My name is Melissa Levy, and I am a junior in SIS. Likely, my concentration will be International Economic Development, but per my indecisiveness/fluctuating interests, that's definitely subject to change. Excellent segue to my next point: this summer has led me to consider re-shifting my concentration to Global Environmental Politics (no pressure, Professor Nicholson). I worked for Environment New York-- a branch of a bigger umbrella non-profit organization called Environment America. Mainly, I was canvassing the streets of New York-- having conversations about the environment, signing postcards for Congress, and ideally, getting people involved financially in order to combat the obscene amounts of money spent lobbying by Big Oil. Sorry if that was a bit of a rant. Needless to say, I developed a passion for the environment, especially on the political level.
It is my hope, then, that this course broadens my knowledge in a way that allows me to back up my passion. I hope it advances my already whet appetite for environmental change on the political scale. I hope to be fully literate in the language of a problem that undeniably haunts our entire planet.
Further, I hope to contribute a relatively naive take on the environment and all of its complexities. While I cannot feign a plethora of knowledge in this subject, I bring with me a genuine interest-- in both the environment and learning about possible solutions. In a fashion that I believe is representative of much of our public, I can fully recognize the severity of our planet's problems without yet knowing how we got here or what course of action we should--or even can-- take. I contribute a blank environmental slate of sorts, paired with a strong desire to learn all about it.
Another great segue. As much as I would like to scoff at Stanley Fish for his general environmental apathy, I think he offers insight into the public's opinion of environmental consciousness. While environmental issues are so looming that it is better to err on the side of caution, it is hard to tell what is genuinely good for the environment and what company is merely hopping on the chic green train. Living in an "environmentally friendly" way in the modern-day US connotes--to varying degrees-- attempted eco-friendliness. In an ideal world, it would connote our entire population changing ingrained but unnecessary habits that would provide huge net changes. In the modern-day US, however, it means making an effort-- often for no better reason than guilt-- to whatever extent is comfortable for the individual. I witnessed this fully while working on the Environment NY campaign this summer. Often, people couldn't be bothered with the environment, deeming me as some overly hopeful hippie. The overarching goal of the campaign was to raise awareness; to educate the public. However, it was often the people on their environmental high horses that refused to take a minute to listen. Many a time, after being asked if they had a minute for the environment "staunch environmentalists" would brush the question off, responding that they already rode their bike, recycled, etc. Unfortunately, this is what it means to be environmentally friendly to many. There are too many people who pat themselves on the back too hard for doing one environmentally friendly thing. It seems that there is this outlandish concept of an environmental quota, and many Americans do minimal amount and consider it filled. This is a sad but realistic truth. For most Americans, environmentally friendliness means making the bare minimum change that allows them to remain in their comfort zones.