After the first ENVR 430 lecture we had, I was a little nervous about how the rest of the term would go because the course seemed so different from the typical science courses I was used to but at the same time, there was some excitement in me to experience something different. Now that the class is coming to an end, I am glad I got the chance to take it. I really enjoyed the fact that this class allowed us to share our knowledge and visions beyond the walls of the classroom through things such as CoSphere and the final project. This course taught me how to think about a variety of ecological problems in much more complex ways than I would before. It also taught me how to tie in my visions/values to these problems in order to come up with solutions that can achieve the sustainable world I envision for the future. In the future, I plan to continue to think about ecological problems in a different way, and I also want to continue to spread awareness about these topics to the people around me. Thank you, Kai and Dana!

I believe that the options of what to do with bodies after death should be diversified to include options that are more environmentally friendly. As of now, the main services include cremation and "anti-ecological burial" which are both not very eco-friendly. These two options have emerged as the go-to options for many reasons. A big reason for this is accessibility; most funeral homes only offer these two services so families are forced to choose one of the two. As a result of this, society views these two options as the "normal" options so people are more inclined to view them as acceptable. I envision a world where people are not forced to choose between two options but rather have the freedom to choose a service that truly fits with their visions. I think a possible solution to this is to have funeral homes offer a wider variety of services that include more eco-friendly options such as aquamation. This could be done by implementing a law that forces funeral homes to offer certain services. Another solution is to just get people talking about different eco-friendly options which can help spread the word and maybe change the norms surrounding this idea. #UnleashValues

I believe we need to move away from single-use plastics and find alternatives to these types of products. Single-use plastic items break down into microparticles and smaller plastic products called microplastics that further pollute the environment. Even if plastics are recyclable, only a small portion of the plastic is actually recyclable, a lot of it is down-cycled or burned down for other uses. Another downside with single-use plastics is that a large amount of energy is needed to recycle them which is in turn harmful to the environment. I envision a world where all single-use items are fully biodegradable to eliminate the harmful effects of microplastics that exist now. This can be achieved by implementing a ban on all single-use plastic items, or by only allowing for fully biodegradable single-use items. #UnleashValues

I believe environmental laws are implemented for a reason and companies should comply with these laws to benefit the environment, rather than try to cheat them for their own economic gain. As seen with the Volkswagen scandal, companies find ways to cheat their way around environmental laws and this will continue to happen if there isn't any action taken. I envision a world where companies focus more on producing more environmentally friendly products rather than putting economic profit as their sole target. Laws serve no purpose unless they are actively enforced in an effective manner. So I think, in order to solve this problem in the future, stronger environmental laws need to be put in place and more importantly, these laws need heavy enforcement to prevent companies from finding ways to cheat the system. #UnleashValues

I believe forest fires can be beneficial to the ecosystem but many times they can do more harm than good. It is important to have forest fires to somewhat regulate the ecosystem but if the fires get out of hand, the harm done to the ecosystem may be greater than the benefits. This is where prescribed fires come into play. These prescribed fires can be effectively used to create fire breaks in order to control the spread of bigger forest fires, but there is some concern from the public regarding these fires. Some people are worried that these prescribed fires can get out of hand and spread toward homes/public areas. I envision a world where these prescribed fires are used more commonly to help control fires with support from the public. This can be achieved by carrying out these prescribed fires in a very controlled way and sharing that method with the public so they feel secure in the way these prescribed fires are being done. This will help eliminate some of the public concerns while implementing a very effective method of controlling forest fires. #UnleashValues

I believe that the use of animals in agriculture is necessary and without some implementation of these animals, agriculture would not be sustainable. While I do believe that animals are necessary, I also believe that they should be implemented in a way that is least disruptive to their natural lives. There are many benefits provided by animals in regard to farming such as the use of manure and the natural predation they provide against pests. Without using manure, there is a 7-year fallow period between crop cycles which reduces agricultural efficiency by a tremendous amount. Natural animal predation is also extremely important as it slows down the process of gaining resistance by pests and this means fewer new chemicals are needed to control crops. A possible solution that can lead to this balance between the use of animals while still caring for their well-being would be to limit the ability of farmers to exploit these animals by only allowing for natural predation and the use of manure that is produced naturally by animals. #UnleashValues

I believe nations and municipalities should be responsible for conserving and protecting their natural assets. This is something I believe is especially important because these simple solutions can pay off in the future as seen in the water reservoirs here in the lower mainland. The federal governance toward water preservation allows the water to be usable without the implementation of expensive filtration/purification systems. Ideally, this responsibility would be placed on the nations and municipalities that should be concerned with their natural assets. Further, solutions should not be entirely dependent on markets as this is not always sufficient to provide an accurate valuation of natural assets (although in some cases such as the Panama Canal, it can be very important). In order to move towards this ideal world, natural asset valuations should be made by nations/municipalities, and they should govern their natural assets to improve preservation in the future. #UnleashValues

I believe that decisions that impact a certain group of individuals should be made with that group's perspectives in mind. This seems like a very obvious idea but as we saw with the sea otter story, this is often overlooked when decisions are made. I envision a world where decisions are made after including thoughts from all parties that may be impacted by said decision. I also think that the amount of say a certain group has towards that decision should be somehow correlated to the extent they will feel the effects of the decision. A way to achieve this could be as simple as having representatives from under-voiced communities present when decision-making is taking place to provide their perspective on the situation and this will lead to less adverse harmful effects on communities. Along with all of this, I also believe the effects these decisions have on the environment should be accounted for as well to reduce the negative effects on the environment itself. #UnleashValues

I believe that fast fashion and materialistic objects are displacing the important values when it comes to "stuff", the focus is now being set on impressing others and showing a sense of status/wealth without taking into account the negative effects produced by the companies that are selling these products. I think that the focus should be set on buying products that are built to last and are more ethical in order to reduce some of the negative effects of fast fashion. In the future, a perfect world would be one that has moved away from the fast fashion trend and where consumers value usability and sustainability over status. I want to take a step toward this ideal world by buying products that are long-lasting and by supporting companies that emphasize more sustainable/ethical methods of production. #UnleashValues

Hi everyone! My name is Gunkaar and I am a fourth-year student majoring in Biology. I am excited to be a part of ENVR 430 this term and learn more about the effect climate change has around the world and the ways to prevent it. I hope that I can take the information from this course and use it to create a meaningful impact in my life now and continue to inspire change moving forward. I am also excited that this course allows us to educate others that are not in the course through sources such as social media in hopes to spark a bigger movement than the classroom itself. #UnleashValues