Journal Reflection

This class has been an amazing and transformative process for me. I began the course with a very limited understanding of sustainable practices—both on a personal and ccommunity wide scale. Yet after six weeks of class, I am noticing some really exciting changes in my attitudes and behaviors.

The following is a quote from my journal entry on September 16, 2007: “It’s odd; I’m finding that the more I think about my role as a responsible human being, the more I take care of my physical health. I’ve really grown interested in exercise and healthy eating. I don’t look at a long walk as a chore anymore, but I view it as an opportunity to do something good for myself and for the planet (on some small scale). WOW! Some of these things seem so cliché to me, but they’re true.” Although I am a varsity athlete, I have always eaten horrible foods. Yet the more I think about the natural environment and my connection to it, the more inspired I feel to eat healthy food (cucumber is one of my new favorites).

In addition, I am also growing increasingly aware of my responsibility to society and the responsibility of society to the globe (both the natural world and the social world). As we study holistic approaches and asset based development, I tend to look at people differently. Specifically, I feel less self sufficient/independent and more like a member of a team. I actually decided that my social goal would be to get the Red Key Society (an athletic honor society that I am part of) involved in an ongoing commitment with a local community service/ non-profit organization—an organization that takes a holistic approach to community development. At this point I am in contact with GIAC and the Southside Community Center. I am proposing the project at our next meeting.

In all fairness, I cannot attribute all of these changes to the things that I am learning in this course. I think that I have always had a heart to initiate change (within myself and within the community) but that I never really knew how to practically what I should do or what types of paradigms would help me organize my thoughts into action. This course, however, introduced me to sustainability and provided me with the direction that I was lacking. I am by no means equipped to change the world, but I do feel confident in my ability to think through my decisions and make sustainable choices. Moreover, I recognize that my journey has just begun and that I have so many amazing things left to learn.