So they said that all of my ideas related to the environment would be completely changed after ENVS 160. They, being upperclassman ENVS majors, told me that all environmental knowledge I knew before would be put to shame as soon as I dig in to the curriculum of ENVS 160. Some of the stuff they said has manifested itself through readings and activities in this class, however, do not be scared because assuming that you have a keen interest in the environment, some of the scary things you hear you probably already know.
Where does this new information come from? How is it able to “transform” your beliefs or even prove them wrong? This information comes from the various texts we use in this class. The texts we read this semester are: Why We Disagree About Climate Change by Mike Hulme, Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization Vaclav Smil, Austerity Ecology & the Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defence of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff by Leigh Philips, Love Your Monsters: Postenvironmentalism and the Anthropocene by Michael Shellenberger & Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives by Paul F. Steinberg. Dominated by white male authors, these texts were complicated, sometimes hard to follow, and ultimately extremely sophisticated sometimes to the point where I was utterly confused. However, the texts were informative and gave good insight as to where to go from a basic knowledge of environmental. These texts are what really change the way students think about the environment because ultimately there is so much more than the science of it, which is what most students come into ENVS with.
Throughout the semester, we posted on this blog (Digital Skills Blog), in various forms including group posts, individual posts, and initial posts which were intended to train us on how to properly use this site. Our individual posts (1 see here, 2 see here, 3 see here, & 4 see here) were mostly reflection based and allowed us to express our personal beliefs, obviously with evidence from the course to back it up. In addition to individual posts, ENVS 160 students also were required to formulate groups and post as a group. These group posts (1 Climate Change Public Opinion, 2 Situating Minerals, & 3 Interrogating Isms) combined class knowledge and real world situations and had students go out into the city and obtain concrete information. These posts had us go outside the realm of the Pacific Northwest and examine environmental impacts around the world. I personally found these individual and group posts to be beneficial in digesting some of the difficult topics we examine in this class, however, communication is key to completing a group post that will receive full credit.
So they said that you would be different after ENVS and I agree that, at least personally, my perception of the environment has altered. No longer am I freely using big words like “sustainability, green, organic, or environmentally-friendly,” no longer am I completely lacking knowledge of what happens at a governmental and institutional level about climate change, and most importantly no longer do I fear that the world will end tomorrow do to a disruption in the carbon cycle that so many articles have deemed to be “world ending.” ENVS will change your opinion about climate change and will challenge you to think differently from mainstream environmental consumers. You will see yourself separating from the crowd, noticing new trends, such as the fact that rules drip from every faucet, are in every molecule of pollution, and are what makes the landscape of the west so beautiful (Steinberg). You get deep into your thoughts in this class, but make sure to swallow your pride and follow the course as if it was a trail you were following to understanding.
Works Cited (The texts that will challenge and change you!)
Hulme, Mike. 2009 Why We Disagree About Climate Change. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press
Leigh Phillips, author. 2015. Austerity Ecology & the Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defence of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff. Winchester, UK ; Washington, USA: Zero Books.
Smil, Vaclav. 2014. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley.
Steinberg, Paul F. Who Rules the Earth? 1st Edition. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Shellenberger, Michael, and Ted Nordhaus. Love Your Monsters: Postenvironmentalism and the Anthropocene. United States: Breakthrough Institute, 2011. Print.