When I first started this course, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, as the course was completely structured differently than I was used to. I found that having no exams was really helpful as I didn't feel pressured to remember everything, which actually helped me remember more as I was more engaged in class and when watching the pre-lecture videos. The class exceeded my expectations and despite the depressing topics we discussed, I always felt like I was expanding both my knowledge and view of the world as I never really thought that deeply about many of the topics. Through this course, I have come to appreciate having access to things like clean water and I have become more attentive to items that have an impact on the environment, such as plastic. I hope to take the knowledge and experience from this class to share information about these environmental issues with others through different means, such as through hard conversations.

I envision a future where humans and animals coexist, where wildlife is not as significantly impacted by humans. An enormous area of rainforests is cut down to provide land for agriculture to support the infinite demands of humans. This can result in the collapse of ecosystems as many of those rainforests are homes to thousands to millions of organisms. Wildlife should not have to be sacrificed to provide for the greedy demands of humans. To combat this, laws banning deforestation can be implemented and more resources need to be put into preserving and restoring the rainforests. Education about the need to preserve and restore rainforests must be provided in schools and to adults to raise awareness of the issue and also have more people involved to help solve the issue. A possible way to raise more awareness could be using social media to create a trend where people show the beauty of nature and rainforests.

Everyone has the right to a life where they do not have to worry about the negative impacts of plastic on their health, the health of their children, and the planet. This is achievable if we are first able to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced. I envision a future where everyone makes an effort to decrease their plastic usage and where single-use plastic is rarely used and is frowned upon. As a significant portion of plastic waste is produced from food items, stores should lower the prices of items not packaged in plastic to encourage people to avoid packaged items. Additionally, bringing your own reusable containers to restaurants and stores should become the norm.

Everyone has the right to know how companies produce their products and the environmental impacts the products have. I envision a future where businesses are more transparent and honest about their practices. A possible intervention is where the government has third-party employees working in companies who regularly report back to them. Of course, companies may be concealing things from these people, so the government can implement a way where regular company employees can quickly and anonymously make reports to the government, possibly adding an incentive to promote reports of breaches in regulation.

Everyone has the right to have a future where they do not have to worry about the air quality and the high chance of a forest fire spreading and destroying their city. I envision a future where there are rarely large forest fires and smoke spreading across several cities, much like we had even just 10 years ago. A possible intervention could be to have a bigger network of people who help monitor the conditions of the land, and forests by educating communities and recruiting those who want to be involved. A website and app can also be made to make it more accessible for people to report their findings in real-time.

I envision a future where farming is done in a more sustainable manner, improving the quality of the soil and therefore the quality of the food, as everyone has the right to access good, nutrient-rich food produced from sustainable farming. In this future, farmers and the general population will be educated about sustainable farming and its link to our health as well as the health of the planet through school and free classes anyone can attend in community centres. There will also be more restrictions on the usage of pesticides, where farms that overuse them are fined, encouraging less use and potentially increasing the farmer's desire to switch over to more sustainable farming. Additionally, the will government step in to provide substantial financial aid over several years to farmers attempting to change their farms into sustainable one, a process which takes years to achieve. This will allow farmers to feel less burdened by the costs of change and will be more willing to switch over to this type of sustainable farming, as it is better for the long run. As more farms become sustainable, the quality of the food produced will improve, resulting in better nutrients provided to those who consume it. Moreover, sustainable farming will increase the quality of the top soil and its ability to absorb water, resulting in a decrease in soil erosion, runoff, and floods, which are all devastating and can significantly disrupt the production of food.

I believe that people have the right to have clean water in adequate amounts. In order for everyone to be able to receive an adequate water supply, water has to be conserved. I envision a world where all individuals recognize the value of water and that it can run out, leading them to act to conserve water and reduce water usage. Of course, having industries decrease their water use would allow for a significant decrease in water usage. A possible way to motivate industries to decrease their water use would be to put a higher price on water. Water could be priced in a way that when the industry uses under a certain amount it is much cheaper while having the price rapidly increase as greater amounts of water are used. This may help motivate industries to keep their water usage within a certain range by reusing and recycling water. Also, if factories are wanting to convert themselves into dry factories, the government should help financially assist the factory in doing so. This would greatly reduce water usage as most of the water the factory uses is reused after being filtered. On a smaller scale, the government can assist the citizens in conserving water by providing rebates to those who install water-conserving products in their homes, such as a water filter and a rainwater collection system where stored rainwater can later be used to water plants. I always thought that we waste a pretty significant amount of water from running the shower or tap, waiting for the water to become warmer. In the future I envision, I would like to have it where there was a system people can install in their homes that can collect that water or have a more efficient pipe system that allows for hot water to reach faucets nearly instantaneously. #Unleashvalues

I believe that everyone's voices should be heard and those who are and will be impacted by projects in the community should have more say in the decision-making process. I envision a world where everyone's voices are heard and environmental issues are properly addressed and action is taken more quickly. Underrepresented and marginalized people's voices can be heard through monthly community meeting where issues in the community are discussed and more urgent problems can be addressed in more detail and taken up to the government. Also, there would be leaders in the community that can bring up issues up to those with more power in the government, without having any type of bias filter out certain issues, or corporations influence decisions made. Those in the community will also have a bigger role in helping solve problems, where they will have a part in projects addressing issues. In addition, there will be prioritization of using money from the community to help with the environmental issues, rather than on events. Also, in this world, actions would be immediately and efficiently taken when problems arise, needing no time extensions, but rather being able to come up with solutions before the due dates. Raw waste is not released into the environment and is filtered and modified in everyway possible to eliminate toxins from making their way into food sources. Also, water sources would be tested regularly to ensure everyone has safe and clean drinking water and everyone will be provided with clean water. #UnleashValues

I envision a world where there is a decrease in consumption, where people value and buy products that are durable and long-lasting and similarly companies design and produce high-quality products. Due to the high costs of such items, the government will also financially assist those who are not able to afford these products. We still likely have a long way to go, but we can continue to raise more awareness of sustainability issues and help people understand that they can make a difference, hopefully speeding up the process. It is well-known industries are one of the biggest contributors to negative environmental impacts, often leading people to believe they will not be able to make significant positive change. However, if enough people decrease their consumption, the fewer materials that will have to be used, the fewer factories that will be necessary to produce goods, and therefore there will be a reduction in the pollution and negative impact on the environment. #UnleashValues

Hello everyone! I’m Jinny, a 4th-year biology student enrolled in ENVR 430 at UBC. I am interested in learning more about sustainability and using different methods to raise awareness and initiate action to combat sustainability issues and other similarly linked issues. I am looking forward to acquiring more knowledge in this course to find and create potential solutions for these current issues at hand. Please follow #UnleashValues if you are interested in sustainability and related matters.