Last Day-Presentations

Presentation are not my favorite way of spending class time. I feel like the majority of the class does not listen to the other presentations and a lot of class time is wasted. It is very hard to sit through hours of presentations. On the other hand, I feel like all the groups did a great job giving their own presentation and I believe everyone learned a great deal about their own chapter that they were assigned.

Downtown Fort Myers

I believe this was a very informative field trip for me. I have never been downtown during the day, so I really enjoyed being there. I love how Ft. Myers has so much history. The funniest part was learning about the pleasure boardwalk. it is crazy to me to think how they moved that one building that use to be on the boardwalk to an area on land. The moral that we saw on the side of the federal building was also very interesting with a lot of history to tell. I feel like that is a story that tourist should hear, yet the moral is in such an odd area that if they see it, i do not think they would understand the meaning behind it. My favorite part however is the farmers market. We were told it is better during season, which I can believe however I love farmers markets so I can not wait to go again when it is busy.

Increase in development

I lived in Naples about 10 years ago, and it was nothing like it is today. Before I moved the only thing being built was the Sports Authority on Airport Road, and now you can find a CVS on every corner. I really wish Southwest Florida was not developing at such a fast pace. I really enjoyed the environment it was 10 years ago. We have these shopping centers today that we built on such beautiful land and the shopping malls do not even have any business because our economy is such a mess right now. We destroy more natural land every day for something that is not beneficial.

Dry Season causing I-75 to close

In the month of May and beginning of June a brush fire of thousands of acres broke out in Naples, Florida. These fires caused I-75 to close. This event effected me due to the fact that I have to drive down Alligator Ali to go back to my parents, and come back to my apt. here in Estero. It just so happened that I was home visiting my parents the week the fires started. I had to make it back to Naples for work Saturday morning. Well I was driving and was caused to have to make a detour I never even knew existed till then. During times like this we really need to be aware of ways in which we can help decrease the extremes during these dry seasons.

Bonita Beach ranked 7th healthiest in the Country

recently Health magazine ranked Bonita Springs as the seventh healthiest beach in the nation. A combination of sugar sand and many miles of area parks helped Bonita get the ranking. Bonita Beach really makes an effort to control the number one environmental issue, red tide. Lee County is making an effort to keep the water clean and reduce red tide through a recently passed fertilizer ordinance. The ordinance is aimed at Florida’s rainy season — June 1 to Sept. 30 — and affects homeowners, residents and professional landscapers in Lee County. Nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilized lawns runs into drains, canals, streams and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The end result is red tide and fish kills along the beaches of the Gulf. And that effects the tourist that come to visit each year. A lot of tourism depends on the environment so we need to stress the importance of keeping the water clean, so our economy and raise.

Climate Change

I think it is incredible that for the first time ever a large stretch of open water is visible in the Artic! When I think of the Artic I just imagine ice, and freezing cold weather! These types of changes are occurring due to our human actions and the way we have been living and destroying our environment and provides for us. Green house gases have played a big role as to why our climate increase is what it is today. Our weather has warmed 100 degrees Celsius in the last 100 years. . To recover our climate change and restart the help of our future, we need to reconstruct our way of life and start participating in challenges that will able a more sustainable lifestyle. For example, here in America thousands of people are driving huge SUV's, hummers and trucks. Yes, some do NEED these for their career, but NOT ALL! Eventually the way we live will have to change, but the longer we wait just means the more sacrifices that will need to be made in the future.

Senate Panel approves drilling off Florida

In a recent article found in the Naples Daily News, discusses how Florida has now approved to end a drilling ban in an area known as Destin Dome which reaches withing 10 miles off Pensecola, Florida. This area is believed to have as much as 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. I personally do not believe in this procedure! Drilling for oil on our coast will not improve any long term economic issue we are facing.

Aldo Leopold.

For this paper we read an article by Aldo Leopold. he believed in the betterment of our land. He summarized land ethic as an approach to issues of land use that emphasizes conservation and respect for out natural environment. The way people take such advantage of the land we have and destroy it for our own personal gain. Leopold finds it unbelievable that we can have such a relation to our land and use these natural resources it provides to us. yet we do it without having love, respect and admiration for our land's value, in a philosophical sense. People do not serve the land the land serves the people. if nothing is done to change this then eventually the quality of the land will become degraded beyond repair, and then what?

Ecological footprint

In class we were given a website we could go to and take a quiz to see what our ecological footprint would be. It is crazy to believe that the avg. American would need 4-7 earths. I had my parents take the quiz so they could see our families ecological footprint and since then we are trying to cut back on somethings. it takes one step at a time. I just wish more Americans understood ways in which they could try and become more sustainable.

Prescribed burn

The second day of my service learning at Camp Caloosa we were able to participate and help a forestry firemen in a prescribed burn. This was personally the best educational experience. Before the forestry men arrived the class created a fire line. A fire line helps prevent the fires from getting out of control and jumping aver to areas they do not want to burn. After that I was one of the students who volunteered to get all dressed in protective wear so I could participate in the fire action. Most of the class left right before the first started to actually take off. There was just me two other girls and our professor. We were on a walk around the fire line while the fire was going and we saw the fire jump over the line a bit and I had to run to get one of the forestry firemen to drive his truck over and put the fire out. It was quite the experience and I absolutely loved it , once in a life time type of experience. Not many people are able to stand right in a forest fire.

First day of service learning

For our service learning our professor was able to take us to camp Caloosa where we helped remove invasive species such as Maliluca and Brazilian pepper. The first day we cut down these species using all sorts of crazy tools, that I thought I would personally never use. It was overcast so I guess I lucked out because the week prior the weather was extremely hot. At the end of the day we planted about 6 new plants. All in all, it was a great experience.

Lovers Key

Our trip to Lovers key was beautiful!! I love the beach, it is very relaxing to me when I hear the waves and the smell of the ocean. When we were there it was pretty hot out, luckily I wore shorts so I could go in to the water a little bit to cool off. I had never been to Lovers Key before this trip and I really enjoyed it. It is a place to go when you just want to get away and not be surrounded by people. Well at least out of season it is.

Echo Field Trip

Echo was by far my favorite field trip for this course. I was really proud to see that there are people out there trying to make a difference for the betterment of third world countries. These countries are starving, and here in America we are blessed to be able to consume so much. One thing I learned while at Echo that really amazed me was how they turned dirty dirty dirty water into clear water that someone could drink. I came home and really wanted to try it. This is by far a place that I would love to go visit again, and one day when I own my own home I would love to grow my own fruits and veggies so I would love to go back there and learn how to keep up an effective garden.

Earth on Edge

When watching "Earth on Edge" I kept thinking how much the farmland crisis can effect my life even when being states away. Farmland crisis lead to destroying land with fertilizer and chemicals which causes our streams to be polluted and some areas are not able to drink the lands water which flows toward the Mississippi River which is scary because that leads to the Gulf so what it just makes me think what is going to happen down the road in my life and the next generation if this pollution continues.

Education

Last class we spent a great deal of time talking about the education of children today. I think everyone is responsible for their own education however, when you are so young and in elementary school you need that mentor/parent to be responsible in teaching the ways to appreciate education. I have been observing in a preschool and the first day I could not believe the way a child had been behaving; throwing chairs, hitting other children, throw them self on the ground all when the child did not get their own little way once. Day after day I saw the mother come in to pick her child up from school and not once did the mother get off her cell phone to say hi how was your day. It was then when I realized the reasoning for the child acting out the way they do in school, the child is craving for attention (even if it may be for bad behavior). Parents take a big part in their child's education. And I believe they need to be more involved in the education community.

John Dewey

Our first paper for this class which was based on our readings of John Dewey was actually kind of interesting. Being an education major I have heard a lot about him and his educational philosophy. I believe the reading was some what confusing on establishing a point of view for Dewey. In my paper I really just based my past education experiences with regards to the readings. I personally believe people learn best when they can apply material to their own life and experiences.

First Day of Colloquium 5/14/2009

Before attending today's class I was dreading what I thought this class was going to be like. I am not a person that finds much time to sit down and watch the news or read a newspaper on a daily basis to see what events are occurring around me and the world. I think taking this course will broaden my horizons to some new information I have not yet taken time to really pay close attention to and the effects. I was stunned when the professor told the class that the average debit an American person is in not including mortgage, college loans, and some other bills is $15,000. REALLY!? That is insane to me. I grew up with my parents always drilling in my head always just spending the money you have and I understand people have bills to pay but to be in that much debit for a credit card because of shopping for clothes and food is crazy! So after that I am really interested to see what we are going to explore to know how to live a more sustainable life.