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Food production was really interesting to learn about this week because I never really realized just how connected food is to the environment. Before this lecture was done, I mostly thought about food in terms of basic things like its taste, price, and how healthy it was, but now I see that the way food is produced can affect water, climate change, pollution, and biodiversity. One thing that really stood out to me was how industrialized agriculture uses around 70% of freshwater worldwide and creates a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. That surprised me because I did not think farming had such a huge environmental impact. I also thought the discussion about food insecurity was important. It is strange that millions of people do not have enough food while billions of others suffer health problems from overeating. It made me realize that the food problems are not only about production, but also about poverty and access. I connected this topic to my own life because my family trie...
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Blog 9

 For this weeks topic on solid and hazardous waste I started to think more about my daily life. Before this I did not think too much about where my garbage went. I knew it was sent to landfills but was not aware of how landfills actually work. from lecture I learned that waste actually builds up in landfills and can stay there for years, even hundreds of years in the case of plastics.One thing that stood out to me was how much waste we produce as individuals. In California, people generate around 6 pounds of waste per day, which is actually a very large amount when you think about it over a year. It made me reflect on my own habits, especially how often I use single-use plastics like water bottles or takeout containers. I never really questioned it before, but now I feel like I should be more aware. Another part that impacted me was learning about hazardous wastes affects on human health. Things like cleaning products, batteries, and electronics can be toxic if not dispo...
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Blog 8

 Growing up in California I was used to water restrictions. Brown lawns, dry grass, and common drought warnings were ingrained early on. I never really questioned it or knew why this was, but it all seemed normal to me. In lecture, when we learned about how water accessibility is a common problem in this state, everything started to make sense. I was shocked when I found out that only 0.024% of Earth's water is actually accessible freshwater. I had to read that twice. That's almost nothing. And we're wasting it constantly. The Colorado River video was very unsettling to watch. That river supplies water to 40 million people and it's been in drought since 1999. There were shots of Lake Mead with these massive white rings on the canyon walls showing where the water used to be. The river doesn't even make it to the ocean anymore. It just stops. Thats something that stuck with me. In the Nat Geo episode, the probkem started to look more global. In many countries, water i...
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Blog 7

 This week's topic covered many things; however, water availability was the most important thing that I've learned so far. Before this, I mostly saw water shortages as something that happened in places that commonly have desert environments, such as the Middle East and even certain regions of California. However, after learning about the Colorado River, it changed my perspective a lot. Knowing that major water sources support places like California and how they have become overused made it feel a lot closer to home. One thing that stood out to me the most was just how much water agriculture really uses. The crops that are not even directly feeding people use an immense amount of water, and everything from how we eat to what we wear is connected to water use. The idea that countries or groups can control water flow or even weaponize it was honestly disturbing, and it showed me just how much of a resource it really is. Personally, because I live in California, I've experience...
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Blog 6

  This week's topic focused on climate change and air pollution. It made me think a lot about how normal it feels growing up and seeing pollution when it really shouldn't. In California, hazy skies and bad air days are incredibly common due to wildfires, and this has been something that I only now realize should not be the default in our state. This is something that many Californians are exposed to regularly, and one thing that stood out to me is just how much air pollution is linked with serious health issues like asthma and heart disease. It made me think of all the times where I've had headaches or felt tired outside and didn't question it. Living near big, busy roads and in the middle of the city also increases exposure more than I realized. Culturally, I feel like people just accept it as part of modern life, especially in big cities. We focus more on the convenience of things such as driving our cars, and we don't think about the long-term effects that they ...
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Blog 5

  This week’s topic on population, urbanization, and sustainability made me realize how connected climate change is to my everyday life. Before the readings and lectures, I mostly thought of it as something far away from my  daily life, like melting ice or extreme weather in other places. But now I see how it affects where I live, especially with things like hotter weather and droughts in California. One thing that stood out to me is how human activity is a main cause of climate change, especially from greenhouse gas emissions. Urban areas contribute a lot to this because of cars, energy use, and constant development. I never really thought about how normal things like driving everywhere or using electricity all day add up over time. Just one person in a large urban area can contribute  to so much environmental damage over time, and it is scary to think about how in our  country not much is being done to stop this.  I also realized that sustainability isn’t ju...
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Weekly Blog #3 Biodiversity

 This week’s topic on sustaining biodiversity honestly made me realize how serious species extinction is. I didn’t really think about how fast extinction is happening compared to natural background rates, but in class, learning that species are disappearing much faster because of human activities really stood out to me. It made me think about how everyday things like building cities, farming, and resource use can directly impact habitats and all the different animals living there.  Learning about HIPPCO (habitat loss, invasive species, population growth, pollution, climate change, and overexploitation) helped me understand that biodiversity loss isn’t just caused by just one issue, but rather it's a combination of many different connected problems. I also found it interesting that invasive species cause major environmental and economic damage, which shows this issue affects more than just wildlife. Growing up in California, I’ve heard about endangered species like the Califo...
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