The average life expectancy for Americans rose from 48 years in the 20th century to 72 years in the 21th century. Proper sanitation, preventative health practices, and clean air, water, and food were the major contributors to this 50% increase in life expectancy. Completely built from recycled material in 1992, the reyclosaurus at the Museum of Science and Industry on Fowler Avenue stands as physical evidence for the effort to continue sanitation and preservation of the environment.
Innovative medical technology and surgical practices are invaluable to saving lives from infectious disease. However, these same techniques are not as effective for the chronic illnesses currently responsible for the most disease-related deaths in our country. Heart disease, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases are often not linked to pathogenic organisms; their source is much more diverse and ambiguous. Sanitation of the air, water, and food is absolutely crucial to the longevity of human life; the correlation between stricter sanitation and pollution laws in the 20th century and the rise in average life expectancy is evidence for this fact.
In recent years, communities have put forth even more effort into “going green” by encouraging recycling and reducing their carbon footprint. Recycling has grown, hybrid and electric cars have risen in popularity, and President Obama’s Cash for Clunkers program demonstrate the concerted public effort in being more environmentally conscious. The practice of going green not only conserves the amount of usable energy and fuel, but also significantly reduces the amount of pollution going into our air, water, and food. The recyclosaurus is more than just a “green” statue; it is an example of what our communities are doing to increase the health of the general population.
I thought that this was neat, recycling is a great way t save this planet and the people within!
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this post, I did not see how the MOSI recyclosaurus was an example of public health. However, recycling is a great way to reduce the amount of potentially deleterious pollution that we put into the environment. The recyclosaurus showcases the importance of recycling in a manner that appeals to young children that will need to recycle in the future.
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