Fort Myers Beach

My overall experience at the Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass was pretty interesting. I learned so much I didn’t even know.

They informed me how the island of Fort Myers beach only had four canals and now has more than 20.

Also the land is at about 98% occupied and basically only has about 1% preserved.

My hometown Miami, FL had changed drastically since I was child. Every time I go back to see where I used to live I can’t find my old house. The community had expanded so much and hundreds of new roads were developed. I feel a sense of community in these areas now cause if you do look at them in person you can for yourself how small and compact they build the homes.

If someone offered me a 300% of the market value of my childhood home to develop on it, I would take the offer. Now if the county approached me about purchasing my land under the 20/20 program, for 80% of its market value I would take that offer to. If I received any offer above 50% of what the property is actually worth I would take it. I am going to gaining a lot more with the money then losing the property.  

Going Green...Fail

The definition of sustainable consumerism is the “use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations." I think this definition is a negative factor in relation to capitalism and globalization.

Greenwashing is the brain washing of green marketing, such as the “Going Green” slogan. If the government forced a premium for food to labeled (like organic, local, and fair trade). I would refuse to pay.

When it comes to store shopping or just looking for a bite to eat I enjoy going to a Mom and pop store. These stores on most occasions are better priced and most of the time, if you are eating out, tastes better. With the way I live life I think I the world will be better suited for the future. I eat in small amounts and try to commute at all cost.

Downtown Ft.Myers

When I hear the word downtown I think of big city and crowded streets. The stature in the community of downtown Fort Myers has changed significantly. The streets looked empty and there never seemed to be any involvement in the area. There are no high rises in the downtown area and there aren’t that many important things in that area besides the court house.

Some of the prominent architectures we saw were: An eagle craved into a tree, the old court house being reused, and a wall painting behind the mini mall we went by. We also saw this oval shaped metal thing in front of the art center. I believe these architectures were put out to help with human growth and build community.

Some other interesting history we learned on our tour was there were some scenes from the movie “Day of The Dead” filmed in the downtown Fort Myers area. The economy of Forts Myers has moved very slowly. Development has progressed slowly and land isn’t being occupied at a slow rate. I don’t know who this field trip related to sustainability.   

Eco Footprint

Based on the eco footprint quiz I took if everyone lived like me we would need 5.2 earths.

Some of the thing I would have to modify is: reducing the amount of animal-products I currently eat by half and purchasing products that used less packaging or were made 100% post-consumer recycled content materials. The resulting value of this type of change in my life would change my footprint to 4.1 earths. If everyone lived like me they would need 18.3 acres of land production to live. The earth is not that big and if everyone did need all this land the population would we pretty small.  

Energy

Energy is attainable in many ways but the cost of obtaining this energy is costly. I believe energy today is too expensive for the technology we have now. The cost of purchasing solar panels for example has a high cost and you won’t see results for another 15 yrs.   The word conservative is not intended to be a dirty word but people have given it a bad rep. In general we want to preserve our land so we could have a prosperous future.

Jimmy Cardigan ideas were bit too drastic for most people to follow. Jimmy was trying to help the earth, but most people didn't see the point, especially if it was going to benefit them individually.

I am proponent of government intervention to steer us away from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels will soon run out and the burning of fossil fuels is not the cleanest source of energy.

In my general opinion I don’t believe there is one type of renewable energy resource worth putting all are effort into. Every part of the world had different attributes that needs to be factored in when making the decision of using a renewable energy.

In Florida for instants solar panels should be a major use in the state. With long summers and shorts winters it would fit perfect. We should make it a requirement for new house development to be integrated with a solar energy system. Also capping peoples energy limit will further help in the reduction of carbon footprint.     

A Better Tomorrow

I believe climate change is both anthropogenic and natural. Nature natural does what it has been doing for billions of years and with the advance of technology we have altered some change to the climate. The introduction to green house into the atmosphere is one example and also the burning of fossils fuel into the air.

The media has portrayed the climate change as something of a big deal but kind of blame the people for this change. Bid industries year round waste more energy and dumb more waste in are atmosphere then some small cities. Also the media has used this climate change as a marketing scheme, using “going green” as a focal point. People are becoming sick of the “going green” market scheme. It is pricier and in some cases less effective. I think better educating students at a younger age and informing them of what a healthy lifestyle entitle s will better help the earth in the future.

With how much technology we really have in our grasp I hope there is a better tomorrow for my children and grandchildren. Knowing where we have gone wrong and improving on our mistakes is key to helping the future.    

Introducing Eucalyptus Trees

Eucalyptus trees are located in the tropic and subtropical regions. There about 700 different species of eucalyptus trees and most are native to the Australia.

The benefits of this technology are that we can now have a certain plant be growing all year round and not have to worry when it is in season. Secondly we would have a substantial more amount of forest and oil’s.
Some potential intrinsic concerns are that tree does not belong in some ecosystems; the tree requires a lot of water. It being place somewhere temporarily is not a bad idea.

Some potential extrinsic concerns are that the eucalyptus will be an invasive species to new ecosystems. It can dry up different locations and cause other species to suffer who would normally thrive on that particular ecosystem.

I do not believe there are reasonable steps to take to mitigate these risks. It is pretty hard to actually tell the outcome of introducing these species into an ecosystem. You can take some precautions but you will never really know the outcome until you actually introduce it.  

Depending on the situation of the ecosystem the benefits weigh themselves base on the outcome, if get what was accomplished then you benefit but if you don’t succeed then you lose a lot. It is either a win-win or a lose-lose situation.  

ECHO Experience

This past week I went to ECHO located in North Fort Myers, Florida. I thought it was a very interesting place to go. It was cool to see all the research being done to help others with growing vegetation and help with land quality. 

While on the trip I thought the rice filed really stand out to me. Being Spanish rice is a big part of my culture so it was interesting to see how it is grown.

American agriculture is very commercial and factory driven. In American we are given a lot of land and have a lot of places were vegetation is habitable. In other places they have to compromise with what they have even if it is impossible to grow anything. 

I believe most of the work ECHO does is for developing country's. They are able to analyze whats being done now and help find easier ways for these people to live. Appropriate Technology considers all different aspects of life such as culture, social and ethical aspects, and even environmental aspects and using these things to help developing countries.

I would consider volunteering my time at ECHO they have a good structure and a great idea. 

Sustainable Farming

 I believe that one of the most major elements of sustainable farming is environmental protection. There are several different threats that farmers need to protect their crops from. One being water pollution another is pesticides. If there is pollute water, it can soak into the soil and pollute the crops. Pesticides can also pollute a plant, or pollute the water that is given to a plant.
I do not buy organic or naturally labeled foods. The costs of these alternatives are too high for a college student to live a sustainable life. Also I personally feel disconnected to the food system. I have not kept track in the chemicals being used to help with preserving foods. I do not know what kind of conditions I am going to inherit cause of all these chemicals being used.

If there were space on campus to grow vegetables on campus, I would definitely take the opportunity and grow my own. I could save money and have a bite to eat when I was hungry.

Global Environmental Issues

I believe one of the most pressing global environmental issue we are facing us today is land degradation. Land makes up 29% of the earth and humans can only in habit land which means we have to take care of what we have. Run-off, acid rain, and landfills are just some examples of what is causing harm to our land.

If a wealthy benefactor gave me a $100 billion to address a global fund I would allocate the money accordingly. I would give money based on the importance of the issue. The world is not just dealing with one issue so giving 100% to one cause would be selfish.  

The Corkscrew Sanctuary

This past Tuesday I went to the Corkscrew Sanctuary which is a National Audubon Society sanctuary located in southwest Florida. One very distinct ecosystem we experience during the trip was the Cypress Dome.
The Cypress Dome contains Balled and Pond Cypress which are protect because of extensive logging that took place in the 1940’s and 50’s. Conservation relating to the environment basically means protecting the environment from any types of harm, or waste that can cause harm. Stewardship relating to the environment means being responsible for the environment if you affect the environment in any way.

This sanctuary is protected through a non-profit organization. The role for this organization is not only to help preserve the land but help inform people of the importance of these ecosystems.
Civic engagement ties to this sanctuary because companies and residential areas are always looking at expanding. These companies do not know the importance of the ecosystem and how much it really does affect their own life’s.

The proper role of the government would be to protect Corkscrew Sanctuary and more ecosystems that share the same mission for future generations to learn about.

FGCU Campus Nature Trail

Today I went on the FGCU Campus Trail walk. The university has about 400 acres in land set aside for environmental preservation. FGCU strives to be a sustainable school by applying and teaching students about going green and being sustainable. The trail was pretty interesting it has a lot of life and a lot history embedded in its roots. Being able to see all the life like, wood pecker holes, snail eggs, poison ivy, etc. It shows the effort FGCU is trying to take to make a more sustainable and natural college. 

Turnips are an invasive species.

Snail eggs

When it comes to FGCU’s mission to eco-empowerment I believe there taking all necessary steps to help students understand the meaning of nature. By providing a preserved eco system and requiring students to take colloquium and other natural science classes FGCU is helping students understand the role of nature the troubles they pose to nature.  

Being Sustainable

This fall semester I will be taking University Colloquium. My expectations for this class are as followed: Understanding the purpose of nature and how it entails to my life. Also trying to understand why I have to take another environmental class.

What does sustainability mean to me? I believe it means using the resources you have now in a sufficient matter without harming the environment. In my future carrier as manager I think having to the use the limited resource I have to maximize my output is how it relates to being sustainable.  

One thing I do that I find very unsustainable is me driving to school when it is clearly a bike a ride away. If I at least road bike twice a week I could lower my ecological footprint and increase my health.