Entry #10- Reflection on Colloquium

As I first stated in my very first blog I came into colloquium hearing how it was just going to be a bunch of busy work and it was pretty hard, yet easy if you just got everything done. I really actually do think I have learned quite a bit from colloquium. I’ve started to realize for one, that when I go grocery shopping I’ve started looking for things that are organic or all natural. I’ve realized how much better organic products really are for you. I know there is only so much one person can do to try and make our world better, but it’s the little effort from each of us that really can help. My mom has always been the person to tell me to pick up trash and I’ve never really listened before, but I think the experience from this class has made me learn a little more about how much of an impact I really do have. I felt like all of the field trips really were interesting in some sort of way, even though at first I really didn’t understand how the downtown field trip really related to the class, but in the end I think the urban living really is what most effects the environment so it really is one of the most imperative field trips. Difficulties in the class were just making sure to keep up with everything that was due. As long as you get the work done in the end you can make it worthwhile. All together I think I really did learn quite a bit in this class and can take what I learned at put it towards how I act in my future.

Entry #9- Downtown Field Trip

On our downtown field trip I learned a lot about how Fort Myers really became established and about what downtown really has to offer. I’ve lived in Fort Myers my entire life, but always near Estero so I never really got to experience spending any time in that area. I really feel the most comfortable near the river. The breeze on the water and the sound of the waves make me feel good, whereas I feel more energized when I’m near the hustle and bustle of town, near the shops or walking down the streets. There still is a bit of landscape throughout downtown which makes you not completely feel as if you are trapped in a city. A lot of the landscaping has been there for years upon years so it really adds to the historic feel. Near the river you do get to experience more of a “park feel” because of all the landscaping areas. More towards the inner part of the city you really only get to see historic buildings and things such as lawyer offices, and small businesses. We got lucky enough on our visit to see a dolphin in the river! Other than that I don’t really recall seeing much wildlife throughout the city besides birds and insects. The only reason I really feel a connection to downtown is because I really am a city girl at heart. I love big tall buildings, businesses everywhere and just the fast pace of a town. When going into Downtown Fort Myers I get that feeling. Parking can always be an issue when in a town with narrow streets and lots of businesses. Most people tend to park at the meters which line every street and cost prices for every half an hour or so, otherwise your options are parking in lots where you take a ticket and then pay by the hour when you leave. To me the price is really the same either way, it’s just your opinion of what is more convenient to you. Most of the downtown is taken over by government centers like the courthouse. When it comes to mass transit the only thing we really have is the city bus. I don’t remember seeing one on our field trip, so I really don’t know where they drop off or pick up. Shopping malls in other areas than the city can take a toll on the revenue the actual city makes. It’s more convenient for you to visit a strip mall then having to actually go downtown and park and walk to a store. It doesn’t really seem there is any living space on the inside of the city, only surrounding. If you were to live in the actual city I would assume that you would have to shop at local markets. For the most part downtown Fort Myers is semi-safe. I honestly don’t think I would feel comfortable being downtown by myself at night, but it does seem to be decent.

Here are some shots I took downtown of the river, bank, the theatre, and a few other things.

Entry #8- Environmental Justice

There are still people today out there living like the people who were affected in the movie Erin Brockovich. I think that a possible solution to problems like this would be considering creating landfills and factories that give off a lot of pollution farther away from urban areas. There are always surrounding areas that are just land that we should use to dispose of more toxic or negative impact materials. I don’t think there is quite an actual “solution” to solve this problem, but I definitely think there are things we can do in the meantime to try and help lessen the issues. I think that poor neighborhoods are definitely more subject to being sick and seeing the effects from the pollution then in richer neighborhoods. You never drive by and see a large mansion next to a factory sending tons of smoke and pollution into the air, rather you see a trailer park or smaller homes being affected. By putting the lesser priced homes next to the factories you are saving money because people will still want to live there because such good of a price. When going on to see who are the major polluters in my area these are the top 5 that I came across are: Munters Corporation, Precision Econwind Inc., KCS International, Action Craft, and Polymer Casting. The biggest polluter of all is Munters Corp. which seems to release a lot of Formaldehyde. This company works to create indoor climate solutions for different customers in different situations, and works to focus on humidity control.

Entry #7- Being aware of what you touch and intake

1.       List all of the items you handle in 24 hours.

Cell phone

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Hairbrush

Straightener

Towels

My car

Laptop

TV Clicker

School Books

Wallet

Glasses

Food Products

Clothes

Purse

2.       List all the packages these items come in.

The toothpaste comes in a plastic package, Most of the food comes in plastic or cardboard packaging, and my glasses are in a leather case. Everything else doesn’t come in a package.

3.       List all the food you eat in 24 hours

Chicken Nuggets

French Fries

Fruit Punch

Cheese

Crackers

Soda

Mini Cheeseburgers

Chips

Redbull

4.       List all the packages these foods come in.

Chicken Nuggets- In a cardboard box

French Fries- In a cardboard box

Fruit Punch- In a cardboard cup with a plastic straw

Cheese- In a Plastic Wrapper

Crackers- In a Cardboard box wrapped in plastic inside

Soda- In a glass bottle

Mini Cheeseburgers- In a plastic wrapper inside a Cardboard box

Chips- In a plastic bag

Redbull- In an aluminum can inside a cardboard box

5.       List total calories for these 24 hours.

1548 calories total for the entire 24 hours.

Entry #6- ECHO Field Trip & Some Other Thoughts...

When you go to the store to buy something, it doesn’t ever really cross your mind on how it ACTUALLY got to your table. A lot of effort from many, many people goes into getting you the good you need and live off of everyday. Let’s start at the beginning. It all starts with farming. For example things needed to farm would be land, seed, soil, water, pesticides, the people actually farming, and much, much more. You then have to harvest the goods and ship them off to be transported to the stores. This includes travel time, the things necessary to keep the goods at a high level quality for consumers. Then you have to deal with packaging, distributing, then finally consumers buying it and bringing it home to the table. It’s a long process that can take lots of time and energy.

When we went to ECHO they were really trying to take learning about sustainable farming methods to a different level. What they did to help others really left me in awe. Since ECHO has many different climates and things going on within technology plays a big role in helping them learn. It helps with trial and error methods and just learning what works and what doesn’t. Florida is the best state in the US to really test what works in different climates considering we have beautiful weather year round. The soil, water, and climate all interrelate to create a learning cycle. It’s key to know what works in each specific climate and what types of soil they have to work with. Also if it’s a dryer area that doesn’t get rain nearly as often that’s something that you need to take into consideration when finding out what you can grow. Since we live in an area that we really can flourish off the land, we need to think more agriculturally about how we can live more sustainably and what we can do to nourish ourselves. ECHO’s methods to me are very sustainable not only for us in this area, but also to help people around the world in countries less fortunate how to live sustainably off the land. They use a lot of natural resources while still using basic technology as well and I think they do a great job and they helped me to learn a lot while I was there.

Organic is a term used a lot more often now, but what does it really mean? When it comes to fruits and veggies the term organic means they are grown with no chemicals, no pesticides, and they do not involve anything synthetic. When I see a fruit that’s organic and one that isn’t, I really can now tell the difference. Take an apple for example. The organic apple has a rough skin that you can tell is fresh. If you look at a non-organic apple you can see it has a wax like skin and really looks like its fake from all the chemicals that are put within. When it comes to meats that are organic, it simply means that the animals are fed in a pasture with no pesticides or anything not naturally grown, and they are never given any sort of antibiotics or any growth hormones. I’ve really tried since taking this class to try eating more organic and so far I really have come to like it!

Here are some pictures below that I took at the ECHO field trip! They show some of the different climates and land set ups they try to re-enact, and a few other neat things we got to see!

Entry #5- A New Plastic That Can Heal Itself?

I wanted to look for a more recent article to talk about and I came across one just as recent as April 21^st that really interested me in the way that technology is really helping us to come along farther. The article was titled; “Plastic, Heal Thyself: Scientists invent Smart Polymers”. At first I didn’t really understand what exactly the article was talking about, but it interested me enough to continue reading. Scientists have just unveiled a new plastic that can heal itself when it is exposed to natural light. You may think it can’t really be possible, but once you continue reading it really begins to make sense. Plastics are something we see and touch every day, and it almost seems like they exist within everything. Landfills all across the U.S. are filled with thrown out plastics because of leaks, cracks, or simply because they aren’t reusable. Sometimes these plastics can become safety hazards to us and they continue to create pollution within landfills which we know is something that is ruining our earth. By creating an alternative to regular plastic we can begin to reduce pollution and at the same time, without buying so much we can also begin to reduce consumerism which we learned about in class. If these plastics can last longer than normal, we as consumers won’t feel the need to buy, buy, buy, and hopefully be better for us in the long run. The different types of Polymers in this plastic makes it able to heal itself when it’s exposed to sunlight, therefore increase the life sustainability of the product and making it more useful. A way that this plastic will also be imperative is to things such as construction, transportation, and to packaging of products. In the end hopefully it will be less costly and will help products last longer then they usually would. Overall I think this plastic will be a great new addition to our economy, even though it may take quite a while to really come into country wide use. It can help us to reduce consumerism, and pollution, which are two major things we learned about during colloquium.

If all these plastics could repair themselves and be used again don't you think we could create a lot less pollution, and be able to reduce consumerism to save our economy at the same time?

Entry #4- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Field Trip

1.       In the beginning Corkscrew Sanctuary was established to protect the largest group of remaining cypress trees in the 1940’s. The Corkscrew Cypress Rookery Association was established in 1954 to continue to help protect the area. The sanctuary is also an important breeding area for the endangered Wood storks.

2.       It’s very important for us to continue to preserve the wetlands not only for the animals living in the environment, but also for us to protect ourselves. The wetlands stand to help keep the water quality natural thorough the cycle that nature intended it to follow. They continue to protect biodiversity, but helping to preserve both endangered plants and animals.

3.       Natural resource management is a priority at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The roles of the most important things such as fire, water, and other natural events are important to maintain and observe continuously. At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary they focus on five important components to their environment: Fire, Invasive species, hydrology, human access, and wildlife. When dealing with the water levels, they continuously gauge and analyze them so they are where they should be. They also know how important controlled burning is to an ecosystem, so typically between November and May they do controlled burns. Fires can actually benefit an ecosystem by creating more space and creating food abundance.

4.       At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary you will find different habitats like the Pine Flatwoods, Wet Prairie, Pond Cypress, Bald Cypress, and Central Marsh. Throughout the habitats you can find a wide variety of plants and animals such as, birds, fish, reptiles, insects, mammals, fish, and many different plants. The reptiles like turtles and alligators tend to live in the wet and marshy areas along with fish. Most plants are found in the prairies and cypress areas.

Below are some of the pictures that I took at Corkscrew Swamp, including some wildlife like a bird, turtle, and even an alligator!