As
I mentioned in my earlier posts, there are plenty of people that will push back
against my choices. One such push back came in a GEG class quite unexpectedly.
It was simply an off handed comment by my professor. I do not believe he
intended as a slight against me in any way, but it really made me think about
how people view my choices in protecting the environment.
I believe were talking about the
impacts of disposable diapers and my professor said, “just wait until you have
kids, things will change.” It really struck me in that moment that people see
environmentalism as a trend. Something to be put on hold or given up when life
gets in the way. To be clear, I was in no way offended by his comment, quite
the opposite in fact. I took his comment to mean that I have work to do.
Maybe I should give more credit to
advocating for changes in the law. That would provide more legitimacy to the
changes I am proposing. GEG has inspired me to do more legitimizing of this
lifestyle. Next fall I will be doing an independent study focusing on laws
banning single use plastics and creating an online database for individuals
interested in doing something similar in their area. I am also advocating for
the Environmental Law Society to host their own symposium focused on
environmental justice in an attempt to bring more attention to environmental
law as a field of study. Finally, I am working with Boxerwood Nature Center to
create an event to provide low waste living information to members of the
public.
Boxerwood in the fall. Image source. |