The first case study I found was from the Colby website and talked about how wind power has become such a successful source of alternative energy in Denmark.  The case study can be found at http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/Vogel.htm. The goal of this wind energy development was to steer the country away from relying on fossil fuels and other unsustainable resources for energy.  Instead, Denmark was interested in implementing more renewable and diverse sources of energy.   Beginning in the 90’s, Denmark now maintains a rate of 20% renewable energy usage and produces 60% of the world’s turbines, most of which are then exported.  This topic relates to sustainable development, which was mentioned within the module.  Instead of using fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal for energy which are hard to replace, wind turbines create energy from the never ending wind, so its production will never end.

My second case study talked about dental hygiene in school aged children living in Jamaica.  The study can be found by going to http://www.cgdev.org/page/case-18-preventing-dental-caries-jamaica.   The goal of this development in dental care came after the widespread tooth decay experienced by school aged children of Jamaica in the 80’s.  Fewer than 3 in every 100 children were free of tooth decay or loss.  In 1987, Jamaica started to produce and sell fluorinated salt.  It was because of this that by the mid 90’s, dental health had improved and savings from the program were significantly high.  For every dollar spent on fluoride, 250 dollars was saved on future dental expenses.  This study brought up another way of looking at development instead of by monetary value.  Development here was based on health statistics in children and how they were not being provided the education or diet needed to practice good dental hygiene.

Discussing wind turbines in Denmark and their renewable energy is an issue of development I am familiar with living just outside of State College.  While I have seen a few wind turbines in Centre County, I feel that the area has so much room for more.  In my hometown, there’s a lot of empty land at higher elevations perfect for these energy machines.  I feel that the area would benefit from sacrificing some land for a sustainable, renewable energy source.  The case about tooth decay in Jamaica was very different from heath development where I live.  Growing up, I remember taking fluoride tablets in school and visiting the dentist regularly.  I work in a preschool where brushing, flossing, and eating good foods is already something young children are learning.   I liked that this study was about something other than development in terms of GDP.  Often we tend to think of countries as being higher or lower income, but it’s very important to think of how they differ in terms of health, another facet of development.