Under the skills for behavior change list on page 347 on the book, there are tons of easy ways that we can all implement into our everyday lives to do our part in saving the planet. One tip that is listed is to “use reusable mugs, plates, napkins, and silverware rather than disposable products”(Donatelle, 2019, p.347). This is something that I find so easy to do that benefits the planet by reducing the amount of micro-plastics in our environment and also saving you money. By buying reusable products, you won’t be spending money on disposable products that need to be continuously bought. Many people may already be using reusable plates, mugs and silverware in their daily lives, but something not everyone is reusing would be water bottles ,straws, and napkins. I do my best to use reusable water bottles, but sometimes I will buy a plastic water bottle at the store if I don’t have my bottle on me. Reusable straws are something that is extremely cost effective if you use straws often and it is so beneficial to the environment. I use reusable straws often, but one thing I do not often re-use is napkins. This chapter in the book has made me realize that I should get some reusable napkins, so I am not wasting so much paper, because I do use a lot of paper towels in a day.
Another reason to use reusable products is to reduce the pollution in our waters. We have to each do our part to take care of the environment or we will face the consequences of it. “The United Nations estimates that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas, increasing competition for scarce reserves and posing major risk to global food supplies, energy supplies, and the survival of all living things”(Donatelle, 2019, p.340). It is worrisome that the U.N. predicts this to happen so soon. Everyone always wants to say that we are not going to have to deal with the consequences because it’ll happen so far down the line that our kids won’t even be alive by then. This is just not true and it is a poor excuse to use because there are things that we can do to help prevent it, but not many people will.
Environmental health is something that we all need to pay more attention to because some of the simplest lifestyle changes could make a huge impact on our planet. The book goes into some detail about how much has changed in our planet in the past few decades and there has been a lot. The ice caps are melting, winters are getting warmer and summer is getting longer, while so many animal populations have gone down in size dramatically. “We have lost 58 percent of the world’s mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles in the past 40 years”(Donatelle, 2019, p.331). Over half of the worlds animals are dead and there are still so many people that won’t change their ways because it doesn’t immediately and directly effect them personally. It is our responsibility to correct the wrong that our ancestors have done to this planet or else things will get much worse.
This week has been good in regards to my health aspect and staying on a workout routine. I have gone for either a run or a hike almost every day this week and have been staying relatively consistent on my strength building exercises. Food on the other hand is still a big issue that I have been working through. Quarantine makes it hard to consistently eat healthy meals throughout the day because I do not want to go to any stores and it is so easy to make meals around carbs. I have been trying to be more mindful about my eating habits and plan to work on them until I feel good about what I am eating. This class has helped me be more mindful of my health over this semester. Although I did not reach my goal weight through the semester, I am not going to stop working towards it even though the semester is over and I hope everyone else continues to work on their own health as well.
Aryana's Blog 