Journal 8 Post Conceptions

 

At the

beginning of this course, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be taking University Colloquium. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I thought it was just another general education requirement. I figured I’d check the box, go on some field trips, and maybe hear a bit about nature. Coming from a Construction Management background, I had already taken a sustainable construction class and assumed I had covered everything I needed to know about protecting the environment. But after going through this course, I realize I was only seeing a small piece of a much bigger picture.

One of the biggest shifts in my perspective came from seeing how students from other majors think about environmental issues. In construction, we focus on materials, energy usage, and building codes. But when I heard from students in environmental studies, marine biology, or even business majors, I started to understand how different fields approach the same issues in completely different ways. That kind of cross-discipline conversation made me realize that solving environmental problems isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Every career path has an impact, and each can play a role in sustainability.

The field trips were also a huge part of what changed my thinking. When we visited the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, I remember standing on the boardwalk and realizing just how delicate ecosystems are—and how easy it is to destroy something that took thousands of years to form. That moment really stuck with me, especially thinking about the role construction can play in either preserving or harming those areas. It made me reflect on how I can be more mindful in my future career, especially in site planning and waste management.

One of the readings that stood out to me was on environmental justice—it wasn’t something I had really thought about before. It made me consider how construction projects can unintentionally affect underserved communities through pollution or poor planning. That was something I hadn’t considered until it was brought up in discussion.

In the end, I still believe sustainability has challenges—like the true cost of green energy—but I’ve gained a deeper understanding of why we need to keep working toward better solutions. This class taught me that even if the path forward isn’t perfect, ignoring the issues doesn’t help anyone. The key takeaway for me is that collaboration between fields, being open to new perspectives, and asking tough questions are all essential if we’re going to make real progress.