Column by Emily Foerster

The time of the semester is upon us when students who are not preparing to graduate fiercely pore through the schedule of classes to create a plan for the coming semester. This is a time when we all make decisions about how we will develop our courses of study—some of us will continue with existing majors, some will sift through another round of University Studies Program courses and others will add new majors.

I want to address this because, having nearly finished with school, I have experienced enough to know what I wish I had done differently. The environment is obviously very important to me and with the “green frenzy” happening around the country right now (a phenomenon not likely to disappear) it should be important to you too, if you want to open yourself to more job opportunities down the road.

The environmental crisis we face is so fascinating because in order to fully appreciate and combat its implications, you have to be competent in a variety of fields.  The environmental crisis is certainly a science problem. But, because fixing it depends on changes in individual awareness and consumer behavior, it is also a humanities problem.

Take coal-to-liquid fuel as an example. Sure, it sounds great when you hear people call it “clean coal.” It’s abundant, it’s cheap, it’s domestic, we don’t have to make many changes to our consumer behavior to use it and it’s clean, which means it’s good for the environment. But when you actually learn the scientific details of its mining and liquefaction, you understand that it is not clean. If you also understand the sociological issues regarding mining in Appalachia or the advertising psychology behind using names like “clean coal,” you are armed with more knowledge and an appreciation for the complexity of the problem.  You might, therefore, be better able to produce an intelligent solution to the coal-to-liquid problem.

With such a difficult economy, it is becoming more and more difficult for college graduates to find jobs, let alone jobs that fall within their fields of study. It’s also becoming more difficult for parents to support their children while we find ourselves after college. Those of us who have done well in school and who demonstrate competency in a range of areas will have a greater chance of securing a job.

In December, I will graduate with a double major in Spanish and English, which, contrary to what many people think, are both very useful and versatile majors. However, as global warming continues, there is increasing demand for green industry, both in this country and abroad.

Every day I wish I could start all over again with a third major in sustainable agriculture, or ecology, or biology, or civil engineering and so on and so forth. I could write a substantial amount about the environmental crisis from a humanities-based perspective, but I lack the scientific understanding of it to make a thoroughly convincing case against it and that is a detriment to me in someday finding a “green” job.

I believe that we all have to do what we love, and I realize that not everyone loves science or the humanities. But many of you, especially those of you in your first or second year, still have plenty of time to add a second major and still finish school in four years. If you are a humanities person and are nervous about doing well in a scientific field, don’t be. You’re here to learn new things, not to show off knowledge you already have.  There are always options to help you, and you might be surprised to see what you are capable of doing.

After the Great Depression, young Americans united for World War II and their efforts revitalized the country. I believe the environment is the cause our generation must fight for because it affects us all, and it would serve us well to prepare ourselves accordingly.