution and releasing of gases into the environment our earths temperature is changing. The environment is getting warmer and all living organisms are finding it more and more difficult to live with these changes in climate. 

Living a zero waste lifestyle has many environmental benefits. I would love to transition to using less waste, but do not think I can completely commit to being zero waste. I will work on a scale, slowly making my way to the zero waste side of the spectrum. Right now I use a stainless steal bottle for water, but sometimes forget it. I have been using recyclable bags and leave them in my car for trips to the store or market. Somethings to work on would be to use just glass containers. I am going to start to collect and save my current inventory of glassed goods. That way I have more containers to use instead of plastic. I already shop second hand, but when it comes to shoes, that is just weird for me. I do not think I can completely get rid of packaged items, but I can "reduce" the amount I purchase. I think that in order for more people to become zero waste Education, implementation and resources all need to be available for the general public. I love that Lauren Sin...