Problem
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the places we live, have a direct impact (positive/negative) on the health of an individual or a community. In chapter 14, we learned about the hazards and potential hazards an unregulated environment has on the health and wellness of people all around the globe. Simple actions like using plastic products or purchasing new electronics have become normal for us as a country and society, without thinking of the impact it has on our environment.
Out of sight...out of mind is a popular saying and the purposes of this particular conversation, if we don't see the trash or atrocities done to our air, water, and soil, it doesn't bother us to think it impacts us. But it does impact someone, somewhere.
Watch the YouTube video "Pollution: a global public health crisis" and answer the following questions.
A. Overall thoughts and feelings after watching the video.
B. Were you aware of the impact we are having on the environment? If yes, how?
C. How do you feel learning that someone in a developing country might be getting sick because of our actions as a huge consumer country?
D. What actions have you personally done to have less of a pollutant footprint on our environment?
E. Provide three simple and common-sense actions or activities that are not currently in place as a policy or law that we can personally do as individuals or as a country to improve our environment? (hint: look at what other countries do that we don't do in the U.S) Example: In Mexico City, an area known for poor air quality, car owners are only allowed to drive their cars on certain days to reduce smog emissions.