ENVR 430 is different from any Environmental Science courses I’ve taken. Unlike other classes that tend to focus on climate change, we were introduced to so many environmental issues that I didn’t notice before. Instead of focusing on the sciences behind environmental issues, this class incorporates many social-level decisions and factors into the content. I still remember the first class when I talked about planned obsolescence; this topic made me invoked my interest in learning about different kinds of issues around us. A weekly three-hour lecture provides us with a flexible platform for discussion, though I rarely speak up in class, I was glad to hear about perspectives from my classmates. The most unique part of this class is how it promotes environmental activism, which encourages us to apply what we learned in class to activities that make changes. I enjoyed the final presentation, knowing how campaigns and workshops were organized and performed. I also gained the skills of organizing campaigns and workshops; I hope I will have opportunity to join environmental campaigns and apply what I learned to practical cases. Thank you to Professor Kai, Dana, and everyone who is part of the class. You all make up a such unique experience for me.

Our Values: Wildfire can be defined as any type of uncontrolled fire that spreads into the wilderness, which includes pastures, forests, grasslands, and peatlands. The cost of fire suppression in the United States surged to $2.9 billion and $3.1 billion in 2017 and 2018, and the trend continues. Climate change contributes to more extreme weather events. While the amount of annual precipitation may remain the same, in some areas there are more rainless days and/or heavier rainfalls. Altered weather pattern increases the possibility of intensified wildfires, and this trend will be worsened as climate change continues. Another climate-contributing factor to wildfires is the rising global temperature. It makes the soil and "fuels" accumulated in wildlands drier and easier to get burned. Fire suppression is not the only pre-burn management. In fact, our efforts to prevent wildfires using fire suppression often help future fires to grow stronger by storing more fuels (trees) for unplanned fires. Intensified unplanned fires enhance the difficulty to control them. Thus, prescribed burning becomes a very useful measure to prevent fires because it limits the presence of ignition sources. Prescribed burning was found to improve the hydraulic properties of topsoil and soil water content according to recent research. These changes help prevent intensified fires. Our visions: Fires can open up the upper canopy, allowing allow new saplings to grow; they break down nutrients and minerals, creating more fertile land; they are also important for invasive species removal. Though fires are dangerous to public safety and devastating to many living creatures, professional measures can be taken to utilize the benefits brought by fires and develop a better forest management system. We envision people will try their best to mitigate the global warming situation to make the temperature lower and thus minimize the possibility of wildfires. People will appreciate controlled fires as they reduce the chance of massive fire incidents. If you agree with our values and visions, you can support and sign our petition by clicking the link change.org/wildfire_research We would be so appreciated if you can share our post and petition with your friends! Aboriginal people are more than five times more likely to die from wildfire than the general population, so they are definitely a critical stakeholder of wildfire management. We can determine where and when fires occur based on traditional knowledge about their territories accumulated over thousands of years. It is important to ensure Aboriginal people’s perspective is clearly represented when talking about wildfire management, and we also hope we can learn from their traditional practices to improve our practices of prescribed burning. @cosphereproject #UnleashValues

In one of the classes I am taking this semester, we talk about marine pollution; specifically, the sources of marine pollution and the remedies for different types of pollution. As we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each remedy, we found out in the end that the best solution is always "do nothing". Human intervention is disrupting the natural equilibrium, and even if we want to make up for our damage, our actions to clean up the ecosystem are causing harm. However, in this class, we disagreed with the statement that "life will find a way”. And why is that? In my opinion, if a species is driven to extinction, the natural equilibrium will be restored when alternative species develop to replace the extinct one, but to humans, some functions of the extinct species cannot be replaced. Therefore, we are restoring the ecosystem for ourselves. I envision people will realize that it is human that depends on the ecosystem, not the ecosystem that depends on humans to restore. I hope humans can develop the incentive to protect the environment after realizing our relationship with nature. #UnleashValues

In my opinion, plastic is the most convenient packaging and obtains a wide-range of application coverage. Producer’ and consumers’ all prefer to use plastic packaging over other ways of packaging. However, when we enjoy the convenience of plastic, we are also causing irreversible environmental damages and suffering from potential health risks from taking in micro-plastics. To solve the issues of environmental damages, I believe companies should encourage their consumers to recycle their products by taking the packaging back. The government should fine companies that are producing over-limit waste from packaging. The most difficult part of enforcing this policy is that there is a supply chain of producers, including wholesalers, retailers, etc. Therefore, more specific and targeted laws need to be enforced to ensure companies do not avoid their responsibilities of recycling. Plastic is transparent and durable, so I do understand that sometimes it’s hard to switch to another way of packing. However, even if producers are allowed to switch to other ways of packaging, consumers would still prefer plastics because of their transparent appearance. Most of the consumers are not informed about how micro-plastics enter their body, and they are unaware of the risks of chronic health issues caused by ingesting micro-plastics. I envision in the future consumers will realize the consequences of using plastic packaging, and they will voluntarily switch to other packaging such as metals and paper. Government will fine companies that are producing too much plastic waste and not responsible for recycling their own product. #UnleashValues

In my opinion, reforming incentives is the key to change, and to recognize the incentive, we first need to raise public understanding of the externalities of their behaviours. I found the article of this week Why Reforming Incentives Is Key for Sustainability a really good expression of my values. Most consumer behaviours are guided by market strategies. For example, few people would question that are renewable energy-powered vehicles better for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles. In fact, in the process of manufacturing electric-powered vehicles, more pollution is released because their technology is not advanced. However, electric-powered vehicles do provide good incentives for changes because the price of gasoline is much more expensive than electricity. Cost is the ultimate incentive for change. An example of which was mentioned in Why Reforming Incentives Is Key for Sustainability- progressive carbon pricing mechanisms could be implemented as an incentive program. #UnleashValues

Wildfire is frequently talked about in any ecology-related courses. I remember in BIOL 306, wildfire we were given an example in Florida National Wildlife Refuge, where panthers mainly prey on deer for food. Dense forest without wildfire prevents panthers from seeing their preys (deer), so the population of panthers will decrease. Wildfires help open up land for panthers to see their prey, so the population of panthers will increase after wildfires as their chance of successful predation increases. Wildfire enforces the population dynamics, influences community structure, and controls ecosystem stability. Thus, we should not interfere with the natural pattern of wildfire, and what we can do is to not panic when hearing news about wildfire. I envision that there will be better monitoring of fire to help with management. However, as the frequency of wildfire increases, I hope people can realize that climate change is happening around us. #UnleashValues

Salmons are iconic to Canada as one of the most important food resources. They contribute to not only dietary needs but also cultural values. Given the attention paid to salmons as food resources, the government likes to fund research that focuses on salmon production and salmon farming. I have had a conversation with my friend who works in a lab that does research on salmons. She cuts thousands of salmons during the summer for research purposes, and all the leftover parts of the salmons got thrown away. She even satirized that her research only focuses on salmons, and it’s my responsibility as an Environmental Science student to deal with the waste. My point is not to judge the nature of research because I know how research can contribute to a better understanding of the ecosystem. However, I’m hoping that the concept of environmental protection can be integrated into all fields of science as well as our daily life. We can raise public awareness of appreciating natural resources and minimizing unnecessary waste. #UnleashValues

The most impressive sentence in Brave Blue world was that people were responsible for their own water by pumping water from wells, though sanitation issues were common at that time. After government intervention and technological improvement, water treatment facilities were built, and sanitation issues were mostly solved. However, as water becomes easily accessible to people, no one is appreciating it. People living in developed nations cannot imagine that some people on Earth still lack regular access to water. I believe that the issue of water scarcity and water saving requires systematic changes from political and institutional levels. I hope one day the government can recognize the importance of saving natural resources and investing more money in recycling facilities. Additionally, developed nations should take responsibility as leaders when acting to save water resources as we already have a steady source of water for daily consumption, while developing nations are still struggling to get clean water. #UnleashValues

#UnleashValues Before class, I read through Justice, Equity, and Biodiversity, the chapter that talks about the inclusion of future people attracts me. I always believe that it is injustice for existing people to enjoy the benefits of extracting resources without considering for future people, and the term “procedural justice” is a great representation of my value. When making decision, we should not only think about the benefits for us, it is also important to appreciate others’ perspective and the consequences of each decision to them. I envision that in the future people can recognize the outcomes of their actions and be considerate when taking actions. @cosphereproject

#UnleashValues Hello everyone, I’m Shirley. I’m a third-year student double majoring in Environmental Science and Economics. I’m excited to get enrolled in ENVR 430 just this week. My concentration is Ecology and Conservation, and most of the classes I’ve taken are about climate and ecology. I want to pursuit research in oceanography and ecology in the future, so I'm trying to get in to a lab. I Iove the topics that will be discussed in this class, and I’m excited to learn more about sustainability. @cosphereproject

#UnleashValues Today’s class fascinates me as we talk about some topics that were never discussed in other Environmental science classes I’ve taken. I just realized that besides climate change there are more things we could do to mitigate environmental problems. I believe that we are living in an era of consumerism, and it is important for us as students interested in environmental problems to first realize the importance of achieving non-materialistic lifestyle. I envision that as more people recognize the importance of reducing excessive consumption and returning to non-materialistic lifestyle, the marketing strategy of large companies will also be changed. However, companies will always aim for maximizing their own profits, so a lot of efforts need to be put in for their transformation. @cosphereproject