Final Impressions (Blog # 10)

My overall final impressions on Colloquium is average. On a scale of 1-10, my experience was about a 6.

I loved majority of the field trips and assignments, but the wiki was not my favorite. Since so many of us students are advanced in social networking, I feel Facebook and text messaging was easier to communicate with. It just made it complicating with so many different websites to check on a regular basis. Some of the readings were pretty difficult to comprehend. I did enjoy reading A Land Remembered, and State of the World. Those books were pretty straight forward and interesting. Minus a few assignments, I would recommend this course to up and coming students.

I would add in more in-class group projects and keep the service learning presentation a major assignment. I enjoyed watching people present their projects in different ways versus those boring PowerPoints.

I want to thank Professor Davis for this opportunity and putting in her time and effort into making this an enjoyable class!

Downtown Fort Myers (Blog # 8)

Downtown Fort Myers was a bitter sweet place for me. I was anticipating the trip, but when we pulled into the cemetery it started to rain! It was difficult to hear Dr. Snapp and Professor Davis speaking, but for me to actually be there and see the graves of the Fort Myers founders was awesome.

I had never been in the downtown Fort Myers area before so it was interesting to see some of the sites in our area that people are attracted to. Seeing the bank, art center, monuments, yacht docks, mangroves on the water, theatre, post office arcade and Hotel Indigo were so interesting. Also, the courthouse looked amazing. The structure and history behind it gives it its character.

I actually encouraged my roommate to come with me to take a stroll in the downtown area. We went to that little pizza shop and enjoyed some of the history behind the area. She actually loved the area since she is pursuing a career in art.

 

The only things I didn't like about the trip was the weather. It put a damper on the mood, but luckily I had brought my umbrella!

Matanzas Pass Preserve (Blog # 6)

Matanzas Pass Preserve turned out to be my second favorite field trip. Going in and meeting the woman who maintains the facility was awesome. She was so passionate about what she does and loves to educate others about her home town.

Then, we went out onto the board walk and saw the mangroves. It was so fun because we could touch the leaves. Then we learned the difference between red, white, and black mangroves. Since I am always up to trying new things, I licked the back of a black mangrove leaf. It was so salty, but to interesting because I had never known that leaves play an important role.

All of the trees along the board walk has so many functions and purposes.

Finally, we went out to the over look over the water. It was so peaceful to see how calm the water was.

Conservation 2020's mission is to preserve Florida's natural habitats. I had never heard of this program until this class and never been to any of the preserves spoken about in the website. In my hometown, we have the Weeki Wachee preserves that are maintained by Swift Mud, and strictly enforced. Normally, I would say using tax dollars on land preservation is not a priority, but maybe using a percentage is appropriate.

Canoe Trip in a Fresh Water Area (Blog # 5)

I enjoyed the canoe trip more than any of the other field trips. I was anticipating this trip the most, and met all of my standards. The weather was perfect, my canoe partner was perfect, and we got to see some of the plants we had learned about. Seeing the different mangroves while in the water was so awesome. So many of the plants and animals depend on water as a source for life. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the dolphins. One of them went right next to our canoe probably about 10 feet away! It was so neat and peaceful to be out on the water. I had been on a week long canoe trip when I was younger, and the site we went to for this trip topped all of the other trips I had been on. I would go on this trip again and it should be a course requirement for all students.

Picture Sources:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkR2LA3AzspkRXOFn55iFjxxMPdv3tnN9zWbOYB6h66fNIu8HUxVOc80kiJlHl4MGX22ZfQDz9HSzAqNix8jr5hkcI0EU_5ul4UNB4k7ouMh-j4rTYavGlPxdXulK3ID-N5XbSSec1xi8/s400/Canoe_6.jpg

http://www.fgcu.edu/vestermarine/images/home.jpg

Field Trip- ECHO (Blog # 7)

 

I heard good things about ECHO before we went so I was anticipating the trip! To my dismay, it was storming during the trip. We saw a video inside that taught us the meaning and history of ECHO. I think  it is a wounderful thing they do and they don't have to. I think things like this could start a revolution and are saving countless lives.

My favorite quote I learned from this trip was "If you give a man a fish, you feed him that day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him a lifetime." I take that very seriously. The people, volunteers, and workers for ECHO provide people in other counteries means of survival. Not only fishing, but growing their own crops, and being able to maintain them. Since our field trip was cut short, we didn't get to see much, but we walked around the building and looked at some of the plants.

There were a few trees and bushes that, when in season, grow foods and fruits. To most of us Americans, we would not regulaly go out and pick from these trees and eat what grew. But that could be someones meal in another country. Sometimes we take for granted what we have.

Sense of Place Interview (Blog # 9)

For this interview, I interviewed both of my grandmothers. Because they were raised in different states and cities, there would be an interesting comparison of the two. To my surprise, they had a lot in common but had many differences. 

My mom's mother grew up in Fort Lauderdale. At a young age, my grandmother was a working woman and had three children. Her economic sustainability was not good since she was well off. Her and my grandfather has nice cars, a nice house, steady jobs, and everything else they wanted. Her philosophy on sustainability has little importance since education on the environment was not a priority. As the years went on, my grandparents moved to North Carolina where they inherited my great-grandmothers house. This house is so isolated from town it takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the nearest gas station! The house is not visible from the road, nor the beginning of the driveway. My grandmother learned how to grow some of her own fruits and vegetables so she wouldn't have to drive into town as often. She grew lots of tomatoes, squash, herbs, and many more. When my mother was growing up, my grandmother never allowed television, playing video games, or phones. My grandmother's priority is family. Still to this day, she is all about down home cooking, farming, and playing cards. My mom told me that she would go out into the woods with my uncles and  play on the river, climb orange trees, and build forts to entertain themselves. This really helped structure her family. I am very impressed by my grandmother's way of adapting to a new environment and making use of her 50+ acres of land.

My father's mother is complete opposite of my other grandmother. While in her early 20s, my dad's mother lived on a farm and owned a feed store for animals. They would grow all of the hay on property and sell it for a living. After my dad, aunts and uncles were born, the business skyrocketed and was making lots of money. This means my grandma started to drive the nice cars she wanted, build a house for the whole family, and enjoy the things life had to offer. Still to this day, my grandmother enjoys the finer things, such as first-class vacations, shopping, dining out and much more.

Carol (left) is my mom's mother, and Helen (right) is my father's mother.

The things my grandmothers have in common are their unawareness for the environment. Besides certain times in life, their ecological perspective never really changed by choice. I would rate myself as a balance between the two. I am learning the importance of sustainability, yet enjoy the finer things in life.

Both of my grandmothers showed appreciation to Colloquium, and want me to share with them what I learned this semester.

Sense of Place- Neighborhood (Blog #4)

Walking around my neighborhood is a little different then it would be if I were in my hometown. I currently live in an apartment complex with about 17 buildings. Each room has four bedrooms and are three stories tall. Outside my bedroom is a view of the parking lot. But, if you look closely, you can see a lake on the other side of the parking lot.

This lake actually sold me on signing the lease because there is a beautiful pathway that runs the whole way around it.

This is a very good escape for me because I love to take morning and evening walks around it. There are two fountains in the center of the lake which provide beautiful scenery. I know the pathway around the lake gets used quite a lot from joggers and pet walkers. The apartment complex has planted a great number of tree and plants while maintaining the appearance of the property.

The only animals I have seen around the complex are raccoons, armadillo, squirrels, and rabbits. There is a rabbit who is always outside of my apartment that will actually come up to us! We put out lettuce and carrots and he will eat right out of our hand! (PICTURE)Another animal that is in the lake is alligators. I have yet to see one and I'm not sure I want to!

In two corners of the complex are huge trash compactors. I just wish the complex had some kind of recycling center next to the trash compactors because I feel a lot of the students would use them. There is no green design except the shuttle bus that runs to and from campus. From what I see quite a bit of students use it. I would if it were more convenient to my class times.

This area is not really my sense of place. I am used to more of a country setting like my hometown, but I will have to make due with this for now. I am the type to recycle and do my part, but it is not very easy to do that here. After writing and thinking about this blog entry, I am going to propose a plan to the staff at my apartment complex about a recycling system. Its a start to making my new place like home.

Ecological Footprint and Consumption

I took the quiz online thinking my results would calculate to 2 Earths. To my surprise, I pulled out a whopping 5.1 Earths. As I answered the questions, my number was rising consistently. It really put things into perspective on how much I could be conserving. My home impact is 1, electricity is 1, waste is 1, public transportation is 5, food consumption is 9, and use of goods and services is 6. In my home, we recycle newspapers, plastic bags, cardboard, aluminum cans, glass and plastic.

Since there is 5 people living in the house, we can go through quite a bit of garbage. Our home is in a deed restricted community and one of the rules is the homes have to be set back a certain amount of feet. This causes us to have a huge front yard. To take advantage of the land, we have about ten trees planted in the front yard and when in season, the trees bloom and can hide most of the house. Our electric bill is not very high every month because we have a lot of windows in our house. We have the ability of opening the windows and avoiding the lights. The lights we do have are energy star certified and do not use as much electric to power.

Transportation in my hometown is difficult to work with because everything is spread around. If I wanted to go to the grocery store it is about 10 minutes of a drive, to get to the community college it was about 30-45 minutes, and work was 20 minutes. It was hard to work the schedule of the bus because the times for pick up and drop off would mean a long wait, or a long bus ride. I would carpool as much as possible, because who wouldn't love to save a few bucks on gas here and there.

Due to my on-the-go lifestyle, I am usually stopping for fast food or something quick to eat. When I get the chance, I will prepare a home-cooked meal, but sometimes I can't help but get something quick and cheap. Subway can feed you for $5 while McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Checkers all have dollar menus to order off of. The convince of not getting out of the car and a meal for under $5 can be tempting to get.

As far as energy consumption goes, I use lights, air conditioning, chargers, fans, cooking appliances, hair products, and computer/printers. The best I'm doing right now is turning off when I'm not using them and unplugging what I'm not using. My fuel usage includes gas and oil. I commute with my roommates and take the shuttle when I'm working my way around campus. The food I consume on a daily basis is usually fast food, roughly six meals a day, and greasy or salty foods. Reducing the fast food and eating more organic and fresh grown foods will help the food intake value. The water I drink is bottled or tap water in a reusable bottle. I use water for the washing machine, dish washer, and shower. I could make sure I run the machines when full, and take shorter shower. Packing items include plastic bottles, wrappers, boxes, garbage bags, plastic bags, baggies, and foil. Reducing the amount of packing materials and reusing those available could save the environment and my wallet!

This exercise really showed me how much I am wasting and could be saving. My carbon footprint is leaving a big mark and slowly but surely I am destroying the earth one day at a time.

 Links for pictures:

 http://blisstree.com/live/earth-week-2010-blisstree-looks-back-with-our-top-25-list/

http://newsone.com/nation/associated-press/bizarre-teens-arrested-for-rapping-mcdonalds-order/

http://www.naturallyintense.net/blog/healthy-nyc-restaurants-reviews/is-the-food-at-subway-really-healthy/

http://www.midwestmotion.com/environment.html

http://www.athenstransit.com/our-services/the-bus.html

Field Trip- Campus and Trails

I didn't realize how much thought went into the location of our campus! Even though we did use a lot of land for the for the structures, a lot of land was used for preservation. I thought the water system was perfect for campus. The building structures and rocks help the water stay off the sidewalks and avoid puddles. I would never have known these processes until this course. Also, the tanks of water behind the library freeze water overnight and use the cooling temperatures to air condition the classrooms. Also, there are solar panels on the entrance of campus off of Ben Hill Griffin Rd. used to provide electricity to the buildings. I think it is awesome that the staff of FGCU thought of these things to save money and using natural resources. The lakes on campus provide a beautiful and scenic place for the animals on our campus. The gators, fish and turtles provide something to look at while walking around campus.

I would never have known about our swamp walk until this class. Although mosquitoes at me alive and I left with leaves, sticks and mud in between my toes, I had fun. I probably sounded miserable, but I would do it again and maybe wear pants next time. Next, during Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was very cool, I never would have known it was here until taking Colloquium. At first, it was hot then it was about to storm so it cooled down. The cooler made it more enjoyable for us. I was so excited we saw an alligator. That was my favorite part of the trip. My second favorite part was the Waste Treatment Plant. If our school could do that, it would save a lot of money. Only 10% is lost due to evaporation and 90% of the water is reused. I think our school could do this! Overall, I'm gaining more knowledge about the Fort Myers area and our campus already. I'm excited to see what else the course can offer!

Links for pictures:

http://www.distributedenergy.com/may-june-2009/climate-commitment-goals.aspx

http://www.fgcu.edu/Aquatics/contact.html

Incoming Reflection

I had not heard anything about colloquium until I was in orientation. They played the video of the students discussing their opinions on the course. After watching the video, I was very excited to take it. I wanted a more environmental feel for our school and of course the field trips sounded fun. Then, I registered for the class. People I knew who took it said it was a waste of time, writing a lot of papers, and easy, but a pointless class. I do not have a lot of reservations of this class but I do not like snakes or bugs on me. At first, I'm usually scared, but I can overcome my fears and rethink my safety.

For example, I held an alligator this weekend. His mouth had electrical tape over it and I had professionals with me, so I knew I was safe. In Fort Myers, I have no wilderness experience other then campus wildlife. I've been mountain climbing on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, canoeing in the Weeki Wachee River with manatees, white water rafting, zip-lining in Minnesota, and stayed on a private island for two weeks. The environment can be interesting and fun if you get in there with it and embrace it.

Since my major is nursing, I had a hard time deciding the relation of this course to my major. After a lot of thought, I realized the medical field and environment have a lot in common. As a nurse, we have to be very concerned with waste products and conserving the products we do have. For example, we can not take items from the stock room we are not going to use, because if it is removed and opened, it can not be put back. The hospital I do my training in uses solar pannels on the roof to support the electricity. Everyday I work I learn more sources we use for electricity. A plan the hospital uses to also benefit the employees is a contest on ways to save the hospital money. We can propose ways for the hospital to save money and if its logical and effective the employee who proposed the idea gets $200. Ways to save include solar pannels on the roof, recycling water, and washing machines that use less water. I am still brainstorming ways so I can win myself some extra cash and help my hospital save some money.

As an outcome to the course, I hope to gain more knowledge about the Fort Myers area, and have more appreciation for animals and their purpose.