Before this year, I hardly took any time in my life to think about improving the planet we all live on. I did the small stuff like recycling, and I thought that was enough. I later learned that that wasn’t enough, and the world we live in is in great danger if we don’t make an impact soon. I began taking an Environmental Humanities college course where I learned that I was not doing enough in order to make an impact. Once I learned more, I began to help in ways I had not considered before. The biggest thing I wanted to do was slow down my life because I was living a very fast-paced lifestyle. So one day, in an attempt to connect with nature, I went down to a pond and just sat in a lawn chair for 30 minutes with no distractions. While I was there, I noticed how calming and beautiful the world around me was. It made me realize how disconnected I had been from the environment. That moment reminded me that change starts with awareness—and even small actions can lead to a greater impact.