The sustainability course has helped me gain knowledge on many ways that people can live in a more earth friendly way. There are many things we can, from simple steps like farming food in a backyard garden to creating a water purifier for clean drinking or cooking water. Before this class I was definitely not living a sustainable lifestyle or even thinking about it. I didn’t know much about the topic nor did I care a lot about it. This class made me realize that humans have a huge impact on the earth and if we continue to live as we are then future generations will suffer greatly. This class made aware of the things that I can do to help. Many of the projects and assignments that I have done in this class have taught me valuable lessons that I will remember forever.
From the different things assigned in Sustainability and the other classes this school year, I have learned a lot and set goals for myself. One of those goals was to talk and participate more in classes. I have always had a problem talking in class, even in high school. It may not seem like a problem I would have, but I do. Although in sustainability I have not talked very much I feel that towards the end I did participate more than I have before.
I definitely wouldn’t say that I met my goal of participating more but I am making strides to get over this public speaking problem. An academic goal that I had set for myself was to change my study habits. I have always had bad study habits but I have changed that! After classes I would go straight to my room or the lab and do homework and study. No distractions were allowed. In high school studying during my free time just didn’t happen. I would go to the beach instead. Now, in college, during my free time I study because I don’t want to procrastinate and stress out. The goals that I have set for myself this year have kept me in check and given me more reasons to work hard in school.
Relating back to my goal of talking more in class I have learned a lot of my abilities are there, just not used enough. As said earlier I have a hard time taking part in class discussions because I feel like I am not up to par on my sustainability knowledge the other students are, I have learned that being prepared and going to class with notes helps me to engage in class discussions. Taking notes on the main topics of readings and other important points helps my confidence because I know better what I am talking about. I have learned that being prepared ahead of class I will help me be more aware of what is being discussed in class. Knowing that if I came to class prepared made me work harder to earn what I wanted in that class. Now that I look back at the time spent in sustainability class I regret not speaking as much as I could have. I didn’t realize that I hardly spoke in class until I actually looked back on it. I now know that I need to work hard to engage myself in scholarly discussions.
Over the course of a year in sustainability I have put the knowledge that I learned to use in different ways. From going to the farmers market and asking produce questions and being conscious of what I was putting in my mouth (which I would never do before) to doing our culture jam project about empowerment. The project that stuck with me the most was our Walk of Power 2014 culture jam project. The purpose of our culture jam was to tackle rape culture but to change it into a positive thing. A lot of times rape occurs because of power. We went around different places and asked people what makes them feel empowered. This project really got me thinking that everyone has problems whether we realize it or not. Not everyone is walking on a path filled with dandelions.
Even though I am an outgoing person I would not normally go around asking people what makes them feel empowered. This project got me out of my comfort zone and showed me that a lot of people care what is going on in the world even if they don’t exactly show it. From doing all these things I learned that people need to work hard to achieve things in life and to make a difference. Before taking part in this project I liked to have rules and things be planned out ahead of time. But reflecting back on this project I realize that sometimes its ok to break the rules and having flexibility is good.
Our empowerment project was by far my favorite because I feel we made a difference to the people that we talked to. A lot of people stopped and told us our project was interesting and had a good cause. My second favorite project was the Fieldwork Report Project. This project as well met the FRINQ goals by observing nature and taking in all it had to offer. Going to these places made me feel very relaxed, at ease and peaceful. I enjoyed taking the time out of my day to sit back and see what God has made for us.
Taking sustainability has definitely had its ups and downs but I am definitely glad I took this course. During the first term I did not like sustainability but reflecting back I see that it has taught me a lot of different things and allowed me to meet many different people. The different projects and activities that we took part in for class have been fun and got me to enjoy Oregon outside of downtown Portland.
Ultimately, I am happy with my FRINQ experience throughout the year. It has definitely made my freshman year, and my first year away from home, easier. I am going to continue to practice sustainable lifestyles and be more aware of my actions and how they can hurt or help the environment. Something that I want to do when I go back home to Hawaii is start my own little garden of vegetables. By doing this I will be able to be more economically sustainable but also be able to enjoy the thought of eating food that I grew myself. This course seems to pain a picture of what the college experience is supposed to be. Learn, grow, become a better part of the human race.