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Sometimes, the sheer enormity of the problems in the world can make you feel that your efforts to help out are a bit trifling.  How can small changes on an individual level possibly make a dent?  Michael Pollan, journalist, author, and localvore, takes this mindset to task in a recent article that argues that little steps, individual actions and yes, even changing your light bulbs, really can save the world.  Pollan maintains that one of the “most powerful things an individual can do” is plant a garden.  He admits that it sounds pretty trivial, but says that it’s actually the key to “reduce your carbon footprint, sure, but more important, to reduce your sense of dependence and dividedness: to change the cheap-energy mind.”

I can vouch for this: container gardening changed the entire way I look at food, food production and my part in the whole system.  It didn’t happen overnight of course.  Just like my tomato plants, my concept of gardening took a while to flower.  I started out small – just a few herbs, like basil, parsley and cilantro.  I felt like an abject failure for a while because my coriander plants yielded nothing but a few spindly stems and then promptly bolted in about a month.  Why did my plant look nothing like the lavish bunches of cilantro I see at the grocery store?  It was maddening. Undeterred, I went bigger and gave lettuce, onions, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers a go. 

Little by little, my “separateness” from the food I eat became smaller.  I witnessed the entire process – seed to plant to flower to food to table – right there in front of me. Embarrassingly enough, until I actually grew veggies, I didn’t realize how different they actually look compared to the more processed versions available in stores.  I had a vague idea of how peppers come to fruition, but now, I get to check in on the whole process as I leave my apartment each morning for work.  And I still can’t quite believe how much lettuce six small plants can produce.  “I don’t think we have to buy any lettuce until October,” Chris, my significant other, said to me last week, almost giddily.   

 I recently went to a free container gardening workshop put on by a Portland organization called Growing Gardens.  There, I learned how to fertilize the soil, what times of the year are best to plant different veggies, and just how much food one can yield from very small spaces.  During the workshop, the teacher mentioned that a local restaurant called Rocket grows the majority of their veggies on the roof of their space using a range of containers, including kiddie pools.  That absolutely threw me for a loop.  If a container garden system can provide a restaurant with enough food to feed hundreds of stomachs each week, then surely I can feed my two-person household with some dirt, a few planters, and a little bit of know-how.

While I’m not quite at the level where I can forgo trips to the grocery store, I envision a summer when all the veggies I eat come from my backyard.  Container gardening definitely increased my sense of self-sufficiency and, at the same time, my concept of integration with the natural rhythms of life.  None of this is groundbreaking, and it certainly won’t be responsible for saving the world.  I can tell you though that my little corner of the world is different.  There are thousands of container gardens just like mine dotting the city of Portland and millions across the country.  All of those gardeners’ little corners of the world are better for it.  Pollan says, “The Big Problem is nothing more or less than the sum total of countless little everyday choices.”  Like a virus, or just a really good pop song, making better “little everyday choices” can stick with you and spread, transforming “The Big Problem” into a “Large But Not Intimidating Issue That Can Be Fixed.”

According to the CDC, for the years 1999-2002, about 45% of the population was taking at least one prescription drug. According to recent news reports, all of us may be partaking in these drugs whether we have a prescription or not. When we take a drug, some of it gets absorbed by our bodies and another part of it gets excreted and that is why antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones can be found in our water supply.

What does this mean to those of us who need to drink water to survive? Ultimately, we don’t know. Being an informed citizen is a great place to start. We can’t begin working on a solution if we don’t know what the problem is and our elected officials need to know we are concerned. The Environmental Working Group has an in-depth report on drinking water (among other excellent resources) where you can check out what’s in your local drinking water and what you can do about it.

Where to start if you want to show your concern? Contact your elected representatives! Let them know you have read about pharmaceuticals in our water supply and want to know what they are doing to protect public health.

Every voice matters
When we combine our efforts we can make change happen!

By Chip Halverson, M.Ed., ND2

Lately in the news you often hear or read about Indoor Air/Environmental Quality. You may see it abbreviated IEQ or IAQ. I prefer the former, as it is more inclusive of the many issues facing building occupants. The EPA has determined human exposure to pollutants is 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, more contaminated then outside air. Health experts extol the dangers of mold and toxic chemicals and the media often headlines the closure of “sick buildings or school”. You may wonder if this issue is really new in our nations schools and homes. Do these media stories describe new issues or an old problem? Is it really toxic mold and chemicals or just poor ventilation?

For over a decade I have been involved primarily as teacher, coach, union leader, activist, parent, administrator, lobbyist and now as a student working with schools both regionally and nationally in an attempt to educate all stakeholders on the importance of a healthy indoor environment. The past two years I have served on NCNM’s safety committee as the student government Safety Liaison. Not surprisingly my 4th grade son is the student rep for his schools Pesticide Free Playground.

For some time much of my energy was devoted to working with local school districts and teacher unions. In the early years much of our focus centered on what I now call, “the things we could see and smell” like mold and chemicals. Over the years I discovered the latter are certainly important, but often the main culprit was often unrecognized for a variety of reasons, as result, I have shifted much of my focus on educating people on “the things we can’t see or smell”, but nevertheless are just as concerning.

One important area of IEQ work often neglected is particulates because we often can’t see them and if we do they have become accepted or marginalized as just “common household” dust. Of course particulates vary, as do potential health problems. Of course all of this is dependent on the health of who is occupying the building or room. For example pollen or dander can create havoc on someone with allergies or asthma, but for many people they simply have no reaction on first contact. Mold is everywhere and for the most part benign, however even small amounts of mold can become problematic.

One particulate that is gaining attention and has become ubiquitous in school environments and in buildings with false ceilings is glass fiber particulates. The source of these glass fibers is often found in ceiling tiles or above the false ceiling in the form of insulation often used for attenuation of sound in the ductwork. I encourage you to become more familiar with the issues of glass fiber as you preview the many IEQ issues in the resources below.

Particulates/Glass Fiber Resources

Below are must-reads for schools with IEQ problems and/or districts considering new construction or remodeling projects. The information will not only make for healthier school environments but also will likely save thousands of tax dollars along with countless hours in the event of a problem. The IEQ culprit is often related to particulates and you will be able to go straight to solving the problem, instead of needless guessing in an attempt to figure out what to do first.

1. A highly recommended resource on particulates, specifically glass fiber is Russ Crutcher’s paper titled “Glass Fiber and Health Complaints”. You can print a free copy from his webpage by clicking on his publication link. You will also find many other useful pieces of information on IEQ issues relating to particulates, testing, analysis, etc. He references many other great resources in his paper, including the reference entitled “Toxicology of Nasal Irritants” by Dennis Shusterman, MD, MPH. This paper provides a full spectrum of irritant-related upper airway health effects.
2. The Fiberglass Information Network provides useful information about the issues with glass fiber particulates. Click on News and scroll to the bottom for links and to read about the research Allen Hedges, PhD. from Cornell University has done relating to glass fiber contamination and health issues. This is not a new IEQ issue, Hedges and colleagues have been researching and publishing on the issues of glass fiber for decades. This site is a great resource to help you understand the potential health effects of glass fiber, including issues involving glass fiber ceiling tiles and attenuating HVAC systems with fiberglass.
3. This site has additional information on particulates, including glass fiber.

Chip’s Top 6 sites for more information on IEQ

1. The EPA connects you to great resources on a variety of IEQ issues
2. IEQ resources from the National Education Association
3. Learn more about the national IEQ movement in schools
4. Learn more about issues with particulates, including testing and prevention
5. Learn more about Alan Hedge, PhD, research on glass fiber
6. Get a copy of the 3-Step School IAQ Program and free subscription to the IAQ in Northwest Schools Newsletter

You can check out the IEQ trivia question to give you a little more history of the issue!
Question: What year and who made these IEQ statements about schools?

“The effect of ventilation upon health of students is a subject of universal interest to parents and educators, and at present is receiving the marked attention of school authorities.”

“I visited several of the rooms, and found the air in all, offensive to smell, the odor being such as one would imagine old boots, dirty clothes, and perspiration would make if boiled down together.”

“Thorough ventilation has been neglected by many school officials on account of the increased expense it causes.”

“It is necessary for the proper ventilation of our school rooms that an adequate supply of fresh air should be admitted, which should be warmed before being admitted to the room, and which should be discharged as contaminated, after its expiration.”

“The ventilators ought to be arranged on the opposite sides of the rooms, in order to insure a current, and an abundant supply of air.”

Answer: Over 100 years ago by R.V. Pierce, M.D. a former member of the U.S. Congress

When’s the last time you checked your air filter? It might be time for a little spring cleaning!

“There is much more to our health than bad habits, health care or genes. What matters most are the social conditions that make us sick in the first place. Social factors we don’t usually associate with health—good jobs, affordable housing, a clean environment, sick leave, and a quality education—are just as important for health as efforts to get people to eat right, exercise more and stop smoking.”*

More and more research is showing the presence of health disparities in the American medical system. Epidemiologists, sociologists, biologists, doctors and health workers are looking past the immediate physical causes of disease morbidity and mortality, to the deeper underlying social determinants of health, such as our neighborhoods, our jobs, and even the historical context. The movement towards understanding the dynamics of inequality in health is growing locally and nationally.

In June 2007, the Multnomah County Health Department launched the Health Equity Initiative; a county-wide effort focusing on health inequities, headed by Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Health Department. This initiative is in collaboration with local organizations to support policy change and monitor results. Currently, the Health Equity Initiative is encouraging community dialogue about the root causes of health disparities and long-term solutions. Beginning in March 2008, a PBS documentary Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick will explore how inequalities in housing, health, jobs, and education—combined with a lack of power and control over one’s life—can translate into bad health and even death. Multnomah County will be one of many communities across the country to feature this documentary in a series of public screenings and dialogues. An upcoming screening event at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) on May 15, 2008 will initiate collaboration between NCNM and the Multnomah County Health Equity Initiative.

The Unnatural Causes documentary series provides an in depth view of health inequalities, shedding light on mounting evidence that demonstrates how work, wealth, neighborhood conditions and lack of access to power and resources can actually affect humans physically. The series also provides examples of how communities are organizing to gain control over their destinies and their health.

For a schedule of community dialogues in Multnomah County click here.

For local PBS broadcast schedules by state click here

Ensuring that you are consuming safe and nutritious food goes way beyond what is listed on the nutrition label. How food is grown, its quality, and freshness is just as important (if not more) than the carbohydrate, fat, and protein content in food. As a registered dietitian, I am often frustrated by how many medical professionals overlook these key elements to health. It is about time that we start offering fresh, nutritious and organic foods in health care institutions, including hospitals, because these organizations are supposed to support our health and encourage healing.

I am very excited to hear that hospital food directors across the country are starting to incorporate “green” food purchasing in their food service operations. One food service director at Swedish Covenant Hospital on Chicago’s North Side, Maria Simmons, is running an almost 100 percent organic and local kitchen. The Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, member of Health care Without Harm, is working to improve food offering in hospitals through out the nation by getting food service directors to buy local organic produce, rBGH-free milk and antibiotic-free meat products. They are also working to get hospitals to offer farmers’ markets on hospital grounds. Kaiser Permanente, a non-profit hospital system, is now sponsoring over 23 farmers markets through out Oregon, California, Washington, and Hawaii. I suggest you check out the websites listed above to see how you can impact what food is being offered at your local hospital.