Take a look {click images for more info}:
You & Your Family
The concrete that doesn't
the industries that don't
The trees that help you breathe better
the vehicles that don't
the air circulating through your home
The mold, pests, sprays & gas
that don't
The natural water body {i.e. river} your water comes from
the pipes
carrying water
to your home.
The litter that pollutes it
the food that
helps / harms
the soil they impact
any violence that brings trauma
the air your home pollutes
& water
All of this matters for our health.
which is why we need a government & community that are accountable to it.
HVAC controls the air circulating in your home.
A healthy HVAC {heating/ventilation/air conditioning} system goes a long way. This cools, filters, and even moves the air inside of your home.
Dangers: not changing the filters regularly. This causes the air you breathe in your home to be dirty/contaminated.
Solution: Change your filters every month.
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The trees help you breathe better.
Trees produce more oxygen for us to breathe. That's why greener neighborhoods are healthier neighborhoods
Dangers: The more cement there is in a neighborhood, the more heat that is trapped - causing more heat-related illness. Add any pollutants also present in the air/soil, and you have double trouble.
Solution:
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Demand more green spaces.
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Learn how to take care of indoor plants.
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Polluting factories contaminate the air you breathe in your neighborhood.
Well after the Industrial Revolution of the 1700s, and before the Clean Air Amendment of 1970, there were no strong national regulations in place to hold polluting factories accountable to the neighborhoods they were polluting.
Dangers: Factories can bring dangerous chemicals in the air that impair residents' ability to breathe normally - leading to chronic sickness, cancer, and death.
Solution:
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Report odors / polluting facilities on 311.dc.gov
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Ensure green spaces in your neighborhood.
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Check purple air.com to see the air quality being tracked in your neighborhood
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vehicles are the #1 most polluting source you encounter.
your house contributes to the pollution that you & your neighbors all have to breathe in.
The more cement around you,
the more heat it traps.
The soil beneath us can also lead to health complications, when contaminated.
"When you plant a flower, and the flower doesn't grow, you don't blame the flower, you look at its environment." What goes up must come down: so, if there is a facility that is polluting the air or even too much concrete on the surface, it is also impacting the ground. This can lead to the inability to have healthy green spaces (which impact our air quality) and can also lead to diseases like cancer.
Dangers: Vehicle exhaust, polluting businesses/facilities can bring dangerous chemicals into the ground.
Solution:
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Drive less & electrify vehicles
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Recycle & compost more (reduces landfills)
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Be vigilant of the polluting facilities in your neighborhood to make sure your ground is not compromised.
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the food
we eat matters to our internal health
mold contaminates your air, leading to more asthma.
gas stoves
burn dangerous methane gas.
Did you know that gas stoves are burning methane gas?
Dangers: Burning methane gas releases dangerous pollutants (i.e. NOx, PM) right into your home -- and your kitchen vents often blow them right back into your kitchen (not outside) .
Solution:
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Open a window while cooking on a gas stove.
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Use electric appliances more / switch to electric
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Click to support the Healthy Homes Act
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Find out more from our coalition member, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
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harsh chemical sprays
endanger your body
Cleaning products release substances into the air you breathe in.
Dangers: Some cleaning products - or combination of cleaning products - can release harmful substances that may worsen asthma or allergies in children/adults. They can also irritate eyes & skin
Solution:
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Select cleaning products that are safer for your health.
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Do not mix bleach with other cleaning products.
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you could be contaminating your local river
with toxins & hormones.
littering
ends up in the rivers, destroying the ecosystem
many old pipes
carrying the water from the river to your home are made of a metal that kills your brain cells: lead.
exposure to violence can cause deep mental health issues, trauma, and even substance abuse.
Per the Center for Disease Control, violence is one of the leading causes of death in the first half of most peoples' lives. Violence can also be a symptom of deeper health issues, like lead poisoning.
Dangers: Violence appears in many forms, both intentionally & unintentionally, through: verbal/physical abuse, bullying, gun violence/armed robberies, substance abuse, road rage/toxic driving habits.
Solution:
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Develop empathy & inner peace
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Reflect on inner ego/trauma/shadow work
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Embrace safer driving habits
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Use certified lead removal filters on your drinking water
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