“You’re going to school for environmental studies?? But… you’ll graduate with a Bachelor of Arts. Nobody is going to hire you. You should really do environmental science,” said most of my relatives.

But I didn’t do environmental science. I’m an environmental studies major, and proud of it!

Environmental studies is still a very nascent field. It doesn’t have a core set of requirements like a math major. It doesn’t have the focus of an art history degree…and it doesn’t have the reputability of a biology major (yet).

Most of the first environmental studies programs were started out of a concern for fisheries and forests, but have led to encompass concerns about health, nature, equity, and quality of life. ES departments nationwide are still trying to get their feet on the ground. Some of the oldest departments are only 20 or 30 years young.

ES can be traced back to the polarity between conservation and preservation; anthropocentrism and ecocentrism. So how does one major cover all ideologies in the history of the human relationship to the Earth? Well…they have to fit it all under one big umbrella and label it enviro-studies.

In the last 15 years alone, the United States environmental studies departments have been mandated to expose students to conservation biology, ecological economics, sustainable agriculture, developmental studies, urban sustainability, conflict resolution, environmental justice, water policy, wildlife biology, religion and the environment, landscape architecture, hydrology, GIS, forestry, eco-feminism, environmental ethics, (whew) and many more. How does one major cover biological and ecological practices, monitoring methods, political science and citizen activism? Welcome to my life of ES.

Is ES an exhausting major? YES. Is it worth it? A billion times YES.

Some disbelievers argue that environmental studies students have superficial knowledge at best. All breadth and no depth? I happen to disagree…

First of all, I grew up believing that nature should be revered and I firmly believe that humans do not exist separately from nature. Instead, we take our place among in the intricate web of a delicate ecosystem. It pains me to live in an anthropocentric era with a lack of environmental justice. For example, industry pollutes in minority neighborhoods, developing countries carry the burden of carbon emissions, and growth for the sake of growth remains the only standard of success in a capitalist society. I believe in exploring new methods of resource management, in altering current rhetoric surrounding the “environmental movement”, in communicating between government, industry and communities in order to create manageable solutions for seemingly unmanageable problems.

I chose to study environmental studies in order to solve the most pressing issues my generation faces. It’s been said that, “a decent environmental studies program must make the leap from “I know, I care” to “I’ll do something.” I’ve always wanted to take action, and make a change. My liberal arts education is giving me the vocabulary, the experience, and the agency to confidently assert myself as part of the solution, and not the problem.

Environmental Studies has so far provided me with a dash of ecology, history, politics, philosophy, behavioral psychology, social justice and much more. I’m now able to articulate my own worldviews, and to better understand others’. Empathy for others and the ability to communicate effectively are both ideas that resonate strongly with me. My purpose for entering the field of environmental studies is to encourage communication and foster empathy for all parties. For example, I want to become an environmental journalist in order to help lay citizens to understand the policy and economic incentives behind harmful resource acquisition in their communities. On the other hand, I want to write in a way that influences policy and enforcement of policy which can protect communities from environmental injustices in the first place.

I do not feel as if the multidisciplinary approach to environmental studies has harmed my education in any way. In fact, that is partially why I chose this major. I am not multidisciplinary illiterate-- I am fulfilled. Environmental studies allows me to discover my passion and my role within the broad spectrum of “environmentalism”. Without that freedom, I couldn’t have had the liberty to explore environmental journalism.

I chose environmental studies because I deeply care about the state of our environment (and consequently public health) and I am shocked at the relative inaction. I feel well-versed on the rise of “environmentalism” and the various frameworks and ideologies surrounding it. Conversely, I’ve learned how to apply those ideologies to real-life situations and gain hands-on experience in the field. If that’s not a successful discipline, then I’m not sure what is.

So it might surprise my family that I’m pursuing such a “fluff” major. But the opportunities it affords me are endless… and this is exactly what I want to do with my life. So in reference to the opening quote: if a business doesn’t hire me due to my Environmental studies degree, then they are not the kind of company I want to work for anyway.