When we were first put into our breakout rooms, I was in group 3. Most of the people in that group thought that the collapse of the Easter Island civilization was inevitable due to the lack of resources and the fact that it was an island. I agreed somewhat, but I added to the group discussion that it was at least partially the Islander’s fault that their society failed because they not only cut down the trees, but also irresponsibly used the limited resources available to them. I wish that I could’ve discussed more in depth the extent that I believed the Easter Islanders lead to their own demise to the people in room 3, but then I ended up in breakout room 6. My new group agreed that the demise of the civilization was the civilian’s fault and so we went more in depth about the mistakes of the Islanders. I also mentioned to the group that like Easter Island the world is having a big problem with deforestation and the consequences stemming from that. I also enjoyed listening to my fellow classmates and hearing their thoughts on the topic. One girl in my group mentioned that the population growth was an issue for the Islanders and then compared it to how the world population is growing very quickly and that we could be facing the same overpopulation issues as the Islanders, but on a much bigger scale. One thing that I wish that I had been able to explore and discuss more is the idea of how natural disasters affected Easter Island and contributed to their demise. A major takeaway that I got from this week is that sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and see if the situation you are in is beneficial. What I mean by that is that the Easter Islanders most likely didn’t realize that they were causing their own downfall until it was much too late, even though it could have been prevented had they known where their actions were leading them. There are a lot of parallels with the Easter Island civilization and our society today, we are just on a larger scale. I think that it is necessary to realize that we only have the resources available and we need to start acting more responsibly to preserve and prolong them. Also, we need to start being more environmentally aware and take steps toward improving the state of the Earth and its atmosphere. Overall, I have really been thinking about any possible ways that I could help the environment, no matter how small. My grandpa would always go out of his way to pick up trash and stray cans and dispose of them properly, so upon some reflection I have decided to do the same. I also found were my building’s recycling is and have been making sure that me and my roommates’ waste gets into the right places. I know a lot of those things sound little and insignificant, but I have strayed away from even doing those small tasks, and I am glad that this class brought the world back into prospective for me and I choose to believe that even small actions like these make a difference.