I find the plethora of plastics in our surrounding environment ironic. We as humans crave significance, we want people to remember who we were and what we did. This is how we cope with fear and death. Yet, many people choose to disregard the current climate crisis and the buildup of waste that surrounds us. Throughout this course, I have been reflecting on the impact I hope to have on the world. This course has taught me that I play a vital role in the earth system, and my action project allowed me to explore what this role means. I believe that recognizing and accepting the important role we possess as humans in The Anthropocene is key to mitigating the potentially horrific impacts of climate change.

The work of my Action Project allowed me to feel a deeper connection to the earth. For our Action Project, my group worked with WASHPIRG and organized various plastic cleanups around campus. To connect more deeply to the earth, my group chose to engage in a contemplative practice and read a poem prior to our cleanups. This practice allowed me to bring myself back to the present moment and reflect on the gratitude I have for the earth and my group mates. I was able to stop and appreciate the feeling of sunshine on my face and grass beneath my feet. As I sat with my group mates and the earth, one specific quote from the poem “Letter to Someone Living Fifty Years From Now” struck a chord. It states, “it must seem like we sought to leave you nothing but benzene, mercury, the stomachs of seagulls rippled with jet fuel and plastic.” I want to leave our future generation with the beautiful earth I have gotten to experience, not a mess they must clean up. 

Through the work of my Action Project, I discovered how easy it is to reconnect with nature. This reconnection greatly impacted my perspective on the potential impact we as humans can have on the earth. We can leave future generations with a better earth, but we must first accept the important role we hold as humans living in The Anthropocene. 

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/december/humans-are-causing-life-on-earth-to-vanish.html
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/08/31/commentary/world-commentary/humans-will-remembered-mess/