This is my ENVR 430 reflection after having spent the semester with Professor Kai Chan, our TA Dana, and all the wonderful students in my class. It's a little bittersweet because I've really enjoyed the more hands-on learning this class has encouraged. ENVR 430 has not only equipped me with the desire to make real-world change but it has also given me the skills to do so. I am now better able to understand the problems plaguing our world, discuss difficult matters with my peers, and find resources that may help me in my future endeavours to create change. While I loved the foundational ideas of this class, things weren't perfect. I am thankful we didn't have traditional midterms or a final but some of the weekly readings and media were quite a lot to handle. I also felt like many of them were not as focused on the week's topic or their topics weren't even touched on in class which made them feel less impactful to my learning. My biggest struggle in this class was the structure (or lack thereof). I recognize that I come from a syllabus and outline-heavy science background but the lack of structure made me feel like I was kind of drowning. Throughout the weeks I found that I constantly felt like something was being forgotten or I wasn't doing enough or I didn't quite know what was expected of me for most of the projects. I think in future, stating more explicit expectations and having a better estimate of what the course/semester's going to look like would be beneficial to both students and the grading team. I also understand that this was the first iteration of the newly re-vamped course so understandably there were learning curves, I just think more structure would be helpful to future students. All that being said, this course has definitely inspired me to look for more ways to get involved with my own community. Over winter break I'm hoping to look into some local organizations which are striving for a better future and potentially get to work or volunteer with them in the coming spring semester. Overall this course was tough to get used to but definitely a worthwhile eye-opener. Thank you Kai and Dana for the fantastic term!! #UnleashValues

Currently, the main options for dealing with the deceased are either to bury them or to cremate them. I would love to live in a world where all the effort we put into helping the environment and our communities during our lives can continue in death #UnleashValues Switching to the European standard of organ donation being the default would be beneficial to those still living. Of course, you'd have the ability to opt out of this but I think that making this the default would yield higher organ donations than what we're currently seeing. Plus, once you've donated your organs, there is still more that our bodies can do. Nowadays you can actually be turned into a structure to aid the regrowth of corals or have your ashes incorporated into soil to grow a tree. I like these alternatives and how they provide us with another chance to help our environment and personally think that I might want to do something like this when it's my turn. Here are the articles for the coral memorials: https://www.eternalreefs.com/ and the tree seedlings: https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/green-goodbye-b-c-company-s-biodegradable-urns-transform-ashes-into-trees-1.3254071#:~:text=The%20urn%20mixes%20human%20or,cremains%20and%20become%20a%20tree.%E2%80%9D

I'd like us to live in a world where there aren't garbage patches (mainly comprised of plastic) floating in our oceans or on our sea floors and animals weren't dying with stomachs full of trash #UnleashValues. Unfortunately, plastic has become so ingrained in our culture that this positive future feels almost too distant to reach. I think a critical way we can help with the plastic crisis is to just stop using it, which is of couse easier said than done. Instead of looking for the next best, more friendly plastic alternative, maybe it's time to bypass plastic, plastic-adjacent, and plastic mimicking products. On top of implementing (and properly enforcing) single use plastic bans, culturally shifting away from plastic is, in my mind at least, a step in the right direction. We could shift back to using glass, metal, ceramics, and bamboo. Also, the plastic we do have should be reused and repurposed rather than tossing it in the trash to go buy the 'sustainable' options. Although I don't know the extensive energy and environmental costs of these other products, I think the best way to stop contributing to plastic waste is to stop creating it so it cannot become waste.

I wish we lived in a world where everyone was financially stable and able to live a good quality life #UnelashValues Unfortunately many of the economical, social, and political structures are dominated by the 1%. When you're that wealthy, the amount of power you have over other people's lives- whether direct or indirect) is unhinged and places you into a mythologized, god-like figure. I don't think any singular person should have that kind of control over an individual or the masses, and honestly don't think billionaires should exist. While I don't think you should cap someone's earnings, setting up systems that encourage financial equity from the beginning are what we need- aka systems that don't allow people to get so unfathomably rich. We could implement a taxing scale with an exponentially harsher gradient to increase the taxes for the those who make more money while still keeping taxes low for those who make less. This means we're all contributing, just in a caliber that is properly customized to our earnings so nobody becomes extremely wealthy. At a certain profit margin (i.e. when you're making more money than necessary), and you're taxed more than for just regular tax things (like paying for roads, garbage collection, etc.), the remainder could be donate to an organization or charity or something. However, where those 'donations' go would not be decided by the person being taxed so there aren't any sneaky tax break happening and the 'donations' are being used as intended.

Forest fires can cause devastating wreckage, and their effects have only been exasperated over the past several years due to climate change. However, fire isn't inherently a bad thing. I'd love to live in a world where none of our forests ever burn, but that is unfortunately not a reality #UnleashValues Some of our plants have even adapted to become pyrophytic, meaning they tolerate fire and actually need to burn to release their seeds and reproduce. I'd like to raise awareness about controlled fires, helping to educate people about fire not being our enemy. Controlled fires (or prescribed fires) are necessary to help reduce and control forest fires. Here's an article on prescribed fires that goes into detail about how helpful they can be to our forests, wildlife, and human communities: https://prescribedfire.ca/#:~:text=to%20our%20communities.-,Prescribed%20fire%20is%20the%20planned%20and%20controlled%20application%20of%20fire,risk%20reduction%20for%20protection%20of

This week's topic of agriculture is a little bit out of my comfort zone, so bear with me. Ideally I'd like to live in a world that has enough food for the populace and be able to grow/harvest everything in a sustainable way. However, after our discussions in lecture this week, it seems as though each beneficial trait of one agriculture system is rivaled by two bad ones :( Either it doesn't create enough yield, creates monocultures which significantly deteriorates biodiversity, or produces more harmful/less nutritious products for us; there always seems to be a drawback. If we go back to what we know is good for us, we know that we want fewer (or no) pesticides and to maintain our biodiversity. Symbiotic relationships form for a reason, so if we study agricultural polycultures and work with crops/organisms who naturally thrive together we can 1) create efficient polycultures supporting biodiversity and 2) profit off of natural symbiotic relationships in lieu of pesticides, placed/invasive species ment to fix a problem. I'm not sure how much this is making sense but my main idea is to use plants and animals the way they naturally/traditionally function rather than how we want them to function. Essentially, how can we possibly think that we know what's better for an environment/crop than the environment/crop itself which has developed its connections/relations over thousands of years. Once we have the foundation of more regenerative agricultural practices, then we can start thinking about how to scale this up to feed the masses #UnleashValues

As discussed in class today, water is not valued at the price it should be. For all of the benefits we gain from it and the benefits it provides to our ecosystems, the cost of water is nowhere near reflective of its value. On Earth, only 3% of the water is freshwater. Out of that, only about 1.2% is drinkable, with the rest of the freshwater essentially trapped in glaciers, permafrost, icecaps, or inaccessibly deep in the ground. We need to realize that water is a very precious resource that can in fact run out!! Without understanding its true value, as a society/collective whole we won't ever feel the urgency necessary to implement real changes to help reduce water waste. Sure, at a personal level we can do laundry less often to reduce water consumption and also the degradation of our clothing, turn off water taps while brushing our teeth, install valves into our showers so while you’re not actively rinsing off you can reduce the water flow and therefore waste. However, these interventions aren’t going to be as hard hitting as those of a larger magnitude. Having access to recycled water solutions is an extremely expensive endeavor, especially at a personal level. So if we’re all going to be punished (in the long run ecologically) for water usage (and eventually shortages), should only the wealthy be able to convert their residential plumbing systems to reduce their water consumption? How is that fair?? Instead of placing the burden onto individuals- whose efforts can help, just at a smaller and more localized scale- collective changes need to be made. Policies could be made where any new homes and apartments being built must have a water recycling system that is factored into the cost of a home or unit (i.e. not on the individual). Or maybe prospective buyers could get a government subsidy if the home or unit they're purchasing has a water conservation system, acting as an incentive to buy that residence over a less sustainable one. This incentivising strategy could also apply to rental units. Maybe even landlords who own a certain percentage of a building and/or are making more than a certain amount of net revenue on rental income should pay a fee or need to implement a water recycling system. We could also charge companies/ corporations for their usage of water if it’s over a certain limit (thereby incentivising them to reduce their water consumption as a whole). At a more social level we, as consumers, could demand transparency about water consumption levels during production so we're more aware of the water waste generated by companies and products we choose to support with our buying power. Perhaps once we place prices on the overconsumption of water, we’ll start to realize the value water has and use it like the limited and precious resource it really is. However, I don't think that the onus of paying for water should fall on individual people as having fresh water to drink is a basic need of survival. Plus, individuals realistically have a lot less impact than governments, corporations, etc., therefore we should push for policy changes and social changes which have a better chance at causing changes #UnleashValues

When thinking about this question my mind initially went down a more mechanistic route to attempt to achieve social-ecological justice. In the past, very important and often marginalized communities haven’t had their voices heard or even acknowledged when talking about environmental changes. To counter this I think that within every geographic area, representatives of each community/sector (coastal, First Nations, government, etc.) should be brought together, almost in a panel, to discuss changes being made to that geographic area before any of the proposed changes are made. Only once everyone has been sufficiently heard out should decisions be allowed to be made and voted upon. This idea of a panel does bring up the question of whether or not the seats should be representative of the population size of each community/sector or if each should evenly get 2-5 spots or something (depending on how large we want this panel to be). That’s a difficult question to answer when talking generally as each geographical area will have different distributions of different people. Nevertheless, I think it'd be good to form some overarching legislative body with the intention of protecting our environment and acknowledging the people who live and work within these environments. Semantics aside of how this panel works and how it’s formed, the reason I believe this kind of thing is so important is to get a discussion going about important environmental matters and having an inclusive conversation with a broad range of people. While I've proposed this panel of sorts, my ideal future involving social-ecological justice stems from a desire for accessible, open, communication around ecological sustainability within our communities #UnleashValues

In my vision of a positive future, people aren't ruled by their need to consume. It's as simple as that. While there is a plethora of things we have at our fingertips to buy and gobble up (thanks online shopping!), this type of mindless and needless consumption of food, electronics, media, and clothes just isn't leaving us satisfied. For the most part, I believe that one of the next steps towards a more sustainable future involves engaging in more ethical and sustainable fashion practices at a societal, a corporate, and a personal level. I envision a world where everyone has access to sustainable clothes that aren't harming the environment or the people manufacturing the garments. The easiest thing to say would just be to boycott fast-fashion, but in reality it's not that simple. Fast-fashion has become rampant within our society for a number of reasons: it's cheap, it's branching a divide between high-fashion and the 'everyman', and it's trendy. Despite it being 2022 and people becoming increasingly aware how bad fast-fashion is for our planet and the people making the clothes, we can't seem to drop this habit, and I think there are two main reasons why: Nobody wants to feel left out, and wearing a fast-fashion garment is like a badge of honour, signalling to those around you that you fit it and are "worthy". If someone decided to make the move towards wearing sustainable brands, it's likely that they're going to be visibly divided from their more 'in-style' peers (though I argue that this isn't entirely a bad thing). Like mentioned before, fast-fashion is cheap and some people can't afford clothes from sustainable brands that are charging $50 for a t-shirt. At a certain level, fast-fashion is accessible, granting more people more access to 'trendy' clothes Now, with fast-fashion being so alluring, how do I propose that we make a societal move towards more sustainable fashion practices? I think there needs to be a social reconstruction around the way we look at fashion and trends before any real progress can be made. As a society, we need to remember why we love fashion so much: it's a form of self expression! Sure, we probably have similar taste to those we choose to surround ourselves with, but if we all look like cookie cutter versions of each other then where's the fun in that? Choosing more sustainable brands, engaging in slow-fashion, and becoming a conscious consumer will inevitably lead to people reclaiming their individuality and likely even help people find their style. We as consumers also need to understand the value of what we're buying and the value of our dollar. Fast-fashion is so cheap because garments are being mass produced, made of cheap materials, and the people making those clothes are often severely underpaid and working in awful conditions. Sustainable fashion will be more expensive but this is a trade-off that needs to be made for ethically sourced materials and fair wages for workers. Plus if we're not consuming as much as frequently, then we'll still be spending the same amount on more ethically made clothes. I mentioned slow-fashion and this is a major key to intervening in our fast-fashion crisis at the personal level. You don't need to buy expensive sustainable brands' products to be sustainable. I repeat, you don't need to spend lots of money to practice sustainable and mindful fashion! I recognize that many brands promoting sustainability are way out of the budget for many people and that's why slow-fashion is so great; anyone can engage in it. If that $50 t-shirt isn't cost effective for you, then you can go the route of thrifting a shirt. Alternatively, if you do buy a fast-fashion shirt, then just make sure you use it and wear it for seasons to come. Actually, any piece you're consuming, whether it be thrifted or from Zara, should come with the intention to love it and wear it until it's worn out (and then you can even repair the garment to extend it's life). This intentionality will make us chose items we love rather than buying 10+ pieces in one shopping spree which leaves us unsatisfied in the long run. Practicing mindful consumerism leads to less consumption when you realize that you don't need every new trendy piece off of Fashion Nova, Princess Polly, or Shien if you're truly happy with the clothes and style you have curated to fit your body, your needs, and your style. Finally, at the corporate/production level, a few changes could be made (though these won't be possible without lots of lobbying for more ethical fashion practices, policy changes, and a shift in our societal perception of fashion). Slowing down production to having a four-season fashion world (rather than producing new designs 'round the clock) would lead to slower consumption on the consumer's end. The release of new lines would likely gain more traction and earn more excitement because we'd all be on edge about what's coming after the last season's release. Another shift that could be made involves transparency on the company/retailer's end. If we know where products are being made, who made them and how much they're getting paid, how many resources it took to produce an item, etc. I think we'd all look at our clothes a little differently. Additionally, enforcing stricter policies about calling your products sustainable or eco-friendly to try and limit greenwashing would greatly help people make more educated decisions about what they choose to spend their money on. Lastly, if we banned planned obsolescence within the production of garments and if more companies used better quality/more natural textiles then products would a) last longer and b) not require as many highly-processed fabrics that aren't good for our environment (either because they leech microplastics wash time you wash them, the synthesis of the textile requires many resources or produces lots of waste, etc.). At a structural level, we as the consumer can only do so much to promote ethical fashion. We can't individually change production pathways or enforce policies that demand transparency on clothing labels. However, if we change our mindset and vocalize our collective desire for changes within the fashion industry, we just might be heard. By practicing-slow fashion and thrifting, we signal to our peers and corporations that there isn't a demand for new trends every week. By rewearing and repairing items we own, we signal that as consumers we value long-lasting clothes and create a niche in the market for more tailors, cobblers, etc. to give our garments new life. By buying locally made and sustainable brands we can shift the market to make ethical fashion more mainstream, and (hopefully) eventually drive up the market demand for sustainable goods, lowering the price of them (to a certain extent so workers are still paid a fair wage). Everything we do as individuals can collectively make a change towards a slower and more conscious fashion landscape that, personally, I'd love to be apart of. If you got this far in reading my post, thank you for sticking with it, I know this is longer than the average post on here! This is just something that I feel really passionate about and so I thank you again for letting me #UnleasValues

Well hey there everybody! My name is Helen and much like many of the people posting on here, I am an ENVR 430 student at UBC. Fun fact; this post is long awaited because I actually couldn't get into this class last year and am beyond excited to have snagged a spot in my (hopeful) last year at uni. Second time's the charm, ammiright? I come equipped with a background in biology, predominantly anatomy and ecology, and have a sneaky little minor in english literature. While I've never taken an environmental science course before, I think this'll be the perfect jump off point to dive further into sustainability within ecology! Honestly, I've been considering pursuing ecological/environmental studies/jobs after graduation, and with the hands-on, real-world experience I believe this course'll provide, I'm hoping to gain a better sense of whether or not this path is the right fit for me. All in all, I'm stoked to be a part of a class (and more importantly, a community) that is so full of passionate people with a desire to make our world a better place as we #UnleashValues together