Final Blog: Highlights of the course

I cannot believe that this is my final blog, and I hope I continue to blog on issues that matter to me and to the world around me.  I have learned new communication and publication skills with blogging.  The topics on the various environmental and occupational exposures were all interesting and I learned so much.  I have become more conscious about pollutants, wastes and hazardous materials and how these elements affect our health.  Through this course, it has allowed me to care for my patients differently by interviewing them not only about their health history but also about their social, residence and occupational histories.  I truly believe that the environment we live and work in has a significant effect on our health.  The economy we support and rely on also affect climate change and our resources.
I recently returned from Iceland and I learned that the people of Iceland use their own resources to be self-sufficient.  They do not import anything they can produce.  Icelanders are a conservative and organic users of their natural resources.  I liked their sustainability, putting money back into the country's workforce, economy and market share.  They keep the land as natural as they can so there were no over developed areas of fast food places, shopping or rows of restaurants other than in the downtown tourist area of Reykjavik.  It was beautiful and comforting to see and know, especially after the knowledge I obtained in this course.
I think the small group blogging was a good way to view others perceptions on issues that affect them, their colleagues and environment.  It allowed me to express my thoughts without inhibition and read new ideas and thoughts from my fellow bloggers.  Small group blogging was efficacious, worldly and challenging.