Being a student in ENVR 430 this term was a pleasure. I looked forward to every Friday at 2pm because it meant I could sit in a classroom with like-minded students and absorb a wide range of topics related to sustainability. Being in a course that relied less on testing our understanding of course content made learning less stressful.
Coming out of this course I have learned to not be fearful of hard conversations because having these conversations is vital for the continuation of our species. The societal norms that are detrimental to our planet (like the need to purchase the latest greatest thing) can be shifted if people engaged more frequently in meaningful conversations about sustainability.
Reflecting on my experience in ENVR 430 these past few months, I would say that my overall values are knowledge sharing and responsibility. With these values in mind, I envision a future where concerned citizens feel a responsibility to share what they know in a respectful manner and they create a ripple effect where other — perhaps more apathetic — people start to live a more conscientious life.
While social media may be a useful tool to spread information, I think it’s oversaturated. It’s very easy to forget about the meaning and takeaways of the content we spend hours every week consuming because new global problems arise everyday on the digital space. Thus, my intervention is to spend less time consuming content and more time having tough but impactful conversations with those around me. I extend this intervention to whoever is reading this post as well.