Student Reflections & Projects

e Nickie Najar

For my culminating project, I chose to do a painting that explores the complexity of the interconnectedness that comes with sustainability. The painting itself shows the image of a hand holding a lightbulb. Featured inside the lightbulb is half of the earth with it split horizontally. In the top half of the lightbulb, there are various different elements that tie in with sustainability, including windmills and solar panels. In the background of the elements, there is a skyline including various different buildings with light shining inside of them.

The reason I chose to go about my culminating project in this way was that I was inspired by a speaker during the panel at the Truman Lecture Series. I was inspired by his idea of interconnectedness and how it affected the way we went about a sustainable way of life. I chose to do my project in this particular way due to the interconnectedness that comes from the use of electricity. I featured the lightbulb with the windmill and solar panels inside of it, showing the alternative methods of creating energy as opposed to using natural resources such as coal and fossil fuels. These methods as well as human activities overtime all become connected with one another.

e Marilyn Orta

When someone gives you a gift that you adore and cherish, you take care of that gift. Earth is a gift given to us humans, so why do we not care and protect our Earth like any other gift we love? We have seen our Earth change for the worse: we have contaminated our planet, made many animals’ natural habitat unlivable, and we still have the mentality that everything is fine. In First Year Seminar this year, we were fortunate enough to have read and heard from such an inspiring person as William Kamkwamba and the other guest speakers at the Truman Lecture panel. As a first-year Avila class, we volunteered at Harvesters creating more than 12,500 meals, built 28 rain barrels for local organizations, and became educated on sustainability issues. We have recycling bins available for all students to have in their residence hall rooms, which motivates students to be conscious of the items they may have previously thrown way but instead they now may recycle. All of these experiences helped us to realize that environmental problems have been handed down to us; they are impacting our local neighborhoods here in Kansas City or back where we came from before Avila, and now it is our job and responsibility to fix our environment and our neighborhoods.

Learning about food deserts while at Harvesters and during the rain barrel project made me think of how this is experienced in our local neighborhoods. The USDA has defined food deserts as parts of the country, usually in impoverished neighborhoods, void of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods (Wright, Donley, Gualtieri, and Strickhouser, 2016). Having food deserts leads to diverse issues that can be linked back to the lack of grocery stores, farmer markets, or healthy food providers: issues such as a higher rate of obesity due to those neighborhoods only having fast and convenient food near them. With obesity, other health problems will develop. Even though some of us may not be affected by a food desert, it is still an issue we should be aware of and care about, especially because Kansas City itself struggles with areas of food deserts. Organizations like Bridging the Gap in Kansas City are working to address these problems through community gardens, but the problem continues to impact our local neighborhoods.

An issue that has affected my community from back home near St. Louis is having radioactive waste contaminate the area. According to Bissell (2018), the waste was moved in the 1940s from a facility near downtown to a place near the St. Louis airport. After this, the waste was moved to a nearby city, Hazelwood, in an open creek. Eventually during the 1970s, the waste was illegally dumped at West Lake Landfill, which is located within five miles of my house. Because of the radioactive waste, there are human health threats and impacts: for instance a higher chance of developing childhood brain cancer. School districts near the landfill have sent parents detailed letters on what to do in case of an emergency at the landfill, also recommending parents have extra medication at the school in case children have to stay for an undisclosed amount of time. Radioactive waste has been found inside homes in Spanish Lake Village, a nearby subdivision. Since radioactive waste has been found in this neighborhood, air monitors have been installed in the local children’s park, which makes residents fearful of letting their children outside (Bissell 2018).

This contamination is not only an issue for residents, but also affects our larger environment. When it rains and there is rainwater runoff through West Lake Landfill, the water goes to an open storm water drain that runs into the Missouri River, contaminating it and affecting the ecological habitat of the aquatic animals. The EPA has ordered the removal of this waste, but this will cost a large sum of money. The removal will also cause problems in the excavation process, which could potentially lead to more health risk (Bissell 2018). When the government decided to move the radioactive waste, they probably did not think it would lead to all these issues for individual neighborhoods and communities. That is why we need to learn from our history and know that what we do today, even though we may not think it will cause problems in the future, will have an impact. We need to be conscious of our choices and ensure that we try to do what is safe for not only us humans, but also for our environment.

This class has taught me to be respectful, to care, and to pay attention to my actions. What I do to be environmentally cautious or destructive not only affects, me but also the surrounding neighborhoods and communities. My actions can and will affect the other side of the world. We have to be responsible for our actions because we will one day leave this Earth and since we were children, we have always been told to leave a place a better than how you found it. This saying should be applied to our Earth. We college students are the future generation, and the change has to start with us. We need to take a stand as we start our careers or families; we have to lead with our example and make a change. Whether we do small actions like recycling, become involved in politics, or focus our whole life in changing how industries affect the environment, any action we take individually or as a society will lead to a better future. Avila has led us into this path of sustainability, now the role falls on us to ignore the problem or be the solution.

Works Cited Bissell, G. (2018, Feb. 21). Lawsuits: Widespread radioactive contamination in North County. Retrieved from www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/ lawsuits-widespread-radioactive-contamination-in-north-county/63-521781927. Wright, J. D., Donley, A. M., Gualtieri, M. C., Strickhouser, S. M. (2016,

Feb.). Food deserts: What is the problem? What is the solution? Society, 53(2), 171–181. doi:10.1007/s12115-016-9993-8.

Sustainability

We have been gifted this planet to live on. We call it Mother Earth ironically. We don’t treat it like we treat our mothers.

We abuse her and take her for granted. We do not realize that this is our home.

We are destroying her and what she has provided us with. She retaliates by showing us her power. It can be seen in natural disasters or climate change. If we would not have pushed so far. If we would’ve taken better care.

If we would’ve been more careful.

We could have used our resources more sustainably. We could have gotten along with each other. We could not have created nuclear warfare.

We could’ve realized that we are all humans.

We are all a family, brothers and sisters. We should not hate each other.

We could treat each other how we deserve to be treated.

We would not have needed to look to external artificial resources.

We do not realize that Mother Earth does not need us.

We depend on her, she provides us with life. We need to love her and show her we do care.

For my project I chose to create a piece of art because some things are just better shown than told and also can almost be better understood this way. I did a drawing that consisted of an Earth snow globe shape. There is a tree in the middle that has a world map as its leaves. This snow globe is melting on to the hands that are holding it. It also contains the words “our Earth is melting, stop global warming”. When I created this, there was some surrounding deeper meaning that went along with it. The tree with the world map as its leaves represents nature that is being affected. It is not just a community, city, state, or even the country that should start to worry. The entire world needs to band together to stop this crisis or it will all be for naught, because it affects everyone on the planet. I chose this snow globe shape to surround it for two reasons. One of which would be that it can represent that we are isolated in the fact that this is the only planet we have. There is nowhere else to go but this planet, so we have to save it. The other reason was to show the melting almost like an ice cube onto the hands that quite literally mean that the world is in our hands so we need to do something about it before it is too late. This project helped me realize the interconnection between every individual and action to quite literally everything, and that no one but us can fix it, so we need to do something. I have always recycled and turned lights off, essentially the “basics” behind things we can do as individuals, but this project also helped me to become more conscious of myself and my actions. I am going to think more about the things

I am doing to help the Earth and every inhabitant of it, because no matter how insignificant it may seem for one person to do something, each and every person has to do things individually to make a difference for the world.

The project created was meant to answer three reflection questions I selected from the list given to students in class. They include: (1) What is climate change and why should I care? (2) How can I personally contribute to developing more sustainable practices (both locally and globally) when it comes to reversing climate change?, and (3) What are some of the current global environmental issues and what are my opinions on these issues?

The project focuses on the ins and outs of climate change starting first with defining it in the oval in the center. The top section of the poster contains pictures and collected facts that illustrate the devastating effects on the environment due to climate change caused by human activity. The bottom section proposes a list of solutions that can be put into action to increase sustainability peacefully and nonviolently while also helping to reverse the effects of climate change on the Earth. This list includes both local, more personal solutions, and global solutions to help the crisis. Reflection:

I have been a part of discussions pertaining to climate change and global warming many times before, but it was a quick, meaningless discussion every time that went somewhat like this: “Climate change is happening. Global warming is an issue. We should change our ways. “While all of that is true, a more in-depth look into climate change during this class has helped me begin to actually understand how our actions affect the world around us and what we can do to sustainably counteract those undesirable changes. Sunny Hamrick, project director at Jerusalem Farm and one of the panelists from the Truman lecture series, focused on the idea of interconnectedness during his speech. He said that everything is interconnected. All of our actions affect the world and those around us in some way. By living more sustainably in our own homes, schools, and communities, we can make a difference. Small actions add up such as unplugging products in our homes not being used, switching to energy saving products, and carpooling with friends to decrease carbon emissions. Kamkwamba came from a very poor country and did so much to better his community with very little resources. I, and we, can do it too by making small changes.

Tackling complex issues like sustainability and climate change in first-year seminar and during this project has forced me to think more about my environmental surroundings and my role in its upkeep. Climate change is just one part of it. The effects of climate change are ones that cannot be ignored. The earth will become unlivable over time. If we do not reverse or slow its effects, humans will surely feel the burn. It is also important to note that it is not just one person or country’s problem. If we don’t all unite to fix this issue, then the problem will not ever be solved. We must work together as one world to reduce the amount of gas emissions we send into the atmosphere. We cannot do that by fighting each other. There are peaceful sustainable solutions that we can put into action personally, within our local communities, and on a global level that will help to hopefully reverse or slow the effects of climate change. Works Cited

“What is Climate Change?”. Warm Heart Worldwide, 2018. https://warmheartworldwide.org/climate-change/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjvXeBRDDARIsAC38TP5fQO4QyjnAv13fU1kqJ1oYxcPSi5Bx0-MAsz9QPp2ElIlBScy-

BC_IaAg5cEALw_wcB “A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change.” United States Environmental

Protection Agency, 3 Mar. 2016, https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange// kids/impacts/effects/ecosystems.html “What is Climate Change?”. California Institute of Technology, 15 Oct. 2018, https://climate.nasa.gov/

e Victoria Aguilar

Before reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, I had never thought much about sustainability in one’s environment. I had thought about and felt for those experiencing things like unclean water and famine, and I knew that something had to be done, but I just did not know what needed to be done. Sustainability as a solution never crossed my mind, especially not in the way that William Kamkwamba utilized sustainability. He made something extraordinary out of parts and pieces that people categorized as trash or only useful for one thing. He dreamed of decreasing the chances of his family suffering from famine again and helping them have more than one harvest a year. He dreamed of building an irrigation system, yet created a windmill that sparked curiosity and wonder in more than just those in his village. After he experienced all of his success, he did not just look away from his past and those that still needed help. He used his success to show others how to create a sustainable life; he did not just give others what they needed, he educated and showed them how to do it for themselves so that they could show others and pass on that knowledge.

My painting is of two people in a situation such as William’s and his village: it depicts a man giving another man a book. In one side of the painting, it shows a field that is dry and has very little crop growth with blueish grey skies giving the scene a bit of a gloomy feel to it. On the opposite side, there is a flourishing field and watered soil symbolizing the passing of the wealth, which to me is knowledge. This illustration represents the old saying: give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. In my eyes this is exactly what William did. He never gave up or turned his back on the people he grew up around. He passed on what he learned so they could better their lives and help others better theirs long after. It is a cycle in my opinion that should always be continued.

Being in First Year Seminar has changed how I think about environmental issues such as sustainability. Before, I did not normally think about these issues. I knew they were a problem, but they were not having an obvious impact on me, so I did not give them much thought, figuring that was somebody else’s problem to worry about. However, reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and participating in the activities in class made me more aware of how environmental sustainability affects everyone, and how everyone can and should do their part in helping to create a better world for everyone to live in.

Reading William Kamkwamba’s story in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was a big part of this. Kamkwamba was faced with what I would view as seemingly impossible challenges, yet he never gave up. Despite all the odds being against him, he had an idea, he persevered, and his idea came to life. Kamkwamba became an inspiration to me, and meeting him at the Truman lecture was a great experience. It was strange in that, while I knew it was coming for most of the semester, it was a shock to get to see him, regardless. Reading his story, I learned that I should never give up on my goals either, and I am so grateful that I got to read about and learn from his experiences.

Besides being motivational, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind also contained valuable lessons on sustainability. Perhaps the most important of these is that change can start on a local level and gradually expand and become something larger. This is true not only for people like Kamkwamba, who live under difficult conditions, but for everyone. Anyone can create positive change in their community if they want to. Another lesson was more of a grim warning of what happens without sustainability. Kamkwamba’s village in Malawi suffered from famine, as most of Malawi lacked such things as flowing water and electricity. Without a strong and sustainable environment, people can face real suffering.

Kamkwamba’s resourcefulness helped him fight through his problems and make creative inventions. One particular step he took toward building his windmill, that I thought was interesting, was the use of bicycle parts. It certainly gave the windmill a unique aesthetic. Like Kamkwamba, we can also use everyday items to make creations that help us live more sustainably. An example would be the rain barrels made this semester, which used relatively simple parts.

Climate change is a serious problem the whole world must face in this age. At first glance, the meaning of climate change is simple: just a change in climate. But climate change is much more than that. Climate change affects everyone, as it makes the world hotter and less forgiving to live on. It causes natural disasters to increase in frequency, and some scientists worry that if people wait too much longer to pay attention to it, it may be too late to stop it. While we need nature to survive, it will live on without us. It is absolutely in everyone’s best interests to keep nature safe and welcoming for humanity.

As previously noted, everyone can contribute to making a more sustainable world. This is true on both local and global levels. On the local level, we can foster community involvement in environmental improvement projects. This involves talking to people and getting them interested in environmental sustainability, creating an avenue for improvement in our world. If this is done, it becomes easier to make a change on a global level. While an individual can make an impact on a global scale, it is easier when they have a group of like-minded people behind them, involved and interested in their cause, and wanting to share their ideas with anyone in the world who can listen and can help.

The Avila mission of preparing lifelong learners who make meaningful contributions to the global community connected very well with the experience I had in First Year Seminar. In class, there was a strong emphasis on both learning and on giving to the world. There were also days of class dedicated to certain Avila values, such as right relationships and service. Attending these classes was an experience I am glad to have had, and it gave me a great appreciation for what Avila does. It is truly good to know that my university believes in the importance of being a positive force in the world.

In the future, I want to help by taking more responsible actions on a personal level toward creating a more sustainable world. I could stand to reduce wasted electricity by turning the lights off more when I leave the room, and I could find a reusable water bottle to reduce my use of plastic. Notably, I can make a larger impact by telling others about the lessons I learned in this class, in the hopes that they can live more sustainably too. While I was taught some new things in this class, the most important thing it did for me was that it reminded me of just how important it is to take care of our world, so that it can take care of us.

First Year Seminar has been an eye-opening experience for me. The people with the power to change our environment for the better are too often distracted by other influences to remember to make the changes that matter. As individuals, our lifespans are relatively short compared to our planet, and it should be our responsibility to make sure we are creating a better world for the generations after us to live in. This class and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind served as great reminders of this, and I want to remember the lessons they taught for the rest of my life.

e Hussan Riaz

Sustainability is defined as the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. In other words, it is how something can be continued indefinitely through the use of a plethora of different aspects to assist in this process. Sustainability is a rather significant topic due to the fact that it could maintain and oftentimes even better the environmental quality. In order to live a healthy lifestyle, a community needs to maintain its feature or attributes. For instance, a fit environment would need to maintain or even improve proper natural resources. Sustainability could reasonably impact anything in the world that could be utilized to sustain the areas that each and every one of us live in. Because of factors such as the effects of climate change, pollution and other environmental aspects that can harm an individual’s health, our world is continually changing and it is what we do right now that will affect those moments in the future. Sustainability can play a vital role to maintain the health of the land, air and sea. One key way to partake in this significant topic could be as easy as making the place you live in more sustainable. Making a house more sustainable is crucial because people spend the majority of their time within their homes. Sustainable homes are beneficial to the environment and can lead to individuals caring more about the world that is surrounding them. As Global Warming is taking affect and resources are utilized each and every year, we are beginning to see that the time to act has come or the world might be facing some very difficult complications later on. Houses that are more sustainable are more energy efficient and easier to maintain. They are designed to save money during construction and over the lifetime of the house. Features are also used to provide flexibility and comfort for people of varying abilities at different life stages, including children and people with limited mobility. All in all, a sustainable house is designed to save water, energy, and reduce waste. After discussing sustainability in First Year Seminar for a great deal of the semester, it really opened my eyes on how each and every individual can impact the future and its well-being. I chose to make a model of “A Sustainable Household” in which I made a simple and passive design that can be replicated fairly easily in real world. A simple design is very essential in building a sustainable home as it can reduce cost, carbon footprint and even have areas of natural heating and cooling. I chose to incorporate some significant aspects such as rain-barrels and a recycling bin along with an uncomplicated layout to assist with airflow throughout the house. After completing my assignment, I began to realize how necessary it is to incorporate these aspects into our everyday lives. Although it may be more cost effective and not many individuals can fully grasp this concept, small progress can go a very long way and it can be as easy as beginning to recycle. I really enjoyed learning more about this subject because if this was not brought up in our class, I know that, just like others, I probably would have never pondered upon sustainability. With having a better understanding of the subject, I believe I can make a significant change and incorporate these sentiments in my life and even encourage others to do so as well. Bibliography: Jewell, Nicole. “Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green

Building.” Inhabitat Green Design Innovation Architecture Green

Building, Inhabitat, 3 Oct. 2018, inhabitat.com/tag/sustainable-homes/. Ackerman, Jessica. “Why Is It Important to Design a Sustainable House?”

The Pros and Cons of Saltwater Pools | DoItYourself.com, DoItYourself.com, 15 Sept. 2011,

Music is a measure of equality because it often expresses the experiences that we all have in common. I was inspired to curate a playlist because of the universality of music and sustainability. Efforts in sustainability are efforts that benefit every person and animal. The need to survive and care for our children is within our most innate pressures as humans. Similarly, experiences like those described by William Kamkwamba in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind about his parents are universal. Most of us get butterflies and have the capacity for love no matter where we are from. Those themes of humanity are extremely common in music though some music has culturally specific subject matter. I included individual songs that I found expressed issues that are lyrically relevant to those in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba: corruption, poverty and triumph. I used mostly western music because it fits more within my personal taste, but also to express how no social issue is completely isolated. I am hoping this will highlight the universality of both music and the human experience. I love music for providing that bridge over cultural gaps and inspiring change.

I started the playlist off by including a Malawian reggae group referenced in the book, the Black Missionaries. “Babylon System” by the Black Missionaries is about corruption in the government. Though specific to Malawi, a similar sentiment is expressed in “Get Free” by Major Lazer (featuring Amber Coffman). “Get Free” is about a poor financial situation making it difficult to dream or grow, with lyrics expressing the lack of government support: “Never got love from a government man”. I think both songs could score parts of Kamkwamba’s life considering how his dreams were challenged and dampened by poverty year after year. “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)”, by two of my favorite musical artists Nas and Ms. Lauryn Hill, is the most specific to American culture. It tells a story of institutional racism in The United States by comparing material gains and cultural growth with the setbacks in the justice system.

“I Need a Dollar” by Aloe Blacc is about poverty and financial struggle. “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant is more about the desperate measures taken by those living in poor conditions. Some of the more striking moments in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind are the gruesome survival tactics displayed by members of Kamkwamba’s community. For example, the snatching/stealing of food and trampling of people, even children, in front of locations delivering aid to the starving. I used the song “Blood Type” by Cautious Clay to illustrate this point because the lyrics “sometimes we all gotta be cold-blooded” and “my heads all good but my body’s in shambles” illustrates in my mind a situation where both active minds like Kamkwamba’s and desperate measures are involved.

Although poverty, human struggle and sacrifice make it difficult to consider the bigger picture, it does not make it impossible. Kamkwamba is a perfect example of the kind of magnitude a person can have despite the huge humanitarian issues most cultures face at one point or another. Sustainable purchases and practices should not only be accessible for the privileged, because we all deserve sustainable lives. I included songs that I think express the triumph of Kamkwamba’s story and offer some inspiration to a listener. “Shine” by Buddy is somewhat of an anthem about perseverance. Many of Buddy’s songs reference life in the ghetto of Compton, California and “Shine” is about resisting the urge to settle. The imagery of death in “Shine” is an accurate reflection of the feeling of mortality in really desperate situations therefore, expressing the vivid urgency to act (similar to Kamkwamba’s building of the windmill). “FOR MY PEOPLE” by Joey Bada$$ speaks to the heroic nature of peace efforts. This song inspires me to be what Bada$$ would consider a hero.

Finally, “The Prophet’s Song” by Queen and “Lovely Day” by alt-J represent, to me, the most basic love of the planet that could inspire a change in our everyday habits. I thought this was important to my point because sustainability and efforts towards it are really the least we could do for a planet that blesses us in so many ways. The preservation of Earth has the power to make our global community so much more united. I would recommend my playlist to anybody who has read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and to anybody struggling to make healthy decisions in times of stress. I would also recommend listening to Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot speech for a different take on a similar point.

To find my public playlist: 1. Open iTunes 2. Search “Olivia Rose Robinson” 3. Select the “FYS Culminating Project” Playlist Items: 1. “Babylon System” by Black Missionaries 2. “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” by Nas* 3. “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley 4. “I Need a Dollar” by Aloe Blacc 5. “Mercy, Mercy Me (the Ecology) by Marvin Gaye 6. “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant 7. “Waterfalls” by TLC 8. “FOR MY PEOPLE” by Joey Bada$$* 9. “Get Free” by Major Lazer 10. “First World Problemz/Nobody Cares” by Brent Faiyaz* 11. “Soul” or “Soul (Remix)” by Caleborate* 12. “Shine” by Buddy* 13. “Blood Type” by Cautious Clay 14. “Love Yourz” by J. Cole* 15. “The Dreamer” by Anderson .Paak (featuring Talib Kweli & Timan Family Choir)* 16. “The Prophet’s Song” by Queen 17. “Lovely Day (Bonus Track)” by alt-J 18. “Blood Money” by Protoje

One Flower a Many

One precious flower bestows dwelling to many many sans amends

One brilliant day many a joyous people relishing away

Terrific climates

many become complacent looming rue awaits

One depressed gleaner after a feeble harvest

clamors unsought flak

One a many blabs a bearing of shunned tidings a flower disdained

Lack of heeds taken

grants the flower to succumb many become woke

One flower wilting harboring many a glum their abode withers This poem demonstrates a general relationship between the world and the people that inhabit it, and it is meant to exploit humans’ history of having an absence of feelings for sustaining Earth. I felt as though the poem should structurally resemble something environmental and that is when I decided to use the repeated haiku stanzas as its format. This is because a haiku is a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally meant to evoke images of the natural world. The flower symbolizes Earth in its beauty and fragility, so easily destroyed if not taken care of. Humankind must unite to restore our flower to a healthier state; this will prove to benefit all of those who reside here and allow this incredible planet to continue to be habitable for a long time to come.

A recurring theme is the many who abode on Earth having a history of turning their heads to the issues that concern the sustainment of Earth. This class and the creation of this poem have helped me come to realize that education on environmental concerns is most essential to widespread, even global, contribution in sustaining Earth. However, there also lies the biggest problem to turning the tides is that it requires effort from everyone to hold up their end of bargain. It is evident that many countries do not take drastic action for improving the quality of Earth. This is because countries that are developing, newly or long-time, typically face many social issues that requires much government funding. These countries do not have a strong financial backing and cannot afford to launch environmental awareness campaigns; ergo, the people are not educated on the subject enough to care about it. Another economic inhibitor is the accessibility and financial availability to implement alternative energy sources as opposed to cheap, efficient fossil fuels. Too often, alternative energy sources are overlooked for the sake of efficiency and cost effectiveness, but this naivety comes at the expense of the quality of Earth. A large step to creating a more sustainable Earth would be educating people on the impacts of environmental ignorance and making alternative energy sources more convenient for more people worldwide. But most importantly, we have to remember that everyone has their own contribution to make and, together, we have the power to prevent catastrophic climate change, should we choose to do so soon.

e Keito Sugasaki

Iexpressed five questions answered in my artwork. The main theme of my picture is “what we do is what we get.” It means if we do something good for the earth such as do not litter and waste water, we can live on a healthy earth with many plants and animals. The woman at the right corner represents us and that flag shows it not only a problem for one country or an area, but also for everyone around the world. The reason why the woman is smiling is she is also a next-generation person, which is an answer to question one. She represents all human beings to show how people can be happy with living on a healthy earth. The flags and the vase also represent the power of gathering individual acts. The vase represents what we are doing and our human being’s power of action, which is an answer to some of the current global environmental issues. If everyone tends to do worse things, the environmental situation will be worse off, but if everyone is eco-friendly, the hope of getting a better situation will bloom. I hope the situation will get better, so I drew the bright part more than the dark side. The rabbit symbolizes the importance of protecting animals’ inhabits. The tops of the rabbit’s ears are getting dark which means environmental destruction is stealing the animal habitats and the black spot behind the rabbit shows animals are always in danger. However, the other part is full of flowers because of the hopeful rainbow, which is the act of environmental protection. All human beings and animals live on the earth, so we should care about climate change. We should protect ourselves to live on the earth and make the big flower bloom.

Sustainability is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. The subject that we talked about in class that stuck out the most to me was recycling. I have always wanted to get into recycling, but I never knew how to get into it. When talking about it I took notes on easy ways to contribute to making the world sustainable. I learned many ways that you can be sustainable that I never would have thought about. To contribute to developing a more sustainable world, I will bring my own container to restaurants, so I will not have to use their “to go” boxes. I am also going to take my own reusable cup when I go to QuikTrip to get a fountain drink or when I go to a fast food restaurant to eat. If I want an ice cold water I always use my Yeti because not only does it keep the water cold longer, it saves plastic water bottles. The average time for a plastic water bottle to completely degrade is 450 years. On average there are 60 million water bottles used every day in the United States. About 18,834,000,000 end up in the landfill every year. Before this class I never thought about how using water bottles was bad. It was something I grew up doing but now knowing what I know I will cut back as much as I can. These tasks are simple, but they will make a difference. Another thing I am going to do is ask my parents to get a recycling bin, so we will no longer have an excuse to not contribute. This will give my little sisters the opportunity to become sustainable at a younger age which will make it easier for them to do it later on in life. As a young adult, I wish my parents would have forced recycling a little more so I would know what needs to be done.

However, after taking this class I have a better understanding of how I can contribute to sustainability. After, going through First Year Seminar I believe I will pay more attention to what I recycle. I will also pay attention to my surroundings and make sure people are recycling the right objects. I learned that if a recycling bin has one object that is not recyclable in it then the whole bin gets dumped with the trash because it was contaminated. I never knew they would throw out all recyclable goods just because of one non-recyclable object.

My opinion on recycling has not necessarily changed, but my knowledge has grown. I went from thinking you had to be super crazy and recycle every single thing to realizing if you pick one thing and focus on recycling it then you will also be making a difference. I thought it was all or nothing when it came to recycling which was why I was never fully focused on doing it. Knowing what I know now, I will slowly become a person who recycles every recyclable object. But for now, I will focus on not using plastic cups, or the” to go” boxes you get at restaurants. By doing this I will be one step closer to being sustainable.

Recycling helps in more ways than people know. Recycling helps us reduce the amount of energy that is used. It also reduces the consumption of fresh raw materials. It reduces air and water pollution. We are dumping way too much into the oceans which are killing all of the fish that live there. When we did the “problem tree” worksheet in class, my group talked about pollution and how it is making animals lose their homes. If we step up and recycle it will help preserve the homes of the fish. Not to mention it will make our oceans look better than they ever have. We have more problems with animals losing their homes because of cutting down trees. We need to stop cutting down so many trees because not only are the birds losing their homes we are also losing clean air. So many kinds of birds have been endangered or even become extinct because we are taking their homes away.

Our actions are not only hurting us but they are hurting the creatures around us. Once we are done here the animals are not. The world is not just ours, we share it with many creatures who surround us every day. I truly believe that we are putting ourselves in so much danger and not very many people are seeing it. Making a change starts with one person and I am going to be that person in my group. When the people around me see what I am doing they will pick up on it and do the same thing, and the people around them will soon begin to pay attention. I want to save the wonderful place we live in and I am going to start the change now.

This class was truly a huge benefit for me. I not only learned how to recycle properly but I learned new ways to be sustainable. The Earth is ours but it also belongs to the animals that we have here so we need to be considerate with our actions. There are many ways to be sustainable but as I mentioned, I think the easiest way to get into it is to take one step at a time. Start small and end with something that could potentially change the world.

Works Cited

“At the University of Maine - Office of Sustainability - University of

Maine.” Lobster Institute, umaine.edu/sustainability/umdefinition/. Plastic-Water-Bottles-150x150.”

“Plastic Water Bottles Impose Health and Environmental Risks.” Ban the Bottle, www.banthebottle.net/articles/plastic-water-bottlesimpose-health-and-environmental-risks/. “Plastic-Water-Bottles-150x150.” Postconsumers, www.postconsumers. com/2011/10/31/how-long-does-it-take-a-plastic-bottle-to-biodegrade/plastic-water-bottles-150x150/.

For my culminating project, I decided to make a poster dedicated to sustainability. This poster informs readers of ways that they can easily be sustainable in their own homes. There are four ways listed on the poster that can help someone live a more sustainable life: turning off lights that are not being used, recycling, walking, and reusing items rather than using wasteful items. This poster has helped me to think of new ways to become sustainable, and it has also helped me expand my knowledge on the term ‘carbon footprint’, which goes hand in hand with sustainability. While I was doing research over new ways to be sustainable, I came across the idea of turning off lights in your house. I never realized that something so easy could help save energy and also reduce someone’s carbon footprint. Another way that people can be sustainable is to recycle. This is one of the most common things that people do to help the environment. My roommates and I participate in recycling; we have a recycling bin in our room that we throw plastic water bottles and empty boxes in. The discussions in class have helped me expand my viewpoint on sustainability. I did not even know what sustainability was going into college. In the First Year Seminar class, I learned that you can be sustainable in many ways – and recycling is the main one that stood out to me, which is why I chose this project. I learned that being sustainable can affect the environment in a positive way. Overall, I have learned that being sustainable is doing things in order to improve the current and future environment of the earth. Many things can be done to help this; things as simple as turning off a light and recycling a plastic water bottle in recycling bins across campus. This experience that I have with sustainability from First Year Seminar has already impacted my life. I am now recycling daily when I never actively participated in recycling before I came to Avila. I am sure that I will continue these practices of sustainability even after I leave Avila.

The sun is shining, The sky is blue, The birds are flying, And the breeze is cool.

Mother Nature is trying her best To give us nothing but beautifulness, But what do we do?

We make her a mess.

One touch of nature makes the world kind.

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.

There is a garden in my heart where beauty grows. We never know the worth of water till its dry. We see it as our mission. Now and in the future.

Because we all share this planet, we have to learn to live in peace With each other and

With nature. This is not

Just a dream, but a necessity. This poem reconciles Avila’s mission by making meaningful contributions to the global community. You may know the campus movement “Live Purple. Be Green.”; Avila takes this very seriously, with the purpose of making progress in caring for our planet. We develop as a person by becoming one in the community. The main objective at Avila is to strengthen right relationships with others, ourselves, and most importantly God. Here are three ways that we can personally contribute to develop a more sustainable world: 1) Drive less and drive green. This can be accomplished by walking, biking, carpooling or using public transportation whenever possible. I can also combine errands to make fewer trips. 2) Go plastic free. Start cutting down on our plastic waste by using reusable bags when we shop, ditch water bottles and straws, and avoid products made from or packaged in plastic. 3) Use our voices to vote because we matter: urge governments to pass stronger policies by limiting greenhouse gases, fighting climate change, and protecting our wildlife.

I chose to write this poem while I was back home, relaxing outside. I enjoyed a beautiful day outside on my driveway and listened to nature. Every day as we drive to our destinations, trash cans are full, people litter, and the streets are a mess. This gave me inspiration on what to write my poem about. When listening to the breeze, Mother Nature was telling me something. She said, “Why do you destroy me? I gave you a gorgeous day and society ruins it”. We are damaging the earth by not cleaning up after ourselves. Our main pollution issues stem from the use of plastic, glass, and other substances that take years to decompose in the natural environment. Recycling our materials can help reduce the amount of waste in the environment.

We are the voice for our planet. We must keep it beautiful and protect our children. Litter has a negative impact on our sense of community and safety. It can also pose health and safety risks, especially for curious children who are more likely to pick up litter and harm themselves. I will help make a change for our planet but everyone needs to help for success to happen. I ask that everyone at Avila helps pick up trash because not only will you feel better, but may inspire others as well.

Song to the tune of the “Wheels on the Bus”

The recycled goods go round and round, round and round, the recycled goods go round and round, all through the town

The recycled glass goes clink, clink ,clink, clink, clink, clink the recycled glass goes clink, clink, clink all through the town

The recycled plastic goes dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk the recycled plastic goes dunk, dunk, dunk all through the town

The recycled metals go tink, tink, tink, tink, tink, tink the recycled metals go tink, tink, tink all through the town

The recycled papers go woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh the recycled papers go woosh, woosh, woosh all through the town The recycled goods go round and round, round and round, the recycled goods go round and round, all through the town. My culminating project is based on recycling. I chose to create a song that everyone is familiar with, Wheels On The Bus, and tweak it to be about recycling and what kind of simple materials you are able to recycle. This is a simple and easy way to teach the youth about recycling from a young age. The hope is they will remember what to recycle and carry it throughout their lives. We all remember, Wheels On The Bus, so why would not young children be able to remember the recycling song years from now and apply it to their everyday life.

I thought Kamkwamba’s story was amazing. What really shocked me was how he started at such a young age and it really made me think. It would never be too early to learn about the problems going on in the world today and what the youth could do to help the cause. He began this whole windmill project before high school, even without high school. If he can make such a big difference in middle school, elementary students can start making small ones. A lot of small differences will continue to add up, and they are able to pass it down from generation to generation increasing the trend of recycling and helping save the world little by little.

I can personally contribute to the problems going on by doing little things throughout my day to help the environment: things like carpooling to help limit the amount of gases being emitted into the atmosphere. I can recycle my bottles and cans and also help encourage others to make small impacts in the growing problem. I could pick up trash along the beach to help stop pollution and make sure we do not litter on the beaches. I have learned there are many things one person can do to help the problem, there just has to be enough people making a little difference to make a big one.