Intro to Environmental Studies Spring 2026

 Since my term paper was on lawns, I did research on the effect of synthetic pesticides on gardens, lawns, crops, etc. Studies continue to show that synthetic pesticide use harms more species than intended. This got me to question how farmers could avoid pesticides but still have a high crop yield. I did some looking and found that many farmers grow crops that encourage natural predators. This enhances biodiversity, which has various benefits, while providing a way to reduce the amount of insect/animal consumption on the crops. Applying natural pest controls and using sustainable farming practices reduces pesticide use without limiting crop yield. 

 Today I went on a mock hike on the Nolan Trail to help prepare for my upcoming backpacking trip. To recreate one aspect of the trip, I left my phone at my dorm. Typically, when I go, I listen to music or podcasts, but I decided to make it more realistic. Because I left my phone in my dorm, I was more immersed in the environment. I was able to see animals and observe nature in a way that I wouldn't have been able to if I had brought my phone. This reminds me that we are too often distracted to properly enjoy the nature around us. As I continue to prepare, I think I will continue to apply this practice. 

An article posted by www.worldwildlife.org about deforestation and forest degradation explains the global impacts of this topic. Ecosystems are destroyed, contributing to climate change and harming wildlife, and people are just some of the problems linked to these actions. Deforestation occurs when forests are completely cleared for farms or cities. I see a lot of this where I'm from. My elementary school was surrounded by trees. In the last 10 years, they have all been cut down to build new houses right in front of the school. While forest degradation isn't as bad, it still harms forests, making them damaged and less healthy. The main cause of these two points is agriculture, cutting down forests to grow crops or raise cattle. While this seems okay because it helps to our nation's food supply. It hurts our ecosystems by taking away vital resources. Some other causes are: illegal or unsustainable logging, mining and infrastructure, and the demand for products like food, pap...

 I read an article about the impacts of fast fashion on the environment. This article was published on www.newrootsinstitute.org. Fast fashion has been around for decades. Which means there are dozens of impacts it has created. Fast fashion is extremely harmful to the environment. It uses an immense amount of water, around 700 gallons per T-shirt. The industry uses water to grow the materials needed to make these clothes, and even more to dye them. The article states that over 20% of global water pollution comes from the fashion industry. Factories dumb the toxic chemicals and dyes they use into nearby bodies of water. This hurts the environment and water quality, causing people in nearby communities to become sick. It also contributes heavily to climate change. The production, transportation, and selling of these clothes create carbon emissions, which have already been a problem recently. Because of the recent popularity of fast fashion, these gas emissions have risen. With the ch...

 Recently, I read an article about the plastic pollution that enters the ocean. This article was posted on oceanconservancy.org. This article talks about the amount of plastic that enters the ocean every day. Millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. While this is a problem in itself, a bigger problem lies underneath it. Plastic pollution can kill marine life and animals. These marine animals, like sea turtles, birds, and mammals, will eat or become entangled in this plastic, which causes them to struggle to live. They are either trapped or unable to get it out of their intestines because they become clogged. A lot of this plastic comes from land, including food packages, water bottles, and plastic rings from soda bottles. The plastics enter the ocean because of poor waste management and the overuse of these plastics. These single-use plastics end up in a landfill, and most of the time it sends up in the ocean. This problem is only getting worse; these tons of plastic...

 Christopher Newport's campus is one of the prettiest I've been on. Our landscapers work very hard to keep it beautiful. One of the main things I've seen around campus is the flowers scattered throughout. These flowers make such a huge difference not just aesthetically, but in how they impact the space around us. While they add a pop of color, they also play a huge role in air purification and in feeding animals and insects. These flowers help keep our air clean through photosynthesis. They also help prevent erosion by keeping our soil intact and holding it in place with their roots. Another major impact the flowers have is providing habitats for birds and squirrels. They allow them to have a safe place to nest and provide them with protection from predators. These flowers also provided food for bees, allowing them to keep pollinating other plants around campus, keeping more of our plants healthy. They also provide biodiversity and carbon storage, which helps with climate c...

 Last week, I went to Huntington Beach for the first time. The beach seemed nice at first, but the closer I got to the water, the more trash I saw. I was very disappointed about the amount of trash I saw, considering how many trash cans were around the beach. I spent a lot of my time there finding class, empty plastic water bottles, and old chip bags floating in the water and buried in the sand. Thankfully, the Surfrider Club at CNU is doing a beach cleanup at Huntington. I've spent my time at a lot of beaches around Virginia. There's always been trash around, and I always do my best to pick up the trash I can see around. This beach is very small, but the amount of trash on the beach is so much. Seeing how careless people can be about their trash makes me sad. Our beaches are for people to get outside, enjoy nature, and sit by the water. With this amount of trash, I was unable to sit and enjoy my time. I walked down the beach until I got to a certain point at the end, where the...