Week 5 Part B

Downtown Field Trip

Our last field trip in Colloquium was to the Downtown area of Fort Myers. I was really excited about this trip because it was very different from the other trips we have taken. Most of the other field trips we have taken for this class has taken place are more of a natural setting, but this was the first trip we have taken to look at a more urban area around us. I was excited to roam downtown and get a better feel for the place. I knew that most of the buildings had a historic significance but the only time I had really been down there was to volunteer and doing service learning at the Imaginarium Science Center last spring and the summer. I really enjoyed the small museum we went to first of Jackson. I liked how they told the story of Fort Myers from prehistoric times to present. I was so surprised at the massive animals that lived here so long ago, like the giant sloth. Before going to this museum I did not know much about the history of the Native Americans. I had taken many history classes before this, but I cannot remember much about the Seminoles or the Caloousa Indian tribes. Another part of the trip I enjoyed was going to the top of the Indigo Hotel. Getting a birds eye view of Downtown Fort Myers gave me a good perspective of how big this area really is. I thought about what a cool place this could be to live if I could walk to work and the grocery store, it would be much better than driving everywhere.

Week 5 Part A

Louv Readings

Last child in the Woods by Louv was a reading I found particularly interesting. In many classes I have taken my professors tell my classmates and I that we are the first generation where more people live in an urban setting than a rural setting. As time goes on and new generations come, we as people are becoming increasing distant from the natural world. Most of the time we leave our homes, get in our air conditioned cars, get the closest parking spot to the building and spend the least amount outside as possible. Children no longer need to play outdoors; they have video games and computers that can keep them entertained for hours. But for every action there is and equal yet opposite reaction. So Louv’s book makes perfect sense to me. Most children’s brains can adapt to our over stimulating environments while others develop disorders like ADHD. To me the cause and effect pattern here fits perfect and could be the answer to why so many young children have these disorders now. The part that I found the most interesting is that being outdoors and playing in areas with lots of greenery is now being researched as a way to help children with these disorders cope with stress and anxiety. Children with ADHD who spend time outdoors say their symptoms are less extreme. I feel as if this can be helpful for anyone regardless if they had ADHD or any disorder similar to it. I do not have ADHA but I feel calm in green outdoor settings, it’s relaxing to me to be in wide-open spaces with no human interruptions. I think that spending time outdoors in natural landscapes is a great way for anyone to cope with stress or anxiety.

Week 4 Part B

Canoe Field Trip

I think our canoe trip was a really fun field trip the whole class enjoyed. The entire class had been coming to Vester Field Marine Station for a couple weeks now, but never really explored what was around us. As a class we have been on several field trips to gain a sense of place, but this was the perfect field trip to explore what was around us at Vester Field Marine Station. I’ve been coming to class here and staring out the window and now was the perfect chance to get outside. As we loaded up on the canoes I paired of with Dave, he said he has never been canoeing before. Since I was a little more experienced in this area I decided to take the back and steer. I was pretty rusty at first but eventually got the hang of things. Everyone was having a really great time some of us were much better in the water than others. The way out was very calm and easy to paddle, there was not a strong current so it was easy to maneuver the canoe. The way back was a much different story for me. Since we were switching canoes and kayaks I ended up with Zach on the way back to class. We had a slight current going against us on our way in and it was difficult paddling through it. Even the smallest current could have made it difficult to paddle. It made me think of how strong the Indians must have been to del with this everyday. They used the river for all sorts of things and I’m sure the tides were not always in their favor. As we got back we all helped clean the canoes and life jackets. It was a great class I think everyone would agree.

Week 4 Part A

Food Inc.

Pervious to this class I’ve seen this film one time, Food Inc., is documentary that spreads light of the food industries in America. It gives viewers the opportunity to actually see where their meat comes from and give perspective on what’s in your neighborhood grocery store. Although I’ve seen this film once before I still feel like it had the same dramatic effect it had on me the first time.  Food Inc. is similar to other documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth because it tries to show the general public what are the issues that concerning us. I personally like the film Food Inc. because it is empowering you should have the right to know where your food comes from. And for most of us we can control what we eat its our decision what we put in our bodies. We can choose food that is better for the planet and us. If you choose to eat locally you food will travel less to get for the field to your table. The film shows viewers how our beef is treated in the United States and how much energy we use to produce it. I think the film also had a good ending, it leaves you with a question; what can you do? I feel like it leaves viewers thinking about their food, which is exactly the point of the film. The next time I went to the grocery store I thought twice about what I was buying, and went into the product. I probably spent a little more time in there that usual, but I was more confident on my purchases. Sometimes it is good the question the world around you and try to figure out what is really going on.

Week 3 Part B

ECHO Field Trip

I was particularly excited to go on our field trip to ECHO, I have had friends who have done service learning here and raved about what an interesting place it is. Although my friends have told me about this place, I still was not exactly sure what to expect when we arrived. I think ECHO has some really creative and interesting way to help farmers is developing countries. I thought it was very cool how different areas of the farm are designed for different climates and each one has a different way of using the land to help benefit the farmers. Some creative ways they were teaching farmers in developing countries are using a plastic 2-liter bottle for a light source. You cut a hole in the roof and then fill a plastic 2-liter bottle with water and stick it in the hole. By doing this the bottle creates the effect of having a light bulb, but you do not need electricity. Another thing they were teaching the farmers was simple hygiene, by using and old laundry detergent bottle filled with water and a bar of soap tied to it, the farmers could now wash their hands. This may stop the spread of bacteria and germs to the other members in the family. The farmer could work all day and wash his hands before he goes to help cook for his family. I really enjoyed the tour we went on it was an interesting place; we saw many of their interns working on the farm as we walked around. But I wish the interns did the tour for us, I would have loved to hear from younger people what they are doing at ECHO and their experiences they have had while they have been here.

Week 2 Part B

Estero Bay Field Trip

I have to say that our trip to Estero Bay so far has been my favorite experience from class. I expected our trip to be rather boring. I’ve been to Ft Myers Beach so many times I didn’t think there was anything else I could possibly have missed there. But I was very wrong, as we arrived at Matanzas Pass Wilderness Preserve the first thing I saw was a little cottage, it did not look like a preserve to me at first. Inside this cottage was Jo Hughes, a bubbly woman with a big smile on her face. She was so sweet she set out snacks for us too. My favorite part of the trip was just listening to Jo, her stories were so interesting, and life on Ft Myers Beach was a very different place 70 years ago. Jo had this quality to her, I see in my own Grandma, she was as genuine as one person could be. It was so easy to listen to Jo as she depicted what she has seen on Estero Island as she grew up. Her side stories that made her chuckle seemed to be contagious; when she laughed so did the whole room. After leaving the Estero Island I contemplated what life would have been like for me if I were placed in Jo’s shoes. My generation is extremely lucky to have all of the luxuries that we have today and I think we take a lot of it for granted. We have been desensitized, we grew up with air conditioning, television, and electricity never knowing what life was like without these luxuries. Talking with Jo and listening to her stories gave me the opportunity to step back, look at the bigger picture of life, and realize we are so lucky to be here today.

Week 2 Part A

An Inconvenient Truth

I have seen this film a number of times since is was released in 2006. I think that Gore does a great job explaining the phenomenon of Global Climate Change so the average person can understand this change and the role of humans in it. One face that most people recognize and associate with global climate change is Al Gore. Al Gore has made numerous speeches and made a film An Inconvenient Truth to discuss the issue of global climate change. Al Gore is a recognizable to the general public as a previous vice president to our nation and a presidential candidate in the 2000 elections. He is also known for his advocating many changes to help the planet from warming. In this more famous film, An Inconvenient Truth, he tells about the basic causes of global warming and evidence to support his findings. I think that in this film Gore explains many concepts of global climate change so your average Joe can understand. Since Al Gore is a political figure not a scientist he makes many assumptions that amplify his arguments that are based on scientific research. Gore is an eloquent speaker in front of an audience and knows how to persuade people, which is why I believe this film is so powerful and able to change people’s minds about what is really going on with global climate change. If a scientist were to present the same information I don’t think it would have had the same dramatic effect. A scientist could not make assumptions and present them but just explain the hard data of their findings. Gore was a perfect person to do this film. He is already well known and respected person among the American people. With is reputation and well-rehearsed speech filled with data to support his arguments and real life examples of global climate change are all elements that made this film so successful.

Week 1 Part C

Hot, Flat, and Crowded

The four chapters of Hot, Flat, and Crowded we were required to read were very interesting. The author Thomas Friedman is an excellent writer making the book was an easy read for me. It was so intriguing I would like to read the rest of the book in my spare time. In the chapters we read, Friedman explores several ideas of the human population and how it has affected our planet. One section where Friedman looks at the population and how it affects our planet and resources is an example using light bulbs. With the exponential increase in the human population we will soon have another billion people on the planet. If we give each person of this billion one light bulb it doesn’t seem like much. The light bulb doesn’t weigh more than an ounce but all of them together weigh about 20,000 tons. If these billion people each use their light bulb for only four hours a day we would still need 500 new coal powered power plants. Statistics like this are found throughout the chapters we read and some of them blew my mind. I know many of these concepts and had heard them before but when you quantify situations like the light bulb, the staggering numbers are alarming and defiantly make the point much stronger and member able. Throughout the book I feel that Friedman’s opinion is present. Although he does present information from creditable sources. Even though his opinion is there he uses sources and information justifying it.

Week 1 Part B

Corkscrew Sanctuary

I was particularly excited about visiting Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Since my major is Environmental Studies I have visited many of the parks and preserves in the area with my other classes like Environmental Biology of Southwest Florida and Introduction to Environmental Studies. Previous to this class I had never visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. I was expecting Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary to be very similar to CREW, but to my surprise it was a much different kind of place to visit. When we first arrived at the sanctuary I did not know that wading birds we hunted and killed for their feathers to make women’s hats. I was surprised to learn that the population of people that lived in Florida was relatively small when the populations of these birds were significantly reduced. At that point in time not many people inhabited Florida but wading birds were in serious danger of becoming extinct. I know from pervious knowledge that wading birds are good indicators that an ecosystem is doing well. When Storm water Treatment Areas were created just south of the Everglades Agricultural Area, wading birds started to appear in the STA’s. This was a sign that life in this ecosystem was starting to bounce back and be able to support the food chain. One thing I did like about the sanctuary was the boardwalk it makes the trail much more enjoyable to walk. I personally don’t mind getting a little dirty. The cypress dome was very dry when we were there because we are at the end of our dry season right on the verge of wet season. If we would have visited the sanctuary in a couple weeks, I’m sure the dome would be wet and full of water making the boardwalk a great way to get around. You could be right in the middle of the cypress dome without walking in knee-deep water. The best part of this excursion to me was just taking in the aesthetic pleasure of the sanctuary, it was so beautiful. If you could just forget where you were for a minute and looked across the land it looked similar to a prehistoric landscape as if a dinosaur was about to come out from behind a huge cypress tree.

Week 1 Part A

My Environmental Worldview

As I get progress through school and focus on my area of study, my views on the environment change with the knowledge I acquire. At Florida Gulf Coast University I am studying the environmental studies major course. Each new class I step into gives me new information that changes my views on a certain topic but the general theme of my environmental worldview is a more constant concept. When I first came to FGCU, I didn’t appreciate my new home in Southwest Florida. I grew up in Ft Lauderdale right across the state so I thought I had little to learn about Southwest Florida. But today I have come to realize they are very different places. I know about the hydrology of the state, natural ecosystems and human impacts. We are part of these natural processes but we have changed them as well. Humans are just one organism in this diverse world but we have had the most impacts on our natural world. Just one single species has changed the face of our planet. Florida is a perfect example of how humans have changed the natural world. In the 1800’s the landscape of Florida was changed forever. As people came to settle here the Everglades was seen as a useless swamp area. All over the state drainage and dredging of the wetlands took place to create dry land for agriculture. People had no idea the problems that would arise from this. Today we have programs to help restore the damage done to Everglades and worldwide people know of the destruction done to our natural systems. I believe we are in the middle of another great revolution that will change our world again. Just like the Industrial Revolution changed life for humans; I believe our “Green Revolution” will be just as significant.