By: Kara Irvin and Elyse Boileau Environmental Health By: Kara Irvin and Elyse Boileau

Importance of Environmental Health Humans interact with the environment constantly. These interactions affect quality of life, years of healthy life lived, and health disparities. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines environment, as it relates to health, as “all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviors.” Environmental health consists of preventing or controlling disease, injury, and disability related to the interactions between people and their environment. Maintaining a healthy environment is central to increasing quality of life and years of healthy life.

Environmental Health and Recycling Recycling is important for the natural environment and is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the world in which we live. The amount of rubbish we create is constantly increasing and we must act as fast as the amount of waste we create. Increasing wealth means that people are buying more products and ultimately creating more waste. Increasing population means that there are more people on the planet to create waste. New packaging and technological products are being developed, much of these products contain materials that are not biodegradable. New lifestyle changes, such as eating fast food, means that we create additional waste that isn’t biodegradable.

The Benefits of Recycling Recycling is very important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by waste. Recycling reduces the need for raw materials so that the rainforests can be preserved. Huge amounts of energy are used when making products from raw materials. Recycling requires much less energy and therefore helps to preserve natural resources. Waste releases harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses. Recycling reduces the pollution. Habitat destruction and global warming are some the affects caused by deforestation. The Benefits of Recycling

Recycling Facts Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a T.V. for 3 hours. Using recycled aluminum beverage cans to produce new cans allows the aluminum can industry to make up to 20 times more cans using the same amount of energy Recycling 1 plastic bottle saves 100 to 1000 years in the landfill. For every1 ton of plastic that is recycled we save the equivalent of 2 people’s energy use for 1 year, the amount of water used by 1 person in 2 month’s time and almost 2000 pounds of oil.

Start Today! Taking just a moment to put your newspaper, soda can and glass spaghetti jar in the recycling bin will save everyone years in environmental harm from production of new materials, over crowded landfills and the depletion of our natural resources. Earn money: Many scrap yards pay for scrap metal including the soda cans and soup cans we use every day. Many useful items can be made from our everyday trash. Ex. the cardboard tubes left over from paper towel and toilet paper can make useful storage containers for our extra extension cords and prevents a tangled mess in the Christmas lights. The possibilities are endless! If you haven’t already, start recycling today and be sure to spread the word.

Resources http://www.environment-green.com/ http://healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobje ctives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=12 http://www.recycling- guide.org.uk/importance.html http://www.actionrecyclingcenter.com/rec ycling_facts_0.html