I envision a future where we are able to coexist with nature, embrace its beauty without doing any harm and evolve interconnectivity in our ecological systems. My value stands with David Attenborough, we have created irreversible changes that will cause our system to collapse. Based on the biodiversity council IPBES, by the end of 2030, at least one million species will be extinct. We are so selfish for taking nature’s resources for granted which leads to consequential unstainable damages that we are now witnessing. Attenborough once said, “if we take care of nature, nature will take care of us … [and] it’s not [a matter] about saving our planet, but it is about saving ourselves.” I believe in the interventions of connectedness. It’s not a matter of who does what, it is a matter of standing together to create bylaws that protect and conserve the resources in nature. Creating awareness by hosting protests with the goal to create selective pressure on the government to enforce these necessary laws may be the ONLY combat we can do to save our world.

Have you ever picked out a product on the shelf, looked at the back, saw the green recyclable logo, and guilt trip yourself into buying the product cause it’s “environmentally friendly?” Yeah, same. It’s sad to say that greenwashing has continued to convey and mislead consumers into buying products that are considered to be “sustainable” in an attempt to capitalize on profit. I believe in the vision of banning greenwashing because it’s unethical, causes environmental harm, and misleads consumers. Additionally, banning single-use plastics could eliminate companies from greenwashing their products. As plastic has become one of the largest issues today, greenwashing has continued to contribute to plastic waste and add to false hopes for sustainability. My value is that we should support green products that have been certified by an official organization. Interventions to prevent greenwashing would be creating pressure on our government to create strong laws that require extended producer responsibility which will ultimately eliminate any sort of greenwashing in companies. I believe together we can create a society that no longer manipulates consumers into thinking that a product is sustainable when it is not.

Climate change impacts EVERY single one of us. From soaring high temperatures that melt our local community ice rink, to causing outbreaks in the mountain pine beetle population, to creating forest fires, it is sad to say that we are responsible for climate change. Yet many of us are still unaware of the impact of climate change on our future. This means that if we do not intervene now, there will be no possibility of a future. My vision and value are to prioritize climate change as our number one goal. This includes speaking on these hard topics and intervening in citizen science projects. As mentioned in the film, citizen science projects all stemmed from our local community. It has created data by using software such as artificial intelligence and geospatial mapping to determine different aspects to measure climate change. Therefore, my intervention for this goal is to pressure our government to support and encourage these projects. These outcomes could result in more funding and hence more data received. Thus, we need to invest in both resource management and citizen science projects to measure ways to mitigate climate change. With that, I do believe that change is possible. By supporting these projects and working together to fight the climate crisis, I do believe in a future.

Say that you grabbed a banana, and once you’re done, it’s just common sense to put the banana peel in the compost. Right? Based on Statistics Canada, about 1/12 households in Vancouver do not abide by the composting program even with access to a compost bin. My vision and value are to see a greener world where composting becomes a habit in everyone’s household. Based on the film Cowspiracy, it mentioned that composting has many benefits such as enriching the soil used for our agriculture, conserving water as soil can now retain moisture, and recycling and reusing organic resources. Ultimately, it’s a positive cycle! By composting, we will get more agriculture to feed our family, reduce water waste and decrease the carbon footprint on our planet. My intervention for my vision would be enforcing composting as a mandatory practice. Restaurant business owners, corporate businesses, and household owners should be fined each time compost bins are not being used or composting has not been followed. Other interventions include hosting workshops in various languages to educate our diverse communities about the benefit of composting while teaching the practice of composting. These programs could be distributed on brochures in different languages and annual monthly workshops could be held at the community centers. #UnleashValues

I envision that water scarcity is no longer a problem. I believe that water is the most valuable but why is it that we often take the most valuable resources for granted? Each and every one of us relies on water. There’s no substitution for water. Period. So why are we not taking this matter seriously? Water scarcity is REAL, by 2040 the majority of us will not have enough water for personal use. To combat this, action needs to be taken immediately. On a smaller scale, make it a habit in your daily routine that we need to turn off the fossil while brushing your teeth, take shorter showers, and check for leaky tubes. On a more broader scale, we need to show support to companies conducting research management such as Majik Water or Sanivation to create greater changes in the future. This can be done through educating others on this matter to voice their concerns which creates a build up of selective pressure on our national government to adopt changes in water prices. Ultimately by establishing higher water prices, consumers will become aware of the importance of water. Creating awareness of the value of water can create so many differences but this needs to start now. We can all achieve this goal to create a better brighter blue world 💙 #UnleashValues

I believe in the vision of environmental justice for the indigenous community. This topic is not often spoken about, as we live in a city where we have access to clean water and fresh air. But what about those who do not have access to these essential elements? We, as human beings, often take things for granted because it’s human nature to us to have these things. That being said, the indigenous communities are the first to experience the direct effect of climate change that leads them to suffer from polluted air and non-potable water. THIS IS ENOUGH. We have done SO MUCH to hurt this community, by taking away their rights to their land, culture, their children and now it’s their right to fresh water and fresh air?! This doesn’t make sense.... My values for clean water and fresh air stand with the indigenous community. I believe by learning more about the first nation and actively educating others to do the same thing, eventually, we can create a union where indigenous are treated equally or with higher respect. I want to start a movement that encourages more discussion on this issue. This can be done by attending non-profit organizations that have the same values for the indigenous community, supporting small indigenous businesses and spreading the word about their rights. Ultimately, I envision a world where there is no more environmental injustice. You too, can join us and stand with the indigenous community 💚 #UnleashValues

I envision a future where together as a society, we grow and work together to develop sustainable ways to limit our carbon footprint. By educating others about the effects of greenhouse gasses and the effect of over-consumption, I believe in the value of empowering others to meet the same goal. Things need to change and it needs to start now. Through small actions such as taking transit, biking to school, recycling, buying second-hand items and volunteering for events that inspire others to do the same, this would contribute to a brighter and positive future. We are all in this together, join our journey #unleashvalues

Hello everyone! My name is Cindy and I am a fourth-year Biology student at UBC. I am enrolled in ENVR 430 this semester because I would like to learn more about climate change and worldwide crises. I hope to use the knowledge I learn from this class and apply them to the real world to empower others to create a lasting change. With one movement at a time, I believe that together as a team, we can implement effective initiatives to overcome these obstacles. I am excited to meet my fellow environmentalist, biologist, and activist to further implement strategies to mitigate issues revolving around sustainability. Through this, I hope as a team, we can inspire future generations to join our journey and motivate others to act on this issue. Together we can do this! #UnleashValues