AUB'S USF ENVIRO BLOG

For a long time, I viewed environmental health as climate change- mainly because it is frequently publicized.  There is more to it than that. I am now very mindful on the products I use around my home and the items I purchased in the store. I have even started a compost bin for my organic trash. I really enjoyed how this class described the hierarchy of the environmental health organizations and how each plays a significant role in environmental health. This class has helped me realize the impact chemicals have on health. Terms such as obeseogens, phthalates, Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), fracking, and radon I had no clue played such a roll in our everyday lives. I enjoyed looking into the local environmental health organizations and policies. I learned a lot about Sacramento area environmental health from the factory farms to the quality of the tap water. One area of environmental health I would have liked to learn more about in this class was work fo...

Sacramento is notorious for being susceptible to wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat conditions. The city of Sacramento has the  Office of Emergency Management (OEM) who specifically handles all disaster related issues.  The OEM coordinates communication, plans preparedness, responds, and plans for recovery projects in the event of a disaster. There is a subdivision named the Emergency Operations Center (OEC). The OEC is run by city personnel and first responders. They also coordinate a Crisis Action Team (CAT) to facilitate the city-wide response. There is a staff member that specifically coordinates with other jurisdictions in the case extra help is needed.  There is also an emergency alert system called the Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) that coordinates with all cell phone carriers so that people will receive an alert on their phone. In the case one cannot reach a phone, cell phone issues, etc. you can actually sign up to receive alerts via landline...

The most troubling thing I find about climate change is the current leadership in the U.S. mocks the seriousness of the issue. Our president describes it as a “hoax” and supports every industry that is contributing to it  (including oil companies, factories, and factory farms). He actually took our country out of the global climate change agreement. I find it troubling that our government allows one man to single handedly expose our entire population to such a massive environmental calamity. It is sickening to say the least. As public health professionals, we need to have more of a say on capitol hill. We need to advocate for policy changes and re-look at the limits we set in place for these companies.  Policies need to be stricter and heavily enforced by the department of justice. There needs to be checks and balances. Advocation for a zero-tolerance policy would do the nation a lot of good and reduce emissions. We can start at the state level and have our representat...

Personally, living a ZERO WASTE life would be extremely hard with my lifestyle- especially with having a child. My son contributes to messes. Lots of messes from snacks hidden in his room to wasted papers he brings home from school. We do have a recycling bin that is constantly being filled to the brim from all the packaged products we use. It is seemingly Impossible to live a ZERO WASTE life because all food comes in packaging. I can be more conscious about the stem of trash within my household; making small changes overtime. For example, I could request no plastic or paper bags from grocery stores and stores in general. I usually bring my own cloth bags anyway, but I do like to use the little bags for trash because they seemingly keep the trash levels low around the house. I could use my water filter more, so I don’t have water bottles lying about around the house or in my car. I don’t drink a lot of juice or soda so this would be easy enough. I do overuse paper plates because I am ...