Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President

Barack Obama - Democratic
Contact Information: The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Congresspersons

State Representative
Thomas Huntley - DFL
Contact Information: 585 State Office Building

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
Phone: (651) 296-2228

State Senator
Yvonne Prettner - DFL

Contact Information: 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room G-9
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
Phone: (651) 296-4188

U.S. Representative
James L. Oberstar - DFL
Contact Information: 231 Federal Building
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 727-7474

U.S. Senator
Amy Klobuchar - Democratic
Contact Information: 302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3244

Governor, State Legislators

Governor
Tim Pawlenty - Republican
Contact Information: 130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651) 296-3391
E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

St. Louis County Board

1st District
Commissioner

Dennis Fink, Board Chair


Contact Information: Room 208
100 N. 5th Avenue West

Duluth, MN 55802

Phone: (218) 726-2458

Email: finkd@co.st-louis.mn.us

2nd District Commissioner
Steve O'Neil
Contact Information: Room 208 100 N. 5th Ave. W
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 726-2359

City Mayor
Don Ness - DFL
Contact Information: Mayor's Office, Room 402 411 W 1st St

Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 730-5230
E-mail: dness@duluthmn.gov

Sign

Made with My Cool Signs.Net

Share and Voice: Green Vacations

So with spring break right around the corner I was curious to see if there were any good ideas out there to be more "green" when we on vacation. I found some really good ideas:

• Use Public Transportation: trains, buses, subways are good ways to save money gas
  
• Pack Light: don't bring more luggage than you need it adds weight to whatever transportation
• Book an Eco-Friendly Hotel: if you have the choice, try to stay at a place where they care about the environment too by using recycled materials and conserve more energy
• Shoot Digital Shots:rather than using a disposable camera, you'll get better pictures anyway!
  
• Rent a Smart Car: If you have to rent a car, rent a hybrid or a compact car
  
• Conserve In-Room Energy: turn the lights and air/heat off when you leave your hotel room
  
• Don't Generate Unnecessary Laundry: do you really need a new towel or your sheets changed everyday?
  
• Consume Locally: try to eat meals that were made right in the area you are visiting instead of eating foods that have traveled thousands of miles
  

Hope this helps you be more green on your vacations!

Reflection: Weeks 7&8

Another two weeks have come and gone! These past two weeks in Environmental Health have been very interesting and informative.  During week 7 we watched a documentary called GREEN which was made by graduate student Laura Dunn.  This film was about the landfills in Louisiana. The stories that were told in this film broke my heart.  Some people lived on top of landfills that had been covered up and they were getting poisoned by the toxins coming up through the ground. This sounds like a story that we would hear happening in a different country, not in the US! 

During week 8 we watched half of another film  called Thirst and had a day of discussion which was a little out of the ordinary and cool to hear everyone's thoughts. We talked about water privatization which is when a group or someone "owns" the water in a specific section. I have never heard of this before and it doesn't sound right at all. Nobody owns the water... it's all of ours! This got me thinking, you know how when talking about the United States or whenever something really tragic happens in our country everyone always says united we stand divided we fall? Well, these films about companies owning water and seeds and filing law suites against honest hard working people trying to make a living makes me sick.  Were not united, it's everyone for themselves. Most people with money and power are just trying to make more money and get more power, they don't care about anyone or anything else. I feel like the only time people will realize that we need to take care of each other and our earth is when it's too late.  Anyway, enough venting, I learned a lot in this class over the past two weeks and I'm excited to not have school for a week! Hope you all have a fun and safe break!!

Share and Voice: Earth Day

I saw a commercial advertising Earth Day and it got me thinking about what Earth Day actually is and what the history is behind it. Earth Day is a day set aside for people all over the world to put all of our busy schedules to the side and appreciate the world we live in and what the earth provides for us. It all started in 1969 during a conference in Washington, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment. On April 22, 1970 the first Earth Day ever was celebrated. Over 2o million people participated on the first Earth Day and now more than 500 million people in 175 different countries celebrate on April 22. Senator Nelson chose this week in April because he wanted to maximize participation on college campuses. He picked this week because it did not conflict with spring breaks or religious holidays, but it was late enough to have decent weather. If you click on the Earth Day link above it will take you to the Earth Day site. This site has a lot of cool things like links to their current campaigns to improve our earth, another ecological footprint quiz, online store, and a countdown til the next Earth Day which is April 22, 2009! If you are interested in anything else about Earth Day you can check out any of these links:

• Earth Day


• Earth Day and Government


• Earth Day Crafts and Games

National Earth Day Symbol

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

For my product I choose my contact lens cleaner. Opti Free Express Lasting Comfort No Rub, Multi Purpose Disinfecting Solution. It scored a 2 which i thought was pretty good but when I started reading on I realized even though it is only a 2 its still harmful. The ingredients in my product are linked to Cancer and Developmental/reproductive toxicity. What? Why didn't I know this? Also the company who makes this product did not sign the compact for safe cosmetics which would mean that the ingredients they use in their products are not harmful or carry any health risks to consumers. Skin Deep's website also had a ? next to the "conducts testing on animals" I am shocked that companies may still test their products on animals...that is HORRIBLE! Another thing I noticed was the website said that 62% of contact lens cleaners have lower health concerns. Finally some good news! I found a better solution called Pure Eyes that scored a 0 and has no health concerns and its cheaper than what I was paying for my old solution!! I am definitely buying Pure Eyes from now on! This was a shocking eye opener for me, I am going to check out some other products I use and see if there are some better alternatives!