Class? Yes!

I have been enjoying this environmental action class immensely, so much so that every week I return to my room incredibly excited about the things that myself and others can do and also incredibly inspired. The class has made me think differently about a lot of things and has shown me the power of being informed. For instance, before the class I had always touted recycling as the right thing to do and placed an incredible emphasis on it. Sure, it's beneficial, but I had never looked any further into it. I didn't realize that in some instances it can leave an even bigger carbon footprint than not recycling and is also the weakest of the 3 R's.

For me, that was quite the eye opener because I discovered I had been going about things all wrong, unfortunately. Was I the eco-friend that actually didn't know what she was talking about, swept up in the green movement because it was the popular thing to do? Perhaps, but I have still felt that this is where my biggest passion lies. You can't take everything people tell you for fact, even if you want to believe that promoters of the environment have all the right and unbiased information. Although the critical thinking worksheets are not the most exciting assignment, they have forced me to sit down and delve further into these pertinent issues. And I've actually enjoyed doing so because the information is interesting and not necessarily what I had expected.

I also enjoy the psychology aspect of the class. I have never taken a psychology class but have always wanted to. It's a different perspective that I can tell will be really helpful. Trying to get people to change their behaviors or accept new ones is all about how you present your idea and how you talk to them. I haven't always been able to convince people to change and it's still difficult now, but I've learned that you can't preach. And for someone that wants to get others to make changes, that's an important lesson and I'm glad we talk a lot about it.

This class has really influenced me. People have such great ideas in class and some are going to great lengths to limit their impact. Sometimes this makes me feel inadequate, but more than that it is inspiring. From hearing about one student's challenge with her friends to take 6 minute showers, I have tried to adopt that behavior too. It's refreshing to be surrounded by so many students that care about the environment.

I just hope that we can get started soon on our group project. Although the google group hasn't necessarily been the easiest way to share ideas (so many emails!), I think it has served us well. I'm excited to come to a decision and then to put it into practice.