The interdisciplinarity of ENVS 160 could not be more important. In this course we learned to look at things from many different frameworks. Continuing on with the rest of my college career and life in general I will try to apply these frameworks of thinking to help guide my thinking in one direction while understanding there are countless frameworks that would take me other, equally important solutions. While this course focuses on the environment and the different hidden factors that affect environmental actions and changes it can be extrapolated to life in general.
There is never a foolproof way of doing something, to each and every person there is a slight difference in their personal beliefs that alter the way they see the problem at hand and what action, if any, that should be taken. In an environmental context I struggle with attempting to understand how anyone could want to destroy beautiful southern utah for more drilling, I make it personal. I associate these characteristics of destruction with the morals of those who support what I believe to be a horrible cause. However; what is important to understand is that my anger or my firm stance in my beliefs may hinder my ability to accurately perceive motivations behind every action taken. Allowing yourself to look at problems from a variety of views will increase understanding of the stance you take as well as the reasons behind other positions.Who ultimately decides what’s good or bad, right or wrong? Understanding that there are so many different perspectives surrounding the same issue is something that I will definitely take with me leaving this class.
The most unsettling piece of information that I will take with me is one that affects my daily life, conscious, and family. It is that individual action is not enough, environmental policy changes on the institutional level is the only way we can combat our changing climate and preserve our beautiful Earth. I think that it is important to educate people about this discrepancy in popular beliefs. I feel that citizens who do minimal individual actions feel a lack of responsibility for the degradation of our Earth. From such minimal actions people feel as though they’ve done their part and grow complacent with trying new techniques or pushing for regulations on the institutional level. Individual actions, while soothing to the conscious, ultimately are just not large-scale enough to make the difference necessary. What is needed is a large movement, a fight if you will, for our climate and for our Earth. This movement needs to incorporate many different ideas and perspectives with one basic motivation: saving our planet.
So as the month of May approaches I will leave ENVS 160 not only with a better understanding of our current environment but armed with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions regarding our planet. I can more easily articulate environmental issues and apply different frameworks to the issue to understand other perspectives. The challenge of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes has always been just that, a challenge; but I firmly believe that with this understanding that there are many different approaches to the same problem will increase the quantity of people who bind together and demand institutional regulation changes or law implementation that will create not only a better natural Earth but a more cohesive society.