Reflection Weeks 13-14 & Overall Course

In these past two weeks I have learned a lot. We started off the 13th week with a field trip to the Goodwill in Duluth. I learned the importance of reusing items. I had not been to a Goodwill in years, so it was a good and eye-opening experience to see all of the merchandise they actually had in their store. I also learned that Goodwill's main purpose is not to make money but to provide a service to the community. This is done through offering jobs to individuals who otherwise may not be able to hold down a job. I thought this is wonderful. I also did not realize how much goes into sorting and cleaning all of the donations that come in. This experience was very eye opening.

This past week we also finished our eco-chic goals. My goal was to take the bus to and from campus 5 times per week. I did not succeed in making my last goal. But when I look back on my final goal I am not surprised that I did not make it. I think it was an unrealistic last goal because of my other commitments. Overall, I thought I did very well in completing my goals the other weeks.

We also completed our junk projects. Above, there is a picture of the 3 decorative pillows I made out of my old marathon T-shirts. I did not even have to sew the pillows. I just cut slits into the T-shirts and tied the edges together. I loved sharing our junk projects in class. Everyone had such wonderful projects and they inspired me to keep on junking.

Finally, we created our own online learning activities and had to complete our other group member's projects. I created an activity that had group members map out alternative forms of transportation routes in the hopes that they will try and incorporate these routes into their daily routines. I really liked doing the online activities. I thought it was cool and unique way to learn about our individual advocacy projects.

OVERALL COURSE REFLECTION:

I learned a lot during this course. It was a very eye-opening experience. I really learned a lot from the documentaries that we watched. The one that shocked me the most was the documentary "Tapped". I could not believe how bad bottled water was for the environment and how manipulative the companies can be. I can say that I have been very careful not to buy any bottles of water and use my reusable water bottle. Another documentary that I really liked was "Unnatural Causes". This documentary takes a look at the differences in health based on social class; I thought this documentary was sad and fascinating.

This class forced us to make changes in our lives. Since setting my SMART goal I have now been regularly taking the bus, whereas before I drove everywhere by myself. This course also forced us to look at the ugly sides of controversial and difficult topics. I appreciated this because it showed us the truth to the topics that we may otherwise may not know. I really enjoyed this course and enjoyed blogging. Since I am a quiet person, I really liked expressing my ideas online, whereas I may be more reluctant to share my ideas in front of a class. This class was a great experience I feel like I am walking away with knowledge that I will effect my lifestyle forever.