Let’s get inspired for #EarthDay2015

On a blustery fall afternoon in my first year, I sat down in a large lecture hall for Environmental Studies 200. At the time, I had no idea that this one university course would lead me to pursue a career in the environment. With Earth Day approaching on April 22nd, I want to share a few things I have learned from my experience in working towards positive environmental change.

How students can create positive change

When I hear about global issues, I often feel overwhelmed and powerless to tackle them but, along the way, I have met some amazing people who keep me inspired.

I want to work through two barriers that come from the publication, The Dragons of Inaction by Dr. Robert Gifford, a professor at UVic . I don’t have all the answers, but I hope to provide a few insights from my experience.

Barrier #1: We think we can’t make a difference.

Students can make a difference: The amazing thing is that students are in an incredibly unique position to make change. We can join student clubs, start our own club or participate in research. There are resources such as environment focused grants for students and many events on campus to support skill building and knowledge of environmental issues.

Barrier #2 Students are busy people! We have to juggle academics, friends, family and part time jobs. We want to contribute, but it’s hard to make the time.

How we contribute will be different for everyone: There are many ways to take action. I have peers who volunteer for ecological restoration initiatives, shop at local farmers markets, participate in protests, start their own gardens or do a bit of everything. I found that once I started getting involved and making changes in my life, actions like volunteering enriched my university experience, rather than detracting from it.

To learn more about Dr. Gifford’s work in environmental psychology, check out the Times Colonist article University of Victoria professor urges Earth Day action.

Call to Action for #EarthDay2015

I hope to provide a few ideas and inspiration to get you started. Consider this your #EarthDay2015 toolkit! Here are my top tips for inspiration and taking action. If anyone is interested in a more extensive post on actions, please comment below and I can definitely make that happen :).

1. Get inspired: Watch and share the Story of Solutions by the Story of Stuff Project.

2. Make change at home: Check out the Queen of Green, a sustainable lifestyle blog through the David Suzuki Foundation with great tips, recipes and ideas.

3. Volunteer on campus: Check out the list of environment focused clubs and hear from students about why they got involved at UVic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37KAvM_JFKw

What are your thoughts on Earth Day? What other ways can students get involved?

PS. I have an upcoming blog on Green Careers; stay tuned!