Despite considerable efforts to decrease the impact of the Environment on the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives, many health problems attributed to environmental factors continue to pose significant challenges for many tribal communities. The challenges in particular point to the need for environmental protection policies, especially agricultural communities where high and persistent uses of pesticides have bearing on human health conditions. Although there is a need for tribal environmental health policies, research on tribal leaderships' interpretations and the implications the interpretations have for constructing environmental health policies are minimal. For example, understanding how one tribe defines environmental health is central to how they construct and develop environmental protection laws aimed at protecting the environment and human health.This qualitative research study took place in a rural agricultural Indian community on the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Parker, Arizona. The qualitative data assessed Tribal Council leader's interpretations and understanding of how environmental health is defined and understood. The study method employed a semi-structured interview process with selected tribal council members who served a term on tribal council between 1980-2002, especially members who were appointed to specific sub-committees concerned with agricultural activities (i.e. pesticide, agricultural, and farm board). The rationale for conducting qualitative interviews was to determine and ascertain how environmental health has been defined and understood over the past 22 years when these tribal leaders constructing, developing, and implemented various environmental protection laws. Other forms of data acquisition was through relevant public records from Tribal Council and special committee meeting minutes that centered on developing environmental health policy.The central aim of this research was to recognize and comprehend the level of understanding, and consideration employed by tribal leaders as they defined environmental health for their agricultural Indian community. By examining and presenting the core values and interpretations of environmental health policy of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, other tribes may learn from this as they formulate and develop appropriate environmental health policies aimed at protecting their environments, human health, cultural beliefs and practices and become more accountable and responsible to their allegiance to their communities.

Visame pasaulyje vis daugiau dėmesio skiriama aplinkos apsaugai. Žmonės vis labiau supranta, jog visa socialinė gerovė bei progresas priklauso nuo aplinkos būklės. Lietuva taip pat eina subalansuotos plėtros keliu: aplinkosauginių normų pagrindai įtvirtinti Lietuvos Konstitucijoje, detalizuojami Lietuvos įstatymuose. Kadangi Lietuvoje pagrindinis politinės arenos dalyvis yra politinės partijos, tai labai svarbu žinoti kokią aplinkosauginę politiką jos siūlo. Partijos rinkiminėse programose deklaruoja savo politiką, kurioje išdėsto siekius, tikslus ir kaip jie bus realizuojami. Šiose programose partijos turi galimybę išdėstyti savo poziciją aplinkos apsaugos srityje. Trečiame skyriuje nagrinėjamos 2008 metų rinkimuose į Seimą patekusių partijų programos, bei jų įtaka formuojant penkioliktąją Vyriausybės veiklos programą. Pateiktose rinkiminėse programose partijų siūloma aplinkos apsaugos politika yra labai skirtinga. Partijos patekusios į Seimą turi galimybę įgyvendinti siūlomą politiką, kadangi konstitucinė prigimtis lemia jai ypatingą vaidmenį valstybės valdžios institucijų sistemoje. Seimo pagrindinė funkcija yra įstatymų leidyba, o Seimo nariai turi jiems suteiktą įstatymų iniciatyvos teisę. Šio darbo tikslas yra išanalizuoti politinių partijų rinkiminėse programose siūlomą aplinkosauginę politiką, kiek iškelti aplinkosaugos tikslai atitinka Lietuvoje aktualias problemas ir kiek dėmesio skiriama globalioms aplinkos problemoms. Išanalizavus politinių partijų pozicijas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Every new day people try to pay more attention on environment issues. They understand that welfare of the people and related progress depends on environmental conditions. This concerns Lithuania as well. The fundamentals of environment control norms are consolidated in the constitution of the republic of Lithuania and elaborated in laws of Lithuania. For the reason that the key point in this area refers to Lithuanian political parties, it is important to know, which environmental politics they do offer. In election programs, particular parties declare their politics, where members present different objectives and purposes, and steps of realizations. Within these programs, political parties have opportunities to provide member positions in the area of environmental protection. In Chapter 3, the party programs, which were elected in 2008, are analyzed along with their impact forming the fifteenth government activity program. The proposed environmental protection policy of all presented parties is very different. According to the constitution of the republic of Lithuania, elected to the Seimas political parties have an opportunity to implement their own proposed policy. The major role of the Seimas is law making. The Seimas members have appropriate rights to initiate a certain law, respectively. The main objective of the project is to analyze proposed environmental protection policies of all presented parties within election programs, investigate whether given environmental... [to full text]