While on my daily walk through Downtown Toledo on May 6, I passed a group of four people (two men and two women) who were walking east on Washington Street, toward the Owens-Corning campus. I did not hear the context of their conversation, but as we passed, one of the women said to her friends, with emphatic certainty, “It’s not hard. Stop eating and exercise more.”

It seems almost too simple an equation to contain such a complex problem: Your body weight is a result of energy balance — the amount of energy (food) you take in relation to the amount of energy (activity) you expend. It’s thermodynamics.

But the main message at the National Press Foundation’s (NPF) “Obesity Issues 2013” journalism fellowship in Aurora, Colo., was that the problem is complicated beyond common knowledge and the solution is … there is no single solution.

I was one of 15 journalists accepted into the program (NPF covered all travel, lodging and food expenses), in a group that included representatives from ABC News National, Forbes.com, Los Angeles Times, PBS and HealthPolicySolutions.org. There were nearly 20 presentations in four days, encompassing an amazing array of researchers, industry professionals and health care sources.

The NPF conference drove home the powerful — and dispiriting — message that for as much truth as it contains, “eat less, move more” doesn’t contain all the answers.

Never in human history has a civilization built for itself as much access to food and as little need for physical activity as our current American culture. Obesity researcher Morgan Downey has identified 82 “putative causes for obesity.”

The list includes such common-sense factors as eating away from home, food marketing, labor-saving devices, overeating, television viewing, stress, genetics and sleep deficits. It also includes less obvious factors: air conditioning, being a single mother, influence of friends, living in high-crime areas, marrying later in life, using food stamps, vending machines and little to no breastfeeding.

Writing for the Journal of Obesity, Downey said, “If a disease has 82 possible causes, can anyone say we know what the cause is? Can a diverse collection of events trigger a perturbation in the system to cause obesity? Alternatively, since each putative cause has some individuals with exposure who do not develop obesity, is there some kind of ‘master switch’ which has to be tripped to cause excess adipose tissue accumulation? What possible prevention strategy could account for all these variables?”

According to the long line of experts testifying at the NPF conference, it is unlikely any single strategy can offer prevention. With previous public safety issues such as wearing seat belts or dealing with secondhand smoke, data and public endorsement resulted in policy and regulation. But experts at NPF said many attempts to use policy and regulation to curb obesity, such as San Francisco banning fast-food restaurants in certain areas or New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempting to limit the size of soda purchases, are not supported by data and have been received as infringements on freedom of choice. There is also the problem that — unlike the clear concepts of hurtling through a windshield at 70 mph or lungs withering under the assault of tobacco smoke — fat has no single image or impact around which science can rally sentiment. Fat itself doesn’t kill; it’s the damage obesity does to the heart, arteries, liver, kidneys, insulin regulation, sleep, and its contributions to strokes, cancer, cholesterol, joint problems, high blood pressure and scores of other complications that kill. How can science or government get its arms around a problem that is impacted by food environment, built environment and economics?

During the NPF conference, journalists heard from expert after expert who explored and dissected endless angles of the obesity issue.

Daniel Bessesen, professor of medicine and associate director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, which hosted the conference, put words to my thoughts when he said that the epiphany which motivates an individual to change lifestyle habits and lose weight is so personal and unique to that person that there may be no way to strategize and plan an effective public policy.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a retired three-star general, gave a compelling presentation on how obesity is impacting military readiness. The cost to the country of trying to forge a volunteer army from a population that is largely physically unfit to serve is unsustainable. There are costs from recruits being injured in basic training because their bodies are not used to activity. There are costs from recruits who cannot be deployed until their myriad dental problems — from years of neglect and sugar ingestion — are corrected. Hertling oversaw a culture change that has radically altered the Army’s ways of dealing with the issue and is influencing not only the other U.S. armed forces, but those of our European allies.

Kim Gorman, weight management program director for the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, offered insight to preventing childhood obesity. One of the striking things she pointed out was the culture of providing snacks after children’s athletic events. Kids are taking in more calories through after-game chips and juice boxes than they are burning through such relatively low impact activities as tee ball or soccer.

Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, educated the NPF fellows on a wide array of marketing strategies for getting people to choose healthy food over unhealthy food — and vice-versa. He spoke about how where you are seated at a buffet (and such variables as plate color, plate size and plate placement) impacts how much you eat.

There were more sources and topics than can be summarized in one column, so this summer, Toledo Free Press will embark on a series that will localize much of the information presented at the conference. My weight loss journey (down 160 pounds after bariatric sleeve surgery in September) reflects a greater problem in the Toledo area, which the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked as America’s 7th fattest city.

There may not be an answer, but there are answers. Science can find them. Public policy can regulate them. This summer, Toledo Free Press and NPF will report them. But only you can heed them, or treat them like snatches of overheard conversation with no context.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: ABC News National, Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, Brian Wansink, Daniel Bessesen, Forbes.com, HealthPolicySolutions.org, Journal of Obesity, Kim Gorman, Lighting The Fuse, Los Angeles Times, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, Michael S. Miller, Morgan Downey, National Press Foundation, obesity, Owens Corning, PBS

This entry was posted on Friday, May 10th, 2013 at 12:00 am and is filed under Lighting The Fuse, Opinion.
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On my morning drive April 4, I ran a red light, grazed a deer, blew through a stop sign, clipped a pedestrian at a crosswalk, sideswiped a car and was ticketed for several traffic violations.

It was all my fault; I was chatting with a passenger, texting on my phone and checking messages while I was driving.

Fortunately, all of that happened during a session in a Distracted Driving Simulator in the lobby of Owens Corning. But it was a harsh reminder of a common sense principle we all ignore: You cannot safely drive if your attention is divided.

The simulator is a three-monitor setup with a steering wheel, gas pedal and brake on the floor. I drove through the realistic video for about seven minutes, trying to watch all the mirrors and environmental challenges, while a passenger voice gave directions and an on-screen cellphone flashed messages and asked for answers.

The simulator, an Ohio Department of Transportation project, has been touring Ohio, with stops this week at SSOE, the University of Toledo and Oregon’s municipal complex. It ought to be in every high school and workplace, to remind people that when they are driving, they are in control of a lethal torpedo that is one of the most effective instruments of murder ever invented.

According to Matt Schroder, senior leader of corporate communications, Owens Corning has gone beyond simply offering the simulator by recently making it official policy for employees to leave the cellphone alone when driving: “Drivers are prohibited from utilizing a cellphone (hand-held or hands-free) to conduct company business while the vehicle is in operation or while driving on company property.

• Includes texting, checking emails, accepting incoming calls or placing a call unless the vehicle is completely stopped and properly parked in a safe location.
• Including handheld, hands-free or an in-vehicle installed system.”

The statistics are brutal. According to the State Highway Patrol of Ohio, “Driving while texting or talking on the phone is considered more dangerous than driving at .08 blood alcohol content. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of close calls involve a driver’s lack of attention within three seconds before the event.”

A fact sheet handed out by SSOE, which has a similar policy prohibiting talking and texting on a cellphone to conduct company business while driving, contained these statistics:

• Driver distraction is a contributor in 93 percent of rear-end collisions.
• Driving while using a cell phone reduces brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.
• 18-to-20-year-olds are four times as likely to be involved in a distracted driving accident than drivers more than 35 years old.

The National Safety Council has also weighed in:

• Communities that enact bans on hand-held devices but continue to allow hands-free devices see no reduction in the number of crashes after bans take effect.
• Each year, more than 1.1 million crashes (25 percent of all crashes) are attributed to cellphone use, accounting for 500,000 injures and 5,000 deaths. This works out to more than 3,000 crashes, 1,300 injuries, and 13 deaths every day.
• A new study of company vehicle fleet crash rates reveals the top safety performers are companies with policies enacting a total ban on cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) that enforce such policies.

Of course, it’s not just cell phones. People eat and drink in their cars, engage in personal grooming and distract themselves with navigation systems, videos, radios, CD and MP3 players and all kinds of curious behavior. When I lived in South Florida and drove I-95 every day (home to the rudest drivers I’ve ever encountered, although some of the people on Brint Road in Sylvania  and Secor Road in Toledo are pretty bad), I saw people engaged in reckless behavior that ranged from openly drinking from beer cans to makin’ babies, two activities which are reckless enough on stable, dry land.

I am a much better driver when my wife and kids are in the car than I am when I am driving solo. I am definitely guilty of talking on the cellphone and occasionally texting as I make my way to and from work.

It’s a hard habit to break, but after plowing through the streets of the distracted driving simulator like Homer Simpson fighting Peter Griffin for the steering wheel, I have a greater understanding of the dangers I am ignoring.

I signed the pledge to put the cellphone down when I drive, but the incentive of my family is all I need. Whether using the phone while driving gets me killed with or without them in the car, I’d be just as dead, and there is simply nothing on that BlackBerry that can’t wait.

I used to tell people that, like the bad guy in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” who grabs the burning medallion and sears its design into his hand, I have the BlackBerry “B” imprinted in my palm from holding it so much.

After failing the distracted driving simulator, I plan on working to make sure that “B” begins to fade from my grasp.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: Homer Simpson, Lighting The Fuse, Matt Schroder, Michael S. Miller, Ohio Department of Transportation, Owens Corning, Peter Griffin, Raiders of the Lost Ark, SSOE, University of Toledo

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Lighting The Fuse, Opinion.
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Despite tough economic times, United Way of Greater Toledo increased the money it raised during its annual campaign for the second year in a row, collecting $13,607,300 in 2011.

“The community really should be thanked. It’s a tremendous effort,” said Bill Kitson, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Toledo. The sum is a 1.5 percent increase above 2010’s $13,409,320, but still short of the 2011 goal of $13.8 million. Funds from the campaign will go toward United Way’s efforts at improving health, education and income in 2012.

“The fact that we were able to increase 1.5 percent is just a great testament to the engagement and the generosity of this community at both a personal level as well as a corporate level,” said Tom Manahan, 2011’s campaign chair and president of The Lathrop Company. 2012’s campaign chair will be Randy Oostra, president and CEO of ProMedica.

The campaign, which officially kicked off in September and ended Jan. 12, received contributions from about 30,000 donors. 2011’s campaign featured a Leadership Matching Challenge Grant, sponsored by Mercy and Medical Mutual, which matched any new or increased leadership gift of $1,000 or more, creating $3.5 million.

Bill Kitson

The Education Matching Challenge Grant, sponsored by SSOE Group and Lathrop, matched education-designated gifts of $100 or more, garnering $615,000 in education designations.

“The fact that education designations doubled this year shows the fact that the community shares our passion for graduating kids. We’re very concerned that every child have an education,” Kitson said.

Tocqueville Society gifts of $10,000 plus, spearheaded by George and Leslie Chapman, were another source of funds. The Chapmans were able to increase the number of these donors by 20 percent, resulting in a 9 percent increase in dollars donated for Tocqueville Society gifts. About 95 individuals donated at this level, bringing in more than $1.3 million.

Workplace donors included The Andersons, Chrysler Toledo Assembly Plant, Owens Corning, the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Refining Company, the Wood County Government Offices and Owens-Illinois, which set the record with $785,318 in donations.

Many companies offered to match employees’ volunteer hours with cash contributions to United Way or other organizations, a strategy that the United Way may use in next year’s campaign.

“There absolutely is a strategy to this volunteerism. If you could deploy volunteers in very strategic ways, they could be almost as useful as dollars,” Kitson said.

Another unique part of 2011’s campaign was that it kicked off with a week of Days of Caring, where employees give their time to volunteer work, instead of the standard one Day of Caring. Instead of the typical 300-400 volunteers, 1,200 volunteered that week.

“Not only is it the impact of all the hours they put into that volunteer activity, but just the fact that they’re out there in the community, they tend to get a much better feel for the need in the community, and then they get more engaged, which tends to snowball into more gifts, more volunteers,” Manahan said.

The campaign concluded with a Victory Celebration on Jan. 12 at Courtyard at the Docks, sponsored by Dana Corporation. At the celebration, Best Buy received the Spirit of Caring —Outstanding Company award.

“It’s a company that’s really done fabulous work in our community, beyond dollars and cents, getting into the neighborhoods, helping folks with very real issues,” Kitson said.

Some of Best Buy’s work in 2011 included running a “Geek Bus” into low-income communities, where staff taught a computer course. The United Way also awarded Olivia Summons and her team at the Toledo Refining Company the Campaign Team of the Year award. It is the first time since 2008 that the company raised more than $100,000, something Kitson attributed to Summons and her team.

Visit www.unitedwaytoledo.org to learn more.

Tags: Bill Kitson, Chrysler Toledo Assembly Plant, Medical Mutual, Mercy, Owens Corning, Owens-Illinois, ProMedica, Randy Oostra, SSOE, The Andersons, the Toledo Museum of Art, the Wood County Government Offices, Toledo Refining Company, Tom Manahan, United Way

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Community, Philanthropy.
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Owens Corning (OC) was recognized by Home Depot with its Environmental Partner of the Year Award, the only company to earn that distinction in 2011.

The award is based on Home Depot’s Supplier Social and Environmental Responsibility program, which ensures that its suppliers adhere to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.

The standards of behavior relate to workplace and employment conditions as well as environmental, health and safety practices, according to the company.

“Owens Corning rose above our dedicated group of suppliers with its ongoing commitment to sustainability, safety and reducing their environmental footprint,” Ron Jarvis, senior vice president of Home Depot EcoOptions stated in a news release.

“This award also recognizes the positive difference EcoTouch Insulation makes for Home Depot customers and associates,” he said.

Jarvis addressed company officials and suppliers at a recent awards ceremony, citing how Owens Corning has raised the sustainability bar by setting 2020 goals for product life-cycle assessments and reductions in energy, greenhouse gas, water, toxic emissions, particulate matter and waste-to-landfill measures.

Gale Tedhams of Owens Corning with EcoTouch insulatIon.

“It’s an honor for Owens Corning to be recognized with this award. This validation will encourage us to keep striving to improve our efforts each year,” said Frank O’Brien-Bernini, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Owens Corning.

EcoTouch became the first fiberglass insulation to be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a bio-based product. The certification is part of a new USDA labeling initiative to identify products with ingredients made from renewable plant materials.

“EcoTouch Insulation and Home Depot will continue to be a successful combination for homeowners across the country,” Chuck Dana, group president of building materials for Owens Corning stated in the news release.

“Our goal is to deliver Home Depot’s customers the benefits of our relentless pursuit to insulate homes and buildings in the most environmentally sustainable and efficient ways,” he stated.

Owens Corning is working with Home Depot to promote its sustainable products that qualify for LEED for Homes, ENERGYSTAR and other green building programs, according to Gale Tedhams, director of sustainability, green products and communications at Owens Corning.

OC increased the recycled content in its EcoTouch Insulation from 50 to 65 percent, Tedhams said.

Earlier this month, Owens Corning Roofing established a strategic alliance with Earth911 Inc. to expand shingle recycling opportunities for contractors and consumers. Earth911 is the host of the largest single recycling directory in North America.

OC Roofing established the nation’s first shingle recycling program in 2009 in alliance with Heritage Environmental Services. Since its inception, the program has recycled more than 80,000 tons of asphalt shingles, which is equivalent to saving 80,000 barrels of oil, according to the company.

In September, Owens Corning and Solexel received $13 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for projects that will help shape the next generation of solar energy technologies. The grant is part of the DOE’s SunShot Initiative that seeks to make solar energy systems more affordable and sustainable for homeowners.

The funding provides an opportunity to integrate Solexel’s solar technology with OC’s roofing expertise into solar roofing solutions that are affordable, aesthetically attractive and easy to install.

Owens Corning is a producer of commercial and residential building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. It has been a Fortune 500 company for 57 consecutive years.

The Toledo-based company reported sales of $5 billion in 2010 with approximately 15,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents. For more information, visit  www.owenscorning.com.

Tags: EcoOptions, EcoTouch, Home Depot, Owens Corning

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 2:27 pm and is filed under Technology, Toledo Business Link.
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