Great reflection, Cindy! I also have you to thank for encouraging me to take this course. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to learn about these topics and learn how to have hard conversations. Thank you, Cindy <3

Thank you so much for sharing! I second you note about the final presentations. I am definitely leaving this course feeling more hopeful for the future of our planet and empowered to make change <3

I completely agree, Destinie! Even after reading the syllabus, I still didn't really know what I was getting into with this course in the beginning. In the end, I also felt like my knowledge of topics was greatly expanded and the hard conversations where really important and we should keep having them. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Bellie, I felt the same way! I definitely left this course feeling more hopeful and empowered to make change for the future. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Declan, thank you for sharing this take on rewilding! Personally, a garden with wild flowers, weeds, bees and butterflies is the more beautiful thing a garden could be. It's a shame that we've been shown that golf-green lawns are what gardens should be. I'm glad there's real action being taken here and I hope to see more gardens like this in the future!

Hi Sophia, thank you for sharing your perspective here! I really like how you phrased that; "If death was perceived as not an inherently tragic thing the way it is in Western culture, and instead as a natural and beautiful part of the life cycle.." I think that's such a powerful way of looking at it and totally agree that if more people saw it that way, we would be less afraid of returning to the earth and more pulled towards ecologically friendly death-care plans.

Kevin, I couldn't agree more. I personally signed up to be an organ donor as well as donate my body to science/medicine and although it's possible that many would opt out, I think we could at least have more than 20% of people donating their organs to save many others. I always believed that donating your body was the best use my body could have when I pass; better than a memorial in a grave or an urn full of ash on a forgotten shelf. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Allison, although I advocate a lot for cleanliness and sometimes might clean too much, I have a similar vision as you. I remember being little and collecting slugs and snails in the garden and playing with other insects in the dirt, making tiny houses in the mud and so many wonderful memories that kept me exploring in nature. I want the future generation to experience that to and experience the benefits such as a stronger immune system, less allergies and more. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Adam, thank you for sharing your personal and vulnerable experience and reflections about death from such a young age. I was also always scared about my loved ones passing and it hit me really hard with my grandmother and my first dog passed away. I had never experienced the death of anyone close to me either until they passed away. I totally agree with your point that we all return to the earth and should consider living and dying in a more ecologically savvy way. Personally, I am a registered organ donor and have signed up to donate my body to science/medicine when I pass, my mother is a strong advocate for cremation so, although i want to respect her wishes, I will try having this conversation with my mom about having a more ecologically-conscious death. Thanks again for sharing!

I think you make a great point: many of our individual shows of patriotism or unity (including other items like ribbons to support other causes) produce a lot of waste in the hope of gaining support for a few days or week out of the year. I think we should have made this transition to biodegradable poppies (and ribbons) a lot time ago. Another example of more sustainable choices include the orange and pink shirt days in which you can purchase 1 shirt that can be worn every year and even throughout the year. Thank you for bringing this up and sharing your opinion Maia!

Great post, Shanez! I'm really impressed with the specific examples you used that really show how easy this issue is to remedy and how serious it is that we take action quickly. I was just as shocked as everyone else when I learned of the BPA in receipts. Although I stopped saying 'yes' to receipts at the till to avoid the unnecessary garbage accumulating in my pockets, wallets and bag, I cannot help but think about the countless times I would hold my hands in receipt-filled pockets on a cold day. How much BPA did i expose myself to there? Just because it isn't immediately deadly, does not mean it doesn't have the ability to decrease our quality of life. Thank you so much for sharing!

Thank you for addressing this! climate anxiety, stress and guilt are real. I feel that although they can foster feelings of hopelessness in some, they motivate others to make major changes and take action. This is a super interesting topic. Thank you so much for sharing!

I really appreciate these concrete interventions and examples. These are all completely doable. I especially like your last one which would facilitate individuals re-using their own containers for everyday items and I hadn't thought about this before (I just weighed them and put the weight on the lid and jar using tape). Very good thinking! Thanks for sharing!

Hi Megan! Although I don't share your vision of living a long time, I do fear the exposure to EDCs and its dangerous (even if non-fatal) affects on our health and wellbeing. Just because they effects may not all be deadly, they still diminish our quality of life. I like your points here that we need to focus on preventative action too as well as regulatory because we will never catch up if we keep our focus on regulation. There is still so much we can prevent. Banning plastics is completely realistic and it gives me hope. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I totally agree with you, Persephone. I think sometimes we can feel helpless as individuals, but we are stronger when we act as groups. I think more people are on our side than we might think so talking about issues like this with others might help build our team for group action even faster. Although I agree with boycotting, I also understand those that buy from places like Walmart and other companies with poor business models for the affordability. That being said, those who can, should boycott for those who cannot. Thanks for sharing!

Totally agree, transparency is super important and as a consumer, I would like to be able to know and see where the products come from and how they are manufactured without spending hours searching or the hassle of emailing/calling/asking people. It would make it that much easier to shop sustainable. Thanks for sharing, Sumant!

Hi Cindy! I'm always in support of equity and the examples you portrayed are completely achievable. TAX THE RICH!! No more loop holes for the rich either! The trickle-down effect doesn't work; we have to think more realistically.

Hi Maria, thanks for sharing! I want to focus on your title, that mentions the true meaning of 'philanthropy'. I recall reading about much of the past philanthropists that really used to believe that no one died with their money and thus there is no use in hoarding it so instead funded many university and school buildings, libraries, museums, hospital wings and other public spaces for the benefit of society (and perhaps to be remembered when they pass). I'd like to believe that this is part of the true meaning of philanthropy (although I may not have the full story).

Thank for sharing Bhavin! Personally, I do not respect billionaires but I do understand their massive influence and value to a certain extent and why that is important. I appreciate your mention of closing tax loopholes. I think that's really key here because if we enforce flawed laws or policies, it feels just as bad as doing nothing. I also envision a world where companies don't get breaks like that.

Hi Sarah thank you for sharing! I agree and the government, parks departments and the fire department should be involved in the action items your mentions including education to eliminate fear and support the idea of controlled preventative fires as well as work on forest management tactics which also includes more conscientious planting that builds self-sustaining forests and ecosystems (no more monocultures that are planted close together but rather polycultures that live in harmony including heat-resistant and heat-sensitive plants together). Thanks again for the great post!