Artifact #4: The Economic Value of Biodiversity
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Focus: Public Discourse: Citizenship & Community Responsibility
Description: This was one of the hardest FILA classes that I took over my four years at Bridgewater. Professor Stojek pushed me to look at my responsibilities as a citizen and take them very seriously. The paper briefly examined the economic consequences of the loss of biodiversity in the form of a policy brief to the president of the United States and how the United States needs to take action to prevent further damage.
Reflection: This paper not only changed my perspective about the environment, but also how policy makers have a hard time creating policy to appease all citizens. I now understand that part of being a good citizen and practicing community responsibility in protecting the environment is to act on an individual level. We cannot rely on the government because policy makers have a hard time creating policies to appease all citizens and other members of the government; therefore, I cannot place all of the blame for biodiversity loss onto the government because their job is very difficult. I changed some of my habits after writing this paper and taking this class to make sure that I was not leaving a harmful footprint on the environment.
Proficiencies: citizenship, community responsibility, environment appreciation, perspective-taking, critical thinking
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Artifact #4: