I'm so happy I decided to add this course last minute! As a biology major, this was my first ENVR course and first course that directly focuses on the climate crisis. I came into this class hoping to learn more about how we can address all the issues our world faces and am coming away with a well-rounded idea of what needs to be change and how we can get there. I have learned how to have productive conversations with others about climate issues, something that would use to leave me flustered and angry before. I have also learned that systemic change and societal mindset changes are vital for solving most if not all of our climate issues. While this may appear daunting and near impossible, after taking this course and interacting with other students on the CoSphere forum, I am hopeful my generation will be able to pull through! I will take the lessons that I have learned in this course with me in my day-to-day life. I am much more mindful now of my consumption and am trying to reduce the amount of plastic in my household. I am also starting to research campaigns and petitions where I can use my voice to help advocate for positive change. I envision a future where future students will not have to take a course like this because we have figured out how to live sustainably with nature. I believe that everyone deserves to live a healthy life on a healthy planet and we can get there if we can work together to bring about change in our laws and status quos!

I believe that everyone is entitled to a say in what happens to their body after death. The current societal norm is to avoid such conversations and to only accept the mainstream practices of cremation and anti-ecological burials. I would like to see a world where people can be offered more eco-friendly options such as aquamation or natural burials. I think if these conversations become more acceptable, then most people would prefer to choose an option that respects the environment along with their legacy. To achieve this, our government needs to legalize aquamation in our province and funeral homes should start presenting more options to families, such as natural burials.

Everyone has the right to be protected from the harmful effects of plastics, whether that be endocrine disrupters, micro-plastics in the air, and bioaccumulation into our food, as well as degradation of the environment. I envision a world where single-use plastics are extinct. Where we only have two waste bins: compost and recycle. And where I can walk along the beach and not see single-use plastics hiding under the sand. To achieve this future requires tough laws banning the production of single-use plastics. We cannot rely on recycling to fix our plastic problem - it simply does not and will not work. This ban would reinvent how we shop and push the innovation of compostable plastics for things that require plastic packaging (ie medical equipment). While most of the big companies would resist such a change, I believe if we pressure the government enough for this, one day it can be done.

I envision a future world where consumers can easily understand where their product comes from and whether or not it is truly sustainable. Ordinary people have the right to be protected from companies who may try to falsely advertise towards consumers for economic benefit. In order to ensure true corporate social and environmental responsibility, we need tough laws that force and monitor companies to comply to sustainability standards. For example, governments could crackdown on the admission of certifications by only permitting one per industry and ensuring that is has a rigorous examination process so that consumers can more easily understand what they are buying. This could also inspire more businesses to strive to change their practices in order to earn a certification.

I envision a future in BC where our summers are not spent under smoke from our burning forests. Where air quality advisories are rare and not expected every August/September. Everybody should be able to enjoy our beautiful outdoors without risking exposure to harmful air pollutants which can cause serious long-term problems with frequent exposure. To address these concerns, public awareness of the benefits of controlled burns needs to be increased. Misconceptions about the dangers should be discussed especially in more remote communities who might feel more at risk. I think educational commercials could be any easy way for the government to spread awareness about the benefits of controlled burns to reduce fear and opposition from the public.

I would love if all the food we produce in the future is done in sustainable ways that can support every human being on the planet. I believe that ecosystems are capable of feeding our growing population if we instead work with nature and provide the conditions necessary for it to thrive on our farms. This complex adaptive system (nature) can regulate itself and we can enjoy the benefits if we step back instead of forcing new innovations such as pesticides and invasive tilling practices. In order to see real change, government action is necessary to support farmers in the transition to more sustainable farming practices such as diverse perennial polycultures or biological control agents. The current legislation supports an unsustainable food production model that needs to be updated with the new knowledge that we have gained in this regard. For example, the government can make it easier for farmers to receive loans to create this new farming model, make it a requirement for farms to meet certain standards like cover crops and biological control agents or else face a fine, and remove any incentives to produce monocultures and use pesticides. Another crucial aspect is providing education on these new farming models such that farmers can implement them easier and are able to receive support from experts if novel problems come up. On a smaller scale, there could be subsidies for people who wish to set up vegetable gardens in their yards or apartment complexes. There could be a municipal campaign to support households growing their own food and community engagement events where people can trade produce or learn from others. We can make better use of available space in our cities to supplement our diet with homegrown food.

I have a vision for the future where water is valued properly and people are able to enjoy unpolluted waterways. Everybody should be conscious about their water usage and municipalities can help its citizens achieve this by, i) increasing public awareness about the importance of conserving water; and ii) attaching a higher price to water that is not for essential life purposes. The first 60L or so should be free and anything above that can be charged. Reuse of grey water for public green spaces or private gardens should be required. Agriculture should take place where water is more readily available. Municipalities everywhere must take stronger action by implementing solutions that work for their specific situations before it is too late. For Metro Vancouver specifically, I would like to see municipalities upgrade current wastewater treatment facilities to tertiary treatment. Most are primary or secondary treatment plants which remove most suspended solids and organic material before they are dumped into the Fraser River or Burrard Inlet. By upgrading to tertiary treatment facilities, our wastewater would be clean enough to drink and super safe to release back into the water. We would have clean waterways that we can enjoy in the summer without risk of E.coli advisories or infections. The biodiversity would return, especially in areas like False Creek. I believe construction has started on a new tertiary wastewater facility in the North Shore, which is good news! This would satisfy my vision where everybody can enjoy unpolluted waterways safely.

I have a vision for a future world where people recognize themselves as part of the ecosystem, and endeavour to serve and protect ecosystems as much as ecosystems serve us. Everybody has the right to grow up surrounded by nature and continue the cultural traditions that rely on healthy ecosystems, to foster a deep sense of identity and connection to their community. This means that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with protecting and listening to the voices of the people that live there. Including Indigenous voices in conservation efforts is critical to reverse generations of governmental neglect and has the potential to introduce new solutions by offering different perspectives. I think educating our youth on these issues is critical to encourage a new generation to not shy away from more difficult conversations that don't necessarily have an easy solution. In cases where action is needed to protect the environment that may negatively affect people's livelihoods, everybody that will be involved in the potential repercussions needs to have a say in the decision making; and the relational values of people must have as much weight and importance as the economic ones. True justice is only possible if everyone can make their case and have their perspectives respected. By encouraging respectful relationships with other humans, we are better able to look after our planet.

I believe that our society can find just as much happiness by spending and consuming less. By altering our mindset to the cliche that "less is more", will help us live fuller lives and also help the planet. I envision a future where people learn to value their (fewer) belongings more by taking greater care of them, repairing broken items, and sharing or passing down clothing/tools instead of buying new . Industries can get involved by stepping away from planned obsolescence and encouraging repairs and second-hand purchases of their products. I think it would be neat if people could get their clothes made for them by a tailor, which supports local craftspeople, leads to better quality and fitting clothes, and involves the consumer more with the process of creating clothes (picking sustainable fabrics). Personally, I have tried to reduce how much clothes I purchase and also buying second hand clothes from thrift stores (which have the added bonus of supporting non-profits in the community). I think this quote from JB MacKinnon is a good thing to keep in mind: “If you want a rule of thumb for how much impact you’re having as a consumer, the best one is: how much money are you spending?"

Hello everyone! I am a fifth year biology student (with a minor in archaeology) registered in ENVR 430 and I am excited to be taking a course with like-minded individuals where I can learn how to better make a difference and work towards real change regarding the climate crisis. I enjoy spending time outside in our province's beautiful parks and trails as well as looking after my many houseplants! I would love to one day have a career in the sustainability field as I feel a certain responsibility to putting my education about these issues to good use. I look forward to discussing and thinking about solutions to all these problems in class and on the CoSphere forum!