I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect going into ENVR 430 given the course structure, and found that it was a lot less rigid and more curiosity-driven then some of the other courses I’ve taken. Reflecting on the semester, I would say that my favourite part of the course is that it was hope and empowerment driven rather than just presenting problems. I would say I often come away from hearing about environmental issues with a sense of gloom, which inevitably breeds apathy. Counteracting this is so essential for meaningful change to ever occur, and it’s great to see this being the foundation of an environmental science course. Hearing everyone’s different perspectives from the unique contexts they are situated in was also very valuable, and led me to consider other viewpoints to complex topics. Coming away from this course, I have refined my ideas of what sustainability really means and how it can be practiced and I envision going on with my life performing a deeper questioning of the environmental issues I see in the world. #UnleashValues

I find various perceptions around death very interesting and they reveal a lot about cultural worldviews and value systems. Western fixations around immortality and posthumous recognition are embodied in anti-ecological burials, which are focussed on preserving the individual. These burials are also a reflection on Western societies relationship with nature, and the pervasive underlying fear of ever becoming integrated within nature, rather than being seen as above and civilized of it. In order to popularize ecological burials, there needs to be a shift in perceptions of both death and relationships with nature. By seeing ourselves as connected with nature, rather than removed from it, we are more likely to want to continue this relationship of connection after death by giving ourselves back to the earth, rather than staying estranged from it. If death was perceived as not an inherently tragic thing the way it is in Western culture, and instead as a natural and beautiful part of the life cycle, I believe people would be more inclined to embrace the idea of their body decomposing, or being scattered into the void, of no longer having a physical presence on the earth, because they would be more okay with not prolonging their physical existence. This is essentially an argument for a fundamental shift in societal frameworks around death and nature. This is a big ask, but there are simple ways in which we can facilitate this, ex. Having conversations with friends and family about death, and how we see ourselves being treated after death, and how we see ourselves as fitting within the circle of life. #UnleashValues

The discussions we have had this week have me envisioning a more transparent approach to the ways in which consumers are able to understand the environmental impact of a product. There’s an app I use sometimes (EWG HealthyLiving) in order to see the health impacts of drugstore products (ex. Lotions, shampoo, etc). You can enter/scan the product in the app and a rating will be displayed of how bad it is for you in terms of a number of health considerations, with 1 being low hazard and 10 being high hazard. (they take into consideration cancer risk, allergy inducing risk, asthma, etc). A hazard score is given individually for each of these factors, along with an overall aggregate score. Along with the hazard scores, the products also get a data availability score to reflect how vigorous the assessment is. In line with what we have learnt about life-cycle assessments, I think it would be very interesting to take this sort of idea and apply it to products/services at a governmental level, where legislation ensures that a product/service is given a rating in terms of how it affects some of the different human health and environmental indicators that life-cycle assessments take into account (ex. Global warming, acidification, terrestrial toxicity, water and land use, etc). Consumers would be able to tailor their choices to reflect their environmental values, and products with too high an environmental hazard rating would not be allowed to be sold at all. Obviously this vision be a very difficult thing to regulate and put into action. Would products not be allowed to be sold until enough data could be collected on them to provide such a rating? How would a rigorous enough rating process be ensured? I don’t see a system like this actually coming into place anytime soon, but it is clear that life-cycle assessment thinking needs to be done more in order to truly assess the scope of an environmental impact of a product, and there needs to be a way for consumers to tell if a product is environmentally sound without either being overwhelmed by too much information, or by being greenwashed. #UnleashValues

Something I have been wondering about lately is what came first, individualism and a lack of connection with the natural world or capitalism? Are they both cause and symptom of each other? Can we shift one of these societal values without also taking action to change the others? I have been thinking about this because it is clear to me is that the private sector will not be genuinely sustainable as long as the current capitalistic structures that make up mainstream society stay in place. There needs to be a fundamental shift in what is seen as the purpose of business away from profit and towards positive social and environmental change (note that I do not mean companies should be unable to make a profit - however, this should come secondarily, not primarily in terms of company mission). I do not know a lot about them, but benefit corporations seem like a good framework for this. So how do we get entrepreneurs to embrace these structures? I have never taken a business class before, but I am curious as to how the way that they are taught could be restructured to address this narrative, and if having collectivism and environmentalism inherent in education earlier would decrease the amount of people going into business to make profit in the first place. #UnleashValues

This past summer, one of my friends worked for a UBC lab that did research on the effects of regenerative controlled burning (also known as prescribed burns), and at one point they did a presentation on their research to the local Indigenous groups. One of the women in the audience asked why they were spending immense time, money and energy on this research when the Indigenous people in the area had already been doing controlled burns since time immemorial and knew the positive effects it had. This story demonstrates how colonial frameworks both disrespect traditional Indigenous knowledge and can delay action that may save ecosystems, and are the reason why we are experiencing such intense wildfires in the first place. I envision a world where controlled burns can be used for ecosystem regeneration, and fire can be seen as having the potential to be a positive tool rather than just a destructive and deadly entity. This needs to happen now, not in 50 years. In a broader sense, this means that Indigenous expertise needs be accepted and trusted on its own without needing validation from Western science. #UnleashValues

The information covered on sustainable agriculture in this class alone demonstrates that we are not lacking in knowledge on how to regenerative farm, on how to work with the environment rather than against it. Our agricultural systems are, however, lacking in incentives and motivation to switch over to these new ways of farming. Similar to the Just Transitions proposed for the fossil fuel industries, which operates with a framework that secures workers rights and livelihoods when transitioning to more sustainable industries, we need more policies and funding in place for a Just Transition in agriculture. Instead of nonsensical and short-sighted farming subsidies, such as those which subsidize growing the crops used to feed animals in feedlots, there needs to be more funding for farming practices that will work to solve, rather than exacerbate, the climate crisis, and the introduction of these new subsidies must serve to support rather than to villanize those farmers who have been monoculture farming for generations. The knowledge and experience of monoculture farmers can be very valuable; the issue is that it, for the most part, won't be applied to more sustainable practices unless governments step up to support these farmers in transitioning their livelihoods. #UnleashValues

When it comes to water, issues of borders come into question. One demonstrative example from the videos we viewed this week was the vast quantities of water that Canada has per citizen compared to many other countries in the world. What responsibility do water-rich countries have to redistribute their supplies to other, less-water rich countries? And is any sort of redistribution simply a band-aid solution that increases dependence of less-developed countries on developed countries? For many years, Nestle was taking groundwater from Canada and then selling it for a profit in other countries - this was happening when there were still communities in Canada, often Indigenous, that did not have a safe water supply. I envision a world where all countries have the ability to provide a safe and continuous water supply to their population, without having to be in debt to more water-rich countries or corporations. The only way I can see this happening is if corporations and governments cease to benefit off of water-insecurity, and redistribution of water happens in the public sector, not private. #UnleashValues

I envision a shifted cultural mindset in capitalism-based societies towards reciprocity with the Earth, to a mutual relationship of love and respect. A new perspective that sees us living in conjunction with the earth, rather than upon, would inevitably breed less capitalistic economies, leading to reduced social stratification and more equitable societies. This vision goes to the root of the socio-ecological crises facing us, and addresses the fact that we must repair our relationship with the land before we can truly create more Just societies. So how could we go about shifting the deeply engrained mindset that the earth is a resource, that we can exploit it, and people of lower social status, as long as it brings us benefit? I think this begins with how we teach our children to interact with the Earth, with bridging the separation between us and food systems to become more connected with that which gives us life. After all, it is difficult to truly care about something you feel little connection with. #UnleashValues

In one of my first courses at UBC, a professor lamented over all we have lost in Western-culture by prioritizing the individual over community. Having lived my entire life immersed in aforementioned Western-culture, it wasn’t until this past summer, when I spent some time living in Spain, that I experienced first hand what a community-centred and less materialistic life could look like. The people I met in Spain had much smaller living spaces and less belongings than the people I know in Canada, but they spent so much more time socializing and their lives were less structured and rigid than the ones I observe here (I am generalizing - I am sure this is not the experience of everyone in Spain, or here, but this is what I have observed). This experience led me to reflect on why it is that people are so much less social and less happy here, and why this leads to us filling a void in our lives with material objects. I believe that a return to a more communal and social style of living would solve many of the consumer and social problems plaguing society today, and that it is very possible for our society to trend in this direction. It is difficult to make this switch when individualism has been so ingrained in Western-culture, but there are so many simple ways to go about doing it. My roommates and I have begun taking turns cooking dinner for one another once a week - this has led to us having less food waste in the house, as well as an opportunity to eat together and socialize that we didn’t always have time for before. Clothing swaps, repair pop-ups, and similar circular-economy community-minded events are also on the rise, and can help contribute to making our culture shift away from the individual. Sometimes these actions can feel small given the enormity of problems like consumerism, but they have the potential to have large ripple effects, and can increase your own quality of life. #UnleashValues

Hello! My name is Sophia, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to engage with CoSphere as a part of ENVR 430 this semester. I am a 4th year environmental sciences student with a minor in Indigenous studies, and am excited about topics that intersect these two disciplines, such as how reconciliation and sustainability goals are interconnected. One reason I wanted to take this course is because I often find it difficult to stay motivated on taking action on environmental issues because of the enormity of the problems and the relative insignificance I view myself as having. Yet, at the same time, I find not taking any meaningful action to be extremely demoralizing. I think that it is so crucial for us to find a way to inspire people, especially younger generations, to not give up on the environmental crises we're facing, and to find a way to create some tangible change. I'm glad to see that the #UnleashValues is addressing this feeling, and I look forward to seeing the potential is has for inspiring change.