Hello! I’m Emma and this is my blog...
A Bachelor of Science in
Environmental Science is my goal. Why? Well, in short, the Environment
interests me, always has. Animals and nature intrigue me and bring me pleasure –
you know, the kind of pleasure you want to protect and share with others. That
type of pleasure. I grew up near an
estuary and would go wandering around the stinky mud looking for snails and
crabs. I love this interface where the land meets the water – it’s so full of
life and productivity.
When I was young my love of animals led to strays being
adopted and sick animals nursed. At the ripe age of 5 years I started refusing
to eat meat as I didn’t want to eat animals, and I still don’t. I grow veggies, make my own washing powder and
have a water tank. I recycle what I can and compost my food scraps. I try to do
my bit for the environment within what parameters I have control over. I want
to have a living green roof one day and be totally self-sufficient. This isn’t enough
though.
Mankind has set in place a chain of events that is steering (or
steered) this planet of ours into turmoil and catastrophe, and it’s not right! (In my humble opinion).
The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin (1968), sums up the selfish
side of human nature. The side that acts for its own personal interests, even
if it ultimately sacrifices the environment for future generations. I find this sad and disheartening.
Back to basics I say! Stop the wasteful and greedy pillaging of natural resources. If we
destroy the land, sea and air – what are we going to eat? How are we going to
breathe? We can’t eat money after all!
I started this knowledge journey I’m
currently on a while ago in the UK. It went on hold while I had my
beautiful boys and headed back home to New Zealand after 14 years abroad. Now that I’m back on home soil and starting to feel I have some solid footing under me I’ve
picked it up again with gusto and I’m determined to complete it.
I’m wishful, and hopeful, that my
current studies will help cement my prior learning with newly gained knowledge,
and then I’ll be able to use that combined knowledge in a fulfilling environmentally
focused career. I dream of being part of a team that wants to help the environment.
Working alongside likeminded people to come up with feasible solutions to improve
the environment would be amazing. So ultimately the future generations, such as my boys
and their kids, will still have a world to live in and be amazed by. Like I am.
I have an expectation from the Communication
in the Sciences course to gain the necessary skills to write scientific
papers and essays efficiently. Being able to communicate effectively is crucial,
and I see it being an important tool in my career going forward. I’d like to
think my honesty is a strength. As for weaknesses, well I suppose I can own
that I just don’t feel very comfortable expressing my thoughts. It doesn’t come
naturally to me. I hope through this course that that may change for the better…
Hi Emma! It sounds like you are doing a lot more than most to reduce your footprint on the planet - I'd love to grab your homemade washing powder recipe! I completely agree with your comments about the wasteful way we use and abuse our natural resources - total ignorance to the reality of our actions can be extremely damaging and too many people just don't have the knowledge to make informed decisions. I think your honesty will be a great strength in helping to change that. PS Thanks for the mint, I planted it and it's going great!
ReplyDeleteof* the reality!
DeleteCatherine, I buy enviromentally friendly cleaning products from: http://wendyls.co.nz/. They are already made for you.
DeleteEmma, I admire your thoughts and actions on caring for the environment. Actions speak far louder than words and yours are certainly clearly stated in your blog. I wish I had half the drive that you have. I have similar thoughts but seem to falter before carrying through with ideas. I would certainly like to make my own washing powder too but lack the initiative to find out.
ReplyDeleteI do hope your boys are having as much fun growing up as you sound like you did!
Back to basics indeed :) Imagine how different our urban waste management would be if landfills weren't full of putrefying food waste and squandered recyclables. I'm far too lazy to make my own detergents though and can only admire your dedication! I hope there's a dream team out there for you to work with when you're qualified, but meanwhile looks like you have a team of like-minded people to study with.
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