Change through a Community

Change is a communal thing. Or at least it is for me. Acting upon the Sustainable Behavior Challenge during the past few weeks has certainly showed me that “coming together” (hey Beatles) is what accelerates and articulates progress. While my sustainable behavior may be less drastic than some, I certainly have had a hard time adjusting to it (although I just installed 100% LED Christmas lights in my room). Being surrounded by so many of my students in EVST 100 has induced my commitment to the challenge. People like Zach Heidrick and Shawn Hogan have both shared their difficulties with the challenge but our communal diligence and commitment to the course has propelled our success.

Shawn is probably the sole reason that I was able to pull off my sustainable behavior. I have always had difficulty committing to academic pursuits mainly because I feel my head is always in the cloud, circumventing thoughts and dreams that have little, if anything, to deal with school. Shawn set me in line, though. She made it a point to demonstrate the moral and obligatory weight of this challenge. She was in my room everyday, unplugging my non-LED lights and reminding me of my need to sustainably alter my taste in room lighting. I reciprocated like a true friend would and helped her with her adopted veganism (although I didn’t help her nearly enough as she did for me). I did the same for Zach, seeing as our adopted behaviors were so similar.

At the end of this challenge, there will be a loss of academic obligation. For many people, this might mean that we should return back to normal, performing our lives in less sustainable ways, like we were before the start of this challenge. But I honestly think that this won’t happen to me. This challenge has inspired me to continue, not because of my own diligence and self-righteousness, but because of the people who pushed me through it. For me, this reflects the impending solutions to the global environmental crisis. It’s going to be solved through Earth’s community, not through any one individual or government.