I came into this course thinking that environmental science was a sort of niche in the scientific community, that environmental politics was something for hippie activists. By no means did I not believe in climate change or think that endlessly burning fossil fuels was a good thing. I didn't fully understand the implications environmental issues had for me and my lifestyle. Similarly, I didn't realize the implications my lifestyle had on the environment.

This class has instilled in me a new way at looking at economic growth. I remember when Paul Wapner came in and talked about the Keystone Oil Pipeline. As we all expressed our fears of an oil spill, Wapner pressed the argument for economic growth. He was playing to the other side, just as stone-faced as Stephen Colbert does. "Jobs!" he repeated. "Jobs for the pipeline! Jobs to clean up the oil, jobs to save the dirty prairie dogs in Nebraska, jobs for lawyers of people who get poisoned, jobs for trucks to send in medical supplies, jobs for everyone!" Wapner's farce really made one of Bill McKibben's points resonate with me: we need to focus on the quality, not quantity of new jobs (Great Recession or otherwise); we need to focus on economic maturity, not economic growth.

As a corollary to economic growth, this class changed the way I've looked at consumer culture. I never really understood just how deeply embedded consumption is in our culture. But I guess that's the point. Americans have entirely too much stuff, and we are told that we need to go get more of the new stuff. Especially in the suburbs, shopping is a hobby. When you need something to do on a Friday night, you go to the mall with your friends and buy more stuff. Not because you specifically needed something, but because our society follows that self-defeating mantra of "more stuff now." And so much of this stuff we only use once! Just look at the purchase of a fountain soda: a cup, a lid, a straw, a cover for the straw, a napkin so that icky condensation doesn't get on your hands. And then after 5 minutes, you throw it all "away." In this class, I've learned that as a social construct, Consumerism can (maybe not just as easily) be deconstructed. I've learned that more (be it fossil fuels or consumer goods) isn't necessarily better.

I came into this class thinking I would learn about the environment and how it relates to international organizations. I'm pleasantly surprised that I've learned about the relationships we share as individuals, societies, and markets with our mother earth.