Conclusion: Success!

I consider my experiment to be a success even though I struggled with several aspects and I definitely failed at doing everything that I had wanted to do. However, the point of the experiment was to think about our values and about how we can take action to “live deliberately”. I have definitely discovered what I am passionate about when it comes to living deliberately. I have decided to continue my vegetarian diet beyond this experiment, go on Facebook less, and spend more quality time with friends. I will continue to ride the shuttle bus and I will eventually have to purchase products other than food, but I can definitely say that I have learned a lot from this experiment.

“By changing nothing, nothing changes.” –Tony Robbins

This is the quote that I really modeled my experiment after. The quote may appear to be only a simple and obvious statement, but it carries a true and powerful message. It is the message that change only occurs when people work towards that change. As stated earlier, it is so easy to feel defeated by all the problems of the world and to feel a sense of hopelessness. By doing this experiment I learned that we are not as hopeless as we sometimes feel. We have the power to change our own lives by changing different aspects of our lifestyle. Little changes lead to big changes. Even though this experiment was just one class of 19 students trying to make little changes, we have spread the message about change through our blogs. This message could have influenced a reader to do the same. Individual change does not just affect the individual. For example, my decision to become a vegetarian has influenced my family to eat less meat during the week and has even influenced my friends; some of which go vegetarian for some meals when they eat with me. If everyone created some kind of small change in his or her life for a greener lifestyle I have no doubt that collectively we would make a big difference on the environment. But if we all just sit around and do nothing, then nothing will change and the world will continue on its downward spiral. Does that sound like fun?

My belief is that we are scared of change. We are scared because we believe that change needs to be drastic and monumental. But does doing something great and positive for the world have to be something big? I don’t think it does. Sure, big change is awesome, but we are not all capable of bringing about big change.  Therefore, I believe that small change is better than no change at all.

So my message for anyone who is reading this blog is to go out there and try your own experiment. What are you capable of changing in your life that can help the environment? It can be as simple as recycling or as intense as going vegan. But what is important is that you DO SOMETHING. Don’t just sit there. Unless you have a house on Mars, this is your planet and we are all equally responsible for taking care of it. In the words of Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Be the change you wish to see because it is up to individuals to incite the change for a greener, more sustainable world.