Environmental studies are kind of like Cerberus, the three-headed dog, from Greek Mythology. It is incredibly intimidating and wildly out of control. You are never quite sure which head to look at, similarly to how a person would feel when trying to decide which ecological, social, or economic issue to focus on. But, I think one important thing I took out of ENVS 160 was how to tame my views of environmental studies. When I use the word “tame,” I mean that at the end of ENVS 160 I will be leaving with critical environmental thinking skills.
When it comes to worrying about “environmental issues,” it is incredibly easy to get wrapped up in the doomsday, apocalyptic rhetoric of classic environmentalism. I found myself being frantic and worried about any potential issues that could arise in the world involving big word ideas like “overconsumption,” “sustainability,” or “Climate Change.” I could not channel these worries into productive thought let alone effective action. Although it was not until week thirteen that we discussed the idea of framing environmental problems, I feel that most of the discussion and readings from ENVS 160 really worked up to this idea. I also think that the idea of environmental frameworks will be what sticks with me in my academic and personal life after this course. Coming into ENVS 160, I was deeply rooted in the ideas promoted by the two Pre-Frameworks, Shiny Object and Chaos (Framework Lecture 12 April 2017). But through the various readings, I started to see the importance of giving context to issues and ideas. Any idea can be wild and inconsistent if it is not put into a context. But, I also felt very strongly of the original environmental framework of “Facts and Action,” which is the idea that once a person has facts they can use those facts to change the world. But through reading Why We Disagree With Climate Change, Making the Modern World, and Who Rules the Earth I received a lot of information that helped me realize how problematic that framework was. But, I did have a feeling that the key to solving the worlds issues was looking at perspectives. But as it was pointed out but the “Anti-Classic: Issues & Perspectives” framework, their are so many different perspectives and they are not all equal in promoting facts (Framework Lecture 12 April 2017). So moving into a more thoughtful perspective, I have come to agree with the “Situated Approach (Place)” to form opinions on issues involved in Environmental studies.
In my own personal and professional life, I plan on utilizing the “Situating Framework” to help think critically about “environmental issues.” Coming from a small-town and moving to a metropolitan area, I have first hand recognition of the importance of thinking about issues from their “situated place.” Take cattle farming for example, coming to Portland I have met many vegetarians and vegans that are anti-farm because it is not sustainable. I come from a family of farmers and know first hand how important agriculture is to the livelihood of many people and it is not as easy as just ending meat production. But, by putting that into context I feel I have a better feel for the issue. This is possible with many other issues as well. So, the first step in taming the Environmental Studies Cerberus is in your mind.