My Motivation
The Islamic viewpoint stresses the moral responsibility of humans to safeguard the environment and uphold the rights of the environment. This responsibility originates from the belief that the environment is a divine gift and that humans are entrusted with stewardship over all living beings. Quranic verses and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad emphasize the importance of treating the environment with care and compassion, acknowledging the inherent worth of every living creature. The emphasis is on fulfilling this stewardship duty and displaying kindness towards animals, reflecting a comprehensive approach to environmental ethics within the Islamic tradition. I recognize that not everyone adheres to Islam, and thus their motivations may differ. My intention here is not to delve into philosophical debates, but rather to provide information and elucidate the various factors contributing to issues like climate change, ocean acidification, poverty, and other global challenges.
Taking an Environmental Ethics course broadened my perspective on the myriad of global issues contributing to environmental degradation. While I'll only touch on a fraction of these problems, I'll provide additional resources for further exploration of the topics. I suggest reading Environmental Ethics by Gregory Bassham. Although I heavily disagree with Bassham, the book is a good introduction to the problems and views that world has regarding environmentalism
Taking an Environmental Ethics course broadened my perspective on the myriad of global issues contributing to environmental degradation. While I'll only touch on a fraction of these problems, I'll provide additional resources for further exploration of the topics. I suggest reading Environmental Ethics by Gregory Bassham. Although I heavily disagree with Bassham, the book is a good introduction to the problems and views that world has regarding environmentalism
Outreach & Volunteering
The pictures to the right are from the Purdue Earth Day Event! Spoke with elementary school children about how to conserve energy and leave a smaller carbon footprint at Imagination station in Lafayette. This included making the information understandable for them as well as help them to take action.
Moreover, I've given presentations (to friends) on topics like why exoplanetary research is important climate topics like Rossby waves. It is my experience that we need to make things easy for people. If they think that recycling is hard, because it is, then they'll be less likely to do it. To make things as easy as possible, is to make them as accessible as possible. This includes speaking to people in their own languages, because many times, people don't care or can't process the amount of waste because of the large amounts. So, you have to put it in a language that they understand and make it feasible for them to enact those plans. |
|
Global Environmental Issues
The fashion industryTo me, this was a very surprising fact, and perhaps one of the most detrimental.
|
ConsumptionI'm a firm believer that the global population count doesn't matter, and that to achieve results, we need to consume less. Countries like Germany, Japan, the US, Saudi Arabia, and others overconsume food, electricity, and other resources, often to the disadvantage of poorer countries like Pakistan, Haiti, Bangladesh, etc. In my food consumption presentation, I explain why food consumption is a problem. I focused on food because of my experiences working in dining courts and seeing the huge amount of food waste.
|
RecyclingThere are many different types of recycling, this makes it a bit difficult and frustrating to understand. There's also recycling old electronics!
Recycling in the US is confusing and difficult due to a lack of standardization across states and municipalities, resulting in varied rules and regulations for what can be recycled and how it should be sorted. This inconsistency is only exaggerated by political and corporate influences on recycling policies. Naturally, inadequate education only complicates efforts. Addressing these challenges requires actions to standardize recycling practices, educate the public effectively, and navigate economic and political factors influencing recycling sustainability. |
Finding informationYou have many great options when it comes to sustainability education! Naturally, the Environmental Protection Agency offers comprehensive information on environmental issues, regulations, and educational resources related to sustainability. There's also the World Wildlife Fund which offers educational resources on biodiversity, climate change, sustainable development, and conservation efforts.
While it may seem like an odd addition, Acciona is a great site to visit because they highlight their environmental efforts and projects which can help others (like myself) with understanding the current sustainability projects at a deeper level |
Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation
Both climate change mitigation and adaptation are important, but they're more practical for some communities depending on their situations. In our climate change adaptation presentation my groupmates gave in our scientific issues course, we spoke about adapting to climate change in Tucson, Arizona and possible (small and large) strategies that the community and individual persons can adapt.