Global Engagement

One aspect of sustainability and our global impact I focused on and have been thinking about throughout this class is the importance of education. I believe that so many of our goals to reduce waste, increase economic sustainability, etc., are realistic, but only after we get more people involved. I think that one reason many people do not think about or want to acknowledge their global carbon footprint, for example, is because it seems very difficult to change effectively. However, if everyone were educated on small things, such as what types of plastics are recyclable and which are not, for example, a big difference can be made. I believe that most people would be more willing to make positive changes if they were more aware of the great impact those changes could make. One example could be if someone is renovating their house and considering which toilet/ faucet/ shower head to buy. If they are informed about how efficient flushing greatly impacts our water footprint, they might be more willing to buy a toilet that uses less water per flush. If this water-saving toilet uses 2 gallons per flush and a not-as-efficient one uses 6 gallons per flush, even for a household of one person that saves around 24 gallons of water a day. I think many fo the goals outlined on the 17-goal list will become more feasible once we get everyone on the same page about how we can easily change our individual impacts on the world.

4 thoughts on “Global Engagement

  1. I totally agree with you. I think that to a large extent, the issue of trying to get people on board with reducing their carbon and resource footprints begins with a better understanding of the broader problem at hand. If people were better educated on the problem, its effects, and what changes they can implement to effect change, I think we would be much further along in our efforts to combat global climate change.

  2. My paper was about the same idea. I completely agree with you. One of the biggest issues right now is lack of education and therefore people don’t change their unsustainable ways.

  3. I also agree with your post! Education is so important, and I agree that not many people are aware of their own environmental impact. Maybe this topic could be integrated into public school systems across the country in hopes to combat climate change at large.

  4. I really enjoyed this post! In particular, I think that your point about education and awareness of different issues is a huge aspect of global engagement. If people are not educated about the issues, we will not make a lot of progress. Therefore, in order to achieve global engagement, we have to educate those around us first

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