Before coming to Ohio State, I was a little bit worried about joining the Environment and Natural Resources Scholars program because I thought that I wasn’t “outdoorsy” enough. So, when it came time for the camping trip I was not sure how it would go. However, I realized that I really enjoyed living outdoors for a couple of days. I have made a decision to devote more of my time to being outdoors. In fact, my friends and I are planning another camping trip to Hocking Hills during the month of May. I think spending time outside is always an amazing experience and has allowed me to develop a deeper connection with myself as well as those around me.
While it is good to spend time outdoors, before my year with ENR Scholars I was not aware of all of the ways I affect Earth during my time outdoors. For example, I did not know that when hiking, it is very important to stay on the man-made trails and not stray from them. I didn’t consider how walking off the path could affect the surrounding environment and organisms. I think this newfound knowledge has made me become a much more responsible citizen of the world.
Prior to this year, I considered myself to make environmentally-friendly food choices as I do not eat any animal products. The animal agriculture industry has a huge negative impact on the environment. However, I did not consider the impact of where I was buying my food from. Buying locally could mean better treatment of farm workers and the food would also be more sustainable. I have learned more about human-welfare than I expected to learn through ENR. So, I plan to become more sustainable in my food choices in the future. I think there are many more things I can do in making sustainable choices that I have yet to learn.
During my time at Ohio State, I have also become much more conscious about the amount of waste I am producing. Due to this, I have begun to recycle much more than I did in the past. I have also become much more educated on what materials are able to be recycled and why there are limits at OSU on what we can recycle. This has inspired me to work more in the coming years to educate other students on campus about these regulations. I have discovered that many people do not know what is able to and not able to be recycled. There needs to be better broadcasting of this information to the students and faculty at Ohio State.
The actions I performed for the Earth Month Action Plan were really cool to do and good learning experiences. However, they will be hard to incorporate into everyday life as they were specifically one time actions. By doing this project, I have gained an even deeper appreciation for the ocean as well as a deeper understanding of the issues with dead zones. I think this will translate into everyday life and has inspired me to look into environmental careers and internships focused specifically on the ocean.