I attended Winona LaDuke’s talk this past week! She started her talk by introducing herself and then going on to explain how and when America was actually great, then moving into how we can fix the world to make us great again. She wanted to start with saying this to get us to think about moving away from a fossil fuel economy. LaDuke then explained that there were two paths that we could have taken, the well-worn scorched path, or the not well-worn green path. We chose the scorched path which has lead us to extractive ownership, addiction, fracking, and “catastrophes of biblical proportions,” meaning climate change. LaDuke then went on a few tangents and said we should summon up our courage, be coherent, and “go do cool stuff.” She ended her talk by discussing the green path, which is also known as the Green New Deal and the Sitting Bull Plan. The main point she concluded with was that we need to leave the carbon in the ground. We need to steer away from fossil fuels and move towards solar and wind power. We should also start growing hemp, which is what she does. LaDuke is currently building a fiber hemp mill on her reservation and she urged all of us to do more research on the production of hemp and using that instead of cotton and plastic as it is better for the environment and our health.

Winona LaDuke’s talk mostly related to the discussions we had about environmental racism. In her talk she made sure to continually mention the hardships that Native Americans are having to go through between high rates of addiction, oil pipelines, and police brutality. The reservations are continuously being targeted by oil companies to run pipelines through because neighboring towns don’t want them. LaDuke also talked about how the rights of the corporations were being put before the rights of citizens. The government wants to protect the oil companies and not the traditions and cultures of the people who were here before us. So, not only is this an environmental problem, it’s also an ethical problem.

From her talk I learned about so many new things. I learned that LaDuke has a plan for our post carbon economy because we can’t keep saying no if we don’t have an alternative plan in place to back us up. She has a plan to implement an electric rail system, first on her reservation then for the whole country. In Europe and South American countries, they mainly use rail systems, not cars. If we can convert to this type of transportation we can reduce carbon emissions! I also learned a lot about all the uses of fiber hemp, which is something she is very proud of and is trying to spread the word about. LaDuke even went as far as to say that the antidote to a fossil fuel economy is hemp. LaDuke also managed to get me motivated to go out and make changes! Throughout her talk she kept telling us to “go do cool stuff” and that’s how we’re gonna change the world. I’m definitely going to try to do more cool stuff 🙂

“The Challenge of Preparing for the Unexpected with Public Health Emergencies”

The speaker, Stephen Redd, is the director of Public Health service and implementation science and the director for the center for preparedness and response at the centers for disease control and prevention. The CDC organization is a federal agency that supports health promotion and also deals with prevention and preparedness in the US. In Dr. Redd’s speech he explores the types of emergencies happening and what is driving them. When he focused on emergencies he talked about specific incidence he has dealt with. The first case study was for a pandemic of influenza. He was assigned to study and observe any correlation between cases in California and Mexico, which lead to other cases in different states near the west coast. Because the US health systems were better prepared and equipped to this viral infection,  the cases in Mexico were far more severe than any others. The second case study discussed was for the Ebola outbreak in 2014. The originated areas that were impacted the most by this virus were regions of central and east Africa such as, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Dr. Redd spoke of the Ebola cases in Dallas, Texas. The indecisive study information brought fear to the US because our advanced health system could not defeat and protect ill patients due to our lack of knowledge and preparation. They had dealt with Ebola in the regions of Africa but did not prepare for when it came to the US, doctors did not have the correct information to properly diagnose it. CDC’s method process after was to screen airports, revise PPE guidance reassessed, update monitoring and movement guidance released, and asses and prepare the healthcare system. This plan was put in place shortly after the cases appeared and now no one has contracted Ebola in the US since. The driving factors of emergencies Dr. Redd discussed were population growth, international border crossing, exposure from domesticated animals, and technology. All of these factors are rising and bringing harm to the people of the US. Although we always try to be prepared for emergencies, It is important that our country work with health systems in other countries, our workforce be prepared, acknowledge current outbreaks worldwide, and greater communication to the public during emergencies. Dr. Redd says that communication is everything and the key for our country to be able to take on all future emergencies.

This relates to our class due to many different factors. Emergencies could happen because of natural disasters, chemical or radiological accidents, etc. all of which are environmentally based. Although, it was not really talked about much in the presentation it is a very common emergency.  When natural disasters or chemical spills happen it can dramatically hurt not only the environment but the people in the region, which results in an emergency. It could also relate back to the triple bottom line model. When emergencies happen every part of the model is affected rather it is from social due to people getting sick or hurt and then it therefore effects the economic section because people are not able to keep an economy going while people are in an emergency. And lastly, the environment will also be affected directly because of emergencies like a natural disaster.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it before, “Litter Trashes Everyone”. This is the slogan used by the well known organization, Palmetto Pride. Palmetto Pride is a state-wide effort in South Carolina that aims to create a zero-waste and trashless life for all its residents and visitors. Palmetto Pride has been fighting the litter issue in South Carolina for over 20 years, and works closely with other organizations in South Carolina, such as the Department of Transportation, to get all citizens in South Carolina to fight the litter problem.

One of the biggest initiatives that Palmetto Pride encourages is the Adopt-A-Highway program. This program allows groups, individuals, and schools the opportunity to “adopt” a stretch of main road or highway to clean up. Many of these cleanups take place on weekend mornings, or for schools, immediately after the last bell, to allow as much daylight as possible to clean up the roads. Adopt-A-Highway in South Carolina has cleaned up more than 60 million pounds of litter across major roads and highways, from the 843 to the 864! As a student in high school, I participated in at least five Adopt-A-Highway events. In college, I have only participated in two or three. I highly encourage every person to volunteer for this event at least once in his or her life! It is amazing to see what trash that one person can collect. The most I’ve ever filled by myself was 3 bags – and that was in just about 2 hours! Imagine if volunteers could spend all day, or even just half a day, on the roadways. South Carolina would be ~sparkling clean~ in just one weekend!!

Some fun, and unfortunately, a few not-so-fun, facts I learned from the Palmetto Pride booth at the Southeastern Wildlife Expo were the following: there are over 51 billion pieces of litter on American roadways each year, which approximates to more than 6700 pieces of litter per mile. Yes, you read that right! There are more pieces of litter in each mile than there are FEET in a mile! Secondly, Palmetto Pride’s Prideway program has reduced litter on South Carolina roads by 66%. TWO THIRDS! This is a phenomenal amount over 20 years. Could you imagine how the roads and natural areas would look if the Prideway program had never been created? Our national parks and highways in South Carolina would not be as beautiful and preserved as they currently are. Lastly, and most disappointingly, many of the things that we use on a daily basis are not biodegradable. For instance, cigarette butts (see picture below) are definitely not biodegradable. This might be the most dangerous, because as litter, cigarette butts seem appealing to animals in the environment and get eaten by animals. This puts animals and humans both at risk. Also, tobacco and nicotine are nasty and not good for your body, so smoking cigarettes or cigars is really not a good idea to begin with. Other daily-use items that are not biodegradable include, but are not limited to: plastic grocery bags (“Walmart bags”), styrofoam cups, plastic bottles, and the nylon that is in most of our clothes. I encourage everyone to take a step back and cut as many of these items out of their lives as possible. Use reusable grocery bags at the store, a Yeti cup might not be a bad investment, and try to shop for clothes that use recycled material!

We can all see that litter is a problem, and we all have the ability to fix it. Aside from using reusable, safely sourced items, each person can take just a few steps in their daily lives to cut down the litter and clean up the country. Remember the principles we were all taught in elementary school: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!!! Take the extra two steps to the blue recycling bin on campus, create a recycling bin for your household, and make sure you check what you’re tossing in the trash. Also, make sure to volunteer and clean up whatever litter you can, and do it as often as possible!

For my first blog of the semester, I chose to attend a guest lecture on January 28^th titled, “The Challenge of Preparing for the Unexpected with Public Health Emergencies”. I thought that attending this event would be good for me, because I am a public health major, and am interested in absorbing as much information as I can from different aspects and experiences from people. This lecture was given by Dr. Stephen Redd, he holds important titles within the Department of Health and Human Services. He is the Deputy Director for the Public Health Service and Implementation Science. Dr. Redd is also the Director for the Center for Preparedness and Response at the CDC. He is in charge of primarily making sure the public is prepared for any hazards, by having adequate information regarding the issues that come up “unexpectedly”, as well as being ready to respond with resources efficiently. Dr. Redd discussed multiple topics that are of interest to me, those being the H1N1 and Ebola epidemics, and vaccinations.

Throughout the years, Dr. Redd has held his current positions during the time that the United States has been the most vulnerable. He showed us things that were implemented during the Ebola outbreak. Dr. Redd and his staff used John Snow’s idea of spot mapping to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus after it was brought into the United States from Africa. Anyone that posed a threat had been given a pre-paid phone, so that if need be they could easily be tracked. In regards to vaccinations, Dr. Redd mentioned the importance of getting vaccines at the recommended time. If most of the population receives vaccines, then a herd immunity is developed. A herd immunity is important in a community, because there are some people who have negative beliefs on vaccines, whether that be health outcomes, cultural beliefs, or for many other reasons. With most of the population getting vaccines, it makes diseases that are coming about, less likely to affect you.

This event relates back to our class, mostly because of the impact that human populations have on the environment. Just like any topic, a growing population comes with pros and cons. Some pros of a growing population include: a better economy, bigger working class, and more development. Some cons of a growing population include: increased class stratification, which leads to increased poverty, which leads to more diseases. A growing population also means that there is competition for limited resources. Due to class stratification, those that are lower class, oftentimes lack adequate resources, to get the required health implementations like vaccines or even a basic visit to a general doctor.

I was excited to go to this event, because my step-dad who continues to work for NYC Swat team and the Emergency Service Unit, also gets chosen frequently to help with FEMA efforts where needed, after natural disasters. I found the lecture fascinating, because I got to learn about preparedness efforts from a different perspective that I am not used to.

On Monday, January 28, I attended a Biology Department seminar presented by Dr. Qamar Schuyler titled “Marine Life and Governance in the Plasticene Era.” Dr. Schuyler presented her research topic on sea turtles and plastics, which she conducted in Moreton Bay, Australia. She sifted through sea turtle guts and found that of the test animals, turtles were 33% and birds were the 67% that ingested plastics. The lethality of plastics was also part of the scientific question. The scientists compared turtles that died of plastics to non-plastics, they looked at turtle necropsies, and came up with the conclusion that if turtles eat one plastic, there is a 22% chance that it will cause fatality.

Dr. Schuyler’s proposal for a solution is through government. Currently the plastic pipeline consists of production-use-litter/disposal-transport-ocean. In each of these “knobs,” restrictive measures can be implanted in order for plastic to have less of an environmental impact. One interesting hinderance was the mold mushroom packaging design at the beginning step (production). Her other research also focused on the governance side and measuring the effectiveness of litter/disposal legislations in Australia. They surveyed 40 local councils and asked about their infrastructure, policies, and education/outreach which is how they took their measurements of effectiveness. They found that coast lines had less debris when: greater than 8% of the annual budget was on waste management, the budget specifies the coast debris management, and that waste facilities and education are implemented. One existing legislation that I did not know about is the Container Deposit legislation. This law has been used by Australia and only a small portion of America. This container deposit law greatly reduces the amount of debris because customers are being refunded for returning the container to its owner.

I am particularly interested in this topic of marine plastics and legislation because this is the particular field I possibly want to work in one day. I aspire to help reduce marine plastic pollution in the Philippines and reform the mentality of waste because I know that the country has a grotesque and wicked pollution problem. In this lecture, Dr. Schuyler informed me of the harms of plastics not only to organisms and the environment but even paradoxically to humans themselves through the fish market. Moreover, I also think that more government allocations towards water and waste management would be significantly beneficial for the environment. Lastly, I think that the container-deposit legislation should be enforced in all states because it gives people an incentive for living a more sustainable lifestyle. People can be taught the value of items so that they cherish them and attempt to reduce their consumption overall.

Dr. Schuyler’s seminar reminded me of the terms systems thinking and consumption discussed in class. The plastic pipeline that she discussed is a system within itself and unlike renewable resources, it follows a linear pattern. First, plastic is made by converting natural products from oil, gas, or coal. Next, it is made available to humans and used by them once in large amounts. Then, the plastic becomes waste and is disposed of (sometimes as litter). Finally, if plastic does not end up in land fills, it is then transported to the ocean by natural causes. Each “knob” is also a point of intervention that can be applied with the right tool. For instance, cleanup groups are a point of intervention at the transport knob when plastic ends up in beaches/streets. Over-consumption is one of the underlying causes of plastic pollution. Within capitalism, consumption is an integral part of society and cannot be helped. Often times, the material design of these consumed items is in fact, plastics because it is so cheap. The human mindset of constantly consuming things without realizing its ecological consequences is common and should be altered in order to reduce plastic pollution. Manufacturers should be turning to a more sustainable design for their package and use. Overall, Dr. Schuyler’s lecture on plastics and marine life was excellent and gave me a really good insight into plastic pollution research.