Before this semester, I was not environmentally conscious at all. I mean I knew that I had to stop using plastic, but for my comfort, I continued to use it. I knew that companies that destroyed the earth made some of the items that I bought at the grocery store, but I did nothing. I knew that large fossil fuel companies controlled our government, but, once again, I did nothing. The only thing that I did that helped the environment was not to eat beef. I always thought environmentalism was a bandwagon that people was jumping onto because they thought it was trendy and hip, and that was partially the reason why I did not want to be a part of this movement. This was who I was before I took a class called "Our World" this semester.

I always was into social justice and humanitarian issues and somehow it never really connected for me that environmentalism is the BIGGEST humanitarian issues that there can ever be. Because without the environment there is no humanity. "Our world" really opened my eyes about how environmentalism is more than just transitioning over to paper straws and using reusable bags. "Our World" is a class that discusses how first world countries and large extractivist corporations ruin the lives of the indigenous and developing countries. It shows how climate change and how these extractivist companies, like Shell, have displaced communities that have ancestral and cultural ties to their land. To these communities, their land isn't just land, it's so much more. Their land tells the story of their people. This class shook me awake and said to me that the most significant way that I could help the world is by taking care of it.

Before this class, I was always confused about what I wanted to do with my life. But after taking this class, I realized that fossil fuel companies held a tight grip on all of our lives. From the electricity that we use at home to how we travel around the world, we use fossil fuels to power almost everything in our lives. This is why I want to dedicate the rest of my life to help transition our world from this fossil fuel power world to one powered by solar and wind power.

It's crazy how humans have been on Earth for such a short amount of time, yet we have managed to destroy it. Although we knew the consequences of our industrial boom years ago, we refused to take action by claiming that climate change is just a small price to pay for economic growth. Let me clarify something: climate change can never be a small price to pay because, once again, without the planet, there are no humans!

I hope that all of you will think about the small changes that you can make in your lives to change the fate of the Earth because without those changes we are all doomed.