Jamie Robinson

Mr. Wolfe

IB HL English P.2

20 May 2019

SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY:

Green Living (Original)

As inhabitants of the earth, it is required that humans live with the environment and shall

act accordingly to situations regarding the Earth. Major problems such as air pollution, global

warming, water pollution, overuse of resources, etc. have arisen in which need to be solved. The

practice encompassing environmental stewardship is now known as environmental conservation.

Conservationists all across the globe today strongly emphasize green living as a gradual solution

to environmental degradation. The main controversy surrounding this topic is whether or not

green living should be enforced by the government. Furthermore, a positive idea that would

greatly benefit the environment is unmistakably a reason for the government to legalize green

laws by which inform people about moderatism, how this matter should be approached, and the

efforts to support this conservationist movement.

Although going totally green has potential value to save the environment, moderates must

balance between conservation and the economical sacrifices that would be made for the better or

the worst of the people. In closer detail, Source A proclaims, “Moderates understand the value of

good stewardship of our natural resources, but they also understand that the conversion process

too...comes with the same hefty price tags.” This quote says that moderates believe that the

environment should be more protected and have greater support to its conservation. However,
these sacrifices too must be balanced to the economic result of these actions. In other words, the

economy cannot afford to lost too much by enacting upon all gree standards. Even though

industries may decline from green living, its importance outweighs this obstacle. Also from

Source A, the text argues that “natural resources do not exist in limitless supply.” This can be

interpreted that the Earth’s resources are not perpetual and may run out if they are overused,

which means that humans will eventually not be able to sustain their toxic existence (along with

other forms of life). If the central government of a very consuming country (United States) was

to establish laws that restricted overuse of these precious resources, then human life in that

region would consider to be low-throughput. All together, humans developed into wasteful

economies face overuse of natural resources required for life. It is up to a law-enforced green

living act to reverse damage to the environment considering both the pros and cons of that

movement.

Not only is a moderate’s view of green living significant, but ways in which approaching

these aspects can directly influence the effect on the environment. From a perspective regarding

business, Source B evaluates that the US “could learn a thing or two from Singapore” by

developing mass transit systems. The author argues that Singapore solved its environmental

footprint on the environment by overpricing vehicles extremely, the the extent of American

standards, so that purchasing them would be unfavorable. If less people are motivated to buy

cars, then dangerous levels of gas emissions drop significantly. This example from the

government of Singapore demonstrates the potential green-living standards that other countries

could benefit from. As well as approaching green living standards the effect of these actions is

also equally important. The diagram from Source E displays bar graphs showing the
environmental effects of each country. The US, for example, shows to have the greatest

percentage of people helping out with the environment. If government rules were established to

back these practices, then these numbers can only be expected to increase for the benefit of the

environment.

Green Living (Revision)

The topic of green living is soon to be the world's next greatest heated discussion as it

could not only dramatically alter individual peoples' day-to-day lifestyle, but also could

significantly change the socio-economic landscape in most countries, developing or not. That is

why the current debate is so pertinent to grasp a hold of now -- before too much more

irreversible harm is done to the natural environment. Unfortunately, there is only so much that

singular individuals can do in order to create enough change to inspire a healthy dose of

environmental stewardship. That is why the proposal that governments should get more involved

in environmental regulation in order to make the necessary changes to society's wasteful and

utterly destructive way-of-life is relevant and can be directly applied to today's world.

The very first step into this whole plan is understanding why the government needs to

start taking initiative now, which is proven with soundproof scientific data and analysis.

According to Source C, the world is getting "hot, flat, and crowded" with things such as global

warming, running out of natural resources, and overpopulation taking into greater effect each

passing day despite current attempts at preserving and protecting the environment. The simple

fact is this: There are too many people in the world right now that are consuming all of the

Earth's most valuable natural resources. Society's current wasteful-practices are directly to blame
for the "intensifying extinction of plants and animals, deepening energy poverty, strengthening

petro-dictatorship, and accelerating climate change" (Source C). It's no secret that big companies

are taking advantage of society's reliance upon non-perpetual resources such as metal and fossil

fuels by draining the world dry of such limited-reserves. Not only will the world's supply simply

run out if it continues to be exploited in the ways that they presently are, but we should expect

significant loss of biodiversity, even to the point of extinction in some places, that could

permanently damage not only the physical environment, but also feeble, developing economies

that solely rely on such (on localized levels). Indeed, the future appears to have catastrophic

consequences made by preventable "mistakes" that are currently being made. If the world truly

expects to live a life in the future that has any resemblance toward today's current leisurely

lifestyle, they must acknowledge the damaging fact that are clearly in front of them about how

destructive we are to this world. For this reason, it is why the world should turn toward the

example set by other environmentally-friendly governments and policymakers because they have

proven to work.

Contrary to popular belief, the necessary changes that must be made to environmental

policy are not that difficult to achieve. Source B reveals Singapore is has come up with an

ingenious yet simple solution to their environmental problem: Endorsing a nation-wide mass

transit system coupled with taxes and expensive permits for those who choose to operate in

personal vehicles (Source B). Simple changes such as this could solve many issues ranging from

less air pollution, less expenditure of limited natural resources, and less disturbances of wild

animals in their natural habitats. In addition to making improvements in policies related to the

automobile industry, economies could also heavily benefit from cutting back the usage of
home-utilities, which is typically the main culprit behind developing countries' wasteful trends.

Source F identifies that simple changes such as to one's thermostat and using conservationist

toilets can not only prevent catastrophic amounts of resources being wasted, but can even create

a measurable economic surplus in participating individuals and societies collectively. By taking

advantage of the wealth of knowledge and practical ideas that conservationists have presented to

the world's governments, we can expect significant improvements to the world economy and the

preservation of the natural environment.

Lastly, the changes made to the world's environmental policies can have immediate

positive consequences such as improved standard of living around the world, increased

availability of natural resources, and the maintaining of a peaceful coexistence with the world's

current array of biodiversity. Source D implies that even making the smallest of changes to

environmental policies can save the world from dangerous things in the future such as rising sea

levels and even having enough space in the world for wildlife to live in. Source C also adds that

a cleaner world today is the only way to guarantee a sustainable future for tomorrow. Basically,

the world just needs to learn to stop overusing limited resources because one day, inevitably, the

supplies will run out. But when that happens, society (and the entire world economy) could

likely already be too reliant upon non-perpetual resources in order to properly recover from a

shortage of resources. That is why it should become a priority to all functional world

governments to build upon conservationists methods in order to guarantee the world a

sustainable functionality in the future.

In conclusion, the issue of environmental degradation is the world's next biggest problem

because of the cascading effects it can have on the people who rely upon nature's resources to
live. Without maintaining a healthy natural environment, the Earth is not able to sustain life at

the level that it does currently. So, that is why governments should progress toward the

inevitable future with environmentally sustainable plans that will guarantee that life is still able

to continue as it is.

Green Living Reflection

Honestly, it is extremely painful to go back and read the awful garbage that I used to

write (and still do). Every essay that I used to write had little to no central idea that was

consistently analyzed throughout the development of my essay writing. Also, I tried concealing

my absent-mindedness by overwording every single sentence. This only had the effect of

confusing not only me, but also poor Ms. Woelke. Looking back on it now, I am not surprised as

to why she said my essay writing usually seemed underdeveloped. I cannot agree with that

statement any greater. Although in my defense, I do have quite a bit of testing anxiety which

definitely had a significant impact on my testing performance in that class seemingly every

single time. Fortunately for me though, I have the opportunity to take my time (to an extent) and

develop a more well-rounded response. Typically when I get extremely pressed for time, I

usually throw in random quotes in order to get minimal credit at least. I believe that working

under a time limit has been my greatest challenge this year as it has always been something that I

struggled with. However, I do believe that my use of grammar and vocabulary have greatly

improved since sophomore year. In order to counteract my quote-integrating-problem, I

attempted to paraphrase more context in order to make the writing-load easier on myself. Other
than that, I believe that my revision proved to be much academically stronger than the original

version.

INTEGRITY:

Analogy: Toilet

● Structure:
Although it may be quite unorthodox, I chose to use a toilet because it very accurately represents

my personal experiences and my goals in life. The frameworking of toilets first begins with the

plumbing (pipes). Metaphorically, this could represent my ability to "take in" a wealth of

knowledge of sorts. In other words, I have a philosophical, methodical approach to life, always

constantly disposing of what I don't need and growing from that, just like having a bowel

movement and how a toilet disposes of waste.

● Style:

As far as my maturity level goes, i feel like I have grown a great deal of character over the last

few months. I pride myself over the fact that i have learned to become more caring,

communicative, and open with all of my friends. I like to be that be that person that anybody

could trust and talk to whenever they need it, just like how people use toilets to relieve

themselves. I feel truly accomplished in life whenever I get to help people, wherever they need

me to be.

● Cohesion:

Self-care is the most important life lesson that I have learned this year. After all, every great

toilet needs a deep cleaning sometimes. I used to have a habit of letting others sway my own

opinions. After doing a bit of growing up though, I learned that it's not okay to let everyone

defecate on me. I stood up for myself the same way one bleaches their toilet after a gigantic

chipotle burrito.

● Strength:

Even though I may get clogged up sometimes in my own thoughts, as long as I have a plunger

handy, I will never let anything stand in my way again. Those plungers are my best friends that
have always been there for me every step of the way, even when my own family turned their

backs on me. At the end of the day, it's the people that reach out to you when you need help that

truly matter.

● Durability:

As long as there are people left in this world, I will always have a purpose: to give back. At the

end of my life, I want to be able to feel like I left the world in a better place than what I came

into. Metaphorically speaking, my "toilet" comes with a high-tech bidet attachment that

guarantees a cleaner bottom in every use. When I grow up, I want to be a public influencer in

any way, shape, or form at my disposal. In honor of that, my bidet will be sold everywhere in the

world in the future!

● Direction:

Realistically speaking, I am the only person standing in the way of my own future. Sometimes, I

have a tendency of relying too much upon the help of other people. But I had to learn the hard

way that I have to be in control and steer my own life. When I wake up every day, I have to tell

myself that I am worth the effort because my bidet attachment is like no other in the world.

REFLECTION:

#1.) Written Assignment: ​Chronicle of a Death Foretold

I am most proud of my written assignment from English last year because of how much

effort I put into it. Although I did not spend as much time on it as I would've liked initially, I still

made the best out of situation. At the end of the day, I produced a solid essay with concrete,

original ideas that I spent many days preparing for. I am also proud to admit that I took several

pages of detailed notes of the entire book in order to help me improve the overall flow of
quote-integration. I didn't score terribly bad but I know that there is lots of room for

improvement particularly in the overall flow of my essay writing. I believe that I put too much

effort into over-developing the first part of the essay, leaving the second half feeling incomplete.

I feel like this essay marked the turning point in my ability to develop more cohesive essays.

#2.) Academic Strengths

When it comes to essay writing, I believe that I have significantly improved my

grammar, writing structure, and vocabulary. Although my writing is still indeed flawed, I

appreciate my ability to be able to analyze and respond to more sophisticated rigor. I may not be

proud of the struggle, but I am very grateful for challenging myself by taking multiple weighted

courses. When it comes to other my other academic classes, I am able to demonstrate proficient

ability when I do choose to fully apply myself.

#3.) Moving Forward

Over the course of four years, my grades have been progressively getting worse after my

work ethics and determination took a sharp hit. Honestly, I have room to improve in every

academic class because I gave minimal effort. However, I am still proud of what I have been

able to accomplish because I could have very easily dropped out a long time ago. But thanks to

the welcoming and very encouraging culture here at Great Oak, I was able to power through the

toughest period in my life. I realize and accept that maintaining a strong work ethic is vital to

accomplish anything in life. For that reason, I pledge myself to be much more diligent for the

sake of my own future because I have so many things that I still want to do career-wise.

#4.) What I Learned

 If it was not for Great Oak High School, I would have never discovered my passion for

music. Freshman year, I decided to try out marching and jazz band. Although I did not stick with

either class for the rest of my high school career, I still practiced on my own because I loved it so

much. Also, I discovered my love for running and working out. If it was not for the track team, I

would probably be very overweight right now and even more depressed! Aside from that, I have

met many friends that I hope I will be able to have for the rest of my life. So for that, thank you

Great Oak!

Unofficial IC Transcripts:
CSU San Marcos