My Major

photoshopper24, "Environmental Protection Environment Atmosphere" via pixabay.com, 01/2014
Public Domain Dedication License

Environmental Studies is one of the most essential, world changing, fields out there. We may not be building computers or writing novels, but we are helping make global change and create a cleaner planet. Without clean air, vegetation, or water, there would be no one to make computers or write novels.

• In my field of study, we learn not only about past and current environmental issues/disasters, but also how to analyze data and fix problems. For example, we may learn of a specific mining company that is polluting local water sources with sludge and chemical run off, and we will also learn how to measure acidity levels of the water and look at the chemical makeup of the toxicities in the lake. Finally, we would learn how to neutralize these problems and prevent them from happening again.

• There are many possible professions with this degree, including field work with various environmental disaster groups, teaching at a high school or university, or even journalism, reporting on issues that come up on the news. I personally would like to go into field work for the possibility on traveling around the world helping people and the environment is very exciting to me. 

• In my junior year of high school, I took an AP Environmental Science class. From the first class I fell in love with the idea of saving the environment and helping victims of corporal pollution. My teacher was very encouraging (he went on to be my mentor for my last two years as well as for my senior capstone on food scarcity) at the time. I still keep in close contact with him today.

• A well known name in the environmental field right now is May Boeve, who was very active in the political fight against the Key Stone XL pipeline. She and her coworkers formed the environmental group 350.com, who dedicated their resources and time to prevent the passing of a bill that would allow the construction of a large oil pipeline from Alaska all the way to the Southern States. This pipeline was very environmentally dangerous and had it burst it would have cost billions of dollars in damage. Another well known name is the industry is Katharine Hayhoe, who is both a evangelical christian and an environmental activist known for her views on global warming. She uses her religious influence to convince spiritual non-believers of the real threat of climate change. Finally, Julian McQueen is also a big name, especially for his work with Green For All, a group that is dedicated to uniting communities over environmental issues.

• Two very interesting journals in the geography/ environmental field, which I discussed in my interview with Sophia Borgias, are Applied Geography and Annals of the American Association of Geography. Both of these journals are peer-reviewed and academic, and to be published in them could take up to two years. I personally find these journals very interesting because of the different ways that the two journals approach the same topic. Applied Geography tends to take more of a social justice stance on issues, covering opinions of those affected by a disaster, while Annals analyzes the topic through a political lense, discussing different policies that lead to the outcome. Both journals, however, are great introductions to the Environmental Field. The third journal, which I discovered on my own, is called Environmental Science and Policy, which covers BOTH the social issues and the policy issues, while also analyzing the economic impact of the problem.