Overview of Major Assignments in CO150

Sample Personal Position Analysis

Bobby Nelson

Personal Position Analysis          


I believe that the implementation of hybrid or fuel cell vehicles into the automotive market, aided by the introduction of the hybrid SUV, can be very successful and will help diminish the detrimental environmental impact of automobile pollutants. The production and improvement of hybrid vehicles should be supported and sped up to come closer to an ultimate solution to the gross pollution of inefficient gasoline engines. I believe that the further development of hybrid SUVs and other highly popular vehicles normally utilizing gasoline engines hold a very promising future.

I moved around a lot as a child and grew up in various places, mostly rural farms and occasionally suburban homes. As of recently I have lived out my teenage years in an urban housing development, and attended a rather large high school. Being that a large portion of my growing up was done on large expanses of farmland with only my family and 4 siblings without the influences of cable TV; I had many values instilled in me by my parents.

Gradually merging into the busy city life; I was able to take the values and beliefs given to me early on and interpret them based on my experiences later in life. Being that I grew up in rural areas always surrounded by pristine expanses of farmland, I didn't often see the negative impact of modernization on wildlife and nature. This could possibly influence my perspective on this issue, being that I don't have a very strong view opposing such inefficient and pollutant vehicles. I still see the wildlife and land as I remember it and often overlook the impact of modernization on nature and wildlife.

Several years ago when I live on a vast plot of farmland in Nebraska I was subject to another form of the incursion of humans into natures domain. One of the sibling co-owners of the property we were renting had contracted 4 years of work to a logging company. This gave them access to the several hundred acres of wilderness as they pleased for 4 years. I watched as time went by the destruction they incurred, I watched the trees disappear above the cliff face seen from our house. I walked the many logging roads constructed throughout the property, and was forced to listen to the loud logging trucks passing by. This experience has given me a greater appreciation and respect for nature and the resources that we use and often abuse.

I am a big fan of off-roading and driving around town. I drive a hefty truck with a large engine with fairly low efficiency at 15 miles per gallon. I don't benefit directly from a crossover of the vehicle market to hybrid or fuel cell. If regulations were put into place further restricting gas mileages I would be S.O.L. as far as enjoying my truck and off-roading. Although I would be very saddened to have to give up my truck and the possibility of owning other powerful hulking vehicles in the future, I know that it would be for a good reason.

My education has fluctuated between home school and public schooling. This variation in schooling has given me a different perspective and view of issue than the typical K through 12 public schooler. Due to close proximity to nature and farmland of my past homes, I have a certain appreciation for the wilderness. I see it as something to be valued and enjoyed. With something like global warming and pollution via automobiles threatening that existence I am quite concerned and have a desire to seek out solutions to the problem.