As I walk through the forest just in my backyard I can hear the birds chirping, the leaves rustling and smell the crisp fresh air. Imagining a place where I can no longer experience those calming yet adventures moments is something that has driven my passion for the preservation of our environment. I have always loved the environment as a child but my journey to understand and help protect it did not start until university. At Thompson Rivers University I was exposed to the importance of the environment in new ways. I learned about how connected everything is to its environment and how humans have caused disruption anywhere from climate change to species loss.
In courses like Introduction to Ecology and Sociology of the Environment I have been able to get a well rounded perspective of the environment. I understand the importance of environmental sustainability from a scientific perspective, learning the importance each ecosystem provides to different organisms. In these courses I also learn the science behind human impacts like the green house affect and disruption to the food chain. Being able to break down an issue and understand it fully has been very important to me in my education. From my other courses I have learned more about how humans have been involved in the environment and how this involvement not only impact other plants and animals but also how it can impact other aspects of society. Having a scientific background helped me better understand solutions to environment issues discussed in my other courses. I have begun to learn more about how we have gotten into this unfortunate situation that we are in today by understanding people’s drives and motives when it comes to the environment. Not everyone sees the environment as a beautiful place that is highly interconnected with all living things. This lack of connection is what started the destruction of our environment.
In my education I have continued to learn more about how everything on Earth is connected. This type of thinking is something that has inspired me through my education, volunteer experiences and research.
Throughout my education I have also gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the small things that support life and how little things can create a big difference. Where my passion to create meaningful change took off was from my research in microbiology. Bacteria are tiny organisms that have adapted to all types of environments and are the primary supporters of all ecosystems. My research has focused on bacteria found in compost and the relationships they play. I was fortunate enough to partner with the City of Kamloops on multiple research projects as a way to improve their new composting program. From this experience I learned how important it is to collaborate with various different experts. Sometimes in research, amazing discoveries are made but there is no means to put it into action. Having the support of a community or policy makers provides an advantage to help bring new advancements to sustainable living into action.
I plan on continuing research as an option for my career path. I have enjoyed being able to explore a topic in great detail and fully understand all the factors at play. I have learned through my courses and research that the environment is a complex systems. I now understand that this complexity can be both a benefit to my research but also a challenge. Any research that I continue in studying the environment and the impacts it can have on microbes or vice versa will always require me to first think about the big picture of how the environment is connected before I can narrow down my focus and tackle a specific issue.
From these experiences working with community partners and learning about how different companies and governments are a part of environmental sustainability, I hope to be able to collaborate with other communities or governments to ensure that the research I to do to help better our planet is taken into consideration as an action plan.
In addition, I do believe that the projects I work on should also be made publicly to inform and inspire individuals to learn more. It is known that large scale adjustments must be made in all sectors to better our environment; however, individual efforts can also make an impact. As individuals the choices we make add up to larger impacts and can enforce greater change. From my experiences sharing my knowledge at conferences and presentations, I have learned how receptive people can be when you take the time to explain to them the importance and provide evidence about ways we can help the environment. At times thinking about the environment and the state it is in can be a disheartening conversation, however in my experience if you are able to provide people with an easy solution that they can do can help remind them of the importance. In my research on compost, small reminders about limiting the plastics that end up in compost bins is a small thing people can do to help, as well as knowing that we are working on a solution to help eliminate microplastics contamination is a topic that many people can feel hopeful about.
Overall, what I have learned throughout my degree at TRU and from other work I have done in the community, I have come to realize how important preserving the environment is. The influence the environment has impacts everything on Earth including humans, we are not a part of the environment we are connected just like the plants and animals. I hope that in the future I can continue to help the environment in my everyday life by making small changes but also tackling larger issues throughout my career. I hope that one day I can inspire people in power but also individuals who are just like me and want to make a change so that we can see the forests and the rest of the environment once again thrive in our backyards.