EnvironAndOccupHealth

In Sacramento, there are a lot of programs and opportunities to volunteer for disaster relief.  The county's website provides a list of them including: - Medical Reserve Corps: medical professionals who support emergency response, public health and community efforts. Some tasks include staffing emergency shelters for displaced persons, providing first aid, promoting emergency preparedness - Citizen Corps: citizens that get trained in emergency response and participates in community exercises to help support first responders - Community Emergency Response Team: educates people about disaster preparedness and trains people in response skills - The Local American Red Cross Chapter

The thing I find most troubling about climate change is the vastness of it and how little time we have to stop or reverse the trends. There also seems to be a lack of urgency or denial about it from some people in power that can be negatively halting progress. It's hard to say what the biggest priority for public health professionals to focus on would be, since climate change will and has impacted so many areas of health. But I think one key area is to help build awareness and education around the consequences and solutions of it. With that though, I think as public health professionals the primary goal is to contribute to healing people in ways that most serve them. It is more of an upstream approach, but how will people care about the planet if they cannot even care for themselves? It almost feels like there is not enough time, and that it is up to the government to change things. But the government has not done enough, so more people will need to stand up and fight for the en...

I absolutely loved this module because it sums up a lot of what we've learned and puts it into action. I've become so much more aware of the waste and plastic I use just from this course, although it's been on my radar. I started using a reusable water bottle about 10 years ago, and since have done a few of the things mentioned in the Ted talk like using natural products such as vinegar for cleaning, and making some of my own products. Mainly, it came out of necessity when those available, didn't quite work for me. And although I try not to use bags at stores, it still happens. Some steps I have begun and want to take more seriously include: - using biodegradable bags for my cats' waste/and my own trash (if I can find these type of bags) - bring own reusable bags at stores and never accept plastic bags - say no to straws and plastic cups - buy in bulk more and eat less prepackaged foods