Hi! My name is Adriana and I am in my 3rd year of college. I was born in London, grew up in Los Angeles, and went to Italy for University. Now I am back in Los Angeles finishing my last year with Penn State. My major is International Affairs and I am considering getting further education in Psychology and eventually becoming a licensed psychotherapist. This course fits in with my major and I have an interest in learning how geographical aspects of the world interact with each other and how that effects the short and long term. I am excited to learn that this course also covers human interaction with the environment because I love learning about the psychological processes involved. I plan on really engaging in this course and am available if any other students want to work together!
In Module 1 sustainability and governance was brought up. The relationship between these two is extremely important because governance can sometimes hinder the full potential of sustainability. For example, climate change is a scientifically proven issue with data showing if we do not drastically change policy then major repercussions will follow. However, since society’s priorities are mainly short term or to increase financial income, barely any policies are being changed. It is expensive to be sustainable and nobody knows where this money will come from. However, Bernie Sanders, one of the U.S. Democratic Candidates, has voiced demands for policy changes. He wants the country to be self sustainable and turn away from fossil fuels and provide low-income families with solar energy. Hopefully we will see these changes soon and find out if it works well in practice.
Hello Adrianna! My name is Avi and I am studying mechanical engineering at Penn State University Park. It’s awesome that you have lived and studied in so many interesting places. I can only hope to travel to or live in some of those locations one day. I just recently am learning about the psychology side of geography, and I can definitely see why the psychology is essential to understanding how and why humans interact with their environments. I also couldn’t agree more with your statement about society’s priorities and their negative impacts on the environment. It will definitely pose a challenge for our generation to promote a focus on the environment when it conflicts with the self interests and profits of other groups.