When I was asked to answer what I can do with my major to help the environment, I thought it was one of the easiest questions I could handle because not surprisingly, I aspire to major one of the subfields of environmental studies.

The biggest motivation, the very motivation that triggered me to stick with an environmental studies major, was the feeling of responsibility. I was aware of the devastation I was causing to the planet every time I made a move. Every movement, every moment, and in fact every second of my everyday life was suffocating the planet little by little, and I was well aware of that. If I didn't realize the damage I was causing like many people near us even at this moment, I probably wouldn't have chosen this major to study for the next four years of college; I probably would've been majoring business or chemistry, based on one of my current interests.

But I guess I wasn't naïve enough to be someone like that. To me, nothing made me feel more pathetic and hopeless than knowing that I am making things worse but not being able to do much about it. I unplugged every time I saw an unused plug. I walked fairly long distances even in the sizzling summer when I could. I bought a Starbucks tumbler and brought it with me when I had to go outside. After seeing a video clip about seagulls starving to death because they can plastic pieces instead of food in their stomachs, I stopped using straws completely. I pretty much did most of the things that environmental organizations expect people to do in their daily lives. Well, if you thought doing 'so much' for the environment was going to make me feel proud, you are totally wrong.

I know I was doing a lot more than what my friends were doing for the environment and also that I was doing a lot less than what my friends were doing to harm the planet. But no matter what, the emptiness and the incompleteness didn't go away. I think this is when I decided to major in this field of study so that I can make large contributions to the planet. It's been roughly 2 years since I settled with this goal and I haven't regretted it a single time. I know an environmental studies major raising a voice for the environment is very cliché. Well, if it's already a bit cliché, I want to live up to the cliché-ness and just do my part of the job: doing what I can for where I come from.