Reflection

At the beginning of the summer, I was dreading this class to come. I couldn't think of one thing I wanted to do less. But in my defense, I didn't fully understand what Colloquium was, or what I would be learning.

Now, I am glad I took this class. I am a Criminal Forensics Major, and I enjoyed every part of this class. I liked all the field trips because they were fun but also informative. My favorite one was the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary because of all the wildlife we saw there.

But, of all the field trips and everything about this class, I am grateful. I am grateful for the knowledge that I learned. Honestly, I don't think I would have taken the time to learn all this if I didn't take this class. I am glad we had to, because now I will make some big changes in my life and how I live. For example, I will start being sure to always turn the lights off when I am not using them, I would limit the food I waste and the water I waste. I would like to, in the future, start my own novice garden, maybe with some foods I ate a lot, like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes. I did get some turnips seeds today in class :)

I am not sure how exactly to cook them, but I am sure I can figure it out and give some to friends and family like my grandma does with her vegetables. This was a fast 6 weeks in this class, but Professor Wilkinson did a great job keeping us all interested and wanting to learn more. So for that, I thank you. And I will be sure to move forward with the values of this class in mind.

Class Presentations

These past two days in class we have been going over our presentations for the book Plan B which talks about the issues we have going on all over the world and some possible solutions to try and fix them in the future. The book also forecasts what will happen if we do not take these steps to better ourselves and the entirety of Earth.

I really enjoyed my chapter (chapter 2), actually enjoyed isn't a very good word for it. All of that information was a lot, and it was enough to freak anyone out, whether you find the issues going on big or small. I had no idea about top soil or water aquifers until this class. But after reading my chapter, I realized just how incredibly serious this really is. I knew there were civilian attacks in different countries like Rwanda, etc. but I didn't realize how frequent they were and how common they are in countries in the middle east.

I will say, that my favorite presentation was Chapter 9, Feeding 8 Billion People Well. I think the group did an amazing job holding the classes attention and involving them in their lesson. They gave forth a lot of information and different ideas that are reasonably priced for any ones pocket to save water, food, etc. 

Their PowerPoint enlightened me in little ways. For example, they said " we always hear that we're lacking oil, never lacking food". Why is that? There are so many countries with little to no food. Malnourishment is high in those countries to the point that children are eating dirt to have something in their stomachs. Why do we obsess over oil, but not obsess over fixing our planet? If we are really wasting two meals a day, which I believe because sometimes I am guilty of it, why can't we do something with our excess food to help others?

These presentations all did a lot to make oneself think. They all did a good job of broadcasting what is really going on, but what some of us may not be seeing, and giving reasonable solutions to somehow try and fix it at minimum cost. The experience was definitely eye opening. For people looking for answers, and looking for ways to better themselves, our country, and our Earth, I would recommend reading this book by Lester Brown.

Downtown Fort Myers

Living in Tampa for the past 6 years, when I hear the word downtown I automatically assume city. Built up, no view, skyscrapers, and the forum.

The other week, my class took a trip to Downtown Fort Myers. I have been there once before for a fishing tournament, but I never really took the sites in. I stayed at the Indigo Hotel, which was really really nice, and still is, and every night walked to a little pizza place.

This trip was different however, this time, I actually learned something about the area. I do admit, that sometimes I am ignorant in a sense when I go places. I don't think about how the area was before all the buildings, and hotels. I just see what I see at that given moment. This trip however, gave me the opportunity to open my eyes and think about what downtown used to look like.

Even still, downtown Fort Myers looks great. I saw a lot of greenery and its surrounded by water so it was still a cool view.

While downtown, we visited a Museum. While walking through it was cool to see the bones of the animals that used to walk this Earth. For example, the saber tooth, the ground sloth, and even some aquatic creatures. Here is how huge the Ground Sloth was:

In the museum, I saw the tools the Indians used, and what they were intended for. I saw the old battle set up of Ft. Myers and even what an iron lung contraption looked like. It was cool seeing history as it related to that one area.

I enjoyed walking through downtown and taking everything in. It was neat seeing the new building plans for downtown and just viewing the life downtown as compared to other places.

Rhode Island

I was born in Newport, RI and then moved to South Kingstown, RI. The majority of my family was raised in Rhode Island as well. I went to South Kingstown High School, but so did my mom, dad, brother, and grandma. By the time I got there, everyone knew who I was.

My grandpa was police captain at South County Police Department. I used to think it was awesome when he would pick me up from school in detective car.

My favorite part about Rhode Island though, is the water. When it is summer time up there, it is amazing. Everything is blooming and thriving and has a clean fresh scent. Before I moved to the woods, I used to live next to my grandparents in East Matunuck Beach. We were a mile walking distance from the beach, so naturally I spent all my time there. From her yard, you could see through her field and down out to Salt Lake Pond. There, the pond would open to the Bay leading out to he ocean. I used to go boating and tubing on that pond all the time with my uncle.

My grandma has a green thumb to say the least. She has numerous garden filled with tulips and other flowers. She also has two vegetable gardens. She composts a lot, and uses that as soil for her garden.
My favorite thing in her yard was always the Cherry Blossom Tree.

Down the road toward the beach, there is a marsh called Salt Marsh. Whenever I would get "bored", I would grab a ten gallon bucket and walk down. There is would dig my toes in the sand until I would feel and oyster. Once I got it I would place in my bucket till it was full. Oystering is fun because I was catching my food, while dodging the crabs who were angry that I stepped in their nest.

East Matunuck has always been really pretty. One end has all the beach houses that have been there since before my mom, and the other end is vacant for tourists with nothing but a pavilion. I pretty much lived at the beach growing up, it was my comfort place for sure.

A big tourist spot in Rhode Island, besides Newport, is Block Island. Block Island is 12 miles off the coast, and on a clear day you can see the island from East Matunuck and Matunuck Beach.

Fun Fact: the largest great white shark caught ever recorded was caught off the coast of RI, very close to Block Island.
Fun Fact: The Nature Conservancy has designated Block Island "one of the 12 last greatest places in the Western Hemisphere".

The island is very cool in the summer though. It is thriving with all different people. Some people live on the island all year so there is a school out there. It is also a great place for school field trips because there is a lot of history there. Its a cute weekend getaway spot with all the small family owned motels and you can rent bikes and ride them everywhere. My favorite part of the Island is the Bluffs.

There is a lot Rhode Island has to offer. When I moved to Florida, people thought I was exaggerating on how awesome it is up there. Maybe some of these pictures will be insightful, but it is a great place with lots of places to explore.

"Formed by glaciers nearly 10,000 years ago, Block Island features a diverse array of habitats.

Maritime shrubland, beaches and open morainal grasslands support more than 40 state and federal rare or endangered species, including the globally endangered American burying beetle.

Birds stop here while migrating in the spring and fall along the Atlantic Flyway. In addition to the plants and animals, the human community is dedicated to conserving open space to preserve their natural and cultural heritage."

Popular Areas of Interest:

• Clay Head Preserve
• Fresh Swamp Preserve
• Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve
• Nathan Mott Park & Turnip Farm
• Rodman's Hollow

http://www.blockislandinfo.com/ViewPage.aspx?SectionID=66

Canoeing

The other day in class we went canoeing. I however couldn't go because I had really bad sun poisoning and it hurt just walk outside.

I have, however done a lot of canoeing back home in Rhode Island and some kayaking in Virginia. I used to have my own canoe and every sunday my parents and I would either go to the beach or to the pond and take our canoe out together. I love anything that has to do with the water, but there is something so peaceful about being in a canoe and kayak as opposed to a motor boat.  By canoeing, you're at one with nature. It's your own will to speed up, or slow down. You can take in all the surroundings around you and experience new sites, sounds, and some animals.

"What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other travel. Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal five hundred on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature." - Pierre Elliott Trudeau

When I was in Virginia, my dad and I went kayaking. His house has a little bay that opens into the ocean. It was similiar to canoeing but I was much more excited for it. The water was rough and splashing over the kayak. I think I enjoyed it so much because my adrenaline was pumping a little bit. It was fun kayaking in Virginia because the area so different than it is in Rhode Island and Florida. In Rhode Island, I canoed in a freshwater pond with a few small trails. In Virginia, I kayaked in salt seawater. It was an adujustment from relaxing at a liesurly pace to the adrenaline pumping of the water splashing over my kayak.

"ORIGINALITY is unexplored territory.
You get there by carrying a canoe...you can't take a taxi." -- Alan Alda

"There is nothing that is so aesthetically pleasing and yet so functional and versatile as the canoe." -- Bill Mason

Someday I would like to take a trip somewhere really cool to kayak. Somewhere where I have never been or dream of going and just experience the raw sight of nature untouched.

Last Child In The Woods

I read a chapter in The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. In it he talked about kids today have a nature deficit disorder. By that he means that they have no idea how interact in nature. They know what it is, but they know by watching nature on TV.

Today so many kids sit in front of their TVs or video games and they stay there until bed time. It's disheartening. I am was a camp counselor for two summers in a row and I loved it. I love being with children and outside playing. What I wasn't expecting however, was the constant fighting to get the kids put their portable video games away. Every time I would turn around I would catch them sneaking it. I had to work very hard to get them to enjoy being outside and playing games. Getting them to open up and use their imagination was a task in itself.

When I was little, I grew up on the beach and then moved to the woods. I loved it. I was constantly outside. I knew once dusk hit then I had to head home. I used to make mud pies when I was a toddler, and then when I was younger pretend that I lived in the trees. I had a passion for everything outside during all the seasons.

I was also an avid tree climber. I loved climbing the trees as high up as a I could go. I remember feeling like I was on top of the world and could see everything. Growing up, I never worried about toys, TV, Sega games, or anything of the sort. My parents didn't bring me up to be reliant on those objects so it didn't bother me that I was only allowed to watch a few hours of TV a week.

In the chapter, Louv states that he thinks nature can help kids with ADHD. I don't disagree with him. My brother has ADHD, and he was always getting in trouble in school. "Brett is too hyper, Brett is too rough". So when Brett got involved in biking and being outside more, his attitude change was very noticeable. He started interacting in a positive manner and getting better grades. It wasn't leaps or bounds but it was there.

Personally, I think schools, parents, babysitters, etc., should make more time outside. Go for a walk, read a book outside, anything. By doing this our generation and generations to come will hopefully appreciate what we have now and do something to keep it beautiful.

ECHO

Last week I went on a trip to ECHO: Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization. Echo's goal is to help improve the abilities of workers in assisting poor farmers by providing and teaching useful information and skills in planting and growing crops and food sources. With that, that also grow "hard to find" food and plants. An example of this would be exotic or tropical foods and fruits. The workers of ECHO work to make farmers more effective at growing/ producing food and crops in harsh conditions.

For the first time in my life, I saw what an actual banana tree looks like.

I was unaware of what the large purple thing in the middle was. I asked and it turns about to be the flower of the tree. I did not know that there was such things as a flower on a banana tree. It was quite interesting. They had many exotic and tropical foods at ECHO.  They had Avocado trees, Barbados cherries,  Star fruit,  Figs, Guava, Jack fruit, and many many more.

During the tour we were able to experience how they grew there food sources. An example is the rice beds. The had dry rice beds compared to wet rice beds. The wet rice beds were in an almost giant puddle like environment.

My personal experience at ECHO was eye opening. Mainly because I have never seen so much "home grown" food in one area. They also had a way of connecting everything to something else. Like the manure of the ducks was food for the tilapia in the pond and so on. It was raw, everything done by hand. There were no big machines or an endless amount of workers. There was even a demo on how to clean water so it would be drinkable. It was very eye opening to see so much agriculture, and to see it still growing. Someday, I hope to grow a small garden and see where it takes off.

Food, Inc.

One day during class we watched a documentary called Food, Inc.

I never thought about food. Never really looked into where it came from. I remember I used to make fun of my mom for refusing to get any other eggs besides Egg Lands Best. I never understood why. I just knew they were a slightly more expensive brand of eggs.

Now however, after watching this film, I understand. In 1970, the top five beef packagers controlled 25% of the market. Today, the top four beef packagers own 80% of the market!
The film states that we have never had food packing this big in our history. Of all the food packaging, TYSON is the biggest. Most people enjoy white meat over dark meat. Something that I am now aware is that chicken farmers are redesigning their chickens., Not only do they never see the light of day (for most of them) but farmers are now "growing" chickens! The chickens are now so large that some of them cannot even walk. It was described in the film as an "assembly line".

It costs $280,000- $300,000 to build 1 poultry house. It costs that much money to build one, but the farmers only make $18,000 a year after borrowing about $500,000 for two chicken houses.

Corn is the main food fed to these animals. It is cheap and easily accessible. An example of this is my roommate owns and slaughters his pigs. HE brought one to the house yesterday to skin it and cut the fat off. (IT WAS REALLY REALLY GROSS). But his parents commented on how his dad is feeding the pigs too much corn because there was so much fat covering the meat.

Besides chickens, Food, Inc. talks about many other topics. One of these is E.Coli. Cattle is herbivores. They eat grass, not corn. But slaughter houses feed there cattle corn and keep them standing in their stalls where the manure is piling up around their legs. E.Coli evolves in the manure and the manure at times during the slaughter will touch the meat. The E.Coli then ends up in the food system.

Kevin's Law came about from this exact reason. Kevin was a little boy who got E.Coli while on vacation. He ended up dying. His parents wanted to make it aware of what was happening in the slaughter houses. Kevin's Law gave the power back to the USDA to shut down plants infected with salmonella, E.Coli, ect.

I now understand why my mom gets EB eggs. She isn't just being "girly". They are from chickens that aren't "grown" or redesigned.  After viewing this film I want to get all organic food. After seeing all the preservatives and things that goes into meat and eggs, it turned my stomach.

Estero Bay

Estero Bay seems like a nice little beach town where everyone knows everyone and is laid back beyond everything else. What they may not know is that Estero Bay was the original home to the Caloosa Indians. Sadly, when European explorers came to the island, they were either killed or died from the disease the white men brought with them to the island.

Last week, my class took a field trip to Estero Bay. There, we met Jo Hughes, a lady who lives and grew up on Estero Bay. Jo lived there before electricity, air conditioning, and mosquito control. We were lucky enough for her to share her experiences and perspectives of her life on Fort Myers Beach.

Meeting Jo was a very insightful experience. She told us how there used to be no electric on the island. They didn't get electric until about 1938. She said however, that "how could a child care when right outside the front door is 15 feet of clear blue green water". She told how they used to play in the ocean all day and back then you could see right through to the bottom. There was a tiny school with three grades which all of the children attended. Over the years, the schools would change buildings and eventually grow. Still today, Estero Bay has one of the smallest schools in Florida. Back then they didn't have proper mosquito control either. Jo showed us their use of method to keep the insects away. She held up a bunch of palm fronds and showed us how she used it to brush them off her body.

Jo has experienced a lot of changes since her childhood. For instance, what used to be a tiny island, has grown into something bigger. It is now a tourist spot with lots of traffic and hotels on the beach. She laughed as she stated that you will still never see a friendly driver than one who lives on the island.
The water that was once clear and blue green, is now brown and unclear. This is a result of pollution that can't filter out of the river into the bay. People used to make their living fishing in the bay, but now commercial fishers have moved in and started their own businesses.

After speaking with Jo, we walked on the mangrove preserve boardwalk. I was able to witness many small canals allowing water into the mangroves. I learned what a seedling for a mangrove looks like and how it virtually plants itself into the ground and how there are three different types of mangroves.

An Inconvenient Truth

In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore sets out to explain the misconceptions people have with global warming and climate crisis. He explains this is indeed a big thing, and it is happening now. The CO2 levels that are escaping into our atmosphere are rising and it is "beating up" the nutrients our earth needs. Within less than 50 years, CO2 levels will be off the charts. The more CO2 that there is in our atmosphere, the hotter it is. The less CO2, the colder it is. Gore states that 2005 was one of the hottest years that we have experienced and 35,000 people in Europe died because of a horrible heatwave. In India, it can get as hot as 122 degrees!  He claims this documentary to be a version of a world wide message.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 Mission took the first picture of the earth: Earth rise.

Gore also states that within the decade, things will start disappearing. For example, glaciers. He claims that during the decade there will be no more glaciers left. For 40% of people, they acquire their water from glaciers. If they melt then those individuals will be going without drinking water. The Artic is experiencing a faster impact from global warming, with that said, polar bears are having to swim sometimes up to 60 miles to find ice and in the process many of them are drowning. 

Al Gore brings a lot of issues to attention. If we don't take care of our environment, will it be there for our children or a later generation? 

"What we take for granted might not be here for our children." - Al Gore in An Inconvenient Truth

"Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, "What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?" We have to hear that question from them, now. " -Al Gore

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

On May 12,2011, my Colloquium class went to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. While we were there, we looked at charts of the water ways in Florida. The charts compared how the state was years ago compared to now. It was shocking to see how quickly the population grew, but how the animal species decreased.

From there, we walked down the board walk into a screened in area. My first thoughts were we going into a butterfly sanctuary. However, I learned about land management. My professor and his intern discussed how our waste has to go somewhere. So what this part of the sanctuary did was convert it into a source for the plants, etc. The catch is, that when the plants were cut and maintained, they had to be treated just as needles in the doctors office are. They are a bio hazard and had to be dispersed in such a manner.

After spending some time we observed our surroundings. It was so rejuvenating being out there. The air smelled so clean. Everything was vibrant and growing. It didn't look dead, or manicured like lots of properties I pass in my area. Yes, the deer flies were irritating, and had a good little bite to them. But the scenes I took in and animals I saw made up for the pesky insects.

Walking down the board walk we passed over a marsh. We stopped and looked and in the marsh was an enormous alligator. I was stunned, I still am. I have never seen an alligator that large (besides the one they have in captivity at Busch Gardens) and especially so in its natural habitat. It was really cool because I got see it open its mouth and spring forward. I strongly believed that the egret nearby was going to become a snack.  Shortly after that, a red shouldered hawk landed on a nearby branch. My professor informed us of how rare that is. It was very exciting. The hawk sat there just watch us before it swooped down.

When I arrived, all I thought about was how I hoped to spot some animals. Instead, I felt at peace being out there. Everything was quiet and fresh. It was as if there were no such thing as wild fires or major land developments occurring all over.

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.  ~Author Unknown

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Articulating my environmental philosophy

For a long time, actually up until my Colloquium class, I never really thought about the environment or the earth. I knew littering was bad for the environment and also illegal. I knew the pollution in our oceans and water was life threatening to animals and to life. But I never really knew anything about global warming, carbon dioxide, or anything else that pertains to the environment and earth.

When it came to us [people] on earth, I don't really know what I thought. I would have to say that it was probably along the lines of we belong here, have been for many of years. However, after a few classes, I learned that we are causing the most damage to our home. We are not only putting animals and species in danger, but also ourselves. Does that make our a home a happy and healthy earth? How can it be healthy when WE are not cognizant of the pollutants that we are putting out? And, if its not healthy, how can it possibly be happy and thrive?

Maybe we are too comfortable with how things are right now. We have a sense of place and we don't want it to change. We don't want to go back and give up the technology or objects that we have now.  The question is, if we keep going down the road we are going, how much longer is our environment going to sustain what we put out?

Suddenly, I worry about little things. Like if I should endlessly drive my car just because I am bored. Should I start recycling more instead of only doing it sometimes, and should I be more aware of what is happening around me. Some may cause this a perspective, but I think it is just a beginning.

"What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"- Henry David Thoreau