Environmental Health and Wellness
The
Environmental Health and Wellness course is the 2nd of three “core” courses of
the Neighborhood Environmental College. For the purposes of this course,
environmental health is defined broadly as physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual wellbeing, as affected by conditions in the natural, built, cultural,
socioeconomic, and other dimensions of the world in which we live. Environmental
injustice is broadly defined as unequal, discriminatory distribution of “goods”
(e.g., clean air, water, soil, food, access to green spaces) and “bads”
(chemical contamination of air, water, soil, food) associated with the natural
environment.
Each class session engages
facilitators and participants in an exchange of information about
different topics relevant to environmental health and justice. For
the spring 2008 class, the major topics are:
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Indoor/outdoor air hazards
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Household chemicals
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Benefits of exercise and health
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Healthy food choices
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Environmental stress and health
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Animal hazards/emergency
preparedness
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Community health trends and
effects
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Healthy cooking
For each session, facilitator/presenters
provide research and related material and engage participants in about
a variety of topics according to their expertise. Each session
addresses the following questions for each topic: How is the
environmental topic defined? What are problems or concerns? What kinds
of chemical contamination issues are associated with the
problem/concern? What is the history of that problem/concern in the
Alton Park/Piney Woods (AP/PW) neighborhood, and why is it a current
concern for AP/PW residents? What health effects are associated with
the concern? What resources are available for participants to learn
more on their own? What are some concrete actions participants can
take, on their own or with others, to reduce the problem/concern?
Finally, the overall goal of this course
is to expand participants’ understanding about environmental health
and justice in AP/PW, with a focus on chemical contaminants, so that
they can use that knowledge to improve environmental health and
justice in AP/PW.
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Class
One: Outdoor Air Hazards
Class Two:
Indoor Air Hazards
Class Three:
Chemicals at Home
Class Four:
Exercise and Health
Class Five:
Healthy Food Choices
Class Six: Environmental
Stress and Your Health
Class Seven: Animal
Hazards/Emergency
Class Eight:
Health Trends/Effects
Class Nine:
Healthy Cooking Demonstration
Class
Ten: Course Evaluations
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