In 2011, I came to Stony Brook University totally unaware of the environmental truths of my time. In all my years of learning and growing, I had never been fully informed of the reality in which I existed. I had no idea that the asthma I struggled with for years was likely caused by air pollution in my city. Or that the Arizona summers I grew up with were becoming more intense due to increased atmospheric GHG concentrations. In fact, I cannot recall ever learning anything about environmental issues until I had fully committed myself to the expense of secondary education. However, the consequences of discluding such information from primary teachings in the U.S. is an impending matter of its own and will be left for another page. Rather, this is an article about what I learned in college and what that learning has inspired me to do.
In 2011, global atmospheric CO2 concentrations were at an all-time high of 391ppm. That year, I walked into a class that would forever change my understanding of the world and how we depend on it – an Introduction to Sustainability. In one semester, I went on to learn just how big of an impact we have on the world; how big of an impact we have on each other and what that all means for the future. Suddenly, I was obligated to make a difference. Soon thereafter, I committed myself to earning a degree in Sustainability Studies.
Over the next four years, I would dive deep into the particulars of every major environmental concern of the 21st century. I would learn of global warming, sea level rise, air, soil, and water degradation. I would learn of the challenges posed by industrialization and just how difficult they are to overcome. And I would learn of the potential solutions we have to these immense issues. But what I came away with was much more than a degree. I graduated with life perspective; with determination and will. I graduated with a desire to make change.
And so, change is what I am determined to make.
Currently, the global atmospheric CO2 concentration is above 402ppm. At this level, we can expect extreme implications for the human race. Temperatures will rise, droughts will intensify, and communities will suffer. And, unless we are somehow able to reverse these trends, there is no clear way of avoiding collapse. So, I have made it a personal goal of mine to do exactly that. And through a very long journey, I hope to inspire very large changes.
In May of 2016, I will embark on the biggest adventure of my life. From Stony Brook University to the Oregon coast, I will cycle more than 3,500 miles through the great American landscape. The theme of my trip will be change – climate change, social change, personal change. In cycling across the country, I hope to exemplify the change that we can all make in a combined effort to improve the world.
Along the way, I hope to share my knowledge of environmental issues with those I meet in order to promote change everywhere I can. I will be sharing my adventure through my blog so you can follow me every step of the way.
The lessons that I learned as a Sustainability Studies major have given me insight into some of society’s most complex issues. But if college has taught me anything, it’s that the only way to see change is to make change. And for me, that opportunity lies within this trip. So please feel free to follow me as I journey across the country and be inspired to create change of your own. After all, we are all in this together and only together can we make a difference.
Be kind, live simply, and study often.
Thank you,
Richard Robinett
B.A. Sustainability Studies (2015)
