The class was constantly engaged with the material too, which is just something very special about how this course is structured and taught :)

I loved how this course was taught, and wish that students outside of environmental science/faculty of science could take this course! I also enjoyed the choice between a campaign and a workshop, as both are great "bat signals" to the outside world.

That was my goal too! Most of the courses indirectly touched on environmental issues, I thought taking this class would provide some better suggestions and educate us. And while it was nothing like what I was expecting, it most definitely got us learning critically, which is a really good thing!

Agreed, while I know many students really dislike taking elective courses that are unrelated to their major, this is probably one class that I would say should be open and accessible to all students. Great points Sofie!

I like how you mention how hope is a big driving force to strengthen collective action against such environmental issues. Just reminds me of Star Wars haha

The expectations and the outcomes of this course were completely unpredictable! Although this was a good thing as this course was quite effective in conveying the various environmental issues and how changes could be done.

Great reflection Megan! I also believe that the groups used to tackle a problem was a big way to collaborate and attempt to solve some of these environmental issues.

Hey Sophia, great post! I enjoyed how well structured and how clearly you were able to convey your message across to us. Some parts of your message are so strong and emotional, where I could tell that you spent a good amount of time thinking and writing this post. Shifting our views on death is something that the collective will have to work on changing.

Thank you for your insight Sharon! Most of these concepts are foreign to me but some of these possibilities and your suggestions seem to be effective and responsible to both society and the environment.

Great ideas Amy. For the funeral industry, while they have many different options to choose from, most of the time they direct customers to the most profitable options, so clients often don't know that alternatives are possible. Government legalization, education, and enforcement are some good ways to tackle this.

These are some big ideas, Amy! Even outside of cities, these ecological interactions are interfered even by interconnecting highways. I'm sure that we've taken courses and learned about edge effects and human disturbance, how many times have you heard about someone driving on the highway and hitting a deer? Changes have to be made to connect fragmented habitats, in addition to protecting existing areas.

These are some great ideas, the education and encouragement from doctors and public health officials would be a very effective way to promote these changes. We should push for schools of medicine and public health to convey these ideas, if they haven't started already.

Agreed! I've also found that certain types of snacks and candies are individually wrapped when they could just be bundled in a larger package. Some of these more "premium" snacks often use this tactic to give a sense of heightened value that their product gives. These corporations should be the first ones to go and stricter laws are, in my opinion, the only effective way to get these companies in line.

Great post Shanzeh, I've begun to notice that many stores are beginning to offer electronic receipts too, sending it through email. Before, I would always request a paper one too, just in case I wanted to return an item. It seems like now stores are beginning to use barcoded receipts so returns can be easily processed without presenting a physical receipt, which is a nice step.

I agree with you! I also find it interesting how single-use plastic bags are banned in the city, but the smaller plastic bags for bagging produce are still being used. Such a strange oversight by the municipal government and obviously corporations just do not care at all.

Hi Sarah, I agree with you, plastic is just too efficient that producers and consumers are unwilling to give it up. It is both cheap to manufacture and easy to dispose of afterwards, which does not help the situation at all! It also seems like we are moving away from plastic recycling attempts to just finding other materials that can be used, which is probably the best step, moving fowards.

This is a great idea! I'm just wondering Chris, how's the uptake of using this service for restaurants and patrons? And how successful is it at attempting to solve this problem of disposable waste?

Hi Cindy, I clicked on this post because of the Elon Musk photo lol. While we should aim toward increased taxation of the wealthy, it's important to note that many of these people (such as Elon Musk) are wealthy on paper due to paper gains on stocks and options, and not usually cash rich. The US government is proposing taxing unrealized gains, which is highly controversial topic. Personally, I think that the banking system and lending system needs massive reform compared to activities on the stock market.

I agree, Patagonia is always under some sort of controversy given their transparency in doing business. Even them, they still maintain their business model which is respectable. It's interesting to take a step back and realize that other companies producing outerwear (Arcteryx, TNF, Columbia) are silent on supply chain and environmental issues and manage to fly under the radar most of the time.

Someone once told me that Bruce Wayne isn't as good as he seems, and that even as a masked vigilante that is "trying to save Gotham" is just an act for him to play as a hero. I'm a big fan of Batman movies (especially the trilogy directed by Chris Nolan), and always though of Batman as a real hero. It's an interesting thought experiment to see that with the amount of money Mr. Wayne actually has, even his philanthropy acts don't create real change and only maintains the status quo of the constant struggle seen in Gotham.