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.