Introduction to Environmental Studies (ENVS-160) is not just an introductory course to what there is to learn about the environmental sphere but also bringing in the different lens that it can be viewed through. Moving forward from this course, I will be looking into the world with a more skeptical eye and aim to become more consciously aware of my personal bias.
First coming into environmental studies, I often threw around the words like ‘sustainable’, ‘the environment’, and ‘nature’. Often referred to as big words, these words carry different definitions and connotations that can be given to them, differing from person to person. While at first, I was filled with frustration I later came to realize the importance of being as specific and clear-cut as you can be. The more I went to supermarkets and read articles, I questioned the labels and titles that yelled ‘organic’, ‘natural’, or ‘sustainable’. What does this all mean? I now no longer look at labels and big words the same, I aim to delete them from my vocabulary. Being open to skepticism and really diving into learning more beyond the title will help my academic and personal life as I become more conscious of the words that I use.
Raising awareness, the issues that I previously saw as one-sided became complex wicked problems. Through the various texts that I read in ENVS-160, I became knowledgeable and aware of the many lens that issues can be seen through. It’s no longer the question of what is happening but who is it happening to, where is it happening, and why is it happening. Opening to new perspectives has allowed me to view issues and problems through an interdisciplinary lens that is always questioning all sides of the story. By becoming aware and conscious of my personal bias, I will be able to learn more about environmental studies and how it is not just one problem with a simple solution but instead see the big picture.
After taking the Ecotypes survey and engaging in dialogues with my peers, I noticed that I was more of a contemporary thinker when it came to addressing environmental problems and solutions. Contemporary environmental thought is defined to be more diverse and aiming to take into account contemporary movements such as political ecology and ecomodernism, while influencing classic movements (Proctor 2017). Contemporary aims to take on a more hopeful and progressive approach, introducing new technophilic movements like geoengineering. While classics narrows in more on scholarly critiques from classic environmental literature such as tragedy of the commons and limits to growth. Classic thought is often associated with conservative aims such as heterodox science and apocalyptic thought. While my personal address is more into contemporary thought, it is important to value and engage in dialogue on classic movements and how they can help influence contemporary thought. By keeping a good balance, you find the truth to be in the middle. Onward, I aim to engage more into classic thought and how bringing in both, classic and contemporary thought, can allow for a better well-rounded understanding of solutions.
So far what I have learned in ENVS-160 has carried over into many of my other classes such as philosophy and political science. I have pieced together the idea of contemporary environmentalism and how that shapes perspectives in politics and policy making. These pieces coming together has allowed me to start developing frameworks in my scholarly experiences that allow me to view and understand environmental problems and solutions differently. I believe that by developing frameworks, I am able to better navigate through the field of environmental studies and gaining a more enriching experience.
Moving beyond my academic career, I aspire to become more aware and politically active on environmental policy in the US. I hope to get more involved and learn more about political ecology and relationship it ties into issues and changes.
References
Ecotypes. 2017. “EcoTypes and Classic vs. Contemporary Environmental Thought.” Accessed April 22. https://ds.lclark.edu/ecotypes/ecotypes-and-classiccontemporary-environmental-thought/
Proctor, Jim. “Classic and Contemporary Environmental Thought.” Lecture, Environmental Studies 160: Introduction to Environmental Studies, Portland, OR, March 8, 2017.