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.