Environmental Health Class Blog

I think the blog experience was very unique. I had never done anything similar, and overall I would say that it was an effective method in engaging everyone in the topic at hand. Some discussions were more exciting than others, but that may have to do with varying personal interest in the topic being discussed. The fact that the blog groups were small made it more intimate and thus easier to express more about the readings. Overall, a good experience!

I think the most troubling aspect of climate change is the rising water levels due to the ice caps melting as a result of increasing temperatures. This is would have a huge ecological effect since the environment of many living beings living near a coast or at really low altitudes could be affected including humans. In cities like San Francisco, where a big portion of the land mass lies lower than 6 feet above sea level, even the slightest rise in sea levels becomes a threat. Visualizing such a scenario would be helpful for someone who's never heard about climate change to understand it. Clearly explaining the dangers that climate change poses will guarantee the person's concern about this very real danger.

After watching the zero waste life video, I looked around me and found that indeed most of the things that I own are in some way or another either made of or packaged in plastic. It was incredible to see the amount of trash that Lauren Singer produced over 3 years. As I’m writing this, I’m drinking coffee out of a disposable paper cup, eating a salad out of a disposable plastic container, using a plastic fork and napkins, all of which will inevitably end in the trash. In about 10 minutes I have produced as much waste as Lauren has produced in 3 years! It seems like Lauren made life-changing decision and it definitely impacted her life significantly. Making this life change would take a lot of effort on my part and I am definitely motivated to start making small changes and gradually move towards a less wasteful lifestyle.