The Dissemination of Environmental Awareness

There is no doubt in my mind that sustainability will become increasingly more important in the near future. A future of Sustainability in regards to the principles of human rights, environmental protection, encouraging positive ecological economical investments is the goal of my concentration and personal life. My major concentration in environmental policy and planning is a framework of courses that encourage the development of a conceptual knowledge of our environment and our interactions with it. The best method for environmental protection is to teach respect and appreciation for the environment we inhabit. Our race populates this earth in common existence with many other life-forms. To reconnect people to the earth which bore them is a fundamental idea behind positive environmental action and inspiring others to open their minds to a more natural existence. There are many changes we need to make in order to attempt to adopt a lifestyle of sustainability, the root of which occur with the initial change of perception from trying to compete with nature and control it, to developing with nature in mind. The principles of sustainability in conjunction with social leadership skills, a foundation in biology, and an array of classes spanning anthropology, geography and planning, and Japanese language and culture classes, are the preparatory subjects I have studied and continue to hold an interest in. Slowly drawing connections between these fields and observing their interactions helps formulate a plan of action with efficiency in mind. Understanding the systems of our environment and the systems of our society and trying to tie them together while remaining balanced and not viewed as radical, hypocritical, overly liberal, or ecocentric, but rather rational, logical, and impartial is how I will approach my concentration.

Creating a community garden helps to provide positive physical work for multiple people to contribute and gain from. Helping to reach compromise among contributing neighbors, developing an overall conceptual functioning idea of the land available, organizing diversity and efficiency in the plots, and finally the physical work of planting everything, are managerial tasks I am currently employing to help develop my skills. What I aim to do could be considered to cause social change by providing a positive example for action, however there are many formations of knowledge functioning at the same time, not only will I provide a positive role model for environmental responsibility, but I am also in a location where understanding the power relationships between the rental company which may or may not own the land being worked, the neighbors who have different priorities in what should be planted, what should actually be planted there considering the climate, and surrounding plants, as well as sunlight are my responsibility to take into consideration. Developing a community garden helps promote diverse social growth, for plants and humans and it helps restore the connection between people and the environment that helps support them. Growing fresh food and preparing it can function as a conduit between people and our habitat, and works to help restore a respectful view of land.

Developing environmental policy and planning for a sustainable future are two tremendous goals that cannot be accomplished without the skills required to manage and organize huge efforts. By redeveloping a cultural respect for the land which feeds us, and recognizing the potential of organized social progression we can make strides toward a sustainable future. Beyond the conglomeration of different subjects and their connections the IDS core classes help develop a method of meditation designed to help organize and renew the thought processes which are used most in academic studies. Observing the learning method by participation in it and analyzing it, helps to increase efficiency in personal understanding, as well as promote healthy emotional growth. By combining these courses and the ideas they promote I will develop and employ my skills to organize and inspire others to create a positive change in the way we think about and interact with our habitat.