As this course comes to an end, I have a lot to reflect on. This course has been very informative in teaching me global issues impacting our environment that I often had misconceptions about (e.g. all fires are bad when in fact, controlled/prescribed fires are quite helpful in wildfire prevention) and this course really solidified my understanding in linking societal and ecological issues together. I loved how this class structured, in that it was so interactive and engaging in that we were able to have some freedom in what we wrote in our posts, come up with our own strategies to tackle issues and I think it was just a great way to be a part of solving the issue. The pre-readings were a fun way to engage us as well because they were in the form of documentaries on Netflix! This class went beyond my expectations and goals I'd set at the beginning of the class in that I learned to strategize beyond the personal level of interventions and into systems and management intervention strategies. I leave the class with skills in fostering real change towards sustainability, presenting and communicating these issues and changes, brainstorming strategies and interventions, including management strategies regarding ecosystem services Expression of vision: With these ideas in mind, I envision a world in which biodiversity and proper ecologically sustainable practices are put into place. Expression of value(s): I value the preservation of all the biodiversity in our world. Stated intervention: I will continue to advocate and push forward for these changes and inform others about it by informing them of the concepts I learned in this course. Such as being more mindful of my water usage and carefully buying quality items to reduce my overconsumption. Hopefully as I spread the word and commit to sustainable practices in day-to-day life, it could inspire others to care and save our planet as well!

We discussed the issue of decline in biodiversity and extinctions due to human interventions such as greenhouse gas emissions, dams and pipelines that disrupt natural ecosystems. Some of this biodiversity we have disrupted, such as the existence of the Woolly Mammoth, were actually beneficial towards shaping the biomes and diversity of our planet. But because of human activity, we've destroyed and caused many species to go extinct. We also discussed the issues regarding anti-ecological friendly burial practices and how we as humans should have the right to decide what happens to our bodies after death. I envision a world in which the biodiversity of our world is secure and not declining. I value the significance of every species on this planet and their contributions to the ecosystem. My stated interventions involve: Governments should play a role in funding projects and investigations looking into which areas are in danger of declining biodiversity and act to restore biodiversity in those regions. Governments should also regulate the greenhouse gas use of corporations through laws On a more personal level, we as citizens should educate our future generations and encourage them to live in harmony with nature - i.e. play more in the dirt as kids, allow them to touch the dirt and allow the bacteria to be a part of their healthy microbiotas instead of using anti-microbial soaps so often to destroy the bacteria We should have the option to bury our dead naturally (under their permission) to allow natural ecological processes to take place and let nature cycle around such as through aquamation. I hope we can one day reach a future where we live in harmony with nature and work towards increasing our biodiversity again.

Vision: I envision a future in which we are not at risk of these harmful chemicals and pollutants in plastics and we are healthy. Plastics contain endocrine disrupting pollutants and these pose health risks for us and our future children as well as the environment around us. Values: I value the health of the public and our future generations and our environment. Stated Intervention: We need systemic changes. These include laws that ban single-use plastics and all the non-compostable ones. For example, it was discussed in lecture that we could try using compostable corn husks instead, so that could be a sustainable alternative. There is also a problem that is strongly weighed by the way producers are manufacturing their products. They need to not only be responsible for what they manufacture but also be held accountable for the disassembly of their own plastics. We also need to restructure the regulatory frameworks for pollutants to cover endocrine disruption so that we can encompass the effects of these toxins on not just short-term effects such as deaths, but on long-term consequences that can carry into our future generations. I think we can push for these systemic changes by funding research on the affects of plastics on our health as well as solutions/alternatives to using non-compostable plastics, as well as continuing to advocate and educate those around us about these harmful effects of plastics and alternatives.

Vision: I envision a world in which businesses embody social and environmental responsibility in a way that would help benefit the health of the planet. Value: I value the health of our planet, and the production of goods in a way that is not detrimental to the environment. Stated Intervention: It's really difficult from what we discussed in class to push for businesses that would prioritize our environment and health of our planet first. I have considered governments implementing laws and regulations to check and limit businesses in their ecological footprints, but as discussed in class, ecological issues are quite complex. Like in the VW scandal, they got away with working around the emission standards during testing stages but actually emitting even more NO2 than the standard allowed in real life driving conditions. Its hard to keep track of the companies that are actually abiding by the rules and even setting up ways to monitor environmental performance is another difficult issue to tackle. But perhaps if we continue pushing for strong environmental laws and direct action (boycotts) for system change we could gradually see change occur. We could maybe even push for more specific laws that involve companies being transparent with their production - obviously there may be ways for businesses to get around/lie about their production but I think having people come in and check/investigate the production would be helpful to some extent. I think there should also be some education in schools on how most of the things we consume are manufactured to give people some insight to which are harmful for the environment and which companies to stop purchasing from and supporting. Hopefully with some of these interventions, in the future we could start to see more businesses embodying social and environmental responsibility to help the environment.

Climate change is causing snow to melt earlier causing crops and forests to dry out that easily act as wildfire fuel with the lack of moisture. Greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to these warmer temperatures, further positively reinforcing wildfires. Climate change has also led to differences in weather allowing different species such as the mountain pine beetle to become invasive and prey on trees leading to more dead trees in the forest to be used as fuel. Not only are wildfires causing smog in the air that is unhealthy for us to breathe in, but it is also destroying our natural ecosystems and species leading to imbalances in all sorts of ways. I imagine a world where the air isn't constantly polluted with smog from wildfires and we can all breathe fresh air. I value the right to breathing fresh air and keeping our natural ecosystems safe from the destruction of wildfires and poor air quality. I think this is another example of a complex system where it would take many interventions to be able to improve this problem. Wildfires are heavily influenced by climate change, so we need to tackle the issues of climate change along with it. I actually did a project proposal once along with a few other students on how to combat wildfires and we suggested using biodegradable water-retaining polymers in the soil to preserve the moisture in forests in preventing vegetation from drying up and becoming fuel for wildfires. These polymers absorb water during the wet seasons and break apart during hot season to replenish the water into the soil for the plants. We wanted to focus on finding natural biodegradable ones such as orange peels that we read about in one article that weren't harmful for the environment. We could fundraise for some further research into this method as well as into research for more natural and sustainable ways to preserve/protect our natural ecosystems from wildfires. As for the issues surrounding greenhouse gas emissions and invasive species, I think those could be brought to attention by the government with placing limits on the emissions and the use of biological control agents to handle invasive species in a more natural way without the use of pesticides which would just harm our environment further. Those are just some of the interventions I had in mind, and the possibilities are endless and I hope one day we could all have clean air and not have to worry about wildfires! #UnleashValues !!!

The issues regarding unsustainable agriculture and climate crises is a complex adaptive system. There isn't one intervention that will work to completely fix the issue of climate crises or tackle sustainable agricultural practices however I believe we can take small steps to improve agricultural practices and the health of our planet. I value sustainable practices of crop and food production that could promote a healthy planet. I envision a world in which the current agricultural practices contributing to the climate crises are reduced. Actions and interventions I think would be quite helpful include those that I've seen in this week's pre-readings: such as in the documentary, Kiss the Ground, there were interventions that involved valuing soil to sequester carbon which could combat climate change. These solutions include less usage of pesticides (combat soil erosion) as well as regenerative farming by using cover crops for example. Another intervention from lecture I thought would be quite helpful would be to encourage the use of biological control agents - such as using ladybugs as natural control agents to prevent aphids from infesting and eating away at crops. I think these interventions can be pushed through campaigns and inventive programs by the government that provide subsidies for these - such as ones that provide the biological control agents for farmers so that they use less pesticides and providing cover crops, etc. I think in the long run these solutions would be beneficial because it was mentioned in lecture that its inherently unstable to continue using pesticides and chemicals as ecosystems will continue to find ways to adapt and thwart them. So why not invest money into using biological control agents and regenerative farming instead of into continuing to produce harmful chemicals that would only work for a small amount of time before you have to go back into the lab and spend more money into researching and developing more pesticides? These should be funded by the government to encourage farmers with the money to start these sustainable practices as well as into research on solutions and methods on sustainable farming and I think future generations should be provided with this knowledge in schools on what sustainability in agriculture looks like as well. #UnleashValues !

My vision is for there to be a world that effectively regulates water usage and understands the value of water. The amount of usable water in the world is declining and gradually cities across the world will eventually lose access to freshwater, such as places like Barcelona, Mexico City, and Tokyo, etc. I and I'm sure many others value water as the resource we need to survive and I believe in a human right to access clean water. I envision a world where everyone can continue to have access to this water and not worry about the decline and I believe that starts with regulating the ecosystem service of water itself. I want to start a movement to push for systemic interventions to solve these problems such as law changes - there should be laws implemented that restrict corporations and their water use - a major portion of the water being used is actually from these corporations producing the products we consume, agriculture and industry. Additionally these restrictions on corporations could possibly also fix the issue of overconsumption by producing less goods and using up less water to produce them so that less planned obsolesce -> less overconsumption of goods. These large corporations need to become more aware of how they're using water. There needs to be legislation regarding such an important central resource and so municipalities should protect this ecosystem service regarding water. If there are laws implemented, this would push the incentive for us to value water. I think on a personal level for regular civilians such as myself, we can take small steps that build overtime to reduce our water usage - such as taking shorter showers, turning off water facets as we brush our teeth, etc. Little changes like these, if we collectively follow these habits of saving water, can lead to big changes - overall a larger impact on us saving water. I hope for a future in which we do not have to worry about the world running out of water and we all have access to freshwater in the years to come. #UnleashValues !

I envision a future that brings justice and resolves the issue of the exploitation of the land of Indigenous and coastal communities for profit and economic gain. I feel after discussing about these issues in class that it is extremely unjust and disappointing that the government would make these decisions (such as reintroducing sea otters, controlling fishing seasons, etc.) without consulting the original owners of these lands and disrespecting their cultures and traditional practices. The connection that these local community owners have with their land is importantly ingrained in their traditions and the government and these larger institutions and businesses need to be aware of that. It is intrusive and destructive towards the traditional practices these cultures have as they continue to exploit the nature and natural resources of their land for business. I believe in the rights of Indigenous and coastal communities to be able to practice their traditions and thrive on their land without government obstruction. I believe that to resolve these issues, the government definitely needs to recognize and consult Indigenous and coastal communities before making these decisions, respect and learn about their cultural practices and consider these before making decisions regarding the usage of their lands and resources. In terms of the distribution issue, the government should make sure to compensate and give back to the local communities that they're taking resources from. I hope to see a future that can allow Indigenous and coastal communities to have their land back to continue their traditions and practices without governments and businesses obstructing them.

My vision for a positive future involves putting an end to the overconsumption of fast fashion, planned obsolescence of goods and instead have manufacturers produce better quality goods with increased durability and reusability. I believe we should not have to buy new things all the time if they're repairable or durable, and we should only really be buying things we actually need. Overconsumption is depleting the planet’s natural resources as products are continually being produced and detrimental to the environment especially as these very same products are thrown out and burnt e.g. clothes. My plans for change involve first advocating against fast fashion and for better quality goods through campaigns such as through social media, encourage and educate people to learn more about the processes behind fast fashion and planned obsolescence in hopes that people can consume less from these retailers, and hopefully push for laws that can be enforced against these issues. Specifically for fast fashion, a way to encourage people to reuse their clothes and consume less is to make the trend of "capsule wardrobes" more popular - these are essentially where you only buy select pieces of clothing that are neutral colored that never go out of style and easily complement each other. I hope that together, we can work towards improving the issue of overconsumption and gradually improving the environment. #UnleashValues

Hi I’m Natalie, a third-year Biology student at UBC. I am enrolled in ENVR 430 at UBC and excited to learn more about the ecological and climate crises happening currently and go about fostering real change in tackling the issues through sustainability solutions and strategies. I look forward to studying more about the connection between social and environmental science concepts and their implementation into investigating strategies for ecological and sustainability problems. I hope that by gaining knowledge from this course, it can help me to empower myself and future generations to continue to work towards solving the climate crises. Follow #UnleashValues !