Abby Shin

My name is Abby, and welcome to my blog! I thought April 22nd would be an appropriate day to launch this site and publish my first-ever post. As I discuss in the About section, I am currently a fourth-year Bachelors of Environmental Studies (BES) student residing in Ontario, Canada. Throughout my time in this degree, I have found immense purpose, passion, and drive that I want to explore outside of my classes. I created this personal blog to document my progress as I strive to be a steward, student, and advocate of the environment. Truthfully, my main hope is that this outlet will hold me accountable to continuous learning as I explore environmentalism. However, if some people read what I post, that would be a great added bonus!

I also want to emphasize that I am in no means a “perfect environmentalist”. My ecological footprint could be much lower, and I am learning day by day. Transitioning to a completely sustainable lifestyle is hard and remains inaccessible for many. I am lucky to be in a position where I can make sustainable choices, and am excited to document them! I have found that these choices, however small (bringing a reusable mug to coffee shops, cutting down on meat consumption, using public transit, only buying used clothes, etc.), genuinely fulfill me because I am trying to live aligned with my values. Yes, it can seem tedious making these small decisions when massive corporations are chopping down forests and expanding fossil fuel operations, but I think these quotes from Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Katherine Hayhoe say it best:

Every day you live you make some impact on the world and you can choose what sort of impact you make – Dr. Jane Goodall.

But most of all, I do it [low carbon habits] because it inspires me, and it helps me inspire others too, too. It knocks over the first domino, reminding me that action is possible – Dr. Katherine Hayhoe in her book, Saving Us (pg. 207).

Finding purpose in environmentalism

Environmentalism is broadly defined as advocating for and protecting the natural world. In my opinion, society should already function with environmentalism ingratiated in our everyday lives. The human race is not separate from nor superior to the environment. No amount of technology, money, or power, changes the fact that we are a part of the environment, we rely on it, and we are nothing without it. As someone in an academic field witnessing climate change, rapid biodiversity loss, and overwhelming political irresponsibility, I found myself obsessing over the simple question: if we cannot survive without the Earth’s resources, processes, and components, why are we (as a general society) so incredibly reckless with them? As I analyzed my feelings of frustration, anger, and even hopelessness, I came to realize that these negative emotions can actually be turned into something pretty extraordinary – purpose.

Purpose is something that everyone looks for. Something that drives you, that makes you feel whole, and helps you contribute to something important. As someone who has struggled with depression, there have been times where I wondered if I would ever feel true purpose or motivation. It was this headspace that I had been struggling with when I entered university. I had always been a great student in secondary school, but internally I was lacking direction. While applying to general science programs, I stumbled upon my program (Environment, Resources and Sustainability) and applied to (and later entered) it on a complete, impulsive whim. This ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.

Since then, I came to understand that humans should have an extremely vested interest in protecting the natural world. I also gained a deep appreciation for its intrinsic value. I am fascinated by it, in awe of it, and want to spend my life protecting it. On that note, I implore anyone reading this to take a moment and appreciate how indebted the human race is to the Earth that we (for the most part) are squandering. Realize that we are connected to the habitats and species being harmed both in the fact that we rely on them and that we are animals too. For those looking for more fulfilment in their lives, learning about and advocating for nature is something that every single person can find meaning and positivity in.