sustainability...what's that?
- Jamie A.
- Mar 29, 2018
- 3 min read
Hello and welcome to my first post! My initial exposure to the reality that our planet is not being taken care of adequately was the catalyst of my choice to alter my lifestyle, so I think it is a beyond appropriate subject for post number one.
To start off, I am a psychology major, and I minor in music as well as environmental policy and planning. I have a love for traveling, and decided to further entertain it when I began my college experience. In the fall semester of my freshman year, I came across a study abroad opportunity in Costa Rica that was to happen in the winter, and the application was open to all majors. It was the cheapest trip available and it looked neat, so I signed up. I knew the program was geared toward environmental majors such as sustainable biomaterials, but before this trip, I truly had no knowledge of anything environmental.
Okay - that might be a little bit extreme, but I really didn't know nearly as much as we all should know about climate change, sustainability, and our carbon footprints. In Costa Rica, I and eleven other students went to an organic banana plantation, a hydroelectric power plant, a field of crops with non-toxic pesticides, a wildlife conservation facility, and many other sites where we learned about implementations of sustainable practices. Even at one of the most sustainable banana plantations ever, we saw first-hand, the astounding amount of plastic waste that they produce every day.
While this trip was full of memories and incredible adventures, it ultimately served as the initial spark that I needed to become passionate and active in reducing my footprint and living more sustainably. It taught me about the things that we do every day without even thinking, that are detrimental to the earth and everyone in it. I learned about the changes we can make and the healthier, eco-friendly alternatives we have for almost anything you can think of (there are even bamboo toothbrushes). After experiencing the culture and practices of one of the most sustainable countries in the world, I was inspired to educate others and change my lifestyle, in order to make every little bit of difference I can in this world.
The most valuable tool we have to make a greater change is simply the education of those around us. It's frightening to realize how little most people know about the current state of the world and the somber future that lies ahead if we don't make fast changes. People don't directly see the consequences of throwing away plastic bottles every day, or constantly disposing of non-biodegradable materials, but these are some of the things that quickly add up to hurt our world exponentially. We need to educate people about the real consequences of things like these so that they care. Just telling people what to do is not enough to facilitate the change this world needs to last in the long run. I have found that when people actually learn real facts and see the real effects of things like climate change and plastic pollution, they begin to care enough to give it another thought, and reevaluate their own lives. Most people do (or at least should) care about the future generations, and once they learn that if we keep using the same non-renewable energy sources, materials, and finite resources at the rate we are now, there isn't much hope for the future generations. As morbid as it sounds, it is the unfortunate reality that the Earth simply cannot sustain us much longer if we continue to live how we are. The United States alone uses such a large amount of resources, that it would need 5 Earths to continue sustaining its citizens. Other developed countries such as Australia and Canada use about the same amount of resources as us, and it is all due to our ability to consume in excessive amounts. This is only balanced out a little bit by the developing countries that are unable to use many resources, and therefore have a much smaller carbon footprint. Averaging out the whole Earth's population, it appears that we use resources as if we have 1.5 Earths, and this is clearly an issue. We need to bring that number drastically down pretty dang soon.
So there you have it - thanks for sticking around!
-Jamie
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