Final Blog!

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When I initially thought about public health, I did not immediately think about how important the environment was in determining our health outcomes. When thinking about prolonging life, disease and disability prevention, and protecting people's health, we often forget the influential of the environment on our well being. Normally, we think more along the lines of what can be medically done to improve and protect our health, how we can prevent disease and educate the public on how to not become ill or injured. In terms of the environment, we often see it as separate from us and do not realize how much of an impact that it has on our lives. Protecting the environment is not just solely about protecting nature and animals, it is also about protecting ourselves. We cannon see nature or the environment as separate from ourselves. What happens to the environment, happens to us, this class made me realize how contingent our health is on the health of the environment around us. Learning about environmental justice, becoming aware of the daily toxins I am exposed to, food safety, climate change, policy reform and the benefits of green chemistry have given me a new perspective on how important environmental health is in our lives. The awareness that this course has given me will help me in the long run to maintain not only my health, but that of my family and the clients I serve.

Overall, I did enjoy the small groups blogging. I thought it was great to share my insights with my group as well as learning about their own. It was a pretty great experience!

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 5, 2018 at 2:48 AM

    Agree completely!

    I enjoyed following your blog and felt the same way learning about the many ways in which our health and that of the environment are intertwined. I naturally assumed that our hygiene products were safe, and that harmful pesticides were being phased out, and that our food was fine to eat once washed at home. But these hazards are so insidious!

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