A Reflection on my Service Learning Experience

    For my service learning hours, I chose to volunteer at my sisters school tutoring kids in her grade as well as working for the Office of Sustainability. Out of the two, the work at the Office of Sustainability was new for me. The first time I went they had me go around campus and collect trash. It really opened my eyes to the amount of trash that is made on a college campus. It was everywhere! In the bushes, side of building, and all over the common areas the plastic trash has no limits. Overall, it brought to my attention how easily something so small as walking trash to the trash can makes the environment such a better place to live.
     My second visit lead to me reorganizing the storage room that is within the office. This is such a great resource for those who cannot afford food. Everything from soup to peanut butter was in large quantities on the shelfs. This is a completely anonymous system. Any student can walk in and go grocery shopping (if they have the need) for free! This made me appreciate how blessed I am to have the access to food whenever I am hungry. A lot of people do not have that luxury that many of us take for granite. They also have a "store" where someone can get clothes, silverware, and hygiene products. This is a truly unique system as I have never seen a place that offers those items for absolutely no price.

https://parents.appstate.edu/connections/images/filecabinet/folder85/Green_Yosef.jpg

Climate Change

     For those that believe climate change is a hoax, really need to look at the facts that have been placed before us. The ice caps are melting. The ocean is rising. The temperature of the globe is rising. This is no hoax. Climate is the temperature of the earth, the amount of rainfall, or the amount of wind. It is the "big picture" when looking at a ecosystem. The change is resulting in the overall temperature globally, in all the climates, rising. This is everyone's problem to address, because it effects everyone. If this change continues at this pace it will be a matter of time before Florida is underwater. There are approximately 21 million people living in this state. That would mean 21 million people without a home.  One might have noticed the recent increase in sever weather outbreaks. With increased temperatures globally more extreme weather conditions are predicted. To make a changes interest has to be shown by the majority to get the government involved. As a society, we can show our interest by voting for someone who seeks to better the environment. Voting is crucial for our nation. Also getting involved in marches or other forms of public representation would make a huge difference!

         https://zombielanche.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/climate_change_is_a_hoax.gif?w=614

Helping People Understand the Importance of Sustainability issues

     To me sustainability means the ability to keep the environmental pollution at a functioning level. It means allowing the generations to come the ability to live comfortably. I want my children and grandchildren to be able to enjoy the planet as I have. I want them to be able to go on hikes and swim in the ocean.  Right now out planet is on a downward spiral, and we are not taking enough concern. A lot of people ignore this topic, because they do not like change. If we keep prolonging the inevitable the consequences are just increasing. A change that needs to be made is we need to learn how to efficiently use our raw materials. If this is done it would reduce the amount of waste we produce. We also need to take advantage of the renewable resources such as sunlight and tidal energy.   It is science's responsibility to come keep the public updated on new research and to come up with new solutions. For example, scientists are currently working on a window that can convert sunlight to energy as solar panels. Innovative ideas such as these will make a tremendous dent in our environmental impact.
       This is a world problem not just a United States problem, but I believe if we step up countries will follow after.  It is the people that have to show concern. Government is just a reflection of the people's beliefs, and if we demand change the government will have to make it. As I mentioned before people do not like change. After talking to a elderly person about the advancements in technology, I learn quickly how much they disliked it.  I have also witnessed a young child's ability to learn a completely new language with much more ease than someone of older age. This is because their brain is more "flexible" and  acceptable of change. Where I am getting at with this is, I think the solution is incorporating sustainability in the school system. This would teach the children how change needs to be made, and they would be more willing to make that change.  As one of our leaders, John Kennedy, said, "the future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospects of its youth."

This is NOT sustainable
Picture found at: http://www.kiwireport.com/50-horrifying-images-environmental-pollution/

Bad Data and Good Data Turned Bad

 At first glance at the above graph one would believe that the "2005 Florida enacted its 'Stand Your Ground' law" was a positive change for the community resulting the decrease number of murders from firearms. Although, when one looks closer it can be noticed that actually the graph is actually flipped. The numbers go in descending order bottom to top. The labeled point is around 525 deaths which then increases to over 800 in a short period of time. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement should change this flipping the graph so that the numbers would go in ascending order from bottom to top.  Also I think the confounding variables should be taken into account. Things such as an increase in the population need to go into account when looking at these graphs. 

I found this graph on the website https://venngage.com/blog/misleading-graphs/.

Science and I

Every since I was a child I always found the enviroment so beautiful. On the weekends, I would find myself and my family sharing special moments by going on hikes in the mountains and riding our boat on the lake. When senior year came around, attending Appalachian State University was an easy choice. Many people here share the same love for our planet as I do. In the past few years, it has  come to my attention our enviroment is suffering so much. With the population skyrocketing and our resources becoming limited we are facing a crutial time period to make a difference. Changes have to be made if we don't want future generations to suffer from our mistakes.

As a nutrition major, I believe by changing our diet we can make a huge difference in the emissions let out into the enviroment. Did you know that animal agricultural is responsible for a ton of greenhouse gases? Cows are a large percentage in the animal agricultural greenhouse gases. In turn, by limiting the amount of meat that we consume, it would reduce our enivomental impact. For myself this is what stem and sustainablility is. It is using your knowledge of math, science, engineering, and technology to help our world become more sustainable.

  This picture was actually taken on a trail off of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but look how beautiful the mountains are. It is this generation's responsibility to ensure they stay this way.