Lifestyle Change Update: Week 2

My SMART goal: I will read/watch 2 environmentally related articles/videos each week. They will be from a variety of reliable sources.
It was a little tough to remember about doing my goal, or to find the time when I could just sit down and look-up and read. But once I did, I got pretty into it, and almost excited about finding more. Next week I will probably do the same thing, except maybe a little earlier in the week. Also, I did modify my change a little - I went from 3 articles/videos down to 2. I wanted to make sure that I would meet my goal, and then if I do go beyond that.. Great!

What I learned:


This week, I started off by reading this article that I found on MSN.com.

The title is: "Cantaloup toll rises to 100 sick and 18 dead, CDC says"
I'd heard just a little bit about this subject previously, and then it was brought up in a conversation with a fellow student on Monday, so I decided to get more educated about what was happening.

The sicknesses and deaths are being caused by a listeria outbreak in contaminated cantaloupes, and has spread to 20 states - the cause of contamination is still unknown.  300,000 cases of whole fruits were recalled on September 14th, but people can become sick with listeria weeks or even months after coming in contact with it, says the article.

The thing that really struck my heartstrings: "Two of the victims in the outbreak are pregnant, and the outcome of the pregnancies is being monitored."
In the linked webpage above with the definition and information about listeria says that the elderly, pregnant women, and newborns are the most effected...

It is very scary to think that any food we buy from a store could harm us.  I know I rarely, if ever, think twice about the fresh or packaged foods I purchase - beyond the obvious warning signs.  This outbreak is a perfect example of why I am choosing this goal for my lifestyle change.  Granted, I don't eat cantaloup, but it would be very important information to know about if I did, or if someone I know had purchased it recently.


What else I learned:


My friend Ethan "liked" this video on his Facebook, and it popped up on my home feed.
How AWESOME!! Such a cool idea, so much fun, and all around the world! I was sad when I quickly realized that I'd missed the day, but went to http://moving-planet.org/ to learn more about the movement.
On the "What is 350?" page, they explain that scientists say that is the parts per million of carbon dioxide (a main greenhouse gas) we need to get to.

What I thought was possibly the coolest thing, is that this organization is working to change personal lifestyles - very important - but also working hard to make policy makers, governments etc. to change their ways and get on board also. Without those people on our side and working for change too, not much will get done, or at least not fast enough.

The whole site has a lot more information, much of which I intend to explore on a later date. I also noticed a feed of "Latest Updates", which I might be able to use for more Lifestyle Change posts!