Final Impressions

Colloquium is a great class to take. Even though it's required at my university, I would have taken it regardless. You learn so much about different things you can do to be more sustainable which is what we need to be at a time like this. I think everything we did for this class is fine. Everything was informative and helpful. All things learned in this class is extremely useful out in the world. I don't know the area of Fort Myers well enough to decide where to go other than the ones I was on, but all the trip planned were really fun.

Corkscrew Swamp Trip

My trip to the Corkscrew Swamp was a great one! Even thought i didn't go with my classmates, the trip on my own was great. I had a friend who previously went go with me. She enlightened me with so many details about the Corkscrew Swamp. I think this trip was by far the best trip out of the semester. It was fun, relaxing, and so informative.
I would definitely visit Corkscrew again. I think it was fun and so relaxing. I completely suggest this place to anyone who just wants to get away from the world and go to a peaceful place where they can sit or walk and simply think.

Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve

The field trip to this preserve was very interesting. I've learned a lot about Fort Myers that I didn't know before. The speakers speech about the preserve was very informative as well. Even though the walk on the boardwalk was fairly quick, it look beautiful and the scene was great, but too many mosquito's!
It is the first time I've heard of Conservation 20/20 (http://www.conservation2020.org/index.cfm). I find it to be really intriguing.
Being that this was my first trip to a preserve, I feel like it wont be the last. I learned many things and I like to keep on learning about a cities past. In addition, I believe we should keep using tax dollars for land preservation. It is something that is going towards something good; not non-sense.

Urban Fort Myers

I’ve been to downtown Fort Myers, but never really looked around and noticed its’ historic place her in Florida. It’s really nice and should always be kept that way. Fort Myers has some historic background and everyone should know about it.
To me it looks “old fashioned” which is good in a way because it relaxing. It reminds me of Ybor City in Tampa, Florida.

Overall, it was a great trip and very informative!

Here are some pictures to show you how beautiful Downtown Fort Myers is!

Food Intake/Packaging

The past 24- hours I didn’t eat much, but the things I ate are listed:
A Cuban Sandwich
Coke
Venti Coffee from Starbucks
Glass of Water
Salmon and Vegetables

My food came from all over the world; Alaska to the US.

Overall calories are well over 2,000 and all but water were unsustainable choices.

The things I handle each day of a normal week:
Books – Came in plastic paper
Keys
Phone – Came in a box with hard plastic and paper
IPod - Came in a clear plastic box
Wallet – Came in a hard cardboard box with hard plastic in it

I’m sure there have been a lot of energy that went into making all of the products I have listed and I’m sure it isn’t sustainable. I definitely do not make sustainable choices when I shop for the things that I want. As long as it’s in my price range, I’d buy it.

Journal 8 - Sense of Place Interview

For this blog, I have interviewed my grandmother and her philosophy on sustainability, ecological perspective and a sense of place. Her perspective and idea of sustainability is completely different than any other who grew up in America. Being born and raised in Cuba, they were limited to what they can use and even reuse. However, speaking in a positive note, they grew everything they ate; for example cows, chickens, vegetables., and fruits They couldn’t afford anything from stores, so they grew their own food, which is actually better if one thinks about it. You know what you are feeding these animals, therefore you know what you’re eating is good and healthy for you.
My grandmother and her family had little trash. Almost everything they had they tried to reuse to save money and reduce the amount of trash they put on their corner.
She came to the united states in the 80’s and everything that I told her about what I’ve learned in class somewhat didn’t surprised her. I told her how to be more sustainable and eco-friendly, but she brought that habit from Cuba. She still grows her vegetables in her backyard and she only uses electricity when she needs it.

Sense of Place ‐ My Neighborhood

As I took a walk down my parent’s neighborhood in Tampa, FL, I noticed everyone had recycling bins out by their driveways, but that’s the extent of it. Even though it’s all I saw, this shows me we are still trying to be sustainable and more eco-conscious. As I kept walking, I also noticed a trail in the woods that’s about half a mile from the house. I went walking through it and it made me so relaxed. It was really nice to get away from the crazy madness of a world we live in.

Journal 5 - Ecological Footprint

When I played the game to find out if I live a sustainable life, I had a few consumer consequences. I got a score of 4.1 planet earths. This means it would take 4.1 planets it would take to sustain all the people if they lived like me. My score: Housing is 1, Electricity is 1, Transportation is 2, Carpooling is 1, Food and Drinking is 9, and Shopping is 5.

I have a big family, so we do many things that aren’t sustainable. For example, have over 5 bags of trash every week and few energy saving light bulbs. It’s really hard to change my family’s habits because this is how they grew up, but I definitely will not be the same when I have my own place. I definitely need to change a few of my habits to become more sustainable. I feel it's my job to change some of their habits before I move out and start my life. This will be one of my short-term goals!

ECHO Trip!

The ECHO field trip was a great experience and I learned many things. I didn’t know there was such an organization that provides help in gardening to those who need it. It’s really interesting to see what can be done with the limit resource you have. There is so much basic creativity that goes in when ECHO helps. Anyone who has any kind of dirt space can do pretty much any planting. There is no limit to what ECHO can do. I have no experience in gardening. I don't even know the first step to take to plant something, but after this trip i think i've learned a bit. I think I enjoyed every part of this trip. Here are some pictures I took on my ECHO field trip.

Future of Food

Watching the documentary “Future of Food,” was a bit disturbing. I didn’t know those things were happening. I strongly believe consumers should be informed about what’s in their food. I think this is extremely important because anything can happen and we need traces as a just in case. This film made me open my eyes and actually look in the back of certain products to see if I notice anything weird.
My favorite foods are pretzels and they’re made by over 45,000 employees in the US and Canada, where it’s made, delivered, and sold all over. The ingredients are: enriched flour, corn syrup, salt, corn oil, yeast, malt extract, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, and artificial flavor. The ingredients are farm-grown and the company (Frito-Lay) is reducing their environmental footprint by conserving natural resources as well as harnessing renewable energy technology that reduces harmful emissions (www.fritolay.com).

Field Trip #1 ‐ Campus Trail

On January 19th, 2011 my Colloquium class went on an off campus field trip to a nature trail that FGCU provides for its’ students. At first, I was a little skeptical about this trip because of what I’ve heard, but it turned out to be very nice and educational. I learned a lot about our eco-system and why plants and trees act certain ways. It’s extremely interesting how a couple of feet can do to the positioning and living choices trees and plants need to survive in the forest. I think I enjoyed everything about this trip, and our campus is just beautiful. I didn’t know our school was this interesting and caring about the environment. It makes me feel special that my school is one of a few schools that is sustainable in many ways. Lastly, I thought having to take Colloquium because it was required was just absolutely crazy. Now, I believe everyone should and need to take this course because it honestly does make one a better person all around.

Journal 1: Incoming Reflection

My initial expectation of Colloquium was actually a very good one. I believe everyone should take a course like this one because it would help them understand a great deal of the world surrounding them. As individuals, we can do a lot to help protect the earth and start a sustainable lifestyle.
I haven’t had that much experience with the wilderness. The only times I’ve ever explored the outside is when I would go camping or go through the nature trail that FGCU made for the us. Regarding anxieties or reservation that I might have for this class, I might say that the only problem I may have is getting wet or having to walk in water.
My personal goals for this class are to learn and understand the workings of nature. Also, to randomly point out why things happen in nature. This class is important to me I’ve taken many classes in college and took nothing like Colloquium. This, I think, will widen my horizon about life and help me understand more about nature.