SUSTAINABILITY

What I got out of Colloquium.....

After taking this Colloquium class I feel that I am more aware of my natural environment and the affects I have on it. I think this class is important for all university students to take because it has really opened my eyes to how wasteful I really am. It also taught me that I am exactly what the government wants....a CONSUMER. We all buy more than necessary. As a future teacher this class has taught me that I should be teaching my students about the environment and ways in which we can help protect it. I think that I will try to incorporate nature into my lessons when possible. Overall I have learned a lot from this class and it has really opened my eyes to what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to be.

Service Learning- Campus Clean Up

For this service learning activity we walked around campus and picked up litter. I found that there were a ton of cigarette butts and little pieces of trash. I was surprised to find that there wasn't a lot of large pieces of trash. While picking up trash I realized how clean our campus was overall. Compared to other universities I have been at ours was by far the cleanest. I also spent time thinking about all the times I have littered and how much of my trash someone else has picked up. I refuse to litter now and would never just throw my trash on the ground. I am not a smoker so I don't contribute to the nasty cigarette butts. Overall this service learning activity was fun and I could tell I made a difference. I would be willing to do another campus clean up and I am sure I will again someday. It is so important to keep out campus clean!

FGCUs Mission

I personally feel that FGCU is doing a great job at its mission that includes modeling best sustainability practices. I have taken 3 classes here at FGCU including Colloquium that focus on sustainability. Every student I have talked to from FGCU knows more about the environment than the average college student. I feel that we have a very green campus and the students at FGCU are participating in recycling and doing their part to keep the campus clean. I think every student at FGCU has an appreciation for the environment because we know so much about it. I think that more schools should teach their students about their local environment. I truly believe knowledge is power and the more we know and understand our environment the better we will take care of it. It also helps that the buildings at FGCU are Environmentally friendly. The students get to see first hand that it is possible to have a green university. Overall I feel that FGCU is doing a great job on its mission.

Field Trip: Downtown Ft Myers

On our trip to downtown Ft Myers I learned a lot about the history of Ft. Myers and some of the famous people who lived there. For example, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford both had winter homes here. I enjoyed walking around downtown because it was so close to the Caloosahatchee River and I felt a breeze the whole time. While walking around I really enjoyed looking at the architecture. It had an old small town feel to it since many of the buildings have been kept the same. I also liked the small shops and cafes. After we walked around and learned all about the history we took some time to sit and look at the river. This was my favorite part of the whole trip because we were able to relax and just enjoy the scenery. I have never been downtown before so it was cool to see something new. Since the field trip I have been downtown again for the Boat show at the convention center. It was nice to spend more time down there knowing the information I had learned on the field trip. Overall I felt like this was a great field trip because we got to go to a cool place and learn about its history.

Green Building

What can we do to make our buildings environmentally friendly? Here are some ideas when building or redoing a home.
*Smaller is better- Building size should be kept small.
*Energy Efficient buildings- high levels of insulation, High performance windows, and tight construction.
*Buy local products.
*Avoid ozone depleting chemicals in mechanical equipment and insulation.
*Buy Eco friendly appliances.
*Buy energy saving light bulbs.
* Set up easy recycling.
*Composite Decking
*Paper-based counter tops.
*Bamboo Plywood
*Rubber Mulch
*Synthetic Grass
*Repurposed Furniture
Those are just a few ideas you can use when trying to make your home more green.

Service Learning- Trail Clean Up

I spent 5 hours at the trail clean up. To be honest I didn't really like this activity. Everyone worked very hard to get the trail cleared and we spent a great deal of time physically working. However the end result was worth it. There were a lot of people at this event that worked very hard. I think the hardest thing done was removing a cabbage Palm so they could hang a hammock. I was slightly confused on why we would remove a plant to hang something for our own benefit. Besides that the day was fun and we were provided lots of snacks and pizza. I'm not sure if I would attend this event again. It was hard work and I felt that I didn't really make a difference because you couldn't really see individual progress since everyone was working together. I learned that is takes a lot of work to maintain a trail but it is necessary because a lot of people including myself enjoy walking on the trail every now and then. My favorite part of the day was probably just being outside in the early morning. I often don't wake up before 9 am so it felt good to watch the sun rise. Overall the day was a success.

Global Warming Proven False

http://inpersuitofhappeniss.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/global-warming-proven-false/

I found a website that claims Global Warming is false. After reviewing this website it has slightly changed my mind a little about global warming. I do think the planets heat is rising but I don't think it is as extreme as everyone thinks it is. An interesting fact that was presented was, "According to collected data from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Illinois, Artic ice extent was 30 percent greater on August 11, 2008 than it was on August 13, 2007. This is a conservative estimate based on the map projection"-PrisionPanet.com article. I also found that last winter was the coldest winter we have had in seven years. This could have just been a fluke but the data is there. I am not sure about Global Warming because there is so much different information out there. One thing I do know is we are harming the planet in one way or another by all of the pollutants we create. I have mixed emotions about this subject but i feel that we should all do out part in protecting Earth.

Copenhagen Consensus

I visited the Copenhagen Consensus website and found that the information given there was very useful and informative. I liked how the website was laid out because it was very easy to navigate. As for my thoughts on what they are doing and their approach I feel that are doing it in a respectful way. Their main purpose is to meet every four years to discuss world issues and solutions to these problems. The top ten challenges at this point in time are; Air Pollution, Conflicts, Disease, Education, Global Warming, Malnutrition and Hunger, Sanitation and Water, Subsides and Trade Barriers, Terrorism, and Women and Development. I feel that they have touched on the main problems facing the world. I enjoyed reading the interesting facts such as, air pollution causes 2.5 million deaths a year, the vast majority in the developing countries. I was totally unaware that so many people died each year because of air pollution. If I were part of this organization I would like to meet every 3 years because challenges change quickly. I feel that we need an organization like the Copenhagen Consensus because it ties the world together. We all live in different countries but we all share the same planet therefore we should all share the same problems. I feel that Americans often forget about the other people living around the world. Americans are very closed minded when it comes to international affairs. We think that its happening over in other countries so it is their problem but we don;t realize that we trade with those countries so we are contributing to their problems. If I could change one thing about Americans I would change their ignorance. I don't totally blame the average citizen I blame our government and the media. The media only discusses other countries minimally therefore the average citizen has no idea what is going on in the rest of the world unless they take time out of their busy daily schedule to look up and research the world news. I admit that I am a typical American citizen and have no clue what is going on in different parts of the world. Although, I have become more aware of this and try to find out information as much as possible. Overall I feel that the Copenhagen Consensus is a great idea and I totally support them.

Service Learning: 350 Day

After completing my community service I felt that 350 day was my favorite project. I really enjoyed planting the cypress trees and felt that I actually made a difference. One thing I would have changed would have been either less people there or more trees to plant because our time spent planting was very short. I felt that the day was very organized and everyone there was ready and willing to work. I also liked that the work was not extremely difficult and you got to see the progress that was made. Overall I had a great day and felt that I really did make a difference on campus. If we had another event like this one I would be sure to attend.

Tragedy of the Commons and Externalities

Definitions:
Tragedy of the commons- Describes the phenomenon of overuse of resources held in common (i.e. by "public" or government) that occurs because the failure to adequately define property rights means that no one has an incentive to conserve or maintain the resource and all have an incentive to use the resource before others do.
Externalitlies-The cost and/or benefits that are not internalized by the processes of production and exchange, and which therefore spill over onto third parties. Externalities may be positive or negative.

Will a capitalistic Free-Market Economy Always Optimally Allocate Resources?
Personally I don't know how I feel about this question. I feel that the free market should always optimally allocate resources but I don't know if they will. As humans we feel that everyone owns the natural resources and who are they to take that away from us. This is a very difficult question to answer and feel that I don't have one single answer for it. I feel that at this time the capitalistic free-market economy is doing an alright job at optimally allocating resources but when the resources start to diminish I have no idea what will happen. You never know what the future will bring so to be honest I can't tell you.

Poverty

Poverty is a huge issue that the world faces today. We see it in every country and it affects every type of person. I feel that the major crisis of poverty is lack of education. When we went on our field trip to ECHO they showed us some examples of how people can use the resources they have to make food, purify their water systems, and live a healthier and cleaner lifestyle. I feel that if the people living in poverty would be willing to learn and use the ideas given to them it would help tremendously. People who live in poverty don't have clothes, food, or shelter and live just to survive. We on the other hand have more stuff then we could ever possibly need. I think that we should help underprivileged countries by donating things, giving our time to teach them, and overall caring more about their well being. They didn't chose to be born into that lifestyle and I feel that we should help them as much as we can. Education is key in this situation. I think we should not only teach them ways in which they can live a cleaner healthier lifestyle but also teach them about sex education. If we taught them about different types of birth control and they actually used them we would be saving lives. I see signs of hope and success if the people are willing to learn. Many times they don't want to learn what we are teaching them because it is not part of their culture. They need to realize that it might not be part of their culture and their way of life but their way of life isn't working out to well. I think if people are willing and the education is there they will be more than successful.

Newspaper Article: Miami Ponders Whether the Good Outweighs the Bad.

While reading the article entitled " Miami Ponders Whether the Good Outweighs the Bad" I realized that we have this conversation in colloquium on a weekly basis. We have talked about whether it is a good thing to expand and build our economy up or is it a bad thing because we are using up our natural resources. This is not only a debate in our class but it is a debate through out the country. More than 100 million square feet of residential and commercial space has been added in Miami since 2001. This means that the natural surroundings have been cleared to make room for these buildings. Many residents of Miami feel that this has taken away some of Miamis appeal. Ms. Galliana lives in Miami and used to have a nice scenic view outside of her home. She now sees a 13 story apartment building. She says, "This was a quiet, nice, beautiful neighborhood, and its not like that anymore." I understand where she is coming from and think that we are building things at a rapid rate. This is a debate that will continue probably until the end of time.

5 Important things about China and India and the developing countries.

* China is experimenting with ecofriendly technologies from electric cars to urban wind turbines.

*Coperate India is getting eco friendly by planting trees, using solar energy, constructing smart bulidings, and collecting litter.

*Water quality and air pollution are major problems in the developing countries in the Asian region.

*Air pollution causes up to 1,750,000 premature deaths each year in China.

* China is one of the few countries in the world that have been rapidly increasing their forest cover.

Corporate Ethics

After doing research on some of the major corporations I have found that most give some recognition to environmental issues. The Nestle website is the one I chose to focus on. At this website they have a section under the community tab where they talk about what they are doing to help the environment. For example, their factory in Anderson, Indiana has a sustainable design that includes waste water recovery for reuse in cooling towers, a new recyclable package, and low emission gas boilers. Also, at their factory in Freehold, New Jersey they have a unique way to capture energy and avoid waste. At an Ohio factory they have operated a boiler system designed to use landfill methane gas effectively. After reviewing this website I have found that they are aware of environmental issues and are trying to make their company environmentally friendly one step at a time. Eventually I feel that more and more corporations will catch on to this trend and will make their factories more sustainable. I think that it is necessary for them to do so otherwise we will be destroying our planet at an even faster rate.

Items Handled in 24 Hours

For the most part the only things I handle on a daily basis that are packaged would be food products unless it was a day where I needed to buy a new cleaning product or some type of school product.

Breakfast: Cereal box and plastic
Milk (plastic container)
Lunch: Pizza from Lunas (paper plate)
Dinner: Amys organic enchiladas (cardboard/plastic)
Publix cookies (plastic)
Snack: Grapes (plastic)

I would say my total calories would be around 1200.

Sustainability of My Community

After walking around my neighborhood I find that it sustainable in some ways in not in others. All of the homes are fairly new which means they probably have some environmentally friendly products in them but who knows for sure. While walking I noticed how much wildlife surrounds my neighborhood and how much of it was lost to build the homes. All of the yards are very small and when you walk around the neighborhood you feel as if you are just in a big concrete jungle. With what yards the homeowners do have they are landscaped to the max. There are a a lot of flowers and bushes but not a lot of grass. It seems to me that mulch has replaced the grass so it is easier to maintain. The lawn guys come once a week to cut the little patch of grass people have in their front yards and he probably sprays chemicals once a month. None of the homes in my community have their own pool we just have a community pool which everyone uses so I guess this a positive because we are using less chemicals and less land had to be destroyed. While walking around it would be hard to find any animals. There are no birds, snakes, raccoons, or anything besides ants and the occasional wasp. I feel bad that I live this way in Fort Myers but my home in Sarasota is much different. I live on two and a half acres and at least an acre is all woods. I get to see snakes and birds and the occasional fox. I love living out there because the air just seems cleaner and fresher. Although I do see why people live in communities like the one i live in now. You don't have to cut your grass and everything looks really nice and clean from the outside. I feel that the community i live in now is not very sustainable but my community at home is. I am lucky to see both sides.

News Article:Arctic ice to vanish in summer, report says.

This article is about the vanishing ice in the Artic ocean. It says," Researchers predict that within 20 years ice cover will be completely gone during the warmer months." I feel that this is probably going to be true because of the warming of our planet. Researchers have come to this conclusion by going out into the field and drilling through the ice and noting the thickness. They found that the area surveyed was comprised of mainly first year ice. Scientist find this data to be significant because this area is traditionally made up of much older thicker ice. without the Artic ice our whole climate will change. The world will be much warmer. After reading the article I feel that the information is informative and that we should be prepared for the worst but at the same time we never know what is going to happen. everything is just a prediction. We have alot of facts and research to back these facts up but at the same time we really don't know what is going to happen today or tomorrow. The world and climate is changing everyday and the best thing we can do would be to try and slow it down and be prepared for what might come. Overall this article taught me that we need to pay attention to global warming and if we don't our whole world is going to change in one way or another. With the ice melting it would cause sea levels to rise and we live in Florida so we would be effected the most. I learned alot from this article and enjoyed reading it. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/15/climate.artic.sea.ice.melt./index.html

Field Trip: Fort Myers Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve

This was by far my favorite field trip! While walking around the preserve on the nature trail we got to see many different plants and wildlife. We saw crabs, fish jumping in the bay, and mosquitoes. We got to see all three types of mangrove: Black, White, and Red. I really enjoyed having 5 min of quiet time to just look out at the water and reflect on the beautiful day. I noticed there was a nice breeze causing a strong current and the water seemed to be a little brackish. After we observed for a bit we went inside the historic cottage. We were greeted with cookies and lemonade. My favorite part of the trip was when we got to hear first hand of what it was like to grow up on the beach in 1930s from someone who actually lived it. I always find it so interesting how much things can change in just a short amount of time. I really liked hearing that the first school was just one room with one teacher who would take the kids home after school. Now if a teacher tried to take a student home I'm sure they would be sued or something bad would happen to them. The lady who was talking to us was a great story teller and kept our interest. I also really liked how she knew what was going on with the environment because of the changes she has seen first hand. She noticed that the water was now more polluted and there was not as much wildlife roaming. Overall I really enjoyed this field trip and learned a lot from the speaker and from the preserve. I would go again.

Ecological Footprint

If everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 4.75 Earths. To reduce my carbon footprint I should use cleaner transportation, add energy-saving features to my house, adopt energy saving habits, and adopt water saving habits. For cleaner transportation I think that I could improve but it is very hard to get around southwest Florida without a car. I drive my car almost everyday to get to the places I need to go. Without my car it would take me much more time and a lot more energy. Next I am renting right now so any home improvements I would have to run across my land lord. I would be willing to use energy saving light bulbs. For my energy saving habits I could improve by keeping my thermostat low in the winter and higher in the summer. Also when leaving the house I could raise it and then when I am home I could turn it down a little. Another thing I could do would be unplug electronics when not in use. Finally, to adopt water saving habits I could take shorter showers and only run the dishwasher/ washing machine when full. Overall I could also reduce my footprint by buying local foods and buying recycled products. I think the most beneficial thing I could do would be BUY LESS!! I have the shopping bug and I really need to slow it down. From now on I am going to try to only by the necessities

Field Trip: ECHO

While on our field trip to ECHO I learned that their main purpose is to help other countries make what you need out of the materials that you have. Our tour guide showed us many interesting cooking methods people can use. He told us that mothers that cook with their babies strapped to their backs are really harming their babies. The smoke that the stove gives off is equivalent to the baby smoking 2 packages of cigarettes a day. That is a ton of second hand smoke! He showed us alternative ways in which they can cook. For example he showed us blocks of recycled cardboard that have been crushed up and made into block shapes that they can us for firewood and for cooking. Another interesting thing that he showed us was a water purifier. He said that every 6 seconds a child will die from drinking bad water or not getting water. Then he showed us a Neem tree and told us how good the Neem tree leaf is for your teeth. The Neem leaf is a great addition to your toothpaste. Overall this trip to ECHO taught me how lucky we are as Americans to have running water, food available to us at all times, and how advanced we are when it comes to farming and growing our own crops. This field trip opened my eyes to how great we really have it and how we should teach others ways in which they can do less harm to our themselves and to our planet.

Time Spent Outside

Sunday- 45 min running around my neighborhood
Monday- 2 hours (Matanzas Pass Preserve field trip)
45 min running around my neighborhood
Tuesday-8 min walking to class
5 min on break inbetween classes
8 min walking back from class
45 min running around my neighborhood
Wednesday- 8 min walking to campus
8 min walking back from campus
45 min running around my neighborhood
Thursday- 8 min walking to class
5 min on break inbetween classes
8 min walking back from class
Friday- 45 min running around my neighborhood
Saturday- 2 hours laying in the sun
45 min running around my neighborhood
Grand total of time spent outside: Around 9 hours and 47 min.
Overall I feel that I spend a good amount of my time outside. I feel that when I have extra time i like to spend it outside laying in the sun. Being outside with the fresh air just makes me feel better. I feel less stressed when I am outside.

Sustainability

Sustainability is maintaining our planet without harming future generations. When it comes to sustainability and my future career as a teacher, I feel that I will be able to help educate students about sustainability and ways in which they can help. I will be able to influence young students to do the right thing and save our planet as much as possible. For example I will be able to teach them ways in which they can reduce their output of greenhouse gases, reduce their energy use, and water use. I feel that I can make a difference because I will have so many students in my lifetime. As far as sustainability in my own personal life I feel that I should practice what I preach to my students and do everything I can to reduce my carbon footprint. Already I have begun this practice by recycling as much as possible. Lastly, sustainability as it relates to my university education I would say that it plays a big role in more than 2 of the classes I have taken here at FGCU. I have talked about sustainability in my Biology of Southwest Florida class and in my Environmental Humanities class. We have talked about ways in which we can help sustain the planet and keep future generations away from harm. Overall I would say that sustainability does relate to my life in many ways. I feel that because of the classes I have taken at FGCU I am very aware of the situation and do my best to help out as much as possible.

Favorite Place

My favorite place is beach access 5 on Siesta Key. I am from Sarasota so I have been going there since I was in the womb. As soon as you step on the white powder sand you forget all about your worries and problems. When you are there it is just you, the sun, the sand, and the aqua waters. I come here as often as I can because it is so relaxing. the best time of day to go is around 4 o'clock because the sun is still out but it will be setting soon. I often come out to the beach alone just so I can have some quiet time. I love sitting by the water and just looking out. Siesta key is a great place to find sand dollars and sea shells. When I was little I always wanted to take the sand dollars home but my mom would never let me because she knew they were living and that would kill them. The coolest feeling is holding a sand dollar while it moves around in your hand. Overall I would love to live at beach access 5 it is by far my favorite place in the world.

Field Trip #1- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

On our field trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary I saw and learned many interesting things. The most interesting fact I learned about the sanctuary was that it is the largest remaining old-growth cypress forest. Cypress is a good wood used for lumber. While we were visiting we saw many native plants and species. We saw a White Ibis, a Pig Frog, and a Alligator. The Alligators head was right under our feet as we walked across the board walk. It was the biggest Alligator I have seen in the wild. We also saw Red Maple trees, Saw Palmettos, and Common Tickseed. The lichens stood out to me because they resembled a trees coat. The algae and fungus covered the whole tree! Another fact that I found interesting about the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was that it was the largest source of storks. I learned that the feathers from the storks were used to make hats. This made me think about what my clothes were made of and if I contributed to hurting the environment. Overall the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was a informative field trip and I really enjoyed walking along the boardwalk.

Favorite Place On Campus

My favorite place on campus is the lake at the end of the board walk coming from parking garage 2. I like this spot because I often get to see turtles sunbathing on the wooden board that is in the center. Also I have seen alligators and fish in this spot. The other day I was walking to class and was dreading the long day ahead of me and when I came to the end where the lake is I saw a turtle sunbathing with its head and all of its limbs hanging out of its shell. It made me smile not only because the turtle looked funny but because I could tell that the turtle was having an awesome day just hanging out in the sunshine and I realized that my day wasn't going to be as bad as I had anticipated. The sun was out, the day had just begun, I was in perfect health and I was on top of all my school work. I realized the positives out weighed the negatives and I was in a great mood the rest of the day. This spot is also attractive to me because it is so quiet. I feel that when people are walking across the board walk they don't talk as much as they do in the halls so its just a nice quiet place.

Current Sense of Place

Currently I feel that I am fairly aware of my sense of place. I know a lot about the native plants and species around my area thanks to biology of southwest Florida. I feel that classes such as Colloquium and Environmental Humanities are important for students to take because it opens their eyes to their own sense of place and surroundings. I feel that my current sense of place is not as out-doorsy as I would like because I am taking other classes that require me to be inside a lot and also my neighborhood has cleared away most of the natural vegetation unlike my neighborhood in Sarasota where I live on acres with trees surrounding me. I feel that it is important for not only myself but for others to become more aware of their sense of place so they can fully enjoy and preserve it.

Expectations

The start of a new semester means you will have new classes with new learning expectations. For this Colloquium class I expect to leave the class knowing more about the environment that we are in daily. I plan on knowing more about the native plants and species around this area and the important role they play. Overall I feel that this class will open my eyes to how much I impact the planet and what I can do to have less of an effect on it.