Last year was my junior year of high school, arguably the most stressful and significant year in my current school career. As I was planning my schedule and attempting to balance my rigorous AP courses with one another, I chose to take AP Environmental Science as my science credit for the year. If I am being completely honest, I chose this course solely for the fact that it was considered an "easy AP" around my school and would look excellent on my transcript if I were to receive a high grade. What I did not know was that this seemingly filler-type class has been one of the most enlightening and impactful on my actions and beliefs I have ever taken.

Before taking my environmental science class, I recycled, turned off the lights behind me, shut off the faucet while brushing teeth and did other well-known sustainable acts, but I was not fully caring about why I did these things. During this time, I concluded to myself that doing things like driving to a walkable destination, leaving the television on when not in use and taking 45 minute showers were acceptable.

I walked into my AP Environmental Science class with very little expectations; I figured it would be another average science class filled with memorizing a multitude of vocabulary words and forgetting all of the content after each chapter finished. Much to my surprise, the class was an engaging setting that incorporated not only natural science, but politics, economics and ethics as well.

With AP Environmental Science, I had the privilege of learning about the Earth's atmosphere and behaviors, how humans are destroying the planet and most importantly how we can stop the damage and reduce our carbon footprint. Before the class, I would have never taken the time to research global warming and its causes and effects, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere or the wildlife black market present throughout the world. I could not believe how much knowledge I was gaining about the environmental events happening right now, but I also could not believe how much I did not know before this class and how many other people did not know about our planet's state.

Without AP Environmental Science, I would not have bought my reusable water bottle, avoided products with plastic micro beads, stopped using plastic straws and plenty of other sustainable acts. With my new morals as a human to cut down my carbon footprint, my mother has caught on to my beliefs and is following in my footsteps, as well as some of my friends. With just one person influencing multiple, imagine what the future generation of adults would be like if schools require an environmental science class.

Now more than ever, the Earth is in desperate need of a new generation of adults that take environmental issues seriously, as each year the world gets hotter and the waste generated by humans is adding up quickly. The more people that are environmentally aware of Earth's situation and prospected circumstances, the more people willing to go the extra mile to protect it.

Regardless of whether or not you believe in environmental protection and sustainability, all people have a right to know about what is happening to our world today and choose their future decisions with the knowledge gained from the class.