Final Impressions

My impressions drastically changed from the first day of Colloquium class right up until the last. I started off not being so thrilled about taking the class but in the end it was not as bad as I thought. I enjoyed going on all the field trips. I thought that they were very educational and hands on, which is why I probably learned more than I expected. Some assignments were a little too much, mostly the quizzes. I think I could have done without those and maybe would have added one or two more papers in there somewhere. I liked our in class discussions about the different readings from the University Colloquium Reader. I especially enjoyed the David Orr article and the Louv ones. I also found the Earth Charter very interesting because I did not know that there was something like that out there. Learning all about sustainability and the environment gave me a different outlook on the planet that we live on. I was clueless when coming into the class but now I feel as if I am leaving with a good idea of what is happening and what should be done. I now know that I will be more conscientious when it comes to the little things such as the water, lights, and cars. I think that throughout the whole semester we covered pretty much everything that there was to go over. Maybe a few more activities in the classroom would have made class time more exciting rather than a lecture or movie. I overall enjoyed my experience in Colloquium class, and having a good teacher made it much more enjoyable!

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Spirituality, Religion, Sustainability

In class last week we watched the movie “Renewal”. I thought that it was a very interesting movie , especially when it was all about the different kinds of religion and how people practice in their own ways. I was not expecting it to be about that at all but after it was over I had learned a whole lot of what other people do in their types of worship. The religious groups were very focused on one thing, and that was the environment. I never knew that there were certain religious groups that set aside time to and energy to worry about what is happening to our planet. I think it is great that we have those people out there that I didn’t even know existed. If these groups are working towards protecting our planet now then we will be in better shape for the next generations to come. They also have these groups that constantly pray and worship God which will also pay off. If we ask him to keep our land healthy and our planet sustainable than we should be all set, right? It may take a little more than that, but that is a good place to start. Having faith that everything will turn for the best is a good way to stay positive and motivated to keep our nation clean and friendly. My personal opinion is that none of these practices can hurt us so why not continue and keep them growing. With passionate people all around us, and people willing to make a difference there should be no problem furthering our education about sustaining our universe. http://images.google.com/imgres?3Fq%3Dthe%2Bmovie%2Brenewal%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

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I have to start off by saying that nothing has really changed around the neighborhood that I live in. I would like to say that things have changed for the better but they really have not. The lake behind my apartment still looks quite similar with the same surroundings, a few birds roam around along with the algae that lies upon the lake. The lake is the only thing that carries support to the wildlife, besides the little amount of trees that are near the back part of the complex. I did not notice any new animals as I thought I would maybe come across a snake or something of the sort. I would have to say that my neighborhood is definitely not sustainable. There is constant litter on the ground, including beer bottles and cans, graffiti on the sidewalks, and fast food wrappers throughout the parking lot. I do not see any sightings of green building taking place anywhere. They still have not started a recycling program which I know many have recommended. From what I see there are more and more cars that fill the parking lot, so black carbon releasing into the air has done nothing but grown higher. I would like to see some changes begin to happen as time goes on, maybe we should start a group to inform them on what exactly some of their issues are.

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Pictures by Lori DiFazio

Sense of Place Interview

Before I even asked my grandparents questions I already had an idea about how they would answer my questions. I have talked to them before about the different ways that they were brought up compared to the lifestly that I now live. When talking to them about their opinions on sustainability it was started off being difficult to even try explaining to them what it was and what it actually meant. When I asked my grandma about her sense of place, she understood that more then the others. She feels that being in Florida, where she did not live for most of her life, is not her sense of place that she is most comfortable with. She does not feel like she is at home as much as she had in the past. If it was up to her she would move back to New York where she feels she belongs. Her sense of place here in Florida is a little foggy because she has a harsh attitude about where she is being forced to live. I told them a little bit about what being sustainable really means and they eventually caught on. They were pretty surprised actually that we were being taught things like this in college, but thought it was very good. They told me that they wish that they had been educated about these kinds of issues and then went on explaining to me about how when they were growing up things were so much different. They told me that they had to work for what they wanted and things were never handed to them. They barely had a televison and if they did it was in black and white. They knew nothing about technology and owning a care was a privaledge to them. They actually made it pretty clear that they think it is terrible what it is doing to our generation and that it is certainly making a difference in our generations to come. They think that it is good that they are teaching us what we have learned in Colloquium and they wish they could have had that education like we do, but on the other hand they wouldnt have wanted to grow up with the spoiled, technology craized generation that we live in. They were happy that I took the time to come over and inform them on what I am learning in school because they are always asking about it. I had felt better being able to leave there knowing that I had tought them something that they really had no clue about. They are happy that our generation is getting informed about what is going and really enjoyed to hear that we are helping out within our community as a requirement . I had fun talking with my grandparents about what is going on in our world today and they certainlly enjoyed learning about it.

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Picture taken by Me, Lori DiFazio

Environment in the Local News

Researching for an article about an environmental issue was easier then I thought it would be. There are very many environmental issues going on right in our own backyard that we don't even know about, which we could be helping with. One issue that I found hit close to the heart for some reasons. An issue in the school systems of Lee County. The elementary schools across the county are trying to eliminate field trips from the curriculum. "Like many other school programs, environmental education has hit a rocky economic road" states the local newspaper. I think it is terrible that the school districts do not have enough money or support to keep the little environmental education that we do have into place. From what I know I do not think that the education is even enough or even at a young enough age. Not only should they start teaching earlier in a child's life but to get rid of the program all together is not a good idea. If changes ever need to start happening then this is definitely not a way to do so. Not only do I think that we need more field trips but I think they should be educated at even a younger age. Field trips give kids an on hands experience. They will understand more about what is going on when they see it up close. Even going to the local aquariums or museums can play a big role in child's environmental education. The only way to get the point across is to show them play by play what is actually going on, and let them see that it is for real. By taking away their field trips we are limiting them to a closed in the classroom, barely anything, education on our environment. I hope that school districts see what they are doing to our future generations and try to do anything possible to make sure the field trips are not taken away completely.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/news_press/access/1703639161.html?FMT=ABS&date=Mar+28,+2009

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Canoe Trip at FGCU Marine Lab

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The canoe trip to the FGCU marine lab is the one field trip that I was looking forward to the most because of it being outdoors and a little bit adventurous. I have gone canoeing and kayaking a few times in the past and was looking forward towards this experience. Sadly, I did not end up going on the field trip. I was a little bummed as I rather have been canoeing down a river then sitting in bed with a toothache. I was expecting to see many different things, especially mangroves and maybe some cool looking animals such as birds or maybe even an alligator! I had heard from other classmates that they had a lot of fun and that I missed out. They all enjoyed canoeing and found it very entertaining and one of the better field trips. I know that if I had went I would have enjoyed it as well. I have been down to where the marine lab is and I am a little familiar with the waters back there, I know that they are one of a kind and if you keep going through them you will eventually end up in the gulf. I feel that it is important to protect the coastal areas because if we do not keep them in good shape it will eventually lead out into our oceans. If the coastal areas are all run down and not taken care of then it will lead to destruction of our seas, the animals will suffer along with the plants and the environment that lives below us. I really wish that I could have joined my classmates on our final field trip of our Colloquium experience but I guess I will have to maybe one day go down there on my own and see what it is all about.

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State of the World

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Throughout the semester we went through the book, "State of the World". Each chapter was different and talked about obtaining sustainability as a complete world as one. When each of us presented a climate connection article it was easy to put into perspective of what is happening throughout our not so innocent world. Reducing black carbon was one article that stood out to me. I never realized that so much CO2 is being released into our atmosphere just from everyday things. I think the amount of black carbon that is being released is an easy subject to make efforts on fixing with great benefits. We can easily cut back by carpooling, eliminating the amount of cars on the road by taking the bus, or a train if possible. Another article that caught my attention was the role of cities in climate change. Cities are so large and so busy that the climate can change each year due to the populations ups and downs and the amount of pollution that is given off throughout the city. Cities do not pay as much as attention as they should to what they are doing to our atmosphere. They are a big cause to our climate changing and how quickly it is being altercated. The cities should take into consideration all the things they are doing just for money. All the taxis that fill the street and the pollution in the parks along with the rivers causes our systems to break down more quickly then we can handle. They can easily make a difference if a little consideration would be involved. One other article that I thought was interesting was the one that told us that it was not too late to act. People may think that we have gone too far and that there is no point to even act upon changing at this point. That is not true from what I got from the article. We could make such a difference that we can reverse the roles so much where we go back to beyond the start. Making things worse does not do any good for us and it is never too late. I myself have just been informed about a lot of these issues and I feel that I can make a difference just by doing the little that I can do, such as carpooling, not littering, respecting the environment that I live in. Overall the articles showed me that the United States is the not the only country that is going through the same changes as us and even some are in worse shape than the U.S. I also learned that there are ways to prevent this from happening at such a rapid pace that it is.
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Earth Charter

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The Earth Charter is a document that I think should be printed throughout the world, in every library, every school, and every place where people across the universe can read about what should be done in order to obtain a sustainable life for all of us and our planet. Reading the Earth Charter gave me a lot of insight on what is expected and what is to be done in order to achieve what we need. I think that principle #4, which states to secure earths bounty and beautiful for present and future generations is a good example because the more we can do now the more benefits our children will have in the future. We need to propose these ideas to everyone and eventually start working on them one by one. In relation to our class discussions I can definitely understand why the Earth Charter is related to our Colloquium class. Sustaining our planet, learning to use our resources gradually, and understanding the affects that our behavior is having on our environment all is talked about in the Earth Charter. Respect and care for our community is what we learned in class by having to do at least 10 hours of community service. Teaching us to help out in our own community can maybe make a difference as our earth as a whole. Creating peace in our country along with the world is also what we have discussed in class. violence are not necessary to obtain anything that we are trying to. Peace and harmony are what is needed and by creating this we can build a road to a happier future. The charter needs to be passed by the government in order to take full affect so the quicker it gets out there, the quicker we can begin working on these issues. In my opinion, I do feel that the Earth Charter is realistic to some extent. Maybe not all of it can be achieved but definitely some parts are attainable. This charter may not make its way around the world but when it comes to our country I feel that there is hope. Even if we break it down to states and even smaller to cities, we have to start somewhere. Educating our piers and letting people know what it may take is the first step towards success.

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Urban Ft. Myers and Southwest Florida Historical Museum

Taking a trip to downtown Ft. Myers is something that is not very new to me, so I thought. I had been down there many times before and to be honest I was not expecting much different. We first went to the waterfront at Centennial Park. The statues were pretty cool to look at, since I have never been down by the water before. There were many boats and many different types of trees. When we had to write down three different types of plants that we found I thought it was interesting to see where they all had come from. After walking near the marina we headed up towards town and walked up and

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down the streets. We saw things such as the court house, theatre, art galleries, and many business buildings. I guess I never really took a deep look at how much business actually goes on down there, just because many people do not know of Ft. Myers having a downtown and it is rarely talked about or referred to. It was different seeing the urban side of things rather then out in the middle of nature like the past field trips. I was expecting the museum to be different then what it actually was. I was not too thrilled about it actually except for the train. which was pretty cool to learn about. I enjoyed walking through it and seeing how people traveled. It was fascinating how they cooked meals on there and basically turned it into a home. The rest of the museum I could have done without. Walking downtown did make me think of why it is not very well known and why the city has a problem with community involvement. I feel if they cleaned up some parts of it and advertised a little more then maybe people would start to take an interest. I know parts of it have a bad reputation and that could play a big role of why the community doesn't want much to do with it. I overall had fun walking the streets of downtown Ft. Myers. It was different than any of our other field trips and we got to learn a little about the history of where we live.

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Affluenza

Affluenza is something that is happening all over the world. It is where we, humans, become too distracted by technology and other things that keep us from salvaging our memories with the people that mean the most and the environment that we live in. Everyone is guilty of having the Affluenza disease at one point or another. I will even be the first to admit it. I sometimes do not think before buying something, or sometimes take the easy way just because it is instant gratification. After taking the quizzes, my results showed that I have a moderate case of Affluenza. I have resource exhaustion, social scars, swollen expectations, and a fractured family. All of these things made me think and believe it or not it is very true. What I dislike the most is the social scars that it has left me with. I do not know how to socialize as well as I would like to because being around cell phones, computers, text messaging, facebook, everything has scarred me to the point where socializing has become stressful and the last thing on my way of communication. I do not like what that is doing to our generations and it is even getting worse. I also do not like that my family is fractured. Spending money sometimes does make things more fun but there are certainly more ways to entertain ourselves as a family without going out and spending unnecessary amounts of money. I definitely feel that we need to change our consumer habits. Spending has gone so out of control that kids these days do not know anything other than just taking out a piece of plastic and swiping a credit card. If we do not put a haul to this now, how much worse will it get? We rely way to much on things that are bought and are judged on what we own, which is not how we should be living. We need to cherish time together with loved ones and the people who mean the most. We also need to take advantage of our beautiful world that we live in and start going outside again. Meeting our neighbors, building a tree fort, taking a hike in the woods are all things that we need to bring back into our society. I myself am willing to make changes. I know for a fact that one day when I have a family I want to bring them up outdoors. I also want them to know the value of money and not always get what they want. I want them to appreciate the things around them and make sure they are aware of how to keep our planet sustainable. If everyone was a little more educated on what is happening then a little help from everyone could make a huge difference.

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Corkscrew Sanctuary!

The Corkscrew Sanctuary was by the best field trip so far. I thought it was beautiful, the surroundings, the noises, just the whole atmosphere. How they built that boardwalk through all those prairies of land is fascinating to me. Being able to keep all that land just the way it was years and years ago is great. There is not much area that this could happen so in order for it to stay like that for years to come is mind blowing. The views of the daisies were breathtaking and gorgeous. Seeing so many of them at one time was awesome. Walking along the boardwalk we heard many noises and even saw a vulture. I thought that was awesome as I had never seen one before. While on our walk we also crossed paths with three or four spiders that were hanging on their webs in the middle of the boardwalk. They were just hanging there eating bugs. All the noises that were heard sounded pretty when they were all together. I myself really enjoyed looking out into the open grassland which probably contained more animals then we thought. We also encountered a little black snake along with a big green grasshopper. The most exciting part I thought was seeing the otter in the water. Although it only had a short stay until it swam underneath the boardwalk, I thought it was cool I got to see one at all. I pretty much enjoyed every part of the sanctuary and would love to go back there. I even told my Mom about it and told her once the weather got a little bit cooler it wold be a nice thing to do on Saturday afternoon!

Packaging

This exercise took some thinking. Everytime that I picked something up I thought to myself where did this come from and what did I receive it in. The first thing I lifted up right in the morning was my cell phone. This I know was packaged in a box and then inside the box each object was layered with a protective cover such as bubble wrap for protection. There was a paper booklet in there also that explained the functions. It most likey killed alot of trees just to package one cellular phone. When I went off to class I picked up my textbooks. These books I picked up at the store and were given to me in a plastic bag. When it came to lunchtime I decided to get a bagel from Einsteins. When the lady handed me my food it was in a brown paper bag with a clear layer of paper inside. As time went on every little thing was popping into my mind. The pen I was using came in a cardboard box and the paper I was writing on was wrapped in cellophane. Even when I stepped into my car an image of them taking it off the lot and removing the cardboard around the wheels and the plastic covering of the seats made me think wow, everything is really packaged someway and somehow. Most of the packaging I received that day was not sustainable. More things could have been easily made out of recycled cardboard instead of plastic that is worse for the environment. I try to make decisions that will be beneficial but sometimes it is not all your fault. Buying new items doesn't mean that they are wrapped the way you would necessarily like it to be. The only choice that I make that could be categorized as sustainable is paper or plastic at the grocery stores, or even bringing your own recycled bags that can be reused. If everyone made decisions that helped our world out our wildlife would all take advantage of it. It will make a difference in the long run even if we do not see it right away.

Energy Usage

The amount of energy that is used in my typical day I was figuring to be pretty high. I know that I do not make a huge effort to conserve as much as I should. When I kept track for a whole day about how much energy I consume I was amazed at how much one person could really use. Each day I use my fan in my room for when I go to sleep at night. It stays on throughout the entire night until I wake up the next morning. During the morning my alarm clock goes off on my cell phone at 9:30 which takes up some energy. The air conditioner in my house is on all day and usually set around 75 degrees. It goes on and off when necessary but lowered at night to keep cooler. The morning time is when I took a shower which used energy from the hot water heater. I also plugged my phone into the charger that morning because I had forgotten to at night time. When I went to go plus my phone in its charger I realized that my laptop was also plugged in and running for no reason. I then made the effort to unplug it from the wall and hibernate my computer. When it came to my cell phone on this particular day it was actually a light day. I made about 6 or 7 particular phone calls and stayed on the phone around the average of ten minutes or so. Texting on the other hand was a bit ridiculous. At the end of the day I counted up how many texts I has sent and received in just a twelve hour cycle and it came to 167 texts. I had never actually counted the amount of texting I was doing so that was a big heads up. During this day I did not have to use the washing machine or the dishwasher so that eliminated a lot of energy. The day I recorded was a Saturday so I did not do too much driving around. I went shopping at the Edison mall with one other person in my car and back which equaled 13 miles there and 13 miles back. I also went out to dinner, driving just by myself and that was 9 miles there and then 9 miles back. The total day I drove approximately 45 miles, which in my opinion is not too bad. For the whole year I drive my car about 13,000 miles. I fill up my tank on an average once a week. My car holds about 23 miles a gallon so it gets pretty good gas mileage. When it comes to driving I do not really put the amount of time I spend in it into consideration. I should realize how much energy and fuel I am burning just by driving around town. The whole experiment by keeping a record of my energy use made me realize I am hurting the environment just on my own. I could imagine if no one took into consideration about how much fuel and energy that is used then I would not want to know what this earth would look like. I would like to make a change in my habits since I now know the pollution that I am bringing into the planet.

Campus Trail Field Trip

Going on the campus trails was for sure an adventure. That is the one word I would use to some it up. Going into it I was a little worried because I was unsure of what to expect. In the end I was reflecting back on it and it was well worth it and pretty much everything I was expecting. I really enjoyed exploring the trails of campus and really see what was hiding back there in those woods. I thought it was cool seeing the trees that survived the fire way back some years ago that were still alive today. I also thought the Melaluca was pretty amazing as it lives for so many years and could have been there decades before. I was awaiting walking through the knee high water because that is what we were warned of but that did not come till about half way through our adventure. When the sea levels changed it was quite a change in scenery because of all of the water that rose and the areas that were dry. When we finally got to the wetlands, it was rather mucky and muddy but I was very intrigued to continue walking. On our walk we saw an owl in the trees. We also heard the sounds of woodpeckers along with other exotic creatures. I have to say I was a little worried stopping to talk while my feet were implanted in mud and water up to my knees but it was certainly rememberable. At the beginning of colloquium class I never thought I would be doing something like that but when it was over and accomplished I was glad I did. I learned a lot about the campus on our trail hike and it made it more clear to me why our school is so environmental friendly!

Food Intake

When reading what I had to do, like count my calorie intake, I knew from then I would not be thrilled with the results. I started keeping track the moment I woke up in the morning on Saturday. When I woke up around 9:30 a.m I had two Special K waffles with syrup on top. http://www.calories-nutrition.buddyslim.com/waffles-special-k/ These two waffles contained a total of 320 calories without the syrup. Throughout the day I had a Chewy granola bar that was 90 calories, a ham and turkey sandwich with cheese, and about 10 Special K crackers. The sandwich was about 400 calories and the crackers were 55 calories. For dinner I ended up going out to eat where my meal was prepared for me. I went to TGI Fridays and had a BBQ Jack Chicken. The meal was 500 calories. http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/tgi-fridays After dinner I had two chocolate chip cookies which were 200 calories. When adding up my day the total came to 1,565 calories. When analyzing my food intake I realized that usually on a daily basis about half my food is pre-made and half was made by myself. Most of the food that I ate in that one day was prepackaged and came from the grocery store. I wouldn't say that my choice in food was the most sustainable which is probably something that could be worked on but I do not think that the amount of calories taken in was too terrible, I definitely think it could have been a lot worse. I would like to make a substantial change in trying to prepare my own meals more instead of going out to eat. Not only for the environment but also for my health. The food that I can prepare for myself will be much more sustainable let alone healthier. I plan to make a conscientious effort in making a change on my eating habits.

Conservation 20/20

The Conservation 20/20 website was pretty fascinating. It really impressed me when reading through that people actually started this foundation just because of their love for the land. It is pretty bold of them to go after and help change something that they truly had a concern for. The purpose of the program is to try and protect the preserve natural wildlife habitat. They want to try and keep things the way they used to be and keep a sustainable environment. They are also dedicated to keep the supply of water adequate to the people. They want to make sure that the supply is always up and that the worry of a shortage is never an option. Another goal of theirs is to protect the land that is already developed from floods. They want to accomplish all of these objectives by using resource-based recreation. This is the first time that I have heard of this program and I think its a great idea. If we did not have people out there to worry about these issues that who would? I know a program like this could get controversial because of the money from citizens tax dollars are actually going towards a lot of the funding but I think in the long run it will be worth it and well appreciated by most, well hopefully some. Besides Matanzas Pass I have not been to any other preserves. I do not know if I will ever make it out to another but if I do ever come across one it would a fun activity to go check out. Overall I think that if these type of people and programs weren't out there then our planet would be a lot worse off than it already is, they are just trying to make a difference in a category that lacks attention. http://www.conservation2020.org/index.cfm

Field Trip to Matanzas Pass Preserve

The field trip to Matanzas Pass Preserve was very informative and historical. I really did enjoy learning about the early times of Ft. Myers beach and how it came to be. I found it very interesting and I thought the woman who was speaking was very enthusiastic about the topic and made it fun to learn about. I heard a lot of good facts and interesting stories that really made everything go together about how Ft. Myers beach is so special to the residents that have been there since the beginning. Although the bugs were a little unbareable I did enjoy the surroundings once on the boardwalk. My favorite part was when we sat on the benches overlooking the water. It was truely a beautiful sight. I love looking at the open water while sitting in silence where you can hear all your surroundings. The boardwalk that led us to the view of the water was actually very relaxing. It was fun to just walk and listen and look for various animals such as birds. I thought it was interesting to see the level at which we were at and how you could tell if you were higher or lower in elevation because of the types of trees that appeared and because of the ammount of water. I did not see too many things animal wise but it was an experience that I did appreciate in the end.

Water Rights Reflection

After reading the article about the right that is trying to be passed in order to go into the aquifer underneath of Texas in order to provide drinking water to the people of Dallas it opened up my mind a bit to what people really take for granted when it comes to water. I believe that the water beneath is common ground just like it says. I believe that since it is classified as "common" people who are willing to go get it should be allowed to make a profit off of it. I think that since it is in an open environment then it should be open to anybody to get to. Although I think it is a good idea it will still affect the residents living in the area. It will give them an extra supply of water and will reduce the costs of excess water that they will not have to buy. The project itself though will cause rukas because of the digging up of the roads or where ever they need to go to get through to the water. The wildlife might also be disturbed as this is a big project and will cause chaos and disruption to the animals in the way. Their habitat will most likely be destroyed in order to obtain the water successfully. If this plan gets rejected I am sure there are other alternative ways to solve the solution to water shortages. They could also drill a hole in order to get well water which would cost a lot less to do and would not disturb the residents or the wildlife of Texas. There is quite a chance that this could happen to our state of Florida. We could eventually have to put more restrictions on water when it comes to watering our land. We could also have a shortage due to the amount of tourists that come down here who consume a lot of what we need. With the boom in construction businesses down here it takes a lot of water to build all these new communities and shopping centers. I definitely think that there is a good possibility that there could be a shortage of water when it comes to Florida.
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Daily Water Usage

Two days ago I kept track of how much water I was using on a daily basis. I kept track by recording how many gallons and cups were used when taking a shower, using the washing machine, washing dishes, flushing the toilet, and running useless water such as brushing my teeth. I started off the day by waking up and using the bathroom. Each flush uses 1.5 gallons of water. I then brushed my teeth. I put a measuring cup in the bottom of the sink to see how many times it would fill up during the brushing. I had to pour the water out two times and on the third time it filled half. So I used 5 cups to just brush my teeth. I did not use any water during my meals for the day so I did not have to record any for that. I did though have to do some laundry. The washing machine in my house uses 50 gallons a cycle. I ended up doing two loads which equaled 100 gallons of water. After dinner I decided to wash the dishes by hand. I did the same method as I did for when brushing my teeth.

This time around I filled up the measuring cup five and a half times. I ended up with 11 cups of water for washing the dishes. Before bed I figured I would take a shower. I decided the easiest way to do this was to cut the top off of a one gallon milk jug. I would see how many times that would fill up in the twelve minute shower that I took. I had to dump the water out two times and the third time it filled about three quarters. To take a shower I used 2 and 3/4 gallons of water. During the day I went to the bathroom eight times. Each time used 1.5 gallons so all together it was 12 gallons of water. When going back and looking through each amount that I wrote down I started to put it all together. For the whole day I used 13 and three fourths gallons of water and 16 cups of water. I honestly did not think this was too bad because the washing machine took up a lot of that number. I could easily cut down on the water used when brushing my teeth by not letting it run in between. I could also maybe only do one load a laundry when necessary. Being honest I do not really try to conserve water as much as I should. It should cross my mind more often but it sometimes goes right over my head. Overall I enjoyed doing this experiment and got a big heads up when it comes to water usage. http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php

Ecological Footprint

My ecological footprint came out to be a 6.1. http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/consumerConsequences.htmlI was excited to take this quiz because I was curious to see what it would ask in order to calculate the number. I find it pretty outrageous that it would take 6 worlds if everyone lived the way that I did. My highest category was my impact on public and personal transportation and to be honest that is one of the easiest categories that I could make improvements on, which made me happy. I really did not think that my footprint would have come out so high because I truly do think that there are worse situations out there and that I would have been somewhere in the middle. My roommates and I are not as conscious as we should be about some things but when it comes to electricity and water we are somewhat mindful. I think after reading the results and simplifying what I am really doing to our earth and the environment, I would really like to make a significant change. I know if I sat down with my three other roommates and had a serious talk with them on how we should lower our energy use a little, or higher our recycling habits they would be completely in for it. I would like to contribute to making our planet more sustainable even if it is only making a few minor, simple changes!

Future of Food

After watching the documentary, I went to research my favorite food. I decided to do my favorite snack which is Goldfish. I never realized how complex it was to make Goldfish or even how large of a process it was. The ingredients in Goldfish are enriched wheat flour, vitamin b2, folic acid, water, salt, vegetable oils, yeast, sugar, baking soda, spices, onion powder, pasteurized milk, and cheese. Goldfish are made by Pepperidge Farm which grows it's ingredients in Fairfield, Connecticut. They have farms all throughout the world for their growing need for there products such as goldfish. In order for Goldfish to get onto my plate it takes a long process. Sometimes they could come from just another state but at other times I could be eating Goldfish that came all the way from Switzerland. Pretty amazing if you ask me. The documentary of the future of food was a good source of information that I did not know. I never really have thought about what the world has in store for the future when it comes to the food that needs to be grown. I also never put my mind in the frame of thinking about whether or not consumers should be informed about what is in their food. I now think that it is a good idea to let everyone know. People should be aware of what they are eating and should have the option of having alternatives if they want. I felt that this documentary was pretty educational and helped me understand the future of food.

http://www.zeer.com/Food-Products/Goldfish-Cheddar-Crackers/000005474

http://mcclay.pristine.net/clients/babi/goldfish.php

http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/History.aspx

Field Trip #1 ECHO

The first field trip to ECHO was very eye opening to say the least. When we first got on the bus in the morning I wasn't sure what to expect. When we
arrived I noticed the enviornment in which we would be exploring and it seemed to look a little different then what I was thinking. When the tour guide explained to us all about the other countries and how they live I thought it to be the most interesting part of the field trip. Learning that "starving" means intaking 1800 calories with manual labor was pretty crazy to me. I would definitely be in for a shock if I were to put my shoes in another country where having fresh healthy food was not an option. If I had to grow my own food, learning these ways of surviving would be very helpful. I thought that the water pump was pretty cool as it gave some help in cleaning dirty water. I also thought that by putting water in a soda bottle and using the suns rays to purify was pretty fascinating. Using the goats manuer for soil was also very interesting and something that I have never heard of before. I never knew that there were so many different ways to do things to help out third world countries. The entire ECHO organization does wonders to those who need it. Whoever started the cause is helping out people each and every day. I enjoyed the field trip very much and was inspired to learn more about trees, plants, and animals that could have more then one use around the world.

Sense of Place

When thinking about "where I feel most at home" I found it difficult to decide on just one place. I finally came to the conclusion that where I feel most at home and most at ease is at the beach. When I am at the beach I feel very peaceful and fully understand my surroundings. Being at the beach makes me think about what else there is out there and how much other life is living at that point in time. Ever since moving down to Florida my appreciation for the beach has grown over time. I would have to say that my favorite beach to go to here is Lovers Key. http://www.floridastateparks.org/LoversKey/ Being at Lovers Key is different than other places because it is so wide open and the view from the sand is incredible. When I first walk onto the sand the feeling of comfort immediately sets in. Being there makes it seems like there are no other worries in the world and that nothing bad could ever happen at that point in time. When laying on the beach I always say "I wish I could have a light that will light up the entire ocean floor so I can see everything that is down there". I think it is fascinating to think of everything that is swimming and living down on the ocean floor. All of the wildlife and sea creatures that exist make my sense of place even stronger. You can never really feel alone at the beach because of everything you know of that exists beneath you. Even taking in the scenery, such as the shrubberies and trees on the path to the beach makes me feel at home. Being outside in such a beautiful atmosphere slows my mind and vanishes my worries which is why the beach gives me a sense of place.