High & Low from Colloquium

I heard about this class before I had to take it and it has been pretty much what I've expected just a bit faster I presume because of the summer term. I have actually learned a lot in this course. I've never been as one would say "environmentally inclined" and from the readings in the weather makers, all the video's we've watched, and the lectures I can now say I can carry a conversation with someone about environmental sustainability. I actually like learning about it. It's amazing how complex the environmental spectrum is. One thing affects another that then affects another and so forth. It can get overwhelming but if there's anything I've learned in this course is that you can't let all these issues get to you at once.

I remember after leaving class on the first day I was so overwhelmed with environmental issues; I felt like a huge weight had been put on my shoulders (not to mention it has been the longest class I have ever sat through). Then slowly but surely the more we've learned as a class we've come up with ideas for different issues and I think that's very substantial coming from someone that had not even come across any of these issues.

It is apparent that the world is heating and I've known this for sometime and some other key facts that we've talked in class, but never to the specificity that I now know. Another thing I had no idea about is how fishes have been hypothesized to get fished out by 2048. This is mind boggling to me that we have taken advantage of our resources to this extent. This is not only in my future children lifetime but in mine as well.

My major is biology but I'm more geared to pre-med so this is not really "my thing" but I'm more conscientious in my daily activities now. I really try to read all the material assigned because I truly enjoy reading it and learning about it all. It's better to know and be prepared than be ignorant. Another thing I try to fit in my schedule is to watch a bit more of the news although I may not enjoy it, its important to know about your surroundings and what's going on in the world and that is something colloquium has helped me with.

So all in all I did enjoy the class it had more work than I had anticipated, but it forced us to really learn the material. Also Professor Muldoon really taught us a lot of neat things not just from an environmental standpoint but economical as well. As he once said in responding back to a student that said we are destroying this earth, "the earth has been in existence for billions and billions of years we are not destroying it, it will shrug us off its shoulder before we get a chance to destroy it; and that is exactly what is happening."