3 m’s Conundrum in Efficiency and Creativity

3 m’s Conundrum in Efficiency and Creativity 3 m’s Conundrum in Efficiency and Creativity The success of any company depends on its efficiency And what can we consider as efficiency? From the point of view of business policy the main goal of any business activity is the income which appears when the sufficient number of people fulfill particular objectives, for instance, buy products, use services, conclude contracts, etc. On the other hand, efficiency of the business is connected with creativity which is applied within the company. Effective innovation requires a delicate balancing act between play and discipline, practice and process, creativity and efficiency, where firms need to learn how to walk the fine line between rigidity which smothers creativity and chaos where creativity runs amok and nothing ever gets to market(p. 363) It is not a secret that when in 2000 James McNerney became the CEO of 3M, his plan was to transform radically the corporate culture of the company. The applied new system of corporate management known as Six Sigma bore fruits. 3M stocks boomed up to 20 % and McNerney met with general approval. However, Six Sigma was worked out in order to reveal problem cycles in operational process and strictly control them in future. Other variants of resolving any problem were excluded. With such corporate culture creativity would have become a victim of iron routine. Any innovations and especially revolutionary ones always represent a conflict with those which are long-present. The present Chief Executive of 3M George Buckley outlined that invention of something is a process that cannot be controlled a priori. And Six Sigma is not an appropriate system for this very sphere. 3Ms employees can not think in a way that if they invented nothing on Monday, they must integrate two new ideas on Wednesday and three on Friday. Creative process can not be limited by any system and rules. Officially nobody studied the level of contradiction between Six Sigma and innovations. But some experts notice that with Six Sigma innovation process flows slowly, without bright rise. Serious debates based on the rational use of time with regard to choosing one essential idea to be implemented in production continue. Adherents of Six Sigma in 3M convince that stage process of new product implementation would allow to introduce innovations to the market more quickly. According to developers opinion innovations are the result of long-time searching and testing. In order to find one brilliant idea they have to sort out several thousands. Six Sigma does not allow doing this, but proposes to reject trash and present something worthwhile. The present Chief Executive of 3M George Buckley tries to resolve the conundrum in efficiency and creativity. In conclusion I would like to point out that Sometimes Six Sigma is very useful For instance in the end of the year line manager can count how much money has company saved because of green belt projects. However, there were cases when developers in order to complete the deadline created ideas out of nothing. On the other hand nobody has a doubt that the former CEO has brought positive changes to 3M. At the mean time many employees say that now they work with enthusiasm because company is focused not on profitability and production discipline but on rise and innovations. Thus, the director of Department of Strategical Business Development emphasised that George Buckley returned the so-called creative sparkle. And the overwhelming majority of 3Ms personnel now can say with a proud that they feel they are able to dream again! And this means the great success not only for the 3Ms leaders but for all people involved in this dream as well.

Learning the Italian Alphabet

Learning the Italian Alphabet If you choose to learn the Italian language, youll need to start by learning its alphabet. When you have an innumerable amount of other â€Å"useful† languages to choose from, why would you choose Italian a language spoken by about 59 million people, compared to, let’s say Mandarin’s 935 million Despite the fact that every day more and more Italians are learning English, there is still a huge appeal to learn la bella lingua. Many people feel drawn to Italian because it’s a part of their ancestry, and learning Italian can be a great tool to utilize as you dig deeper into your family history. While you can do a lot of research in English, actually visiting your great grandfather’s birth town in Naples will require more than just a list of survival phrases to truly get a feel for the locals and hear stories about what the town was like while he was alive. What’s more, being able to understand and tell stories to your living family members will will add a depth and a richness to your relationships. Learning the Alphabet The Italian alphabet (lalfabeto) contains 21 letters: Letters / Names of the lettersa  Ã‚  ab  Ã‚  bic  Ã‚  cid  Ã‚  die  Ã‚  ef  Ã‚  effeg  Ã‚  gih  Ã‚  accai  Ã‚  il  Ã‚  ellem  Ã‚  emmen  Ã‚  enneo  Ã‚  op  Ã‚  piq  Ã‚  cur  Ã‚  erres  Ã‚  esset  Ã‚  tiu  Ã‚  uv  Ã‚  vuz  Ã‚  zeta The following five letters are found in foreign words: Letters / Names of the lettersj  Ã‚  i lungok  Ã‚  kappaw  Ã‚  doppia vux  Ã‚  icsy  Ã‚  ipsilon Learning the Basics If youre pressed for time, focus on the fundamentals. Study the Italian ABCs and Italian numbers, learn how to pronounce Italian words and ask questions in Italian, and brush up on the euro (after all, youll have to reach into your portafoglio- wallet- eventually). However, the quickest and most effective way to learn Italian is the total-immersion method. This means traveling to Italy for an extended period, studying at any of the thousands of language schools throughout the country, and speaking only Italian. Many programs include a home-stay component that enhances the cultural exchange. You literally eat, breathe, and dream in Italian. Whether its reading an Italian textbook, taking a language course at a university or local language school, completing workbook exercises, listening to a tape or CD, or conversing with a native Italian speaker. Spend some time every day reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Italian to become accustomed to the target language. Slowly but surely, your confidence will build, your accent will become less pronounced, your vocabulary will expand, and youll be communicating in Italian. Maybe youll even start speaking Italian with your hands!

The Singapore's Economic Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Singapore's Economic Model - Essay Example Upon receipt of independence from Malaysia, another main task of the government was to show foreign investors that at the moment new-independent state is a safe place to invest and storage their capital. The government not only introduced changes to the laws of their country but also showed a willingness to destroy corruption and worker unrest. Thus, it guarantees complete safety of the property of investors that are attracted spiritual prosperity of capitalism.Further, a small country that can offer only the hard-working people, has developed a plan to win the confidence of international partners. While Singapore cannot take a certain place in the international market such as Hong Kong, which relied on the support of the Bank of England. To avoid the risk of devaluation and inflation, the government carefully defines the priorities of implementation of each economic plan. It has conducted a number of economic disciplines, thanks to which in 1997 (during the crisis) Singapore can sta nd out as an island of stability in a sea of inequality.The Singapore government stubbornly fought against corruption, from which the country suffered from the acquisition of independence. While it could be said that corruption was practically part of the lifestyle of Asian people and they openly took bribes and various fees. To prevent corruption, the government has chosen a way to simplify the various procedures for decision-making and create new simple laws and rules that had no ambiguity.

The Music Of The Worlds Peoples 3rd Ed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Music Of The Worlds Peoples 3rd Ed - Essay Example The people of the Baaka used music to maintain their culture. To them, music formed a means through which they communicated to the gods and their ancestors. That way, music enhanced their spirituality (Titon et al., 2009). Among the uses of music in the Baaka culture are initiation rituals, healing rituals, and entertainment. Among the instruments the Baaka people use in their music include the harp-zither, cylindrical drums, lamellaphones, the arched harp, and rattles. Others include the musical bow, flute, and water drums. Being a hunting community, the Baraka's music usually revolved around hunting. For example, the molimo ceremony involved a lot of mimicking the sounds of wild animals. 3. Ewe Music Culture and the Agbekor The Agbekor is a West African type of music that involves singing and drumming. It originated as a war dance among the Ewe-speaking people. The music involves a percussion ensemble accompanied by a chorus of singers. The lead drumming is a complex ensemble of dr ums, bells, and rattles. That gives it a rich polyrhythmic texture. According to legend, Agbekor developed from hunters who observed monkeys in the forest. The monkeys would beat drums with sticks and dance. The hunters developed customs and could play the different instrument during certain times. Through performing the monkey dance during some of their hunting rituals, other people were able to learn the dance and later founded it as a proper dance. Originally, the Ewe performed the Agbekor as a war dance.

Identity of African American Men Essay Example for Free

Identity of African American Men Essay â€Å"No metaphor can capture completely the complexity of ethnic dynamics in the U. S. ‘Melting pot’ ignores the persistence and reconfiguration of the ethnicity over the generations. ‘Mosaic,’ much more apt for pluralistic societies such as Kenya or India, is too static a metaphor; it fails to take in to account the easy penetration of many ethnic boundaries. Nor is ‘salad bowl’ appropriate; the ingredients of a salad bowl are mixed but do not change. ‘Rainbow’ is a tantalizing metaphor, but rainbows disappear. ‘Symphony,’ like ‘rainbow,’ implies near perfect harmony; both fail to take into account the variety and range of ethnic conflict in the United States. The most accurately descriptive metaphor, the one that best explains the dynamics of ethnicity, is ‘kaleidoscope. ’ American ethnicity is kaleidoscopic, i. e. ‘complex and varied, changing form, pattern, color†¦ continually shifting from one set of relations to another; rapidly changing. ’ When a kaleidoscope is in motion, the parts give the appearance of relationships. The viewer sees and endless variety of variegated patterns, just as takes place on the American ethnic landscape. †- Lawrence Fuchs (Literature for Composition 1032) â€Å"Identity in America† was the theme chosen by my English 201 study group. This theme was taken from chapter twenty two of the Literature for composition: Reading and Writing Argument text book. However, I focused the broad theme of â€Å"Identity in America† to the more narrowed theme of â€Å"The Display of African American men in the media. † I chose this theme or topic because I felt that I can relate to it and as a matter of fact, it was also interesting to me. But in order to conduct my research on the particular topic, I came up with the following question, â€Å"How has the identity of African American men been displayed by the media: negatively or positively? † This question was chosen in order to provoke an argument for discussion. I conducted several interviews in order to acquire information about my selected topic. The media’s display of the identity of African American men can be discussed or looked at from two angles: negatively or positively. First, from my experience I can say that the media displays African American men in both lights, negatively and positively. But after conducting interviews with several individuals, my opinion has somewhat changed. I was always aware of the negative images of African/black men in the media. But I was not aware that this display had evolved overtime. My first interview was conducted with April T. Glasgow, a communications major at the University of the Virgin Islands on Wednesday 20th February 2008, at approximately ten o’clock in the morning. We conducted the interview at her dorm’s lobby. I had explained the topic prior to meeting with her, so she already had an idea about what issue the discussion would be addressing. Generally, her opinion was that black men were being exploited and portrayed negatively by the media. She also stated strongly that black men were too often portrayed or given the roles of thugs, gangsters, and pimps in films and magazines. In addition, a suggestion she made on how we could resolve this stereotype was that black people must unite and stand up against these negative portrayals especially those in rap music videos. The second interview was carried out that same day with Professor Alex Randall. His general statements were that the media has changed over the years. â€Å"The negative portrayals of the 1960’s and 1970’s have changed,† Randall stated. Randall felt that in modern times, people of color were treated more fairly and given a more positive portrayal in the media. Randall stated that there were many positive images in the media of African Americans, such as Denzel Washington, Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, and Bill Cosby. In addition, Randall said that in previous years no such image could have been seen in the media. â€Å"We are rational human beings and it’s our choice to choose what part of the spectrum of negative and positive images we would want to emulate,† said Randall. This statement impacted me and slightly changed my opinion on the topic. At that point in conducting my primary research for the paper, my position on the topic has somewhat been altered. After conducting the interviews with April T. Glasgow and Professor Alexander Randall I have become more open minded to the issue. I would admit that I was initially a bit biased and reserved on the topic prior to evaluating the topic from both sides; negatively and positively. In order to decide which position I was going to take I would have to do more secondary research on the topic. Since I started this research paper my observation and assessment of the media have taken a different turn. I now compare and contrast men of other races in the media to African American men. My secondary research was, for the most part, completed using internet sources. The articles that I discovered on the web were very useful and contributed greatly to my research. Three internet articles were analyzed to achieve the secondary data for my paper. The first article I examined was â€Å"The Media’s Bias against black men in America. † The article was basically a discussion of a piece written in the New York Times about the plight of American black men. The author, Armstrong Williams, stated that the New York Times article was another example of major media outlets using negative statistics to consistently cast black men as the scourge of this country. Williams made several strong and interesting statements throughout the article that I thought was beneficial to this research paper. For example, according to Williams, â€Å"The continual coverage of the black mans plight instead of his progress only hinders his growth, holds back our country from true equality, and hides the truth about the opportunities and challenges that we all face†(Williams  ¶4). Williams also suggested that the American public should challenge the lack of coverage of American black progress in this country (Williams  ¶5). â€Å"In the last century black men have literally gone from being slaves to business owners, government leaders, lawyers, doctors, firemen, generals, entertainers, and educators. No other oppressed class of people anywhere else in the world has advanced its standing in a society this quickly† (Williams  ¶6). I was really impressed by the way Armstrong used this statement to present his argument. In addition, Williams stated that the incidence of drug use, crime, scandal, divorce, and other social ills have increased dramatically for white men, but these statistics are not reported as problems about ‘white men in America (Williams  ¶6). â€Å"Approximately 9 out of 10 serial killers are white males between the ages of twenty and thirty five. Yet we never hear these statistics repeated over and over again in the mainstream press, making these crimes synonymous with one particular race as in this case with blacks† (Williams  ¶9). Later in the article Williams explained the image the media is creating internationally. The overseas media continuously places black men in negative positions such as school dropouts, irresponsible fathers, and victims of perpetual racism. The manner in which these stories are constructed and then, displayed to listeners and readers eliminates the possibility of believing that black men do not have positive roles (Williams  ¶10). Therefore, I agree with Williams that the repetitive negative articles can create a vicious cycle of harmful images and low expectations of black men. â€Å"The Black Image in the White Mind† is the title of the second internet article that I examined. The article was useful in constructing my opinion on the topic of how African American men are displayed in the media whether negatively or positively. The article presented some useful statistical data that was quite interesting and yet shocking to me. In this article by Robert M. Entman, he stated that a mug shot of a Black defendant is four times more likely to appear in a local television news report than of a White defendant (Entman  ¶2). He went on to say that the accused is two times more likely to be shown physically restrained in a local television news report than when the accused is a white man (Entman  ¶2). According to Entman, â€Å"The name of the accused is two times more likely to be shown on screen in a local TV news report if the defendant is black, rather than white† (Entman  ¶2). In addition, he stated that while black actors are now more visible in media, it is an open question as to how well they are being represented (Entman  ¶2). The Third article that I examined was â€Å"Black youth and mass media: current research and emerging questions† and I found it to be the most interesting of the three. This article was written by Craig Watkins, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Radio-Television- Film at the University of Texas at Austin. The article was basically an outline of some of the important research findings and emergent issues that examine the changing relationship between black American youth and the mass media industry (Watkins  ¶5). Watkins stated that for most of its history the mass media industry has produced images that distort and misrepresent the complexities of the African American experience (Watkins  ¶9). He stated that contemporary media representations of African Americans can be best described as paradoxical because blacks are simultaneously underrepresented and overrepresented in American media culture (Watkins  ¶9). According to Watkins, â€Å"blacks are underrepresented in many areas of mass media they are over represented in television sports broadcasts and crime and violence related portrayals† (Watkins  ¶13). Watkins said that images of blacks in magazines have increased but they are predominantly portrayed in athletic roles. According to Watkins, African American men are more likely to appear as athletes or musicians (Watkins  ¶14). The strongest statement throughout the article was when Watkins stated that the ‘athleticization’ of the black men in the media reproduces and popularizes long-standing myths about biological and intellectual differences between blacks and whites (Watkins  ¶15). Further analysis of Watkins’ article indicated that when African Americans are portrayed in television news it is generally in aggressive, violent, or criminal roles. Also, a recent analysis of the film industry asserts that blacks tend to be restricted to low budget features that focus disproportionately on crime, violence, and youth delinquency. The repetitious display of blacks in athletic roles creates a limited range of adult and professional role models for young black males being that they are faced with only few media images of successful African American men. The internet articles that I examined clearly showed that there is strong evidence to prove that African American men are negatively and unfairly displayed in the media. After examining these internet articles, I felt that even though they were some positive images of African American men in the media the majority of images are in some way biased or negative. After evaluating and examining my internet sources, I turned back my attention to my English 201 text book, Literature for Composition: Reading and Writing Arguments to get some more insight on the matter. While reading through chapter twenty-three, I came up on a quote from Lawrence Fuchs that I found to be tied in well with my overall all theme of identity in America. I decided to place this quote at the beginning of the research paper a sort of introduction to the overall theme. I chose this quote because it describes the complexity and internal conflicts of identity in America. Speaking of conflicts between identities, Hotel Rwanda is a film that displays such conflict to the extreme. This film was shown in class by my English professor because she said that it was in some way related to our theme and that it could also be used as a part of our secondary research. I did not really understand the connection with our theme until I saw the film. Hotel Rwanda is a historical drama about the hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina played by Don Cheadle during the Rwandan genocide and was directed by Terry George in 2004. The movie is actually based on the Rwandan genocide that occurred in 1994 where almost one million of both Tutsi and Hutu individuals were killed. In the movie which is a reflection of what actually took place, the media was used to instigate conflicts between the Tutsi and Hutu. Throughout the actual conflict the media was used as a tool to falsely display Tutsi’s as the scourge of Rwanda. For example, the radio station, RTLM was used to spread negative and hate messages about the Tutsis such as â€Å"Why do we hate the Tutsis? They are cockroaches†¦Rwanda is Hutu land. †(United Arts. Dir. Terry George. United States, 2004) All in all, it is quite evident from the primary and secondary research that there are both negative and positive displays of African American men in the media. Since the interviews I am more aware that the display of African Americans has changed over time for the better. However, from the Internet articles I have discovered that there are still a lot of negative images of African American men in the media. In addition, I learned that there are still many biases when presenting African American men in media whether on radio, television, or magazines. Overall, the research was very interesting and informative. April T. Glasgow and Professor Alexander Randall were very helpful in making my research paper a success. From carrying out this research paper I was able to conduct some interesting interviews, especially with Professor Randall. I was truly able to critically interpret and analyze the investigation in addition to improving my overall research skills. The research process was a learning experience that I will never forget. Works Cited Barnet, Sylvan, Burto William and Cain E. William. Literature for Composition. New York: Longman, 2007. Entman, Robert and Rojecki, Andrew. â€Å"Media and its Portrayal of Black Americans. † racerelations. about. com. New York. 2008. . Glasgow, April T. Personal Interview. 20 Feb. 2008. Hotel Rwanda. Dir. Terry George. Lions Gate Films and United Artists, 2004. Randall, Alexander. Personal Interview. 20 Feb. 2008. Watkins, S. Craig, â€Å"Black Youth and Mass Media: Current Research and Emerging Questions. † http://www. rcgd. isr. umich. edu/prba/perspectives/winter2000/cwatkins. pdf. Williams, Armstrong. â€Å"The Media’s Bias Against Black Men in America. † 31 March 2006. .

Mindfulness Based Meditation Essay -- Cultivating Mindfulness

This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was timed and the focus was on the out breath. I experienced numerous emotions, sensations and mental states while I practiced meditation. During my practice the focus was on the out breath and by doing so the idea was to have non-judgmental and non reactive awareness of emotions, thoughts and sensations that arise in my mind while I practiced meditation. Firstly, for me meditation served as a tool for self awakening, by ‘’awakening’’ I mean meditation made me realize the existence and dominance of mind wandering and ignorance. In a scientific study it was shown that mind wandering was the majority of the conscious experience (Hasenkamp et al., 2012). Before I practiced meditation I was unaware of the effects of mind wandering not only on performance towards certain task but also towards sustaining attention to the present moment. For example on my very first session of meditation I realized how I completely zoned out for the first few minutes until we took a break and that made me further realiz... ..., MA: Shambhala Publications. Ricard, M., & Chödzin, S. (2010). Why meditate?. Carlsbad, Calif.: Hay House, Inc.. Corey, G., & Corey, M. S. (2010). I never knew I had a choice: explorations in personal growth (9th ed., instructor's ed.). Australia: Brooks/Cole. P164 Craighead, W. E., Miklowitz, D. J., & Craig, L. W. (2013). Psychopathology(Second Edition ed.). New Jersey: Wiley. P200 Ricard, M., & Thuan, T.X. (2001). The quantum and the lotus: A journey to the frontiers where science and Buddhism meet. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. [Chapter 1] Arch, J.J., & Craske, M.G. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness: Emotion regulation following a focused breathing induction. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44, 1849-1858. Filaber, D. (2013). Transform Your Life with Meditation:The Lives and Legacies of the Greatest Meditation Masters. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. P33

Creating a Healthy City Essay

What Would a Healthy City Look Like A healthy city would be filled with clean air and a safe and high quality environment, with all basic needs such as water, food, and shelter for all residents. There would be ample education supplied for everyone, and in turn diverse employment opportunities so that more residents will have jobs. A healthy city would have plenty of recreational areas for its residents, and a public transportation system that would help residents travel safely between home and work. There would also be a superior level of appropriate public health care services and accessibility. (Hilgenkamp 364). Like a truly healthy human body, a truly healthy community is one in which all systems function as they should, and work together to make the community function well. Obstacles to Becoming a Healthy City One of the biggest challenges in creating a healthy community coalition is to sustain the members’ involvement in the process. This challenge can be overcome in part by agreeing as early as possible on a vision for the community. Although a Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities initiative should not be top-down, it needs the commitment and backing of those with the power to make things happen. Officials can use the media to publicize the effort, pass laws and regulations (and enforce those already existing) that reinforce it, and throw the weight and resources of government behind it. Without official support, a community-wide effort is more likely to fail. Financial Issues in Creating a Health City The ultimate goal here is the development of a truly healthy community, which translates to improving the quality of life for everyone in the community. This is not done without cost. Improving existing and building new parks can be very costly. Another high cost to a healthy community is the medical  treatment of the sick without insurance. This can be a high tax burden on the citizens, which can depreciate the health value of the community. Revamping a city’s infrastructure, such as wastewater treatment and water supply can be another costly expenditure in becoming a clean city. Benefits of a Healthy City Creating and sustaining a good healthy city has many benefits. A solid healty community provides: †¢Shelter adequate to the climate, to the needs of the occupants, and to withstand extremes of weather. †¢Education for children (and often adults as well, as in the case of adult literacy) that is free, adequate to equip them for a productive and comfortable life in their society. †¢Not just food, but enough of it, and of adequate nutritional value, to assure continued health and vigor for adults, and proper development for children. †¢A stable ecosystem. Clean air, clean water, and protection of the natural environment. †¢Sustainable resources that include water, farmland, minerals, industrial resources, power sources (sun, wind, water, biomass), plants, animals. †¢Employment that provides an income adequate for a reasonable quality of life, and public support for those who are unable to work or find jobs. What is Environmental Health In order to define and completely understand environmental health, we should first break each of its components down and define them. The World Health Organization defines health as â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.† The environment is defined as â€Å"All conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding and affecting the development or existence of people or other living things.† (Hilgenkamp 1) Environmental health in turn is essentially how we can prevent disease and create a health-supportive environment along with its related systems. Environmental health is the understanding of how we can sustain life on the planet for all future generations to come. Healthy City’s Importance to Environmental Health The WHO defines the Healthy City as â€Å"one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in  performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential.† A healthy city is not about the health sector only. It includes health considerations in economic, regeneration and urban development efforts. Its primary goal is to put health high on the social, economic and political agenda of city governments. (WHO Europe) Environmental Health as a Global Concern Earth is one giant system, with four main divisions which are the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Hilgenkamp addressed several key reasons for environmental health being a global issue. The first issue was the world population increase. It was noted that from 1950 to 1975, the world population increased by 64%. Increasing population growth means an increased need for food and waste disposal. In order to accommodate this increase, additional land must be cleared, thus taking away additional natural resources needed to maintain oxygen and water supplies in the environment. (Hilgenkamp 25) As population increases worldwide, so do the demands for energy. This increase in energy need increase the consumption of natural resources such as coal, oil, and uranium, that in turn endanger our water supplies. It also increase the amount of power plants needed, which increases the amount of air pollution, and in turn causes increases in atmospheric temperature known as global warming. In addition to the changes in climate, global warming also increase human illness because of the rise of new diseases and the reemergence of old ones. (Hilgenkamp 27) Environmental Health as an Individual Concern Since the environment provides us with so many resources such as clean air, clean water, and nutrients, environmental degradation directly influences human health. Because humans dominate most ecosystems on Earth we have a large impact on the environment, it is therefore a responsibility of each human to do their part to maintain environmental health. Overpopulation and demands on natural resources can degrade the environment. There are ways that each of us can facilitate the preservation of the environment and conservation of its resources, such as recycling products when possible, use pollution control devices, practice new farming techniques that reduce agricultural pollution, as well as adhere to laws put in place to protect us  such as the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act. References Hilgenkamp, Kathryn. Environmental Health: Ecological Perspectives. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 09/09/2005. VitalBook file. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. WHO Europe. Healthy Cities. Retrieved 6/10/2014 From http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/urban-health/activities/healthy-cities