Riley Matasavage

I used the Abroad Grant awarded to me by the Honors program to take part in a 9-day traveling seminar prepared by the University. During the duration of my traveling seminar, I visited Scotland, Cornwall, and Wales to witness firsthand the impacts of devolution and environmental policies on local communities. In Scotland, we stayed in Lockerbie where we learned more about Pan-Am Flight 103 and visited several local farms to learn about their agricultural procedures and the resources/restraints given to them by the UK government. Then, in Cornwall we visited a lobster hatchery and an aquarium to learn about ethical fishing and the impact it has on their waters. Finally, in Wales we visited a local mine and the Welsh Senate Building to learn about governmental policies regarding energy production and conservation. 

I was really interested in learning more about the impact of governmental policies on the environment through the direct perspectives of the Welsh councilmen, local farmers, and local fishers. All of the experiences I encountered during my traveling seminar really opened my eyes to how these policies are shaped and what procedures are taken from communities to protect them. I definitely plan on staying informed about the environmental politics in the UK past the duration of this traveling seminar to take note of how communities respond to the governmental policies placed on them in a positive way and empower others to be more mindful of their own role in protecting the Earth’s ecosystem.