Reflection: Weeks 8-14

In the second half of the class we began with one of the most pivotal moments for me personally in this class, and that was watching the documentary “tapped.”  Watching the documentary really had an impact on my participation on buying bottled water.  Prior to watching this documentary, I was a firm believer in drinking water out of the bottle, or plastic I should say, and very much shunned away from drinking water from the tap. After learning what really takes place in the bottle water industry, I have new found respect for the water system right in my own home and refuse to buy bottled water. Wow what an eye-opener.  Learning how to create an “about me” and a favicon was relatively easy for me at this point during the class, since we had already learned so much about the little intricate details in designing a blog earlier on in the course. It was refreshing to switch up web members and get other classmates perspectives on what they thought about the posts I made throughout the second half of class. I really enjoyed the freedom of the “Share n Voice” assignments as well. Having the liberty to talk about topics I thought were important about the environment and share it among others was also motivating.

In my opinion, the second half of this course was more encompassing especially having to participate in the advocacy project. I thought the advocacy project was great component to this course because as health educators, one of our responsibilities is to advocate for health. Having some experience in what that entails from a political aspect was very inspiring. This was an area in which I never experienced and I’m appreciative of Dr. V. incorporating this into the syllabus because it allowed for the opportunity to not only learn who are legislators are, but to also to know what steps to take if we want our voices heard concerning a policy change. During the advocacy project component of the course, we were also introduced to some very useful websites that we can refer to in our future careers for resources which I thought were very informative. Learning how to write a fact sheet and how to appropriately address a political official on a policy change was also very useful.

The photo essay was another one of my favorites. I felt so compelled by the documentary tapped; I wanted to dedicate my essay to water. It’s the foundation of life and I felt that I wanted to learn more about the controversy surrounded it so I just decided to observe three local stores and compare what I learned in the video and in class to what I witnessed in those stores. It was interesting to learn that some stores are aware of the issues concerning water and offered customers other alternatives.

My experience at Good Will was an eye-opener as well. I never knew that there was a difference between Good Will and the Salvation Army. The most memorable moment during the trip was the fact they offered jobs to people who experience barriers. I thought that was very commendable and it dictated to me that this community really cares about its citizens. Also during the trip, I came across some very nice items that I would personally decorate my house with. I have, in the past, brought items from second hand stores, but I was a little surprised by some of the decorative items that particular Good Will offered. I even ended up buying a very nice jewelry box for my daughter from there for little or nothing. It was nice to see all that goes into facility to make it what it is. The tour was very enlightening; learning how they operate the facility was educational.

The junk project for me was both challenging and fun. I had to really use my creativity to come up with something. However, I guess that was the whole point of the project. Learning not to throw things away so quickly because they may not work for the original purpose you purchased it for, doesn’t mean that you can’t use it for something else.  Helping the environment by not throwing a pair of jeans away may not seem like much to some people, but being in this class has prompted me to envision other ways to use things as opposed to just throwing them away so that they end up in some land fill, so I decided to take an old pair of jeans and repurpose them and make it into a skirt!

Overall, this class has been one of my most informative classes. I’ve learned so much and I think in some way, I’m a different person because of it. I’m more aware of what I’m buying and what I’m putting into my body. I now read labels and am always on the lookout for chemicals and pesticides I have discovered or learned about in this class.  Great class to be a part of!!!