Environmental Health Discussion
Discussion:
Use the following link to read an article about Environmental Health within our local community (Pasadena): www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/PublicHealth (Links to an external site.)
After looking at the website, answer the following questions:
1. What is environmental health?
The World Health Organization (“WHO”) defines environment, as it relates to health, as “…all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviors.” (http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en/) (Links to an external site.) Environmental health is the prevention or minimization of disease, injury and disability as it relates to the relationship between people and their environment.
2. Why is it important for us to be aware of the importance of Environmental Health?
Preserving a healthy environment is vital to increasing quality of life and the number of healthy years one may live. According to HealthyPeople.gov nearly 25 percent of all deaths and the total disease burden are attributed to environmental factors. Such environmental factors include:
3. What can you do to enhance your local environment to ensure a longer and healthier life?
I work very hard at reusing, reducing and recycling at my home and office. But I know there are times that it is easier to take a shortcut. If anyone is looking for some great ideas, I found a pdf entitled 100 Ways you can improve the environment: You can find the pdf at the following url: http://www.wright.edu/sustainability/assets/100-ways.pdf (Links to an external site.)
The following is a personal list of ways I plan to improve my local environment:
When we started this discussion, I was really thinking about conserving water, recycling, reusing shopping bags, reducing trash. But, once the discussion got moving, I learned so much from my classmates. In fact, I thought about things I would have never thought about. For example, how often do you see someone wash their hands in the restroom, grab a paper towel to open the door? I know I see it every day at work, but have you thought about how often a menu is touched before you touch it, how often is it cleaned? I started to examine how I physically handle everything from my cell phone to the door handle at home. It could be overwhelming but the good thing is that I also know that if I wash my hands often the risk of becoming sick are less risky. But it is important to contribute to the reduce, reuse and recycle theory so that you leave less of an environmental thumb print on the earth. It's everyone's job to protect the world we live in.
Use the following link to read an article about Environmental Health within our local community (Pasadena): www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/PublicHealth (Links to an external site.)
After looking at the website, answer the following questions:
- What is environmental health?
- Why is it important for us to be aware of the importance of Environmental Health?
- What can you do to enhance your local environment to ensure a longer and healthier life? (Try to think of at least 3-5 concrete things.) Include these in your initial discussion post as goals to try over the rest of the week.
1. What is environmental health?
The World Health Organization (“WHO”) defines environment, as it relates to health, as “…all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviors.” (http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en/) (Links to an external site.) Environmental health is the prevention or minimization of disease, injury and disability as it relates to the relationship between people and their environment.
2. Why is it important for us to be aware of the importance of Environmental Health?
Preserving a healthy environment is vital to increasing quality of life and the number of healthy years one may live. According to HealthyPeople.gov nearly 25 percent of all deaths and the total disease burden are attributed to environmental factors. Such environmental factors include:
- Exposure to hazardous substances in the air, water, soil, and food
- Natural and technological disasters
- Physical hazards
- Nutritional deficiencies
3. What can you do to enhance your local environment to ensure a longer and healthier life?
I work very hard at reusing, reducing and recycling at my home and office. But I know there are times that it is easier to take a shortcut. If anyone is looking for some great ideas, I found a pdf entitled 100 Ways you can improve the environment: You can find the pdf at the following url: http://www.wright.edu/sustainability/assets/100-ways.pdf (Links to an external site.)
The following is a personal list of ways I plan to improve my local environment:
- I try to use alternatives to household cleaning items that do not contain hazardous materials. However, there are a few items I can still replace with environmentally safe products.
- Use discarded paper for scrap paper, my office definitely has a large amount of discarded paper that we can used for other purposes.
- Purchase rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently (i.e., TV/MP3 player remotes).
- Compost vegetable scrap
When we started this discussion, I was really thinking about conserving water, recycling, reusing shopping bags, reducing trash. But, once the discussion got moving, I learned so much from my classmates. In fact, I thought about things I would have never thought about. For example, how often do you see someone wash their hands in the restroom, grab a paper towel to open the door? I know I see it every day at work, but have you thought about how often a menu is touched before you touch it, how often is it cleaned? I started to examine how I physically handle everything from my cell phone to the door handle at home. It could be overwhelming but the good thing is that I also know that if I wash my hands often the risk of becoming sick are less risky. But it is important to contribute to the reduce, reuse and recycle theory so that you leave less of an environmental thumb print on the earth. It's everyone's job to protect the world we live in.