Service Learning Reflection Paper

For the service learning component, I did activities like ivy pulling (April 11 1-4 pm, April 30 10-2 pm), going door to door in my dorm with information about energy conservation (April 21 7-9 pm), and attending the March for Science (April 22 10-1 pm). These activities give me about 12 hours of volunteer service. I brought what we were learning in class to other aspects of my life, as well. For instance, I talk to my friends, in person and online, about the environment and the impact they have on it as often as possible. In fact, I talk about it so often that one of my friends stopped taking napkins at dinner just so I would stop commenting on how many they wasted. This might not be the best way to get someone to behave sustainably, but it
worked in the short run. I’m not entirely sure that my nagging will have had enough influence to keep them from returning to the habit of grabbing handfuls of napkins next semester. Through the service learning, I learned that most of the people on campus are aware of climate change and that humans contribute to it, which is reassuring. However, I also noticed that quite a few of the people I talked to didn’t actually think about how climate change directly affects them, nor did they think about how they directly contribute to climate change. Quite a few of the people I have talked to about our impact on the planet have said something like, “Well, I do x-behavior, but that’s better than most people.” I try to remind them that there are plenty of things they could do without much effort to reduce their impact on the planet. It also seems to me that many people over estimate how “green” they are. For instance, while discussing being sustainable with a friend, she said, “I don’t think it’s possible for me to ever really be sustainable, since I eat meat. So I do a lot of other green things to balance it out.” I thought this was interesting since she often engages in unsustainable behaviors, like always having all the lights (three sets of string lights, two mirror lights, and an overhead light) on in her room, even if no one is there or the sun is out. I pointed out this inconsistency to her, and she became visibly uncomfortable. I had hoped that some cognitive dissonance would motivate her to alter her behaviors, since this had seemed to help motivate a few of us during our personal projects, but everyone reacts differently. Rather than becoming motivated, my friend, understandably, became defensive and offered me justifications such as, “I forget sometimes, but I usually recycle;” she has since begun shutting her lights off without me prompting her. This has also made me realize that many people really like the idea of living sustainably, and will readily share videos about problems we are causing the environment on Facebook, but aren’t necessarily ready to actually change their behavior.
Additionally, and perhaps on a more positive note, I noticed that members of the community, both in Salem and just on campus, are very supportive and encouraging when it comes to being sustainable and just doing positive things for the environment.
For instance, while pulling ivy, some passerby thanked us for the work we were doing. Also, while going door to door with information about dorm energy conservation, a few people told me that they were genuinely interested in what I was saying and said they would be more aware of their energy use. Whether they actually do change their behaviors or just said that to appease me, they were very reassuring. During the March for Science in particular, I learned that there are a lot more people in this community who care about and are fighting for the environment than I realized, so hopefully one good thing to come from these current, almost anti-science politics, will be more people becoming aware and coming together in this
community.
I would like to believe that my volunteerism contributed to the community’s effort to be sustainable. Throughout the time we have been working on the community based projects, I have been reducing my energy use. I thought it would be hypocritical of me to promote energy conservation in the dorms if I was using more than necessary as well. So, not only was I encouraging more sustainable behaviors around my dorm, I was also reducing my impact. Additionally, at the March for Science, I, along with many members of the Willamette and Salem community, came together to promote the appreciation of science and earth itself.
Throughout the service learning component there were quite a few things that were somewhat surprising, like the unexpected pushback I received when asking people to commit to using less energy.
The thing I found most interesting, though, was how much fun I had during this experience. Both of the ivy pull sessions, though tiring, were extremely fun and gave me a strong feeling of accomplishment. Seeing how much a group people can do for nature in just a few hours is quite empowering. I also had a tremendous amount of fun gathering with other members of the community for the March for Science and talking with my dorm mates about living more sustainably on campus. I think the fact that preserving the environment is something I’m passionate about definitely helped to make the work for this component even more
enjoyable.
Ultimately, the service learning component made me think about and address my own behaviors and definitely contributed to some personal growth. Throughout this component I became a lot more aware of my unsustainable behaviors, since my stance on sustainability was made so public. My work with the community here has made me start thinking about what I can do to start a “green community” with my future neighbors and I’ve even started planning out ideas for a personal, or potentially community, garden. This component really gave me the final push I needed to live, and promote, a sustainable life.