My fascination with both sustainability and psychology started for me, in hindsight, when I was very young. I remember coming home one day when I was in kindergarten and announcing the shocking news to my family members that “paper was made from trees!”. I had been clearly distraught from learning this, and of course because siblings naturally tend to annoy each other, my older brother thought it would be funny to rip a piece of paper in front of me, just for fun. I remember that I burst out crying from this simple action and what it represented. Little did my brother know that he had likely set the initial spark in me that ultimately put me on the path I am on now. Although needlessly ripping a single piece of paper does not have a significant impact in the vastness of our world, it had a tremendous impact on me. Some of the core takeaways from experiencing that moment for me were that I had thought, “what a waste”. I was able to understand the symbolic value behind the waste of one piece of paper in that humans may often needlessly consume, using our resources thoughtlessly and without conscious awareness. It sparked an interest in efficiency, a desire to make things last, and a deeper respect for the natural resources we are given on this Earth. The second takeaway from this experience was that I wondered why my brother would perform this action, beyond just trying to grind my gears. It made me realize that people do not always, and perhaps scarcely, think fully about their actions and the wide-reaching consequences they can have. My realizations from this experience as well as my developing values seemed to align with what I later understood to be the concept of sustainability: living and consuming resources in a thoughtful and efficient way that allows current and future generations of humans as well as the earth to maintain a prolonged quality of life.
All of these things and more experiences in my life led to me to pursue the sustainability certificate in conjunction with my Psychology major and Ecology minor. The courses in the certificate have shaped me enormously and allowed me to gain a more holistic perspective by taking courses in all three spheres: ecological, social, and economic. My ecological course in conservation biology provided me with valuable background knowledge in issues of species preservation and loss, providing a noticeable connection between how humans can affect nature and the non-human animals that live there in indirect ways. My social course in environmental psychology helped me to better understand the underlying mechanisms of what motivates or stifles sustainable behavior, including attitudes, worldviews, and prominent theories in the discipline. This course gave me the support I needed to better understand my own motivations and assured me that combining my interests in the environment and psychology was entirely plausible. It has affirmed to me that although the field is currently small and niche, the topic of motivating sustainable behavior is up and coming and this field will be extremely important in the future as we try to work towards mitigating larger sustainability issues, such as climate change. I now believe that I can pursue a career as a research scientist in environmental psychology due to this class. My economic sphere course in computer modeling for sustainability allowed me to gain a greater insight into the logistics of modeling long-term and wide-scale phenomenon relating to issues in sustainability. I can better appreciate how challenging creating such resources are and the importance of them for predicting later trends for different systems on earth. My anchor course in Australia has allowed me to see a different culture and tangibly experience various ancient ecosystems first-hand and how environments are truly interconnected. This provided me with a greater sense of gravity and appreciation for the seriousness of current day environmental issues and the need to find solutions. The seminars in sustainability further enriched my understanding of environmental issues by connecting them in a direct way to real people who spoke to us and exploring places on campus within the community of Athens, Georgia. Lastly, my capstone project was very impactful in that I was able to better appreciate the difficulties and challenges that come with actually affecting change in a community. It has led me to have a much deeper understanding and admiration in regard to those who lead sustainability initiatives, and inspires me to do my best each day to make small but resounding impacts on the lives of others and in my future career.
The sustainability certificate program has led me to a greater recognition and appreciation for the interconnectedness of different systems on our planet, just as the three spheres in the program represent. I feel as though my sustainability journey is comparable to the mutualistic relationship between the roots of a plant and mycorrhizal fungi. I already had set down roots in knowing my interests and allowing them to guide me, and then all the courses I took within the certificate program have provided nourishment for my initial interests, allowing me to grow and have an expansive and flourishing network of greater understanding and knowledge. Each course has not only brought me greater wisdom, but also a growing confidence in myself and what I am truly meant to do. Additionally, such an expansive root system embodies the very nature of the certificate program, as it shows a growing community of people who are also passionate about sustainability, which provides me all the more strength and comfort to know; and that there is nothing that can quite stifle such a complex network. Just as mycorrhizal fungi can support a plant throughout its lifetime, the things I have learned and gained in the courses throughout my sustainability journey will surely stay with me for the remainder of my life in some way, shape, or form.