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Smarth Growth America’s Complete Streets Workbook



Have you ever wondered how you might go about bringing Complete Streets to your community? Well, it starts with understanding how Complete Street policies work and defining which type of policies might be most appropriate for your community. Smart Growth America has the perfect resource for guiding you through the process. The Complete Streets Local Policy Workbook describes different types of policies including ordinances, resolutions, internal policies, plans, and design guidelines. It then goes on to provide sample language and discuss best practice elements, performance measures, and steps for implementation.To learn more, access the Local Policy Workbook ...

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Study: Soda Industry Played Behind-the-Scenes Role to Influence Media and Debate in Failed Soda Tax Efforts



Soda tax proposals, which studies show could help Latino children drink less sugary drinks, have been popping up around the country in recent years. In this KQED photo from a story about the Richmond soda tax campaign, a customer at La Raza market in Richmond talks with a paid organizer for the community coalition against beverage taxes.Source: http://blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2012/08/09/soda-industry-spending-big-to-defeat-richmond-beverage-tax/The California cities of San Francisco and Berkeley, and the state of Illinois, are among those currently weighing such taxes.In 2012, two California cities with large Latino populations, Richmond and El Monte, failed in their attempts to pass a tax on sugary drinks. A new study by Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) analyzed the role the ...

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Childhood Obesity Rates Drop 43% in Past Decade



Obesity rates among children ages 2-5 dropped from 14% in 2003-04 to 8% in 2011-12, a decline of 43%, according to new federal data. The data, from the CDC and published in the February 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, doesn’t cite precise reasons for the decline. But it offers potential reasons: Child care centers improving nutrition and fitness standards. Children are consuming fewer sugary drinks. And more women are breastfeeding, which can help stave off obesity in children. First Lady Michelle Obama—who on Feb. 25 announced new proposed rules to limit marketing of unhealthy foods in schools by phasing out advertising of sugary drinks and junk food and ensuring that other promotions in schools were in line with health standards—cited ...

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Smart Snacks Product Calculator



The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has launched it's Smart Snacks Product Calculator. This tool makes it easy for individuals or schools to evaluate products based on the new USDA Smart Snacks in School Guidelines. The user can simply enter the product information, answer a few questions, and the calculator will determine whether your snack, side or entrée item meets the new USDA Smart Snacks in School Guidelines. Results from this calculator have been approved and determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be an accurate product assessment for it's compliance with the federal requirements for Smart Snacks in School. In addition to the calculator, the Alliance Product Navigator now features snack, side, entrée and beverage products that meet the USDA ...

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Webinar: Are Complete Streets Good for the Public Health of Texas?



What are Complete Streets and how can your community benefit from this type of policy? If you're interested in learning more about the health benefits of active transportation then you will definitely want to watch this webinar. In this presentation sponsored by the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, Dr. Harold Kohl of the University of Texas School of Public Health and  Robin Stallings of Bike Texas talk about promoting active living and using environmental approaches to improve health. In Texas, many initiatives to promote Complete Streets are already underway and communities that have adopted such policies are seeing benefits such as increased property values, less traffic congestion, healthier employees, increased tourism and higher revenues generated by retail ...

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Promoting Physical Activity Through Joint Use Agreements: A Guide for North Carolina Schools and Communities to Develop Joint Use Agreements



This resource provides insight into how shared use (joint use) agreements work. Often schools have verbal agreements which allow their facilities to be used by other parties during non-school hours. While having access to schoolyards is a step in the right direction, it is important to create written agreements that define terms, detail partner responsibilities, specify hours of use, and address liability, in order to avoid any issues that could arise in the future. In this manual you will learn about four different types of shared use agreements and about the many benefits of establishing a shared use agreement. You can also read about two state policies that support the creation of shared use and about two schools which have successfully implemented shared use ...

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Webinar: Should Texas Consider a Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages?



Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages is considered by many public health experts and policymakers to be one of the best strategies to improve the nation's nutrition and raise revenue for health programs. Studies show that Latino children drink more sugary drinks than their peers; if the cost of these drinks went up, it could encourage kids to pick something healthier. This webinar examines the evidence behind this policy proposal with two of the nation's leading experts on the subject, Dr. Kelly Brownell and Roberta Friedman of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Dr. Steven Kelder, Co-Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, will discuss the potential outcomes of implementing such a policy in Texas. Check out the webinar ...

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Study: Taxing Sugary Drinks and Job Growth



A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) predicts that taxing sugary drinks would not have any significant negative impact on employment. In fact, the study suggests that there may even be modest job gains. This study focused on the impact of a tax in California and Illinois, and the researchers expect the overall results would be similar in other states In addition to net job gains and significant health savings, a tax on these beverages would be expected to raise over $500 million in Illinois and nearly $1billion in California, according to the study. Read more here. Check out Bridging the Gap's issue brief on the ...

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Latinos, Why is Organ and Sample Donation Important? Ask 3-year-old Jade Hércules and Her Family


Jade

Jade Hércules, was born in July 2012 in Guatamala, where she was diagnosed with terminal liver disease. She needed a donor. Jade's condition deteriorated over the next year to the point where her parents thought, as she celebrated her first birthday in July 2013, she wasn't far from her final moments on earth. Then doctors at University of Chicago Hospital, where her family had come to seek treatment, told her parents a liver donor was found. “We were grateful to God for the parents who had the courage to donate their little boy’s organs because thanks to them our little girl is alive. We always think about the parents who made this miracle possible because it is truly a blessing that a year later although she is not yet walking, Jade can stand and is such a happy ...

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