Nearing the semester’s end, I believe that the best way to write this final response is to not only reflect on all that I have learned but also to expound on the importance of this seminar to my life and everyone else’s in the world. I have learned to care about the environmental issues and their gravity. Even more, however, with the knowledge I have about the issues, I can spread awareness about these pertinent topics as well as take action to help rectify environmentally devastating impacts of humans.
Learning the facts, when one is taught any subject, is an objective way to expose one to the subject at hand, given that the facts are correct. In this class, I feel that I was given the correct facts, which made the environmental issues more real and, thus, scarier. Not only was I forced to accept the truth in front of me, but this truth also resonated in many of my everyday actions. I felt that I was paying attention to the amount of resources I used and connecting many news stories and situations, such as Hurricane Sandy, to what I learned in class.
Coming to terms with the facts made me feel unstable at times, because I felt as though a great overhaul of how humans live was needed. In fact, this may be what it takes to achieve a proper environmental equilibrium. I appreciated when the psychological aspect of accepting the facts was brought up in class because this reasoning, that humans will reject unpleasant facts, is probably a huge reason why many people do not want to face the issues and find solutions. They are overwhelmed by the daunting task at hand. In addition, accepting that there is a problem with the way they live their lives is unsettling because this acceptance means that they are doing something wrong. People do not like to be wrong!
For example, many companies and government officials may not want to accept that there is environmental injustice occurring when industries and different plants continuously set up in low-income, minority neighborhoods. Even for those who live in moderate- or high-income neighborhoods, this truth may be unsettling for them, because even though they may protest these plants in the low-income neighborhoods, they still are probably relieved that the plants are not in their neighborhoods. This relief may transpire into guilt, but what they do with this guilt is what is important.
If we all felt guilt and just pushed it to the side, as we do a lot in life, then not much would get done. We need to harness our passionate feelings about the environment and put them into great use, whether it is on a personal or cooperative scale. That is, we need to at least try and make a difference before we say that we cannot. We are not to fear either because there are many ways that we can accomplish a cleaner, sustainable environment, which is through proliferating the Five Paths to Enlightened Environmentalism and taking small but meaningful actions.
In one of the recent presentations, two students highlighted many small ways that New Yorkers can help build a greener society, such as through reducing waste and conserving energy. I appreciated the methods they put forward for doing such, like taking the subway, turning off lights when they are not in use, and recycling. In addition, there was conversation in class about spreading information through social media, such as Facebook. I feel that, although it is true that many people may not acknowledge Facebook posts associated with the environment, people may still read the posts, think about what they just read, and may spread what they now know.
The circulation of information is extremely powerful; we have all seen that ideas can go viral and translate into something more meaningful and tangible. For example, as said in class, by putting forth the issues and solutions that we learned about in great numbers, a response is bound to occur, even if the response if from the smallest audience. In the environmental crisis that we are in, we need as many people to have a paradigm shift about the environment via a messianic moment, such as after reading a meaningful Facebook status or watching an environmental awareness commercial, as was presented in class. Only when people are personally affected will they emotionally engage themselves in the issues, begin to care about their actions, and then actually resolve some of their own wrongs toward the environment.
Taking this seminar taught me to consider all of the details of an issue before jumping to a conclusion. This consideration may be difficult at times but worth it in the end, because then is when we can fully understand an issue and how to resolve that issue. When this class has concluded, as Professor Alexandratos has always noted, my classmates and I will know the facts. Be it as small as reducing our paper towel use or as large as preventing companies from polluting the environment, it is now up to us to spread environmental awareness and, for all of humanity at that, to practice limits and redeem ourselves from our environmental wrongs.
Sherifa Baldeo
