Enviromental Careers

The topic of environmental careers is a great choice as we come to the end of this class. For me, it was truly surprising some of the facts I didn't know before taking this course. This is my last year at Sierra and I am now making a decision on what I want to do specifically for a career. It is interesting that you can find a "green" part to almost any field of work and to me seems like an important concern. If there one thing that everyone can agree on is that we need to preserve our livable environment, so why not take part in an environmental job. Everyone can do this in their own way, so I'll be sure to incorporate it into whatever my final path is. Hopefully more and more people will find ways to apply their "green" tendencies at work and home.

Gary Liss

When Gary Liss brought the topic of zero waste into class I was very interested. It is an amazing fact that companies can achieve the goal of zero waste with the help of these new organizations. If we could get more businesses, in our country and else where, involved in zero waste principles it could be revolutionary. The key for something like this to become truly popular among big producing/wasting companies is that there will have an economic benefit for them. While it does cost money to obtain a trash can like Gary said, it would be extremely effective if the alternative, zero waste, offered a cash incentive. Overall, its great to see that there are people out there making an effort to not leave a bunch of waste for future generations. Inevitably we will have to quit dumping trash when landfills are overwhelmed so why not stop before we reach the problem.

My opinion of Int.1

Overall I believe this class is a great requirement for all college students. Whether or not people enjoy the course, the information we learn about our environment is important to our day to day lives. I considered myself a fairly "green" person till we did exercises like our environmental footprint. The class has opened my eyes to things I hadn't considered to play a role with our planet, so I am excited to have learned more. The other day this class played a direct role in a decision on buying a gas, electric, or push lawnmower with me and my roommates. After looking at our options and taking into consideration that we're all in our twenties and in good shape, we decided to go ahead with the push mower. It is extra work, but the fact that it isn't consuming any resource but our own energy is what I considered the responsible thing to do. In all, this course is good for everyone because it explains how each person plays a role in our environmental well being.

Dr. Thompson

Oil oil oil! The whole world relies on it and it arguable could be one of our biggest problems for our entire race. Dr. Thompson's lecture was interesting because it is such a hot topic in today's society. The dependence on oil that has formed is one that is a huge concern for future generations. The fact that it is a limited resource and with a limitless demand is only setting us up for a disaster. As a country, the fact Dr. Thompson brought up about the increasing amount of imported oil into the US scares me. Our main fuel source shouldn't be put in the hands of a foreign companies. Until alternative fuels a made cost effectively we will continue to ride the oil train leading to disaster.

Jane Haproff

Jane Haproff's lecture touched on a very interesting subject in my opinion. The whole idea of religion is one that I personally have mixed emotions about. I agreed when she talked about how religion is a part of the environment you come from and has played a huge role in keeping order throughout the decades. The idea that religion has been used as a governing figure for so many years is part of the reason I question the accountability it has. Another problem is the fact that there are so many different religions, based mostly geographically, with many different conflicting views. So who's right? Raised christian, I did go to church religiously for the greater part of my youth and do agree that I was taught some good lessons. As I've got older I have chose to rely on self guidance rather than a church. In all the lecture was interesting because I keep an open mind to all ideas regarding religion.

Personal Viewpoint on the Environment

From an early age I have learned to love the outdoors. With a mom who is also a teacher and a dad who grew up in the hills, I spent a larger part of my youth camping, fishing, mountain biking, and doing basically any other activity involving nature. Even with all the exposure to our environment, I still feel that there are area's where I need to improve my habits. In today's society people value items instead of surroundings and I admit to taking part in this. Though I learned more than the average child about conserving, I also fell into line with my classmates when it came to wanting items such as gas guzzling SUVs. The idea of wanting bigger and better things compared to the next guy is something that is so intertwined in our society it is sicking, again I do not claim to be perfect either though. However I believe that as each day passes and information becomes more wide spread, more and more people are becoming aware of our environment and the effects we have on it. Just in the last five years I have seen more people making a conscious effort to be "Green" than ever before. The more people that become educated, the more likely there will be to see a shift in values that puts our environment first.

Mike Thornton

As Mr. Thornton explained in more detail the effects of mining in our area, I became more and more aware of how much damage I see daily. It is truly amazing the lasting impression mining has left throughout the California landscape. In the area where I live, the massive amounts of rock that were washed cleaned during mining and then left in piles are everywhere. The idea that they may allow mining to resume is outrageous in my opinion. It was surprising to me though that there is still an extreme amount of gold left in our hills. When Mike brought up the fact about the tens of thousands of mines that are abandoned it reminded me of a personal situation. My family bought some acreage in Georgetown years back and while exploring it we learned that in fact we had also bought an old mine. It was shocking that after all these years the mine stood intact decently well and now captures my attention again. Maybe I need to go scout around again in that old mine and find myself some shiny ole nuggets. Not! Hopefully we can all see the damage mining has caused to our environment and avoid doing this again for a pretty rock.