Introduction Bees, they’re everywhere, or at least that’s what they appeared to be in years past. However, has anyone really stopped and observed how many bees are actually being seen during the spring time when they are expected to be most present? Has this changed from year to year? Differences in the weather have definitely… Read more »
Month: May 2021
Can Your Dietary Habits Make an Impact?
Background Conversations surrounding the implications of industrial livestock farming are being had, but many of us don’t understand how or why this industry is so harmful to our environment. In the U.S there is an immense demand for animal products, like meat, dairy, eggs, etc. This immense demand is met through factory farming or CAFOs… Read more »
Big Mac Attacks on Health and Environment: Are there enough broccolis and greens to save Indiana Counties?
Background: Fast-food establishments have significantly negative impacts on both human health and the environment. Areas with densely populated fast-food restaurants and limited access to fresh and healthy food have been shown to have populations with lower life expectancy rates. In addition to the impacts on human health, fast-food establishments negatively affect the environment through… Read more »
Food Scarcity in Bloomington: The Final Chapter
The Final Chapter Bailee Whitley INTRO As of formulating and brainstorming for this final post, the world yet again is beginning to change shape and color. In mid-February our days were short, cold and gray- snow flurries and ice permeated the air and as a country we had just begun vaccinating those who were most… Read more »
Air Quality and its Respiratory Outcomes
Background and Introduction: Air pollution releases pollutants which is a mixture of gases and solid particles in the air that are detrimental to human’s overall health. These particles are usually caused by human activities and ambient air pollution which are environmental issues that affect human health overall (Saxon et al. 2005). According to the NIH,… Read more »
The Association Between Green Space and Physical Activity On Mental Health
Background Mental well-being encompasses facets of sybaritic well-being and is a critical component of health and quality of life. It is characterized as more than just the absence of mental illness, and it is linked to a variety of positive health outcomes. Mental health benefits individuals social, cognitive, and emotional growth, as well as self-esteem and… Read more »
A Brief Survey of the Individual’s relationship with Food Waste
Background There are critical issues with food waste that we must deal with as a society, but rarely find it discussed in length in most mainstream media. According to the WWF’s “Living Planet Report,” nearly one-third of all food in the world is wasted, and this waste occurs in all sectors of the food supply… Read more »
Is Your Furry Friend Beneficial to Your Health?
Background Dating back to 32,000 years ago, the process of domestication of dogs began in Eurasia from grey wolves and about 10,000 years ago in the Near East domestication of cats began (Amiot, 2016). In the United States, over half of the population owns a dog and/or a cat. Specifically, it has been found that… Read more »
Is What You Eat Hurting You and the Environment?
Background The world’s food system and food we consume make up about 30 percent of all the greenhouse gases on Earth(Daley, 2019). The common U.S. diet ultimately impacts the environment in ways we don’t think of. The impact of our food consumption produces the drastic climate change we have observed in recent years. People who… Read more »
Presence of Nature on Mental Health
HISTORY OF NATURE AND HEALTH The first recognition and discovery that plants influence human health dates back to 2000 BC. In 500 BC, Mesopotamian and Persian gardens were built and designed specifically to please “all the human senses” (Scott 1147). In the middle ages, Monastic gardens, as seen in Figure 1, were designed as a… Read more »