Majority of this spring semester has flown by and with a week remaining, I have a lot of experiences and lessons to look back on.
Applied Environmental Writing has been an extremely fulfilling and educational course, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to take it this semester. From very insightful readings about familiar topics such as collective action through social media, to not so familiar ones about how gaming can save the environment, my interest in environmentalism (mostly interest in taking action) has increased.
Volunteering for Brandywine Creek State Park this semester was my favorite experience because it required me to take initiative without relying on someone else to do so. Although I was joined by Caitlin and Alex, it was something I had to take responsibility for; I had to apply by myself and make sure that I actually went. It wasn’t a class “field trip” or anything like that, which is what made the experience so new for me.
I find myself picking up trash to dispose of it correctly, when I didn’t go out of my way as often before; I see the world and our environment as something to preserve and protect. If everyone took a moment to be a little more conscious about their actions, I think we could have a future to look forward to.
I understand picking up trash isn’t the extent of what I could be doing to help the environment, but it’s a start.
I realize we are all learning and growing every day. No one is born with all the worlds knowledge (if I’m wrong about that, I’d love to meet them so I can know which lottery numbers to play next). So I don’t give myself, or anyone else, a hard time for learning and acting at their own pace — it’s all a process.
Recently, I’ve noticed that social media has been used just as much for “call to arms” purposes as it is used for people to share pictures from vacation or of their pets. Of course, how much you get out of social media depends on who you follow and how active you are with them. Much like on Medium, there are many different topics and issues for people to speak on and share; you can tailor what shows up on your feed, and what people you follow as well. Each feed is unique to each person, and I think that is something very attractive about social media. It is also something that could be dangerous.
Much like on Facebook, the people we follow me be those older relatives that you don’t want to introduce to your new friends — they might say something that would have been brushed off in the 1950s, but not now. It’s 2017, and it’s time to act and stop allowing horrible things to happen in our lives if we can help it. The first step to take in the right direction is to be open to other possibilities of life besides the ones we have been accustomed to our whole lives.
After taking some action by volunteering and learning how to communicate effectively about the environment, I feel like I am more inspired to make a change in my lifestyle. My inspiration can rub off on those around me as well, so they may see life through a new lens like I have.
