Don't Blow It - Good Planets Are Hard To Find
On Saturday I had my final for my Environmental Humanities class. We handed in our papers (mine was awesome and I might put in on here, but haven't decided yet), ate lunch, and shared our student action lists. Dr. Oscarson wanted us to create a list of steps that we could take to live more sustainably. As a student, with nothing it was kind of hard to come up with things I could do. Most of us talked about gardening, composting, recycling, buying local food, and being cautious with transportation. It was nice to be in a class with a group of students who care about the environment. Our readings focused on man's interactions with nature.
Throughout the course we discussed different genres of environmental discourse and read about the philosophies of gardening and ecological restoration. We each sought to "see" as Annie Dillard taught, to
live more in harmony with nature and to not be so restricted by anthropomorphism and words. I loved this class because here at BYU - a school known for its amazing conservative character - there was a group of kids taking a class on Environmental Humanities who are strong enough to see the doctrine of the church and practice it despite the apathy of their fellow schoolmates. We hiked together, read each others papers, and had some amazing discussions. And then at our final, we discussed staying active with the things we were sharing. Our professor is going to contact us in one year to see how we're doing. So today I'm sharing my list with you. Here it is:
1) Hike at least once a month. The Nature Journal I wrote for class really stretched me in that it got me to engage with nature more than I normally do. I love hiking, but somehow I never get around to it. Hiking helps us to connect to the environment and feel grateful to it and responsible for it. I feel at peace when I hike, in tune with nature and God, and it’s good for me.
2) Bike to school. Gasoline is expensive and pollutes the air. And gas mileage in the car I drive is ridiculous so both problems are awful. I got a bike for Christmas, and as the weather has been warming up I’ve discovered that biking to school saves me money and is actually faster than driving. Plus it’s fun, it reminds me of my mission and I get to be outside so it’s just great all around.
3) Buy local produce. I’d really like to have a garden and to compost…but I live in an apartment complex so we’ll start here for now. I think understanding where your food comes from keeps you ground in reality. Getting food from gardens and farmer’s markets contributes to a sense of place and saves on transportation costs. Buy Low has some nice stuff and it labels food when it comes from far away!
4) Continue to read environmental literature. This class provided me with a lot of ideas I hadn’t 
encountered before. Each work we read cites more works that can further expand my connection with environmental humanities. This is important to me because I need to grow and expand in my knowledge and my commitment to environmental issues in order to interact with nature in correct ways.
encountered before. Each work we read cites more works that can further expand my connection with environmental humanities. This is important to me because I need to grow and expand in my knowledge and my commitment to environmental issues in order to interact with nature in correct ways.5) Recycle. Cliché. I know. But as a college student with limited means living in an apartment complex, this is more difficult than it seems. Having volunteered at the Zoo and the Aquarium I hear Reduce, Reuse, Recycle a lot. But then I got to thinking. Reusing isn’t so bad. Reducing isn’t that hard either – I don’t really have that much to begin with. But recycling programs are not provided to me. I have to go above and beyond to find places that will recycle. But there are places for newspaper, paper, boxes, and plastics on campus. I’ve started to save up stuff at home to bring.
6) Establish traditions. Every year I go and see DisneyNature’s film on Earth day. Each year, for every ticket purchased, Disney makes a donation to enhance the earth – from planting trees to saving the reefs. Every year, Earth day is special to me because of this. I want to find other ways to give back to the Earth and make these traditions I carry with me for the rest of my life.
Now I'm committed. There's an old Native American proverb: We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. What are you going to do?
0 comments