Thanksgiving Break

I live in New York City so I did a lot of observing when i went home thanks to some of the knowledge that i gained from this class. Entering the city I noticed how much more pollution there can be. There was way more traffic there with automobiles, motorcycles etc. Usually when I drive around in Albany i dont see half as much cars as i do as in the city. Since the 1970s pollution has decreased by 54%, which i feel is a great improvement. The Environmental Protection Agency plays a major role in saving the environment. They helped with the decrease and the stop of many environmental hazards such as Lead, Mercury, Asbestos, PCB'S and DDT's. Standards have been set ever since. I feel that going home and observing my surroundings that we are really trying to make a change. The whole go green movement seems to be in effect. Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle I see it on many garbage cans at home. I also notice the pollution how bad the train station smells especially when the trains roll into the station the smell is really bad i have to turn away. I also took notice as to how important garbage workers are. Martin Luther King said 40 years ago that "of all forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare, is the most shocking and inhumane" He made the point that garbage workers are just as important to us as a physician is, if the garbage worker does not do his job diseases would increase tremendously. So all labor is dignity.

On thanksgiving my mother cooked alot of food chicken, ham, ribs, goat, crabs and as i was eating i couldnt really complete my meal it was delicious but I just did not want to eat it all. I was speaking to a friend about how much weight she lost and asked her how she did it. She said she began eating organic foods. She began doing research and noticed how healthy it was. We had an in depth conversation about food and how we both were going to change how we eat. Seeing her weight loss and how she feels great to be making a change motivated me a little more to try and do the same. So since our converstations ive been eating more fruits, salads, and trying to start with organic foods. To see someone in my age group actually make a change motivated me and i think if alot of people my age started eating organically it would probably be the new in thing. People follow trends so if eating healthier and organically is the new in thing people will follow its all about spreading the knowledge of what you know.

Textbook: Introduction to Public Health, 2nd Ed., Mary-jane Schneider, Jones adn Barlett Publishers, 2006