Have you ever though about how vital water is to life? It’s in every plant, animal, person and living organism known to man. I’m sure at some point in  your life you’ve been told to drink eight, 8 oz glasses of water daily in order to stay hydrated. That would be because we as adults are roughly composed of 55-60% of water. According to Robert Krulwich, a new born baby is 75% water and we “dry” as we age. We as humans almost mirror our very own planet. According to the U.S. Geological Science’s Water Science School, 71% of our earth’s surface is covered by water. It is all around us, inside of us and even in the ait we breathe though we cannot see it. If there is such an abundant source of water in the world we live in, why are we facing the possible golbal threat of whether or not we’ll have enough drinking water for our future generations? I think it is unacceptable for us as humans to even have to ask ourselves that question. However, it’s important that we bring it up because it sparks a chain reaction of following questions such as “What is happening to our water?” and more importantly “What can we do to make an improvement?”

Knowing how crucial water is to all life, one would think that it would be respected and used sparingly. However this hasn’t been the case. I want to acknowledge one component in particular that very much aids in our water consumption. Agriculture plays an enormous part in our consumption of water not only in the U.S. but the world as a whole. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), an approximate 80% of the nation’s water use is from agriculture. It even shoots above 90% in some of the Western states. Nature.com says that of all the water on earth, only 3% is freshwater. Another source, wwf.panda.org, then says that agriculture alone takes up an approximate 70% of our plant’s freshwater. Some may think that 30% is a sufficient amount but the problem with that is the world population is increasing and will continue to for decades.According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the projected world population for the year 2050 is 9.7 billion people. Will 30% be enough when there are almost 3 billion more people on the planet? But why is so much water needed for this? Well there’s irrigation, the watering of the seemingly endless multitudes of crops. The animals need water as well. Think about how much water is used daily just to satisfy their needs. This is what is happening to our water. At the rate that the world is going, something needs to change so that water is being distributed more properly.

What can we do in order to make a change? One thing to do would be to eat less meat. I’m no vegetarian but I must say that as a nation we eat a lot of meat. According to sustainabledevelopment.un.org, we eat more meat than almost every other nation in the world. Agriculture is only expanding, meaning that natural forest are being destroyed fro the purpose of raising livestock. Again, with the population growing the demand for meat will only get higher meaning more agriculture, etc. We see how this domino effect is certainly a detrimental one. What we can do is eat smaller portions of meat, allowing more acres of land to become crops planted for us, rather than become feed for the animals we intend to eat. It can certainly be difficult to eat less meat but something has to change. A decrease in the demand of meat could certainly make a positive change in the world.

Image from globalfoodpolitics.wordpress.com

If we want to make a change for our world, ourselves and the future generation we will need to take action. Our water is being depleted and distributed improperly and it is imperative that we make an effort ensure that there is more freshwater available for the human population. We clearly see what is going on because its happening right in front of our eyes. It just takes looking at it from a different view to really understand the depth of what’s occurring. If we can muster up the effort to bring some change into our lifestyles and maybe start with eating less meat, we can without doubt have a positive impact on our planet.

What it Takes to Make One Hamburger

Image from npr.org

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http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html

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Have you ever come across coconut oil while in your local grocery store? If so then what was your initial thought? Maybe just how expensive it is! But why is it so high in price? Well we know that healthier food is always more costly so that alone could be saying something. When looking at other frying oils such as vegetable, corn, canola, etc. we see how much cheaper they are when compared to coconut oil. Simply by looking at price difference we can already assume a difference in quality of the product. We do the same thing with everything we buy, whether it be clothing, furniture, automobiles, etc. However, people (myself included) have chosen these unhealthier options with the idea of saving some money. Is it worth it in the long run? Or should we start investing in coconut oil from now on?

Why is it beneficial for one’s health to cook with coconut oil? Well we must begin with a brief overview of cooking oil’s basic health properties. Oils are high in fat content. Though fats are sometimes considered unhealthy, they are still essential for the diet and should be consumed in the proper amounts. The fats that are the healthiest to consume are the unsaturated fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. According to Kathleen M. Zelman, these fats have the potential to lower cholesterol as well as lessen the chances of heart disease. As for the types of fats that are considered less healthy, we have saturated fats and trans fatty acids. These fats instead increase cholesterol levels as well as heighten the chances of heart disease. According to Colleen Doyle, evidence has been presented supporting the claim that overconsumption of saturated fats could even aid in the chances of colon or prostate cancer. After reading this comparison you would probably be thinking that coconut oil is an unsaturated fat. You would be wrong! What’s so special about coconut oil is that even with it being a saturated fat it has incredible health properties. One of my sources (here) claims that research has been done showing that not all saturated fats can be held to the same standard. It goes on to explain how coconut has very high amounts of lauric acid (saturated fatty acid). This fatty acid does increase cholesterol, however it is the healthier cholesterol that you want to be on the higher end. Another one of my sources (here) claims that cooking with coconut oil helps with indigestion. It is the saturated fats that helps ease the indigestion cause by parasites, bacteria and fungi. Coconut oil is also said to aid in weight loss.

We see how cooking with coconut oil can be a beneficial practice, however coconut oil is not just a kitchen item. We are able to use coconut oil not only on our skin but in our hair as well. Coconut oil is an amazing moisturizer that will leave your hair and skin in great shape. It contains antioxidants that help slower the deterioration of elasticity in the skin. It also combats the symptoms of skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. It’s an all around moisturizer because you can apply it to any part of your body, even your lips and face!

When it comes to keeping your hair healthy and strong, coconut oil will certainly assist with that goal. Coconut oil gives our hair the necessary proteins to prevent damage such as breakage. It also aids in protein retention. Coconut oil also has the ability to treat even the most severe cases of dandruff. Applying it to the scalp and hair directly will ensure a healthy and well moisturized head.

Another healthy habit that involves coconut oil is oil pulling. Oil pulling requires swishing around an adequate amount of coconut oil in your mouth in order to cleanse it of unwanted bacteria. You may wonder how exactly this is possible. Your teeth are porous, simply meaning there are tiny holes in them that we can’t see that allow coconut oil’s even smaller molecules to past through and collect bacteria. According to draxe.com, practicing this will help with a number of things such as tooth decay and cavities, bad breath, bleeding in the gums, etc. There is nothing to lose when deciding to oil pull. Only a clean and healthy mouth to gain.

It is clear to see that coconut oil is absolutely beneficial for the body. It is one of the most versatile products due to the fact that it is used for our food as well as our skin, hair and oral health. It’s like having the all-in-one product. It appears to be a solid investment but ultimately that is for you to decide.

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We should all know about the relatively new trend vaping that has been claimed as the best method for the quitting of cigarettes. We even briefly discussed this topic in class after completing a pop quiz I believe. Even if you didn’t attend class that day I’m sure that you’ve at least seen a few people vaping while walking around campus. Now personally I must say that I would rather smell the different flavors of the vape rather than inhale the nasty scent of cigarettes. What would you prefer? I have friends that smoke and I would urge them to vape rather than whip out a pack of cigarettes. Since I don’t smoke or vape I wouldn’t know from experience however it appears that vaping would be a “healthier” option. What brings me to that assumption are the friends/users who say to me “It’s better than inhaling actual smoke.” Now from the outside looking in that sounds logical but I had to do some research for myself. On the surface vaping appears to be more “friendly” product but it is really?

What are some of the key differences between smoking cigarettes and vaping? Well for one the most obvious difference is the inhalation of smoke versus the inhalation of vapor. Cigarette smoke contains tar and carbon monoxide, two very harmful chemicals that are not present in the vapor from the e-cigarette. Users are given the option to choose from liquids with or without nicotine, therefore it is possible to vape without consuming that chemical as well. Even if one were to choose a liquid that contains nicotine, the levels of the chemical are substantially lower than that in a cigarette. Although some liquids may be nicotine-free, according to quitsmokingcommunity.org there are still many chemicals that are present could ultimately be harmful. What are some of the risks when being a regular cigarette smoker? The addiction to nicotine is the most common, considering the number of cigarette smokers that live today. Though every cigarette smoker isn’t dropping dead from cancer (of any form) or high blood pressure, these are extremely serious and very much possible side effects. What some of the side effects of vaping? According to this link there are no known long term effects and any that are possible to occur are thought of as unlikely to happen. Also, no evidence has been shown supporting that claim that secondhand smoke from vaping is harmful.

In conclusion, it is evident that vaping would be a healthier and overall better substitute for the smoking of cigarettes. The inhalation of a vapor as opposed to smoke should be strong enough reason to not continue such a habit. We must still keep in mind though that there are chemicals present in the vapor that may not be the healthiest for us in the long term. In addition, vaping is a smarter financial investment if you choose to continue the habit. Buying multiple packs of cigarettes can get costly depending on frequency of use. Buying a vape and the flavored juices would ultimately be cheaper in the long run. I like how one of my sources (here) put it by using the phrase “lesser of two evils”. Though vaping is a less harmful habit, we cannot neglect the possibility of this new trend coming back to haunt us. For current cigarette smokers, I would certainly recommend switching to vaping. For non-smokers as a whole, you may want stay away from vaping (especially w/ nicotine) as a whole.

Sources: HERE

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Smoking_vs_Vaping

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http://sciencevibe.com/2015/08/17/smoking-vs-vaping/

http://vapenewsmagazine.com/agent-vape/vaping-vs-smoking-a-closer-look-at-history

Hello, my name is Christian Duncan. I am a senior majoring in communication arts and sciences. I was undecided my first two years here at main campus and had a difficult time choosing what exactly I wanted to get my degree in. Communication interested me in particular because it is crucial to the exchange of knowledge between individuals. I can possess immense amounts of knowledge, however if I’m unable to communicate it effectively does it serve much of a purpose? This realization opened my eyes to why I wanted to be in college.

I chose this course in particular because the name captured my interest. I feel as though humans are drawn to controversy because of our natural desire to know and figure things out. I believe that we want to reach a level of certainty within our lives. By taking this class I expect to be presented with new ways of thinking and seeing the world as it is around me.

Lastly, the reason I am not a science major is because it is too specialized for my taste. As a CAS major, I believe knowing a little about everything can be more advantageous that knowing a lot about one particular subject. If you have ever heard the saying “versatility is key” then you may know what I mean. Though science is everywhere and is a major part of our everyday lives, I don’t feel as though the major itself will grant me the same opportunities as pursuing a CAS major.