University Colloquium Class

There are many aspect of this class that I have enjoyed and learned a lot. There are many documentaries that we were assigned to watch that taught me a great deal about how large corporations are treating third world countries. So, I like to know which companies use bad business practices so that I know not to buy their product. I did feel that some of the field trips were redundant. I think that the Corkscrew Swamp, FGCU Trail,and the Matanzaz Pass were all the same type of environment. I would have rather visited a recycling plant or a landfill. I didn't like most of the readings because it just seemed a little pompous. Instead of making it easy to understand and getting to the point they added a lot of filler to make themselves sound smarter. The only exception to this was reading the novel A Land Remembered which was both interesting and I learned a lot. I don't think there's a need for both a discussion and a quiz. Also, I hate the blog because I don't think it's really necessary. I don't feel like I learn anything from it. It's just another thing I have to do to prove I read the materials or watched the film clips. However, overall I did enjoy the course.

Interview

In the course of speaking to my grandmother it is apparent that she has no idea what sustainability means. She is from a time when there was no recycling, global warming, and emission concerns. No, her generation has an inherant respect for the land. She moved to Florida when she was very young and most of the land here was rural farms. Her life revolved around being outdoors in the farm. She informed me that growing up her father killed their farm animals for food. To this day, she can't stand to eat meat. Again, our generation is disconnected from seeing where our food comes from. I think if more people actually witnessed animals being slaughtered they would feel the same way. But, it's how she grew up and how her made a living. She states she can't comprehend how children would rather play videogames instead of playing outside. I informed her that I've learned to have more respect for the land and realize that I am a part of nature not seperate from it. Of course, these are things that her generation already knew.

Reflection

I think the most important ideal through this semester is that we have to be connected with nature. I don't think that most people realize how far we've strayed away from it. I don't recall when I stopped taking walks outside or going hiking. It just slowly crept its way out of my life. I think now most people feel like they don't belong in nature. We gotten to the point where it customary to spend most of your day indoors. An individuals experience with nature shouldn't just be a trip to the beach once a month or skiing in the winter. We should all experience what our own neighborhood has to offer everyday. I myself have set up a schedule where I take my dogs for a walk a different way everday so that I see more of my neighborhood. I think most people don't realize what wonderful things they have within their own community. It's important to appreciate what you have and to use it to your full advantage. As all of our readings have indicated, you must experience outdoors not just talk about it.

Environmental News

Warming Could Wake Up Volcanoes

This article states that climate changes are resulting in the melting of ice. By removing the weight of the ice, magma flows closer to the surface and it could trigger volcanic eruptions. As ice continues to melt, the volcanic eruptions will occur more frequently and more severely. The melting of the ice is said to be cause by global warming that occurs from fossil fuels. The main
concern is with large ice capped volcanoes as they could be more destructive than the smaller volcanoes they're currently studying. It is reported that 10% of Iceland's polar caps have melted since 1890.

I think this is just one more indication that global warming is real and we're destroying the planet with the fossil fuel emissions. I don't know how many more natural disasters need to take place before people start taking this seriously.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36627947/ns/us_news-environment/
Brecher,John, Warming Could Wake Up Volcanoes, April 18,2010

Urban Environment and Southwest Florida Historical Museum

URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND SWFL HISTORICAL MUSEUM

This is me on a hot spring day on my trek through downtown Fort Myers. The above
is a photograph of me infront of the Uncommon Friends Statue. It's actually really beautiful along the river. I've never really noticed this statue so I'm glad I really took my time to
examine the area.




This above is a photograph of the old Post Office for Fort Myers. There was a plaque indicating that this use to be an ancient site for the Caloosa Indian villages. During the Seminole War, a fort was constructed and named Ltn. Harvie and was later renamed Fort Myers honoring Ltn. Abraham Myers. During the Civil War, the base was reactivated to round up wild cattle.

This is the Old Courthouse for Fort Myers and the new one is located directly across from it. I learned many facts such as 1) the first courthouse was built on this site for $3,640 2) on May 13, 1887 the State of Florida created Lee County with a population of 1,414 and was named after Civil War General Robert E. Lee 3) on October 26, 1914 citizens tore down the county courthouse demanding a larger more modern facility be built.

The above is a picture of the Patio De Leon constructed in 1924. It was originally called Tonnelier Court and was designed to have an old Spanish European style. At one point, this fountain was transfored to house two alligators which were used as tourist attractions. It has just been recently remodeled within the last year.

This is my trip to the Southwest Florid Historical Museum. I would have to say this is my least favorite trip. I absolutely hated the whole process. I have a bad neck injury so trying to listen to the audio tour, take notes, and photograph was a huge ordeal. I thought the audio tour meant that you could walk up to the display and hit a button and it would tell you about the exhibit. Instead, I had my neck crinked to the side the whole time and having in dial buttons. I actually had to go to a massage therapist that night. It was a huge pain. It certainly wasn't worth 8 dollars. I don't even eat lunch out but I had to pay for this "museum". There was hardly anything interesting in there and I found the trip extremely boring. It seems they had a lot of replicas but very little actuall artifacts.

The above is a picture of the tools used by the Calusa Indians who were stone age people. This is called hafting in which handles are attached to tools. These were used for cutting and hammering. Basically, the used the resources around them to make tools of all kinds.

This is a photograph depicting how they burnt out the bowl of a basswood spoon. It was interesting to learn what kind of tools they made and how they used them. You can see how creative and resourceful they were.

Above is a exhibit of an ancient water burial taking place. When an individual died they would wrap the body in cloth. The body would then sink to the bottom of the pond. The muck at hte bottom of the pond would then cover it.

I also learned about the Seminole War in December 28, 1835 in which a band of Seminole Indians attacked troops. All of the soldier were killed and thus there was a second Seminole War.

This shows Buckingham and Page Field during World War II in which a gunnery school was built to help with the war efforts.

These are some of the items soldiers carried with them during World War II. So, overall the museum experience kind of let me down. I was hoping that there was going to be more to it. However, I did learn a few new things but I don't think I'll be going back.

Energy Consumption

ELECTRICITY USAGE

I have decided to research how much electricity I approximately use on a daily basis. There are many factors in determining energy usage. You must account for what type of home you have (i.e. house, appartment), age of home, number of occupants, number of appliances, type of bulbs used, if you have a pool/spa, type of windows, air conditioning/heating useage, and so on. So here are the factors that relate to me:

Home: Single Family
Age: 1987
Occupants: 2
Appliances:
Refridgerator: Energy Saver (2008) Used: 24 hours/day
Stove: Energy Saver (2008) Used: 3 times/30 minutes each
Microwave: 1 (2000) Not used today
Tv: Large Screen TV Used: 2 hours
Computer: Lap top Used: 3 hours
DVD Player: 1 Not used today
Phone-Cell Phone/Home Phone Used: 2 hours
Washer: 1998 Used: 1 (small wash, cold, short cycle)
Dryer: 1998 Used: 1
Dishwasher: Energy Saveer (2008) Used: 1
Clocks: 3 Used: 24hrs/day each
Lights: 10 Used: 4 hours
Bulbs: 50% Flourecent
AC: Approx. left on 75 degrees/turned off when not home. Used: 24/day at 75 degrees
Fans: 4 (only used when AC off) Not Used
Water Heater: Medium Used: 1 hour total
Water Pump: Well Water Used: 24hrs/day
Toilets: 2 Used: 8 times
Misc.: Fish tank (pump/light) Used: 24hrs/day
Hair Dryer: Daily use Used: 1 for 20 minutes

TOTAL ENERGY USE FOR ONE DAY: 42 kWh

My electric provider is LCEC. Their supplier is Seminole Electric Cooperative which is located in Tampa, Florida. Seminole owns, operates and transmits energy via their power plants to 46 counties in Florida. It utilizes two 650 Megawatt generating units powered by coal, delivered by rail, and obtained from mines in Illinois and Kentucky.

Total Miles Traveled Today: 5 miles/Single occupant
Gas Milage: 25 MPG
Carbon Footprint: 6.5 tons/year of Co2

I'm really aware of my energy usage. I think that energy awareness is not only good for the environment but is also cost effective. There are economical advantages for turning off the AC when not home, turning off the lights when not in a room, and buying enery saving appliances. I have actually convinced others to do the same after informing them of my total electric bill. They have reported back that turning of the AC when not at home during the day nearly cut
their electric bill in half!!! I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to cut back their energy
usage. It's the small things that make a difference in your budget. So, I think I make sustainable choices besides driving so far to work.

CORKSCREW SWAMP SANCTUARY

Out of all of the field trips that I have been on this semester the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was by far my favorite. It's a really beautiful, peaceful, viberant place full of wildlife. It was nice to actually walk along the boardwalk and see animals everywhere. It was especially fun because I got to bring my dad and my nine year old sister with me. They enjoyed the experience just as much as I did. My sister was so excited about going on the trails and even brought her binoculars with her. My dad, who was stressed out due to his work schedule, was completely relaxed by the time we left. This supports the theory that walking outdoors in nature reduces stress and anxiety.

We walked the trails at a slow pace so that we didn't miss anything. It wasn't long before we came across two very large alligators. It was great to see them out in the wild in their natural habitat. My little sister loved seeing them so we just saw there for half an hour watching them even though they didn't do much.

One thing that struck me was the clearity of the swamp water. There were some parts where you could see all the way to the bottom. It was nice to see all the different types of freshwater fish. We ran into a gentleman who fished a lot and he was telling us about all the types of freshwater fish that he thought were in the ponds. He said there was probably mostly catfish and bass.

We also enjoyed all the different types of plants and trees we came across. It was really beautiful to see all the birds and nests. I couldn't believe how many different types of birds there were. It appeared that a lot of people did bird watching there. I wished I had brought a better camera because it was difficult to photograph them in all the foilage.

The boardwalk streched on for miles over different terrain and at different elevations. The aquatic plants were amazing. When looking down into the water you could see all the types of fish hiding in the plants.

Somewhere in this picture is a baby alligator approximately three feet long. He's partially submerged in the swamp water hiding behid the foilage. I wouldn't have even seen him if it wasn't for my dad. My father has a "Steve Irwin" ability to spot animals so I'm glad he came along. So we all enjoyed the trip and we are going to go back soon. Overall, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was amazing and I'm glad I went.

Reflections on the film "11th Hour"

I recently watch a video called The 11th Hour which was narrated, created and produced by film star Leonardo DiCaprio in 2007. This environmental expose examined such issues as climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and the oil industry. However, after viewing many environmental films during my studies within the last few months I feel this film fell short compared to the other environmental documentaries. Given DiCaprio's expansive budget and star appeal I expected a better, well informed depiction of what's really occurring around the world. One thing it did not fall short of however, is drama. This films was packed with disturbing imagery which flashed randomly throughout the movie. While it tried to depict the seriousness of the world's environmental problems it failed to provide fresh information. During the film I was waiting for some new revelation to be revealed, but unfortunately, that never occurred. Basically, this movie did not produce the kind of emotional connection compared to similar movies such as Future of Food or FLOW. The downside to having bland environmental films packed with drama is that the audience, the world, is going to become immuned. There's a long line of films that have spurred since Al Gore released The Inconvenient Truth. If you can't offer the audience something new other than bad imagery then you shouldn't have made the film. Also, it failed to provide any information to the audience on how to change our current environmental issues. As I recall, it basically stated that the government needs to change. Maybe Mr. DiCaprio could of offered some suggestions on how we can accomplish that. Overall, it seemed like a scare tactic that was reminiscent of Nostradamus prophecies.

Environmental News

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100308-715555.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

I found an interesting article in which Wal-Mart settles environmental suits in reference to their stores in California. The suit stem from the greenhouse gas emissions that is produced by Wal-Mart due to "operations and ...(its) expansion of three stores". As part of the settlement agreement, Wal-Mart had to install three solar panels on the roofs and use energy efficient designs and equipment for their stores built in Perris and Yucca Valley. The Center for Biological Diversity sued Wal-Mart over permits that were issued to have the two stores expanded. "Wal-Mart said last week it aims to cut 20 million metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015. Wal-Mart worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop the plan and is also working with PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon Inc., the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas." (Sweet) A California law adopted in 2006 aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2020. Hopefully other major chains will follow suit in the wake of such lawsuits.

Sweet, Cassandra, Wal-Mart Settles Environmental Complaints Over Calif Stores, March 8, 2010,http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100308-715555.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

Sustainability Challenge

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/
I took the above sustainability challenge on the link below which took a lot of consideration and about 15 minutes to complete. I would have to say that the result is surprising. I thought for sure that I wouldn't exceed one planet and I was wrong. After taking the quiz, my result was a disappointing 2.3 earths. The quiz indicated how many planet earths it would take to sustain the lifestyle your currently living. Of course, the highest number was due to transportation and I scored a 5 in that area. I don't think that a lot of the world realizes how large America is and that mostly we're just trying to commute to work. If you don't live in a big city then you have to travel to the big cities to find work. You can't live in the big cities because it's too expensive. Therefore, you have to live in the rural or suburb areas and commute to work. With how much driving we have to do just to get anywhere of course we use a lot of oil. But I think it's not practical to take the bus. You get off of work, then pick up the kids, then go to the store....you'd spend most of your day waiting for a bus. I think compared to a lot of countries, Americans tend to work more. Then we have to multitask like going grocery shopping during lunch or running errands. We can't do those chores if we had taken the bus to work. So until someone comes up with and implements a better way to communte....things aren't going to change. People do what they can by recycling, saving water, using energy efficient lighting and appliances...but bottom line is that we need to fix the oil problem to have any kind of impact.

Food Intake and Packaging

For the first part of this post I am calculating the food and drink I consumed, my caloric intake, and how much energy and water went into producing it.

Food/Drink for one day:

Coffee (black)-Calories: 2, Contents: 2 cups of water and 1 scoop of instant coffee, Packaging: Plastic Folgers container and ceramic coffee cup; Total water used: 8 cups, Total energy used: 800 watts, Preparation: self-made.

Yogurt-Calories: 115, Contents: 4 oz, Packaging: Plastic w/ Aluminum lid; Total water used: 12 cups, Total energy used: 300 watts, Preparation: pre-made.

Salad with tomatoes, oil and vinager dressing-Calories: 33, Contents: 3.7 oz, Packaging: none-farmer's market, Total water used: 15 cups (including rising salad and tomatoes, Total energy used: 1000 watts, Preparation: self-made. Oil and Vinager Dressing-Calories: 43, Packaging: two plastic containers, total water used: 2 cups, total energy used: 500 watts, Preparation: self-made.

Water (tap from well)-Calories: 0, Packaging: none, total water used: 1 liter, total energy used: 2,400 watts (electric from well system).

Tomato Soup-Calories: 150, Packaging: 1 can, Contents: 1 cup, total water used: 15 cups, total energy used: 3,000 watts (mostly from production of can), Preparation: pre-made.


*To determine how much water is used to make a certain product I have used the following sources:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_water_does_it_take_to_make_a_plastic_bottle

**To determine how much energy is used to make a certain product I have used the following sources:
http://www.dearbornswcd.org/plastic%20bags%20campaign.pdf

http://www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainability/bottled_water/bottled_water_and_energy.html

http://forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/162215-chart-how-many-watts-needed-run-most-common-appliances.html

***To determine calories I am utilizing the information listed on the product and the following sources:
http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/Foods/1400/14214/Food.aspx

For the next section I am going to list portable items, the packaging, and the energy and water used in production and packaging.

Purse: no packaging, came with recycled paper stuffing, estimating 200 watts, 1 liter of water.

Cellphone: plastic container, 8000 watts, 5 gallons of water for single production of phone and container and charge, battery 6 volts, 200 watts, 1/2 gallon of water.

Pen: plastic with some metal, 200 watts, 2 liters, for production of set of pens and thin plastic wrap bag.

Ceramic mug: 6000 watts, 1 gallon of water for production.

Sources used:
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=24437
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=3
http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/00ccdb/cc00_tabA9.pdf

My Trip to the Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve





While I am a native to Fort Myers, Florida, I have never experienced the Matanzas Pass Preserve. I actually got lost on my way there and drove all the way past Lover's Key despite having checked the directions before I left. It's quite tucked away off the main road with no signs indicating that there's a preserve there. After getting lost and driving at a snails pace through all the beach traffic I was to say the least in an unpleasant mood.


However, after walking on the boardwalk through the mangroves my mood seemed to change rather quickly and I began to relax. The trail is very narrow with the brush encroaching on the boardwalk. There are mangroves on both sides in various states of growth. The sign on the path indicated that the area had been planted in 1996 in which all the exotic vegetation was removed. It stated that the exotic vegetation was harmful to the native wildlife.

The trail seemed endless as it looped and forked in several directions. It's amazing that something so serene could be seconds away from the busy main road. It was really beautiful and provided a glimpse as to how this land use to look. I don't think I've ever seen a region located on the beach that was untouched.

My favorite part of the whole trip was sitting by the dock watching the water flow through the mangroves. I must have been there for at least an hour. It was nice hearing the gentle waves hitting the mangroves. It was relatively quiet except when a load boat would pass by. The weather was especially beautiful today and there was a nice gentle breeze. After spending quite a bit of time there I headed back to check out the cottages.

What struck me most about the cottages was the plaque they had containing the names and dates of the original Homesteaders of Estero Island. I couldn't imagine what it was like to only have 8 families on the entire beach.

The above is a picture of an 18th Century Anchor that was donated to the preserve.

The above is a picture of a rain barrel that was used during the 1920's through the 1940's as the island residents primary source of collecting fresh water.

This beach cottage was built in 1921 and was the fourth house that was built on the island. It's really amazing to get a glimpse of how people use to live on Fort Myers Beach. This trip was very informative and allowed me to see a different perspective of the area. I wished today it had retained some of that quaintness that it once was.

Water Rights

I believe that no single person or company should be able to claim rights over water. Water is not something that should be owned no more than the air being owned. Our mentality to claim whatever we want in this world is preposterous. This type of greed is affecting communities all over the world for the worse. We can see the damage that this kind of mentality has created. “With two-thirds of the world’s population expected to run short of fresh drinking water by 2025, water has come to be known as “the oil of the 21st century.” Around the world, multinational corporations are parlaying the misery of our water-starved regions into profits for their stockholders and executives. In the United States, 86 percent of people get their household water services from a public utility. But some members of Congress and local politicians want to see private companies take over more water systems. And public utilities are struggling financially to meet federal clean water standards and to maintain and modernize water
systems.”(Care2)

These companies cannot be trusted. They’re taking water away from the community and then selling it back to them. Of course this is wrong. It’s happening all over the world and it’s only going to get worse. Unfortunately, these companies are taking in large amounts of water which causes the rivers and streams to be depleted so much so that they’re drying up. Can you image paying extra for a river on your land only to have it dried up from a company that’s pumping water for profit upstream? This is the problems a lot of communities are facing.

I think that communities should keep their water within their own community. To prevent major water shortages, proper water conservation is essential. I’ve decided to monitor my water usage to determine if I’m wasting water and to determine where I can conserve water. Here are the results for my water usage for one day:

Date: March 6, 2010
TIME ACTIVITY Amount of
Water Used
8:10 AM Flush Toilet 5 Gallons
8:13 AM Morning Shower for 15 minutes 60 Gallons
8:40 AM Brush Teeth (water not running while brushing) ½ Gallon
9:00 AM Drink of Water (tap water) 4 Cups
10:00 AM Flush Toilet 5 Gallons
10:30 AM Made Coffee 3 Cups
12:20 PM Made Lunch 8 Cups
12: 35 PM Flush Toilet 5 Gallons
1:30 PM Laundry to Wash 50 Gallons
2:00 PM Drink of Water (tap water) 8 Cups
2:10 PM Flush Toilet 5 Gallons
3:30 PM Washed Dishes (Dishwasher) 14 Gallons
4:00 PM Flush Toilet 5 Gallons
5:30 PM Cooked Dinner 1 Gallon
5:40 PM Made Iced Tea 1/5 Gallon
6:12 PM Flushed Toilet 5 Gallons
8:00 PM Washed Dishes by hand 3 Gallons
8:27 PM Flushed Toilet 5 Gallons
9:13 PM Bath 20 Gallons
9: 42 PM Brushed Teeth (water not running while brushing ½ Gallon
TOTAL WATER USED IN ONE DAY: 194.5 Gallons

http://www.stormwater.ucf.edu/toolkit/vol1/Contents/pdfs/Water%20Conservation/Water%20used%20handout.pdf

I utilized the above link to help me approximate my water usage. The amount seems high because it’s an average of my personal use plus that of household activities. Although, I think there are some ways in which I can reduce my water usage. For instance, the chart shows that you use less water in a bath than a shower. I’m really surprised by the amount of water used. I can’t imagine living somewhere that you only get a gallon of water a day if you’re lucky.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/who-should-own-our-water.html

Investigating My Favorite Snack Food

After watching the Future of Food, I decided to investigate my favorite snack food Sun Chips. Sun Chips are produced by the Frito-Lay company in 1991. They are multi-grain, fried, rippled chips. I was originally drawn to it because it looked like a healthy snack food because it doesn’t have any cholesterol or trans fats. I really wanted an alternative to greasy, unhealthy, artery clogging chips. “Sun Chips bags note that they carry 6 grams of fat per 1 ounce serving (as opposed to the normal 10 grams of fat per one ounce serving in regular potato chips), and have no cholesterol nor trans fat. Sun Chips also contain 75mg of Potassium per serving. Sun Chips are also labeled as one of PepsiCo's "Smart Choices Made Easy," a list of their products marketed by the company as healthier alternatives to other snack foods”. (Sun Chips)

One thing I did not know about this product is that it contains animal enzymes. “Frito-Lay's web site[3] states that they use enzymes from pigs (porcine enzymes) in some of their seasoned snack products to develop "unique flavors". (Sun Chips) I am a vegetarian so I am not pleased with this information. I don’t think people would expect animal products to be included in chips. I think I really need to research what I am eating because these days you never know. However, I did find out that they support the Susan G. Komen charity. Also, in 2010 they made their chip bags out of biodegradable materials.

I have discovery from their main web site that they are really environmentally friendly. Their plant in Modesto, California, one plant out of the eight they have, uses solar energy instead of fossil fuels to make Sun Chips. They are also building a plant in Greensburg, Kansas to participate in rebuilding the greenest town in America! They are also partnering with National Geographic to co-sponsor the Green Effect that will award $20,000 to the group who makes the best proposals for making their community greener. Their main website contains a lot of information on how they participate in “The Green Effect”. So my favorite snack food is holding up well environmentally. I think this is an excellent example of a company being environmentally responsible. I hope that everyone check’s out their website and supports their company.
http://www.sunchips.com/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Chips

ECHO Field Trip

Echo is an organization that assists farmers and communities all over the world. They teach communities how to survive by educating them on alternative ways in which to farm. Echo also provides poor farmers with seeds in which to start crops. Through extensive research, they find crops that will grow in various climates.

It is essential to Echo that everything they use must be multifunctional. For instance, the bambo they grow is utilized to make fenses, to use as tools, or to eat.

Above is a picture of a rice crop. They have two different types of crops. One that utilizes the standard technique which requires the soil to be saturated. The other rice crop only requires that the soil is damp. This allows rice crops to be grown in areas that don't have access to a lot of water.

Since there are different terrains acrosss the world, Echo had built a mound so they can practice techniques on farming on mountains and hills.

Below is an example of raised bed gardens. Raised bed gardens reduces the damage that is caused by flooding and it improves soil fertility.

Not only does Echo teach people how to farm but they also try and help solve problems that farmers are confronted with. Sometimes farmers have trouble keeping their livestock from eating their crops. So Echo came up with a Zero Graze Unit that protects crops from animals and provides for the collection of manure.

They have a wide variety of crops to meet the needs of farmers all over the world as seen in this picture.

Above is a picture of my guide Laura doing a demonstration of how an irrigation pump works. An irrigation pump can radically improve a family's life by providing them with water without needing electricity. Amazingly, they constructed the wheel of this pump with a bicycle tire.


Below is another example of an irrigation technique for a small crop. This type disburses water efficiently and evenly.

As stated previously, Echo uses everything as a resource including manure. Below pictured is a biogas digester which removes methane gas from manure which creating an alternative energy source.

And these are the little manure producers!!!

So cute! These goats provide vital manure. Manure can be used for alternative energy or for fertilizing the soil. They use the animal droppings from all animals on the farm incuding the ducks and goat.

I can't keep a plant alive with expensive soil and fertilizers and they've found a way to use fabric and old cans to grow their plants. A wick garden is a method of growing plants in which they use fabric to conduct water throughout a garden bed.

Echo has designed an alternative to allow crops to grow in urban environments. Here they have used a tire, a sock and aluminum cans to create a crop.

Below is an example of a typical "home" in Haiti which usually holds approximately nine people.

It really shows how impoverished Haiti is and how little they have to work with. It's great that an orginzation such as Echo is helping farmers all over the world.


I had a wonderful time a Echo and really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot.

Religion and Environmentalism

For those that are interested in Buddhism, I would suggest that they check out this site for the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. It is their belief that any effective Buddhist practice in today's world must include an ecological perspective that is fully integrated into our everyday lives. It's amazing that the below quote is from 1976...it's sad that we've allow this to go on so long.

"We are being warned that certain natural resources are finite and that we are using them all up at an alarming rate; more often then not, not only using them up at an alarming rate but using them in a most wasteful fashion. So Buddhists, those who try to follow the Dharma, should be very aware of this and should try to use everything of natural origin very carefully indeed... The same principle applies to our use of the natural environment: we shouldn't destroy it or spoil it in any way, as, for instance, through pollution." (Nature, Man and Enlightenment, 1976)

If you're interested, I have posted the link below:
http://www.ecopractice.fwbo.org/inspirationalreadings.htm

My Fight Against Styrofoam

I work in a law office that is constantly using styrofoam cups. As most know, styrofoam is VERY bad for the environment. Styrofoam doesn't dissolve like other materials do, it's hard to recycle, and it releases HFC's into the environment. Therefore, I have asked my co-workers to bring their own coffee cups to work so that it cuts back on the styrofoam cup usage. I found a wonderful website that was very informative about how hazardous styrofoam which is linked below.

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Styrofoam_is_Bad_for_the_Environment

Nature Trail

I had no idea that FGCU had a nature trail until I took this class. On the day I went it was absolutely beautiful outside. It was both sunny and slightly cool.

As I walked down the trail, the plants immediately caught my attention. Mostly there were palmetto bushes everywhere. However, I notice that there was also a lot of ferns covering the ground.

I continued down the path hoping to come across an animal. So far, I have only seen several annoying mosquitos. Then I found a spider! I'm not sure why type it is but at least I've found some form of wildlife.

After walking for 20 minute and not seeing any other animals I started to check the fallen and hollowed logs that were lying on the ground. I came upon a log in the photograph below and found an inhabitant, a lizard. It's not really exciting but it's wildlife so I'll take it.

It's amazing how hard it is to find wildlife even when it's your main objective. I came across many hollowed logs and burrows which looked promising, unfortunately they were unihabitated...at least for the moment.

I found it interesting that a lot of the trees on the trail had looked burned. I know that they don't allow any type of campfires per the signs posted at the entrance. Maybe there were some parts in which they did a controlled burn to get rid of some of the foilage?

As I hit the southern end of the trail, I noticed there were hoof prints in the mud. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the tracks of a wild pig. I know there are a lot of wild pigs in the area so it's not uncommon to come across them. I followed the tracks off the trail slightly but gave up upon entering the thicker brush. I made my way back to the trail trying to avoid the poison ivy that covered the surrounding trees.

After taking numerous pictures of my surroundings, I decided to call it a day and return to the entrance. I did however take a short break on the hammock before I left. Overall, I felt that it was a very productive trip and I can't wait to go back. I might try to do this at least once a month.

Thoughts on the University Colloquium Class

I have to say that this class is more work intensive than I had expected. I figured that I would be required to write a few papers on the environment, go on a trip or two, and write a few posts. However, this does not appear to be the case. I never thought that I would have to create my own blog, do community service, or photograph my experiences. It appears that the unversity really does care that we're active in our environment and takes this class very seriously. I kind of like that it pushes me outside my comfort zones. As a buddhist, I have always been very aware of my impact on the environment and how animals are treated. I have been contemplating volunteering at an animal shelter forever but have never had the time. I feel like this class is going to force me to finally make the time to volunteer which is wonderful.