Whole Life Concepts Model Report

Prepared for:
Dan Latta
Introduction to Engineering Professor

Prepared by:
Chase Hobbs
Undergraduate Student
ENGR 1201-023

I have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this assignment, nor witnessed any
violation of the UNC Charlotte Code of Academic Integrity.

Date: November 8, 2014

Introduction

I feel that my passion is to make a positive impact on the dire conditions our
environment is in today. Many ecosystems around the world are vanishing due to negative
human influence, and my goal is to deter that influence. Therefore, I believe it is my purpose in
life to make positive innovations which influence how we treat the ecosystems around us. The
goal of this report is to reflect on how I have discovered my passion, along with planning what to
do to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to attain my goals and aspirations. In the report, I
plan to discuss some research that I have done that will better assist me in understanding who it
is I truly want to be, as a professional and an individual. As a result of this report, I hope to gain
a better understanding of myself and the obstacles I must overcome to become the person I
was meant to be.

Passion

I personally believe my individual passion is to help deter negative human influence on

the diverse ecosystems which surround us. I have felt that for a long time, we have been rather
destructive on the ecosystems around us, making me feel the need to do something about it. To
me, the environment is one of the single most important things to the human species. We
depend on it to survive. We use the oxygen which it produces, the water which it makes usable,
and the animals which live in it. For humans to continue to be so wasteful and destructive is
completely baffling to me.
When I first discovered the atrocities that were taking place around the world, I was
approximately 8-9 years old, and saw on television how destructive deforestation and waterway
pollution had become. From that very moment, a fire was lit inside me to do something about it.
I felt like it was my ultimate purpose to help better the environment before it became too late to
do anything about it. While I do understand that one person cannot save the whole world, I also
understand that I can start a movement which can become something bigger than me, which
will hopefully find alternatives to destroying rainforests and polluting freshwater sources.
Ultimately, I have been influenced by many different factors that helped me discover my
passion. One person that instilled the importance of nature was my mother. From a very young
age, I was told that we live in nature, and in order for us to survive, nature must also thrive.
Therefore, if the environment around us is being destroyed, how long will it be before we go with
it? That is the question I always ask myself, and its something that drives me to make a
difference. Another experience of mine that strengthened my beliefs was participating in the
Adopt-A-Highway program in high school. There, I spent hours picking up trash on the side of
the highway, impacting how I felt about the environment. It enraged me to see just how
negligent humans were being to the environment, by not even having the decency to dispose of
their waste properly. This is when I knew that I would have to be the person to do something
about it. I always knew I wanted to work in the field of engineering, and when I learned that
environmental engineering was a direct way to make positive impacts on the environment, I
decided that becoming one would be my ultimate goal. Another experience that is recurring and
constantly reminding me of my goals is going hiking each year. My family owns a house in the
mountains, on the bank of the New River. I go hiking there every year, and each time the beauty

and serenity of the forest reminds me what is at stake if someone does not fight to protect the
already endangered ecosystems on the planet. Lastly, my values and strengths have helped me
better understand my passion as I have grown up. I value the environment and nature to an
absolute extreme. To me, humans are just as much apart of the Earth as are other species of
animals. I believe that we should all coexist within nature, for when humans begin to destroy the
environment, things become unbalanced, creating a recipe for chaos. Different species of
animals begin to go extinct, our resources vanish, and soon we are the last species left,
ultimately causing our implosion and downfall as a race. That is why I believe the environment is
so important to our existence as a race. Also, I have always been very knowledgeable about the
environment, what it is composed of, and what is going on inside of it. I look at this knowledge,
along with my ability to define the problems within the environment, as a strength which has
helped me understand and develop my passion.
My experiences, values and strengths are most likely very different from others who
have a similar passion. Many people experience Adopt-A-Highway the same way I do, but the
chances are that they are not angry about what they see. Also, many people hike frequently
throughout nature. They may not necessarily feel the same way I do about it though. I think this
is where others environmental passions and mine separate. While I do believe that there are
many who identify a need to help the environment, I guarantee that they have had different
perceptions about it while growing up. I personally have been raised to be passionate about the
environment. I hold it at one of my highest values. Others may feel differently, however. For
instance, many people value things like love, happiness, family, etc. but that does not provide
them with a pursuable passion in the professional world. For me, my values do. Natures
importance is one of the values I most cherish, making it so much easier for me to pursue my
goals and get so fired up about making a difference. I also know that my strengths make it
easier for me to be diligent when working towards my goal of making an impact. Others who
have different strengths, such as mathematics or communication skills, will obviously be most
effective at what they are proficient in. Either way, it is obvious that my experiences, values, and
strengths will not correlate directly with others, however I am well aware of my passion and
adamant in making a sizeable impact.

Impact

As I have discussed, I sincerely want to make a substantial impact on the environment.

In order to do so, I have developed three impacts that would contribute to the world around me.
First, I want to end clear-cut deforestation. To do so, I will have to present a marketable,
commercial alternative to wood, such as a biodegradable material that could be 3-D printed.
These technologies are on the rise, as more and more companies have produced stronger,
cheaper, and more reliable alternatives for everyday items to be used. Therefore, I believe that
by introducing this alternative to the public by mass production, it will shift our dependence on
Amazon wood to a synthetic plastic. In order to make this impact, I will need to initiate the
movement by marketing the biodegradable material to the public and corporations, along with
engineering a structure that would meet consumer needs (hardness, shape, strength). Another
important impact I have is to stop pollution of waterways. As we learned in a recent 1201
lecture, the waterways around the world are heavily polluted with trash. In order to try and
combat this effort, a Japanese engineer has developed a machine which melts trash and
converts it to oil, which is outstanding. Not only does it rid the environment of waste buildup, but
it provides for more fossil fuels which we so desperately depend on. I believe that this process

will multiple problems, in the sense that it cleans our water, and lessens the need to drill for oil
and risk more environmental disasters. My impact for this technology would be to innovate upon
it, by helping create larger, more industrial versions of this machine, and marketing them out in
order to implement this process in our lives worldwide. By doing so, I would be a proponent in
the movement to clean our waterways and finding a sustainable energy. Lastly, an impact I want
to make on the environment is to develop a method of protecting the Gulf coast states and
Florida from being ravaged by Hurricanes. They cause billions in damage every time a sizeable
hurricane comes through, and I believe we should find a way to stop this damage. In order to do
so, storm surge would need to be diminished. When storm surge occurs in the Gulf states
where the land is typically flat and there is no ocean drop-off, waves come in and flood the
structures within range, causing an extreme environmental hazard for the people living there.
One possible way to limit storm surge is dig the sand out from underneath the oceans at the
coastlines. By doing so, a steeper incline to the ocean floor will be created, meaning less
powerful storm surge. Then, the sand that is dug up can be used to replenish the beaches and
build dunes, to also help protect from massive hurricane waves. Though this project would be
costly, it would save millions for people living in areas affected by storm surge.
There are three global environmental issues which I have identified as important in my
future impact. The first is deforestation. National Geographic states that forests make up about
30% of the Earth, however forests the size of Panama are being destroyed each year.
According to National Geographic, deforestation speeds up global warming, because the
rainforests absorb harmful greenhouse gases, and when they are gone, and excess of gases
continues to grow. (Deforestation Facts) Therefore, deforestation causes many obvious
negative effects to the environment. We are practically destroying our own oxygen supply. Also,
millions of species of animals have been wiped out because of this atrocious phenomenon. For
obvious reasons, I at least want to slow this process down.
The next global issue that I have chosen to pursue in my goals is water pollution and
water shortage. According to the National Resources Defense Council, water pollution is the
human populations greatest health risk. (Water Pollution Facts) This is unacceptable, because
with the population reaching past 7 billion and clean drinking water diminishing, millions are on
track to a certain early death. Also, the NRDC cites that global warmings impacts are most felt
by changes in water, and that about 1/3 of the counties in the US will experience severe water
shortages in the next few decades. (Water Pollution Facts) This is a huge problem for obvious
reasons, simply for the fact that if we dont improve our use of water and stop polluting what
water we do have, the circumstances of our future look dire.
The last issue that I believe will affect my impact is global warming itself. According to
the Environmental Defense Fund, global warming has been proven to be impacted by humans.
They cite that it comes from clear-cutting deforestation, and the burning of fossil fuels. EDF also
states that greenhouse gases are 40% above their natural levels, causing serious alarm. Not
only are we creating more gases, but we are destroying the one thing that keeps them in
balance: forests. While Global Warming is caused by the markets which desperately depend on
the money that comes from fossil fuels and deforestation, people eventually need to wake up
and realize that we have to shift our market structures if we want there to be a safe planet for
future generations. This issue is ultimately what I will be working to try and hinder, as it has the
potential to be deadly in the next century as we destroy our forests. (Environmental Defense
Fund)

Knowledge, Application, Skills and Abilities

In order to turn my passion into a career, I know that I will need a wide range of
knowledge, skills and abilities. For knowledge, I will need a strong background in earth
sciences, environmental processes, physics, calculus, and a good background in some
mechanical processes for machines. Some skills I will need will include teamwork skills,
communication skills, and the ability to be creative and think outside of the box. Some abilities I
will need will be the ability to travel to where the problems are taking place, the ability to survey
the land effectively, and the ability to work in on-the-job conditions.
In order to make a career out of my passion, I believe the best major that suits my needs
is Environmental Engineering. I believe this to be true for many reasons. Upon finding my
passion, I applied it to something similar to the Whole Life Concepts Model. When applied to the
Model, I decided that an engineering degree from UNC Charlotte would help me attain the
knowledge and skills necessary to move on to the application stage. In my opinion, UNC
Charlottes engineering program will best equip me with communication and teamwork skills, as
well as hands-on knowledge with structural and environmental aspects. I then believe that with
these skills, I can affectively apply them in the real world, thus creating my desired impact.
Some concerns I have however, are that this major might not be what I think it is. In my impact I
am thinking more globally, however I am not sure if environmental engineers necessarily find
alternatives to deforestation, or if that task rests with environmental scientists. This is the
primary concern I have about this major, but I fully intend on exploring answers to this concern
by digging deeper to find out the differences between Environmental scientists and engineers,
and then reevaluating my passion on the Whole Life concepts model, with respect to those
majors.
I believe that my academic major is the best way for me to turn my passion into a career
for many reasons. First, there are many courses that I believe will be beneficial to my success
as an environmental engineer. These courses include hydraulics and hydrology, introduction to
environmental engineering, and construction engineering. I believe these three courses will aid
me in being most successful in my academic program and career, for I need these to equip me
with the fundamental knowledge to become a professional engineer. I believe this academic
program will help me achieve my desired impact because it will give me the skills and
knowledge needed through both courses and workshops to become an accredited professional
where I can make a real impact.
I have identified some subjects I will need a good amount of knowledge from, and the
courses that pertain to them. The first is environmental engineering. For obvious reasons, I will
need to know a lot about this subject, and the Introduction to Environmental Engineering Course
and the lab attached to it is exactly what I will need to be successful. Another course and
subject I have identified is construction engineering. I will need to develop skills in this area of
expertise as well, in order to be an effective engineer on the job. The last highly important
subject I have identified is hydraulics and hydrology. I will undoubtedly need to be proficient in
this skill area as well, because my impact will not be made without first knowing about the flow
of water and the use of hydraulics. Therefore, I have identified the three courses which I have
listed above as being highly important areas of expertise which I will need to develop skills on,
in order to achieve my impact. I have, however, identified some non-academic steps that I will
need to take in order to become an effective environmental engineer.
I know that I will need more than just academic knowledge and skills in order to be a
successful engineer in todays world. I will need leadership skills, communication skills, and
organization skills. I intend on attaining all of these goals while here at UNCC. To gain
leadership skills, I will enroll in Air Force ROTC at UNC Charlotte. Though that is not my primary
purpose for joining, it will definitely be a benefactor to my development as a professional

engineer. I will first learn how to follow, then to lead. As I have learned in the past, no leader is a
good leader if he first does not learn to follow, which is exactly what I intend to do in my ROTC
career and professional career. Next, I am joining a multicultural fraternity on campus known as
Psi Sigma Phi. This is a tight-knit group of individuals that are committed to holding events such
as fundraisers, entertainment, and community service. I believe that through participation in this
organization, I will gain tremendous communication skills, as it takes well-planned
communication in order to host any type of event, a specialty of Psi Sigma Phi. I also believe
that this experience will provide me with the opportunity to learn about different cultures and
backgrounds, thus enhancing my team skills, and further developing my skills as a professional.
Lastly, I plan to learn organization skills through attending a University Career Center Workshop
that specializes in teaching students how to get organized and also make better resumes for
future employers. I feel that these skills will be highly important to my development and success
as a professional, and I will need them to make a substantial impact on society.

Reflection

In summary, my passion is to protect the environment. I plan to be a strong proponent in

stopping clear-cut deforestation, as well as possibly helping to solve the growing problem of
water pollution and shortage. If I can hinder one of these two processes substantially, I will have
ultimately slowed the process of global warming, which has been proven to be spurred by
humans. While my impact may seem impossible, I look at it as an attainable goal, and
something I will dedicate my life to solving. Before I began this report, however, I did not realize
that this was even my passion. The Whole Life Concepts Model helped me to realize what it
was going to take to make an impact, as well as what I wanted my impact to be. Therefore, I
believe this model is highly important to me at this point in my career. Not only has it helped me
find my real passion, but it has given me a path to follow. The Whole Life Concepts model has
made me realize the academic road I must take, as well as the non-academic skills I must learn.
It has also shown me how I will be able to apply those skills, thus making a sizeable impact on
the worlds environment: my ultimate goal.
For this assignment, I was forced to think and deliberate for hours about my passion.
Once I found that, everything else was easy to identify. However, this assignment has definitely
changed my perception on how I view myself as a person and my future. Before I began, I had
no idea what I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to make money and I figured engineering was the
best way to do that. After thinking about my passion though, I realized that environmental
engineering would be a way for me to make an impact on the world. Therefore this assignment
has made me identify and decide my plans for the future. I now know I want to become a
professional environmental engineer, and use the skills gained from that major to make my
impact on the world. Upon completing this assignment, I have realized that I am fully committed
to my engineering degree, more so than I was in the past. When I arrived at UNC Charlotte, I
was only thinking about what I would be good at, and what would make the most money for
those skills, which is why I chose engineering. Once I got involved in the program, however, I
quickly learned that engineering was not what I had perceived it to be. For instance, I did not
picture myself writing a report about my passion. Now that I have completed this report,
however, I have realized my passion, and am grateful for it. I can now say that I am comfortable
within my field of engineering, and that I have found my passion, and am determined to make
an impact on the world.

References
"Deforestation Facts, Deforestation Information, Effects of Deforestation - National Geographic."
National Geographic. Accessed November 8, 2014.
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestationoverview/.

"How Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming?" Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed
November 8, 2014. http://www.edf.org/climate/human-activity-is-causing-global-warming.

"Water." Pollution Facts, Effects of Pollution, Clean Act. Accessed November 8, 2014.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/.