November 21, 2023 | So What, Now What?

For this assignment, the prompt was:

"Now that you have gone through the course material and learned a bit about energy sources and the complexity of energy systems, what are you taking away from this course in terms of what you have learned and what you intend to do next. The prompt is "so what" - what have you learned about energy and it's environmental impacts and / or what do you believe our goals should be for energy for our community or nation or planet. The prompt is also "now what" - what will you do to help achieve the vision you want. Will you keep on the course of action you have established (if so what is that course of action), will you modify?"

So What:

Before this semester, the only thing I really focused on around the topic of energy was my electricity bill each month. In taking this course, I wanted to learn more about energy systems – production, usage, alternatives, etc. – as well as how these impact the environment. The main thing that surprised me this semester was that the course material focused much more on technical information than I thought it would. However, I’m glad it did. As I prepare to graduate this semester with a degree in marketing and business analytics, I would have never had the opportunity to study technical information concerning energy like I have in this course. Many business classes are based around discussions and developing a story to answer questions, which we also did in this course, so I feel like I was able to learn in familiar ways about a topic I would have never touched on otherwise.

My favorite part of this semester was learning about the different types of renewable energy and looking to the future with solar, hydro, wind, and EVs. I think that although these topics of conversation are hot topics in the news, they are important to developing a cleaner environment. I’m glad that I was able to do some independent studies on EVs through the debate and form my own opinions by seeing both sides of the argument. This also applied to other renewable topics, as reading the materials and researching on these broadened my understanding of how effective or ineffective some of these energy production systems can be.

Defining goals for energy within the community or around the world is a complex question, but there are clear initial steps to take to create cleaner energy. Within my community at UC, I think there is already a great infrastructure put into place for cleaner energy (such as living in a walkable community!). I think that a shift to solar in Cincinnati would make much more sense, especially with the price of solar energy systems decreasing each year. In addition, a shift to EVs would be a great way to decrease carbon emissions and create cleaner air. I think shifting to hybrids is a more reasonable goal than 100% EVs, which would allow more people to use the existing conventional gas infrastructure while EV charging makes larger strides for becoming mainstream. For the nation or planet, I think a shift to renewable energy in all facets of life is required to reduce humans’ carbon footprint. Harnessing natural resources such as wind and solar to create clean energy is a great first step to easing reliance on fossil fuels and natural gas for energy. I think that any shift on a global level is going to be better for the environment in the long-term, especially when creating alternatives to fossil fuels.

Now What:

To achieve this vision both in Cincinnati and around the world, I think a big shift in mindset needs to occur. I would say that a community shift is much easier to achieve, as there can be smaller scale changes that will lead to a bigger impact in the community. For example, the local government can decide to produce educational sessions for individuals to learn about different types of energy. I think that something as simple as learning about solar power and how achievable it has become would allow people the opportunity to see the benefits in real time and to make that personal shift. To me, I know a big barrier to solar in my own life is that I rent. This issue is common around UC, and I think that rental agencies would benefit from implementing solar as it would have a great ROI and continue to cut costs even 5 years from now. I don’t really see much pushback to solar, especially if technologies can make solar panels that are more discrete than the existing ones.

My personal course of action has changed because of this course. I think that when the time comes for me to purchase a vehicle, I will strongly be considering a hybrid or an EV. This seems like something I can do directly to not only help the environment, but also save on personal costs. I also want to have some form of solar energy system in my house in the future. Again, with the information that I have learned in this course, it seems like a reasonable way to save on energy costs while reducing my personal carbon footprint.

One thing I will be interested in seeing over the next 10-20 years will be the shift to EVs. It seems as though right now it is trendy to have an EV and it is almost considered a luxury item to many. I wonder if the popularity and hype of an EV will decrease or grow when it becomes more widely available to the public. I’m also curious to see how the government handles a shift from conventional gas-powered infrastructure to EV infrastructure, the amount of waste that will happen, and if it will be worth it in the end.

Another thing I personally want to do in the future is work for a company that promotes sustainability strongly in their values. I think that, again, while sustainability might be seen as a trendy topic, it is one that in the long term will pay off when larger corporations start adopting these practices. I also know that companies are willing to over exaggerate how much some processes really contribute to reducing carbon emissions, as well as many instances of “greenwashing” that occurs. I want to work for a company that is honest with their level of commitment and is striving to make better changes. Overall, I think that this course helped to educate me on what options for the future exist and aided me in making personal decisions for the future.