As a native Oregonian choosing to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies seemed like a no brainer; growing up in Oregon my playground was essentially the forest. I was lucky enough to walk out the backdoor of my house and be engulfed by a lush dense forest, which I was able to explore and play in at my leisure. For the most part my childhood was spent outside, whether it was skiing, surfing, hiking, mountain biking, etc... All of these activities I enjoyed doing required a healthy natural environment and I understood that from a very early age. Generally, the population of the Portland Metro area is more environmentally conscious than most cities, and that had a huge effect on me as I grew up. Many of my teachers incorporated ideas of sustainability …show more content…
In terms of finance I would obviously like to be comfortable and not have money as a major daily concern. Geographically, I also don’t have any real long term goals either, although living close to the beach or mountains is basically unquestionable. I do really want to find a field where I can be creative, do hands on work, have plenty of variety in my work, and travel some. Last year I became very interested in landscape design, which then led me down the path towards green building. Ideally working for a development firm where sustainability is a major focus would be a perfect fit for me, as far as I know. I am taking a green architecture class and the LEED class this quarter and both seem to be a good fit so …show more content…
For one, obviously, using it for my career. I may go to UCLA after UCSB and complete their landscape architecture extension certificate or I may not, depending on my ability to find a job that I like. Nonetheless, I want to use my education in other aspects of my life. The most notable is using it in my home. Ideally I want to buy an older home and slowly renovate it and really improve both the aesthetics and the efficiency of it. I’m not at all the diehard sustainability guy who throws aesthetics to the wind. I want this home to be very stylish while also incorporating technology and materials that make it eco-friendly and sustainable. In a perfect world, people may not even be able to tell that their was conscious effort put into the sustainability of the building. This idea is tremendously important for the future of green buildings. No one wants to live, work, or look at an ugly building just because it's sustainable, and therefore this relationship between aesthetics and sustainably is of the utmost
---. “Environmentalist for the Twenty-first Century.” IPA Review 52.3 (September 2000): pages 3-8. 3 April 2006 .
These days, it seems that everyone is talking about “sustainability” or “going green.” However, these terms are somewhat confusing and difficult to classify. Over the past few decades, the concept of sustainable viticulture has emerged and is spreading awareness to grape growers and winemakers across the United States and beyond.
Beginning with our current and so far to what we have read the topics about biophilia, sustainable urban development, and that of sustainable transport, I can say I have so far learned more comprehensively about sustainability and the subsequent movement back toward a semblance of biophilia, then I have from all my previous schooling. Taking into account how many years it has been since that I’ve had to learn/relearn and also that of the generational gap of information encompassing these given topics, and with my knowledge (and/or lack thereof) may be sparse in consistency there certainly is a lack of usable knowledge from that of when I was in the earlier years (to ease confusion this refers to the levels of k-12) of schooling and that of the known usable knowledge now. To start this essay I will talk about the influences that were/are important in my education, what has/is the primary source to shape my education, and my past/present educational experiences.
The United States’ origin of environmentalism can be found in nineteenth century literature. The preservation era began with the newfound appreciation of nature that derived from transcendentalism. Ralph Waldo Emerson, author of the 1836 essay “Nature,” mentored and greatly influenced Henry David Thoreau, who went on to publish Walden in 1854 (“Ralph Waldo Emerson”). Thoreau’s studies of nature demonstrated the necessity of preserving the wild habitat, claiming “We need the tonic of wilderness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable…We can never have enough of nature” (Thoreau 187). Although Thoreau regarded nature in a manner of spiritual development, countless environmentalists and naturalists were inspired by his revelations; one of which, was John Muir. Through his various travels and occupations throug...
I believe that this is the correct program for me and I hope that this program will help me foster and develop my creative talents further and become the person I want to be, an architect that leaves an impact on the world. I realize now the power that architecture has and the role it plays in shaping lives as I have seen it shape mine through studying it, and so now I would like to continue my education, so that I can take the necessary steps forward to fulfilling what I want to do in my architectural
One of my personal goals for the project was to learn as much as I could about the sustainability issue facing us. I did this by participating in all of the projects that were done throughout the semester. The main project that occurred during the semester was the personal sustainability goals that we each set for ourselves. While doing the actions that we pledged to do, we learned different things about sustainability that we never knew before. One of the things that I learned was that, at Clemson, it is hard for students who want to recycle to be able to recycle. There are not the necessary facilities nearby our student housing to place our recyclables. I also learned that some actions that should be done to be sustainable are hard to do in the society that we live in. One of these activities that we do is the needless driving that Americans do in general. Since we live in a moving society, it is sometimes hard to do. An easy thing that everyone can do is to recycle some of his or her wastes. This can be done for most people at little or no extra effort than just throwing your trash away.
Discuss the concept of sustainability. What ethical principles are parts of a sustainable lifestyle? Why should we consider sustainability as a guiding principle of our environmental philosophy?
Sustainability is a concept with a diverse array of meanings and definitions – a widely used glamorous, ambiguous, ambivalent and vague concept that is used by different stakeholder groups in various ways. Presumably to avoid noodling over a terminology or to avoid the confrontation with a definition, most widely the concept is broken down a planning process (c.f. e.g. Döring & Muraca, 2010). That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development.1
Technology is increasing exponentially, and now I am a part of that ‘future’. When I look into my future, I see myself working toward the minimization of the human imprint in our world more specifically energy consumption. Being an Electrical Engineer, clean energy is an area that I am deeply passionate about. We are part of an ecosystem which is threatened every day by our wastes. Yes! We do use recycling, wind turbines, and hydraulics, but we need to take advantage of these to produce cleaner energy. To get closer to my passion, I will master in Mechanical Engineering so that I can have a clear understanding of the interactions of electronics and their mechanics. I believe every engineer should take some type of environmental courses to understand the direct effects of engineering in our surroundings. Therefore, one my academic goals is to study the environment so that when I create something I have thought of the ways it may impact nature. When I imagine my finish line, I see myself working alongside others who want to build a greener planet, who want to see oil-free oceans, and who can coexist with nature. I believe that engineering is the way to move towards this future and it is the reason why I decided to pursue it. In H.A.C.U, I will meet people who share similar views as me, who are willing to collaborate ideas,
People have to start off understanding what environmental sustainability means. Allie Sibole author of, The Ethics of Sustainability: Why Should We Care?, shares a perfect example, “Sustainability is a moral response to an incredible gift” (Sibole 1). What she explains is, our planet is the beloved gift. People need to not take
Thus, it is essential for graduates to understand and to have the capability to cope with various environmental challenges that we are facing today. For university students, most of their knowledge about sustainability is obtained from lectures. Whereas, Winter and Cotton (2012) illustrate that learning solely about sustainability is insufficient and that sustainability literacy must take into consideration students’ attitudes and dispositions in order to develop their strategies for reasoned decision-making. In addition, Winter and Cotton (2012) point out that the limitations posed by academic attitudes and disciplinary silos hinder the embedding of sustainability literacy in the formal curriculum. Therefore, if universities want to cultivate more students with sustainability literacy, then they need to focus on constructing more sustainable
In class we discussed what sustainable development meant to us; each group had its own definition. Our group’s definition was that sustainable development is for the long term for future generations, for the basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and job. The basic will increase over time and our resources will diminish, which why sustainable development is important. Sustainable development is important for future generations so that they end up with a world better than ours. Sustainable development is achievable if society works together to meet everyone’s basic needs and create a better world.
Sustainability development has three components: environment, society, and economy. If you consider the three to be overlapping circles of the same size, the area of overlap in the center is human well-being. As the environment, society, and economy become more aligned, the area of overlap increases, and so does human well-being. Therefore, education for sustainable development (ESD) is the use of education as a tool to achieve sustainability. Simply put, ESD is a way to make the world a safer, healthier, and more livable place for us and future generations (McKeown, 2002, pgs 7-9).
The United Nations recently published a list of goals they hope to accomplish by 2030 called the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals, which were set in 2000, when they expire at the end of 2015. Some of these goals include ending poverty, promoting gender equality, and improving water and sanitation conditions. Arguably, the most important goal is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” (in text citation- NY Times Article). Hunger was also an important goal on the MDG list, yet it was not fully accomplished (in text citation- Progress chart). The goals was to reduce hunger by half, and yet, the number of people who go to bed hungry
Environmental studies is a paramount field to focus on for both the present day and the future. This field of studies pertains to all people, animals, plants, and biomes around the world. Environmental Studying is important because it is only by understands the environmental processes that we can begin to take the steps necessary to correct the on-going damage that is occurring, and ultimately protect and sustain life on the planet. Unless steps are taken to try and abate and control environmental problems, which are often human-generated or exacerbated, then the environmental that we live in will continue to deteriorate. There is no life without protecting the source that sustains us. Even though I have only been alive for seventeen years, it has been long enough to see many negative environmental changes. Since I was born that population has grown by over one billion people causing deforestation, loss of wildlife, increased pollution to both air and water, and even superbugs. However, I have also been able to see extremely positive results such as an increase in the research and implementation of renewable resources. The reason I am so motivated to study environmental science is because I know that change is possible. Those who study environmental science and study have the ability to help reduce, and possible reserve, some of the damage that has been done to the environment while at the same time, helping to advance the well-being of our fellow humans.