When I started at UNH, I knew I wanted to know more about the effects climate change was having on the world around us, growing up and in high school, I was always inquisitive about the environment and the effects humans have on the earth itself. In AP environmental I developed a greater understanding but wanted to know more. My sophomore spring I took NR 437, the principles of sustainability as an elective and the first class for the sustainability and environmental conservation minor, then found out about the SDM through some friends and decided that was the route I wanted to take. 

This class opened my eyes to the idea that sustainability was greater than just conserving the environment for future generations. There were many topics covered in this course such as the basic concepts of “what is sustainability?”, the history, the major principles, and human impacts, and the effects of population and consumption.  Our first major assignment in the class was to take a quiz that measured your own personal impact on the planet, explaining your ecological footprint and how many earths it would take to support how I personally live. This was a wake-up call for me as I thought I very conscious of consumption but saw that there was more I could be doing to lessen my impacts. I reconsidered the food I was consuming and would try my best to cut down on my meat intake and my transportation habits. 

NR 437 also opened my eyes to so many other issues that come along with climate change such as political disguise and many failing to recognize that climate change is a humanitarian issue that affects the ways of life for everyone. After taking NR 437 I was ready to continue my knowledge of sustainability and take it a step further and declare the Sustainability Dual Major.