New daylight touches a stream flowing down from Mirror Lake in the morning. The university now requires students to take three credits worth of environmental literacy courses before graduation. Photo by Judah Shingleton/The Daily Campus
For some University of Connecticut students, there is one significant, new requirement for them to complete before graduating. That requirement, in addition to their other general education classes, is to complete three credits worth of environmental literacy courses. With these courses, students will learn more about the environment, the changing world around them and allow them to create informed opinions regarding major environmental issues, such as climate change.
The students that have to take environmental literacy courses are students that have a catalog year of 2019-2020, including freshmen and students that have switched schools or colleges within UConn.
Having an environmental literacy requirement, especially in this era where climate change is a prominent issue, is incredibly beneficial to students so they are taught more about the world around them and so they can help improve the world we live in.
The truth is that the environment is at risk because of the harmful behaviors the world’s population has been exhibiting. If students now and in the future are more educated about this destruction, perhaps there will be a higher chance that these issues will diminish, if not resolve completely.
Some of these classes include, but are not limited to, Environmental Conservation, Global Sustainable Natural Resources, Toxic Chemicals and Health, Valuing the Environment and many more that teach students about the environment and the world around them.
There are many things that threaten the world around us — global warming, oil pipelines and water crises are just three things that have been in the news recently, and during our lifetimes. Especially because the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement, it is more important now than ever to address the changing climate and the threats to the environment.
Having required environmental literacy classes will allow students to be more informed about important issues, which is something that the world needs right now. The world needs more people like Greta Thunberg — young climate activists to help protect and stand up for Earth. Maybe these general education requirements will allow students to find their own passions, and inspire them to fight for the environment.
