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.