One challenging aspect of my solutions project so far has been finding sources that demonstrate a conflicting viewpoint. We’ve been trying to find sources that perhaps do not support an inclusive “environmental” movement, but have been having trouble doing so. One idea we’ve had is perhaps to look beyond just articles and scholarly texts and look at clean air related, conservation related, etc policies within Portland that have excluded minorities (ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, etc). Policies like these definitely reflect a conflicting viewpoint within the “environmental” movement, and examining these more closely will allow us to form a more convincing, impactful argument about why an inclusive “environmental” movement is so important.
Other things I’m struggling with related to ENVS right now involve determining what to major in. I know I want to study ENVS and History, but I’m struggling to decide whether to major in both or one. I know I could have history as my ENVS concentration, but I want to be a history teacher some day so I really want to major in it. However, I also want to pursue a career related to the biophysical environment at some point as well. In case I decide to pursue a hard science in grad school, ENVS would provide me with a great skill set to do so. I also would love to be an environmental historian or be an outdoor history educator for programs that take kids outside and teach them about the history of the places they are visiting. There are so many intersections between ENVS and History for what I want to pursue in the future, but double majoring seems challenging since I would need to produce two theses. I know I could minor in one, but I would rather not since I want to minor in Ethnic Studies and/or Spanish.
I think if I choose to double major, I could definitely handle it. I could do a capstone project for ENVS and perhaps an honors thesis for history, which may seem more manageable. I’m sure if it’s something I really want to pursue, there is a way I can make it work.
As of now I just feel really excited to pursue all the things I’m interested in. I can’t wait to continue with ENVS and History since both are subjects I’m incredibly passionate about. Even though it has been a bit challenging figuring out what classes to take and how to plan everything, I know it will all work out and I’m just excited to keep exploring and learning new things.