Learning Experiences and Future Expectations Journal #7

Prior to taking the Colloquium course I really had no direction as to where my carbon footprint lay nor did I ever truly care enough to change how I live. I had always said; "We should start recycling" and yet, I was not proactive enough to get it started. I never really thought about the future and was never really told just how important it is that we understand what is going on and what is going to happen in the not-so-distant future. We live in a media fueled world and you are never supposed to believe what the media spills entirely. I am glad I got the opportunity to take this course because now I am much more aware of my surroundings, and how my personal lifestyle impacts the environment. Also, this course has made me into a more well-rounded adult which I value immensely. With that being said, I am not quite sure how this class will effect me academically. Maybe not using so much paper? Most of my assignments are online in a virtual, paperless world which already has saved countless trees and erased a bit of my carbon footprint on this Earth.

 I am going to school to be an Event Planner meaning, I am going to plan weddings and coordinate events. It would be kind of difficult to incorporate environmental sustainability into a wedding. Girls plan their weddings their entire lives and have every detail planned to the Tee, who am I to tell them they should be more ecologically responsible when it's their perfect day? I could always suggest candles instead of lights but that would be a huge change and something I cannot force upon someone. Instead of using a companies that provide plastic tents for receptions I could  search for a company that uses a cloth-like material. Also, with favors and programs we could use a recycled paper and get creative in that aspect but again, I will not have much say in that department.

I really enjoyed getting out into the heart of Fort Myers and doing that scavenger hunt! It was the best part of the class as I love a little bit of friendly competition. I had never really spent a lot of time in downtown so it was nice to get to see all the mom and pop stores all down the main streets. The only thing I found difficult is figuring out how I am going to incorporate this new-found knowledge into my profession, I guess that will just come with time and experience! Overall, this class was a great learning and growth opportunity.