Ally Clement’s Project- Day to Day Things

My PhotoVoice participant is my mom, Christy Clement. She is 48 and has lived in South Tampa her entire life. Below are her three photos and descriptions of each one.

“Dogs are an important part of my environment. Not only do they make me happy but they also encourage me to get outside and exercise. I look forward to getting outside on the twice a day walks to get some fresh air.” -Christy

Dogs may be man’s best friends but dogs can also be our best reason to get outside. For my mom, Christy, this is definitely the case. Because the dogs expect to be walked in the morning and the evening, my mom feels obligated to take them around the block. While she puts on their leashes, she may dread this but once she is outside, she can start to appreciate the nature around her. Not only does she get to be immersed in her environment, she feels accomplished when she gets her steps in.

“Buying household cleaning products – dish soap, laundry soap, etc – is very important in keeping my environment healthy. I try to buy products without a lot of added chemicals. I also try to purchase skin care items that are chemical-free when possible. Keeping chemical exposure to a minimum is important to me and my family.” -Christy

We use cleaning products every single day. Sometimes we might not think about what goes into these types of products. My mom could be considered a cleaning product enthusiast. She loves nothing more than to keep a clean house and new products excite her. It works out great that she can keep her house a clean and healthy environment while having a little bit of fun. Additionally, my mom realizes possible false advertisements. While certain things might seem healthy, they aren’t always. Consumers in stores need to realize, like my mom, what the ingredients in cleaning, skincare, and everyday products mean and whether or not they really are helpful.

“Air purifiers are an important addition to a living environment. Our air is filled with dust, allergens, particles, dirt, etc and it’s important to have clean air. It is great that air purifiers are easy to get and can go anywhere. Here is the air purifier that I made sure to put in my daughter’s new room.”- Christy

Since I can remember, my childhood home has had an air purifier in every room. Even in my first year of college, my mom purchased two air purifiers to ensure that I would be breathing in clean air. My mom grew up with allergies and is a mother to children with allergies so she is able to understand the importance of having air free of anything that could cause allergy symptoms.

Theme: As my mom is not the most adventurous person or excited to be a part of the environment, it makes a lot of sense for her photos be have a theme of day to day things. Things that we might use everyday and might not even notice. The theme leads to the idea that simple things like dish soap, dog walks, and air filters, can shape the status of the way we live in an environment.

Expanding: One reading from class that relates to Christy’s photos and descriptions is the New York Times article, “New Research Links Air Pollution to Higher Coronavirus Death Rates.” Christy’s ideas related to the concept of keeping environments clean to stray clear of illness. In this case, air pollution leads to higher COVID death rates. While this is on a larger scale than what Christy was thinking, both ideas consider the strong correlation between a healthy environment and healthy people that live in it.