The Obesity Epidemic

Essential Questions:

• What are some of the main causes of the rise in obesity worldwide?
• How will the continued rise in obesity effect our healthcare and society?

Obesity is one the rise with one out of every three U.S. Americans considered obese. The effects of obesity are detrimental to the health of our nation and the world but also to our society. Obesity affects health care costs and jobs too. More than 10% of all health costs are related to obesity. Whether it be from cancer, strokes, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes; people who are considered obese spend around 42% more on health care than people who are at a healthy weight. Obesity is also linked to lower productivity and more sick days at work. 

This problem is not solely a U.S. problem though our country seems to be the worst, the whole world has seen a dramatic increase in the number of obese people in the past thirty years. Obesity accounts for 3.4 million deaths worldwide annually, with around 1.4 billion people worldwide considered to be obese. Food prices and accessibility changes throughout the years have contributed to this issue, along with the lessening necessity of physical activity in our daily lives. The developing world has seen some of the more harsh populations of obesity especially in urban areas because healthier food choices are more expensive. The cheaper the budget, the easier it is to settle for foods and resources that do not hold nutritional value but still satisfy. A key factor in softening the blow of obesity in the world is eradicating childhood obesity. 42 million children were overweight or obese last year, and by 2030 that number is expected to double. Children in low to medium income families are at a higher risk for developing obesity linked diseases and being overweight because of a lack of nutrition. 

Quick Facts:

• If Medicare and Medicaid did not have to deal with obesity costs they would be spending around 11% less money, or $61.8 billion.
• Around $210 billion are spent on obesity related health care costs annually
• Worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980

Visit this link: http://healthyamericans.org/report/100/ and examine state by state analyses of obesity and other health issues like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, strokes, arthritis, and cancer. Click around to some of the different states and see how their different obesity rates and healthcare costs change and what steps can be taken to help lower the percentage of obese citizens and then answer these questions.

1.) How much money on health care could be saved in California with the lowering of BMI's by 2030?

2.) Which state has the highest percentage of obesity predicted by 2030?

3.) What is the projected obesity rate in Pennsylvania by 2030?

Map of percentage of obese populations in the United States

Hidden costs of obesity

Effects of obesity on the body

Read and listen to these sources and then answer the discussion post below:

Listen to this article about how obesity not only has adverse effects on our health but also economically : http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/11/20/365514156/the-whole-world-is-fat-and-that-ends-up-costing-two-trillion-a-year

More statistics on obesity around the world, causes for the obesity problem, and ways to combat the epidemic: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/

Discussion Post:

Do you think that there is cause for concern? If so, what steps do you think could/should be taken to help lessen or eliminate the effects of obesity? And what are the realistic expectations for change in today's society? 

Environmental Good News

Environmental Good News Post 

Non-Pesticide Management

Pesticides were introduced in Andhra Pradesh, India around 20 years ago after cotton was also introduced into the region. The farmers in the area were already producing groundnuts, sorghum, chili, and rice as cash crops and welcomed the introduction of cotton as it would be lucrative for them. The cost of insecticides was low when cotton was first being farmed, because there were not many cotton eating/killing bugs or pests in that region at the time. The farmers began to use the pesticides and insecticides on all of their crops  which led to more cotton bugs like worms and caterpillars becoming prevalent. The pests began to evolve resist the pesticides so more was needed more often. Farmers and those who dealt with the insecticides and pesticides in close proximity began to notice health issues. The toxins also pervaded the water supply and left the region sick with headaches, rashes, sickness, nausea, acute poisoning, and vision problems. Farmers even noticed deaths in livestock that fed near the sprayed areas. The farmers would spend a lot of money on pesticides and then more for their health issues, and even more money to try and keep the pests and insects under control. The debt trap lead to suicides in the villages and negative societal effects. With these issues a project began in 2008 to lead farmers in Andhra Pradesh away from pesticide usage, and into a technique called Non-Pesticide Management.

Non-Pesticide Management utilizes the principles of biological pest control through natural predators, trap crops, plant nutrition, field cleanliness, and plant population control. This initiative included around 3,171 villages in Andhra Pradesh where they used many pesticide alternatives. A chili-garlic solution and a cow dung/urine solution were used on the cotton plants which killed and repelled the insects effectively and naturally. Bird perches are set up around the fields to encourage the birds to eat the pests. Another common method is trap crops. Trap crops are planted away from cotton fields and attract the insects where they are manually removed. Some common plants are marigolds, castor, and green gum. These alternative methods do require a lot more manual/ physical labor but leave the farmers healthier and allows them to continue to grow their crops. An NGO, SECURE or Socio-Economic and Cultural Upliftment in Rural Environments, has helped farmers begin and be successful in the non-pesticide management. Some villages have been declared pesticide free in the past years. Villagers report that more birds have returned to the area which makes pest control a bit easier, there was no insecticide smell surrounding the village, and there were no more cases of insecticide poisoning. Farmers have a larger income as well because they no longer have to spend money on insecticides and various costs that come with pesticide usage. 

A video story of the Andhra Pradesh pesticide removal, an overview of the Non-Pesticide Management utilization. 

Unfortunately, this method of non-pesticide management is not used as commonly as it should be. The farmers who undertook the hard work of no pesticides on their crops were extremely brave. This management requires a lot of manual labor, but overall the farmers were better for it. They grew healthier crops and became healthier themselves without all of the toxins. Though the usage of this management is not widespread there is hope that more farms and villages will realize the benefits of non-pesticide farming. 

Legal Issue:

Holocaust Victims and Heirs' Recovered Funds

"Jewish Holocaust Survivors Frustrated by Swiss Banks"

http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/news/2001_02/holocaust.htm

(Law students in Virginia collected questionnaires of Holocaust victims and their families to ascertain where the money belongs)

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/israelis-to-sue-swiss-banks-for-refusing-to-return-money-deposited-during-holocaust-1.426775

http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/13747/report_swiss_banks_holocaust_fund_paid_out_1_24_billion_dollars

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-bank-money-repaid-to-holocaust-victims/34822348

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nazis/etc/cron.html 

(A chronology of the events that occurred in relation to Swiss banks and Holocaust victims' money)

Holocaust victims and their families/heirs began to file suits and speak out against Swiss banks who held money from WWII that belonged to or was stolen from Holocaust victims. When the victims would go to these banks to retrieve the stolen money, they had difficulties. The banks would require death certificates of the victims, which were rare during the Holocaust and efforts to keep the finds. Lawsuits were filed against the banks alleging that the banks knowingly kept and held assets of Holocaust victims and also alleged that the banks aided the Nazis by holding looted and illegally obtained money including slave labor profits. The banks agreed to a settlement in 1998 that stated that the banks would pay $1.25 billion to end the suits claiming they withheld money. The settlement also ensured the lawsuits would be dropped and those who threatened sanctions on the banks would stop. The Swiss "Claims Resolution Tribunal" oversaw the payouts and was then disbanded in 2012. $726 million has been paid out to victims and heirs, where most of the money was related to 4,600 dormant accounts. For assets and accounts that could not be one hundred percent solidified as correct, $5000 was given. This applied to around 12,300 cases. Virginia law students assisted in the class action lawsuits and the recovering of assets. The Swiss Banks had difficulty in tracing victims and their families as survivors were and their families as survivors were scattered throughout Europe after they were freed. By 2009, most of the money had been paid out. Money that was stolen had been accounted for and compensation for the labor at displaced persons camps. Investigations led by the Swiss government also revealed more controversy on Switzerland. They found that some Swiss banks bought Nazi Gold during the war and that Jewish refugees were turned away from Swiss borders-seemingly to maintain neutrality. Edward Korman, a judge from New York who oversaw the management of the funds, concluded that the investigations and payouts and said that there was "a conspiracy among the Swiss banks to stonewall heirs of survivors who were making claims to Swiss bank accounts, and, specifically, those which had been improperly transferred to the Nazis.(2009)" As of 2012, two Israelis were to file lawsuits against two Swiss Banks for allegedly refusing to return their money to them. They filed these lawsuits in US Courts in order to use US law that allows them to sue foreign states for matters concerning the Holocaust. They alleged that they were lied to and cheated out of money from the banks and denied access to information about their loved ones

.  

It is a shame that the victims and their families have had such a hard time acquiring the money that was taken from them and the money they deserve. It is important to also consider the fact that the Swiss banks also had a little bit of a challenging task of returning the billions of dollars that they held from the war. This, however, does not take away the fact that they made it challenging for the heirs and victims to claim their money. 

Energy Plan

Smart Highway

The "Smart Highway" and "Smart Road" are technologies that incorporate solar energy into the roadways to assist in autonomous cars, lighting, and road condition. The technology used is photo voltaic pavement that generates electricity through solar power. A photovoltaic system uses solar panels comprised of many solar cells to produce solar power. The photovoltaic effect is when photons of light excite electron into higher energy levels, which then act as carriers for an electric current. There solar cells can be useful to recharge a battery or power equipment.  The conversion of sunlight into electricity this way does not require any other equipment or parts. Solar energy storage is done through thermal mass systems, rechargeable batteries, and molten salt. Thermal mass systems and molten salts can store solar energy in the form of heat, while the rechargeable batteries store the solar energy as electricity. The batteries are useful in off-grid endeavors though extra electricity can be pumped into the grid.

A start up in Idaho, Solar Roadways, has designed a solar powered roadway that would eventually, in their hopes, form a smart highway. They have a prototype that they built as a parking lot and have ideas to change all sidewalks and parking lots to these solar roads. The parking lots would have parking spots that are able to move because of the LED lights, These roads, sidewalks, and parking lots could heat themselves with stored solar energy to melt snow and ice and also light up with LED lights to display messages and road signs. Other companies have developed photo-luminescent paint that would glow if temperatures fell below freezing, warning drivers of icy conditions. A downfall of this paint though, is that the paint would need to be repainted after two weeks. 

Smart highways could feature interactive lights, wind lights, electric priority lanes, glowing lines, and dynamic lines. The interactive lights would save energy by only turning on when cars are approaching. Wind lights would use energy generating from passing cars turning a windmill turbine to keep lights on for the safety of vehicles and their passengers. Electric priority lanes would have the ability to charge electric cars as they drove on them, a way to promote sustainable travel. Glowing lines would be charged throughout the day with solar energy to help light dark roads at night. The dynamic lines feature of a smart highway would be the ability to change the road deck markings to help with traffic flow and control depending on the traffic situation. All of these feature would and could be used with solar energy, when necessary, as a clean and efficient source of energy for a technologically advanced road system. 

The solar power collected during the day can also be used at night to power the LED lights and melt ice and snow. There are some issues though, on what would happen on days where there is no sunlight on cloudy days. Solar Roadways has a vision to have all pavement transformed into solar roadways pavement to help reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. 

This type of complete reworking of the road system would take a lot of money and time to complete. These companies hope to start small with parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks to work out all of the bugs that come with a system so vast and off the grid. Businesses and companies have the incentive to begin this work with a dent in their electricity bills from the solar energy they are collecting out in their parking lot. This clean, and renewable energy source, if made into a large highway would supposedly create three times as much electricity as Americans already use, therefore paying for itself. More research needs to be done on how to store all of the extra electricity for days when no solar energy is being generated and also on how expensive it would really be to update all of the US's roads and highways.