E-Book Overview
From water quality to social inequality, from raising crops to rising temperatures, how we use natural resources afftects our health and well-being. This highly-illustrated guide will help health promoters, educators, community leaders and ordinary people take charge of their communities' environmental health. In small villages and large cities, 'A Community Guide to Environmental Health' can provide tools, knowledge, and inspiration to begin transforming the global crisis in evironmental health. This book contains activities to stimulate critical thinking and environmental change, dozens of stories of communitites in action, and instructions for making simple technologies to purify water, clean without toxics, get rid of pests, and more. Like all Hesperian books, this title was developed in consultation with organizations from around the world, ensuring its appropriateness and usefulness for a variety of cultures and circumstances.
E-Book Content
A Community Guide to Environmental Health by Jeff Conant and Pam Fadem Berkeley, California, USA Copyright © 2008 by Hesperian Foundation. All rights reserved. First edition: May 2008 Printed in Canada on recycled paper ISBN: 978-0-942364-56-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Conant, Jeff. A community guide to environmental health / by Jeff Conant and Pam Fadem. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: “Covers topics: community mobilization; water source protection, purification and borne diseases; sanitation; mosquito-borne diseases; deforestation and reforestation; farming; pesticides and toxics; solid waste and health care waste; harm from mining and oil extraction. Includes group activities and appropriate technology instructions.” ISBN 978-0-942364-56-9 (alk. paper) 1. Environmental health--Popular works. 2. Community leadership. I. Fadem, Pam. II. Title. RA566.C666 2008 362.196’98--dc22 2008015042 Hesperian Foundation encourages others to copy, reproduce, or adapt to meet local needs any or all parts of this book, including the illustrations, provided that the parts reproduced are distributed free or at cost—not for profit. Any organization or person who wishes to copy, reproduce, or adapt any or all parts of this book for commercial purposes must obtain permission from Hesperian Foundation. Before beginning any translation or adaptation of this book or its contents, please contact Hesperian Foundation for suggestions, for updates on the information it contains, and to avoid duplication of efforts. Please send Hesperian a copy of any materials in which text or illustrations from this book have been used. 1919 Addison Street, #304 Berkeley, California 94704, USA CREDITS Editorial Oversight: Sarah Shannon Production management: Todd Jailer Editing and editorial management: Pam Fadem, Todd Jailer Design and production: Iñaki Fernández de Retana, Jacob Goolkasian, Shu Ping Guan, Leana Rosetti, C. Sienkiewicz Copy editing: Todd Jailer, Jane Maxwell, Susan McCallister Additional writing and research: Pratap Chatterjee, Ann Hawkins, Todd Jailer, Elaine Knobbs, Cynthia Knowles, Susan McCallister, Tracy Perkins, Sarah Shannon, Elizabeth Shapiro Art Coordination: Mary Israel, Elaine Knobbs, Tracy Perkins, Susan Quass, Leana Rosetti Community review coordination: Jeff Conant, Pam Fadem, Mary Israel, Elaine Knobbs, Tracy Perkins, Susan Quass Project support: Mary Israel, Elaine Knobbs, Elena Metcalf, Tracy Perkins, Susan Quass, Leana Rosetti, Maya Shaw Additional project support: Kay Alton, John Balquist, Shipra Bansal, Amy Cantor, Kris Carter, Frances Chung, Erin Donnely, Deanne Emmons, Leslie Fesenmyer, Rachel Freifelder, Scott Friedman, Yuri Futamura, Rachel Golden, Kate Hahner, Sonja Herbert, Sarah Hill, Casey Jackson, Lea Joans, Liz Johnson, Aparna Kollipara,