Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Introduction:

• Lead in the drinking water of schools
• An amendment to the Clean Water Act, requiring annual testing and reports of school drinking water

Who is affected?:

• The students who attend the school, families/friends who visit the school and staff who work at the school. Also the companies employed to test the water and the school district staff who deal with the budget.
• The people who consume water contaminated with lead would win, because they would hopefully be saved from possible lead poisoning: "Lead is considered the number one health threat to children, and the effects of lead poisoning can last a lifetime. Not only does lead poisoning stunt a child’s growth, damage the nervous system, and cause learning disabilities, but it is also now linked to crime and anti-social behavior in children." (source)
• The company employed to test the water would also win, because they would be gaining business.
• The people directly effected by the school's budget might be the losers, since paying for testing could be costly. 

Consequences:

• Negative consequences for the individuals most impacted are the health problems associated with lead poisoning.  
• For the families of these individuals - if parents had a child or other family member with lead poisoning they would likely suffer emotional stress, along with medical bills.
• For society the impacts would include financial stress due to medical treatments, which might impact the overall community.  Also if it is a small community they could suffer emotional stress.

Economic Impacts:

• The school or school district would bear the cost of funding the testing.  They would also likely bear the cost of some repercussions if someone did get lead poisoning. 
• The social benefits would be healthier children and families, which would lead to happier children and families.  They wouldn't need to worry about possible poisoning.

Barriers:

• Barriers would be mostly financial.  Testing an entire school annually could get pricey, and then if they did find outlets with lead, the price of replacing them would be much more expensive.  Other barriers might be time - finding a time to bring in the testers, or do replacements if necessary.
• The school could do some sort of fundraising - if concerned families and communities would want to donate.  Also they might be able to get help from the government.  Time could be figured out easier, since they could do it after school hours on weekends most likely.  Here is say that grants are available under a statute.  

Resources:

• We would need the school community, and also the surrounding community, to come together to support the cause.  
• A local company to do testing, and also replacing if necessary
• The community could be tapped by bringing up the issue in school board meetings or parent groups.  Also by distributing fliers and pamphlets to homes.

History:

• I found a Minnesota Statute that was passed, here.
• "Minnesota Statutes 144.9501-144.9512 (also known as The Minnesota Lead Poisoning Prevention Act) were enacted to prevent and reduce lead exposure to children, up to the age of 72 months, and pregnant women from the adverse health effects caused by elevated blood lead levels."

Allies and Opponents:

• Allies would likely be the community and concerned families. 
• Opponents would probably be anyone in the school or district concerned about money or possibly legal issues if lead is found.

Policy Makers should definitely vote in agreement with annual water/outlet testing.  It will ensure the safety and optimal development of the children in the community.

Share & Voice: Last Child in the Woods

A new term was introduced to me a couple of months ago: nature-deficit disorder.
This term was coined by a man named Richard Louv.
This new "disorder" really got me curious, and I wanted to learn more. So, this morning I checked out one of Louv's books from the UMD Library: The Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.

(richardlouv.com)

I'm only on page 41 of 310, but I'm already hooked (and have a page of quotes and notes I want to remember).

The things that Louv talks about in these pages are so startling, interesting, and right in front of you. 

First, I will start with a definition:

"Nature-deficit disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, among them; diminished use of senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. This disorder can be detected in individuals, families and communities." (pg. 34)

One sentence instantly brought a scene from work to mind; one I had experienced only a couple of weeks ago.

"In 2002, another British study discovered that the average eight-year-old was better able to identify characters from the Japanese card trading game Pokemon than native species in the community where they lived: Pikachu, Metapod, and Wigglytuff were names more familiar to them than otter, beetle, and oak tree". (pg. 33)

I work at the First United Methodist church as a childcare provider. One little boy, Tommy, who is seven-years-old, brought his collection of Pokemon cards in to share and play with during a Wednesday night.  He was utterly shocked, almost appalled, that I couldn't name the Pokemon as he flashed the cards one after another.  Even then, I found it funny and crazy that he could memorize all of the names, skills and types of that huge stack of characters.  Looking back now, I wish I had a stack of my own cards... only with animals, bugs, birds and plants. 

I've barely even begun this book, but I have already been rocked by the reality of children's relationships with nature.  I would highly recommend this book: to parents, to educators, to aunts and uncles, and just to curious individuals (this disorder applies to us grown-ups too).  I am excited to keep reading and learning, and fully intend to read more of Louv's books. 

(sheknows.com)

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

I chose to focus on the healthy homes and communities section. This one had a lot of objectives and sub-objectives, since it encompasses homes and schools. It was hard to pick which one to use for this post, since they all seem important. I chose the objective of checking water outlets in schools for lead, since I hadn't ever thought of this before, but it is very important. On this page the author states that early exposure to lead can reduce IQ in young children.

Baseline: 55.7 percent percent of the Nation’s elementary, middle, and high schools inspected drinking water outlets for lead in 2006
Target: 61.3 percent
Target-Setting Method: 10 percent improvement
Data Source: School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS), CDC
More Information: here

H.AMDT.631 (A004)  -- an amendment to this bill
Sponsor: Rep. Hanabusa, Colleen W.

Amendment decription: Amendment, as modified, requires the Adminstrator of EPA to submit to Congress within one year and then annually thereafter, a report on any increase or reduction in waterborne pathogenic microorganisms(including protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and parasites), toxic chemicals, or toxic metals (such as lead and mercury) in waters regulated by a State under the provisions of H.R. 2018, and including any amendments to the bill.
Amendment purpose: An amendment numbered 4 printed in House Report 112-144 to require the Administrator of the EPA to submit to Congress within one year and then annually thereafter, a report on any increase in waterborne pathogenic microorganisms (including protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and parasites), toxic chemicals, or toxic metals (such as lead and mercury) in waters regulated by a State under the provisions of H.R. 2018, including any amendments to the bill.

Latest action: (7/13/2011 3:50pm) On agreeing to the Hanabusa amendment (A004) as modified Agreed to by voice vote.

Recommended Action: Vote yes for this amendment.

Political Representative: Congresswoman Amy Klobuchar