By: Max Lorenze Spring semester of ENVS 160 opens up as an examination and explanation of various ideas, policies, and philosophies. Overall it has been rather fascinating to delve deeper into topics and issues I had preexisting knowledge in. Specifically thru Vaclav Smil’s work Making the Modern World. His work went more in-depth to the […]
Individual Posts
An unexpected take on the environment
When I entered the intro to environmental science course, I was expecting an even more in depth study of what I learned in AP environmental science and possibly some new facts that I didn’t know about. I was surprised to find out that this was a very different take on the subject at hand that […]
Eliminating My Environmental Tunnel Vision
Coming into ENVS 160, I had a lot of expectations. My preconceived notions of what Environmental Studies revolved around were deeply rooted in classic environmentalism. Throughout my life, I was spoon fed ideas of what it meant to be a friend of the Earth. Those ideas have been challenged this semester. The three lessons that […]
How Has ENVS Changed Me?
In ENVS 160, we like to have sets of concrete terms that we can compare and contrast that aid us in understanding and analyzing what environmental studies are meant to actually “study”. There are many comparisons that have come up in class multiple times and are addressed in various readings throughout the course. In environmental […]
A Growing Web of Knowledge
Upon enrolling to Introduction to Environmental Studies (ENVS-160), I expected myself to learn more about straightforward facts and ideologies of the environmental sphere. But instead I was introduced to a web of interconnecting thoughts and concepts in that tie into the field of environmental studies. Amongst many, the three key lessons that I have learned […]
What You See Is Not What You Should Believe
Introduction My favorite class my senior year of high school was AP Environmental Science. I’m not sure if it was because of the friends I made or the amount of information I learned about global warming. However, this had little impact on my decision to take the class. I had a fantasy in my head […]
My Shifting Environmental Thoughts
Three lessons I have learned so far from taking ENVS 160 are that individual actions are not always possible for everyone, they are not necessarily very impactful, and that the ideas and classic environmental thought and pure nature are not as effective or efficient as I, and many others, once thought. Individual actions are not […]
Irritation, well placed? Nope.
I transferred from Middlebury College where I was also interested in pursuing environmental studies. I came this year, irritated that Lewis and Clark did not accept my intro environmental studies class I took two years prior. My irritation grew as the works I was reading in this course felt broad, loose and far reaching. I, […]
A Vital International Interest
Over the course of the semester, the students in ENVS 160 have poured over a lot of material, in which there are endless lessons and take away messages. That being said, I think that one of the lessons that we discussed, regarding the importance of nature, social relations and meaning, is a good way to […]
Understanding Environmental Studies from Fragmented Perspectives
As a science-centered student, I came into ENVS 160 with only a notion that this class would provide me of the humanity perspective of environmental studies, to expand my understanding of this discipline beyond my scientific knowledge. However, at the time, I had very little knowledge of the expansive scope and depth in how these […]
My Newfound Confusion Surrounding Everything Environmental
When I was younger, I owned a U.S. Forest Service shirt. I wore it when my elementary school had a day that let us share what we wanted to be when we grew up. At that point, I was far too young to understand the complexities of ‘the environment’ or ‘climate change.’ All I knew […]
Good Intentions Leading to More Questions
Intro to Environmental Studies was not the class what I expected it to be. I was under the impression that the curriculum was centered on the factual characteristics of the environment, so I was surprised to find that it was an interdisciplinary class focused on various approaches to thinking about the environment. Nevertheless, I have […]
Breaking Barriers of Environmental Policy
Over the past weeks studying environmentalism here at L&C, I’ve learned three key things about how policies regarding environmental issues can be made. 1, Identifying environmental issues involves subjective, cultural, and educational boundaries, which make the measurements of these issues hard to communicate across cultures. 2, Communicating scientific information from the scientists of the world […]
I, Myself and Everyone Else
I, Myself and Everyone Else: Realizations of a Limited Individual Perspective by: Morgan Griffith I have realized, during the course of ENVS 160, that an interdisciplinary program such as this course requires me to dig deep into my brain and grasp for loose ends to tie together and synthesize the vast knowledge that I […]
Externality Reality: Looking Beyond the Surface
Growing up in a progressive household that values the outdoors, as well as caring for our public lands, I felt like I had developed a sound appreciation and understanding about how people should interact with the natural world. ENVS 160 has challenged many of my previous ideals and has deepened my understanding about the true […]
Environmental Studies: The Story of How I Do Not Know as Much as I Thought I Did
Cora Layman When coming into this course, I knew we would be discussing climate change. It is essentially impossible to go into an environmental studies course and not hear the term climate change and all the problems it has created across the globe in the last half century. This was one of my main reasons […]
Started from the Bottom Now We Here
My perception of what the field of environmental studies entails has changed dramatically over the course of this past semester. I had never taken any environmental science classes in high school, so I was unsure of what to expect. I knew that I liked spending time outdoors and was a proponent of environmental conservation, but […]
Diversity of Opinion
The overarching theme of something I have learned so far this semester would probably be the diversity of opinion regarding how to fix, but also value and perceive our current natural world. Learning about classic and contemporary environmentalism really broadened my view on how our society’s opinion appears to have changed from the past, but […]
Applying Soft Ideas to Hard Science
This semester has been…unexpected. If there is a more accurate description of my time in Environmental Studies 160, I have yet to find it. I walked into lecture on the first day imagining that my high school AP Environmental Science class would coast me through, but I was proven wrong within […]
The Freshman’s Guide to Understanding the Self
I always believed Environmental Studies to be learning facts about things like the effects of global warming and El Niño, and how only through solidified things like policies and knowledge can we try to change the outcome of fracking and dying coral reefs. Through Environmental Studies I have learned a lot of lessons and how Environmental […]
May I Please Have a Moment of Your Time?
By Jack Kamysz What are three ideas or concepts I have learned up to this point in ENVS 160? Institutionalism Throughout my entire high school career and especially in my environmental science course, individual action was the one way that we were going to combat climate change. It was not until this spring semester of […]
ENVS 160: Novel Ideas and More Questions
I enrolled in ENVS 160 because I expected to create interdisciplinary concept maps, reinforce my vegetarianism, and learn some talking points to convince climate deniers that they’re misinformed about global warming. Much of this interest came from my University of Hawaii Science of Sustainability course I took last spring. On my first day in […]
Environmental Thought? Which One?
Having lived in a household for many years in which many of my parental figures and family friends are career conservationists and environmentalists, I surprisingly did not realize the broadness that environmental thought encompasses when speaking about both classic and contemporary environmental thought. This was especially true for myself in relation to the viable options […]
Thought I had Everything Figured Out…
By Juliana Prendergast Since early in my high school career I knew I wanted to major in Environmental Studies. It seemed like the perfect way for me to learn how to make a difference in the world. I didn’t know exactly everything that ENVS would entail but after taking biology, ecology, and environmental sciences courses […]
Can I make a Difference?
By Natalie Casson ENVS 160 this semester has proven to be a time of reflection and learning to question and reconsider my beliefs and thoughts about climate change. Prior to entering this this semester, I feel like I was ignorant towards the depth of each and every environmental issue our planet faces today. I […]