Synthesis

            To me the most important environmental issue that needs to be addressed is just awareness in general. And by this I mean finding effective ways to convince people that are not already interested in environmental issues to take an interest in them. I feel like a lot of environmentalists end up preaching to the choir sometimes, which is good in its own right, but still does not address the larger problem. Most people tend to just not think of environmental issues. Or even if they do they convince themselves that it is not an urgent issue or actively seek information that says it is not a “real issue”. A ton of people are brushing aside scientific research in favor of convenience on issues such as global warming. I fee like in today’s society people are not willing to sacrifice economic stability for environmental sustainability, so we have to make saving the environment worth their while. The problem is we don’t have an unlimited amount of money, so things like finding oil and getting jobs often takes president over important environmental issues in our government.

            I think finding more options like hybrids and things of that nature, and encouraging or even forcing people to use hybrids and to maybe even use shower heads that put out less water or low-flow toilets or things like that would be a good step in solving environmental issues. I am not suggesting a fascist environmental dictatorship, I’m just saying that we should utilize environmentally efficient alternatives when they become available. It also seems like recycling and not littering should be mandatory to the point where you get fined if you put recyclables in the trash bin. But again, that would cost the government money to enforce, so that probably is not going to happen. I think ultimately we just have to work on convincing the government that there is an interest in solving environmental issues and that there are a lot of people who would appreciate that. I guess maybe just taking it one step at a time and communicating with government officials about environmental issues we think our important might be the first step to solving them. In the future I will be sure to contact whoever I can to see if I can at least understand have my opinion heard and considered in regards to keeping the earth healthy. I think that is really the best thing I can do aside being more environmentally self-conscious on an individual level.

            The most interesting thing I learned this quarter is just how interconnected everything is. Certain species like bees and butterflies control a huge part of the ecosystem and if these keystone species die out then tons of others will die out with them. It is also interesting how certain species depend on each other to survive in mutualistic relationships, and how populations will control themselves to keep from using up all of their available resources. Logistic growth was also really interesting in that it seems that people are pretty close to the point where we might start dieing out due to lack or resources. Overall I think the important message here is that the ecosystem is a lot more delicate than we give it credit for and we do not know what damage killing off certain creatures or using up certain resources could cause, so it is definitely worth being more careful to conserve and protect the resources and species we have. Even if you do not care about the environment there is a degree of personal interest in doing that too as we rely on animals for food and other resources. And if we keep using resources at the rate we are, and populating the earth at the rate we are, then it will eventually catch up to us—probably sooner than we expect. And it seems to me that the end result will not be pretty. So it was really fun learning about the implications of our actions and what we can do as people to save or destroy the environment. It helped me realize that I can conceivably make a significant difference if I go about things the right way.