Final Impressions

I'm very glad I took this course this summer I really enjoyed the class and my favorite part was the field trips. Working at a golf course I am outdoors a lot and I see a lot of wildlife. One day when I was playing I was on the 10th hole and as I got up to my ball there was a alligator close to my ball sunbathing, it kinda freaked me out but at the same time it was very cool to see. I've also had encounters with deer, snakes, bald eagles, and exotic birds.

Service Learning

For my service learning I went to Koreshan state historic site it was a great experience and I learned how important it is to volunteer and help the community. Volunteering is something that is being lost everyday and its because of selfish people that only think about themselves. I think that it is important to volunteer because not only does it help out the community but it also gives you a sense of place. I volunteered the day after tropical storm Debbie hit and they had us pick up branches that were knocked down, picked up the hiking trials, and dug up exotic plants. I really enjoyed my time volunteering at Koreshan and I will defiantly go back to finish up my service learning hours.

Downtown Ft. Myers

Our trip to downtown Ft. Myers was very informative. It was cool to know that we were once standing were the Caloosahatchee tribe once settled. Also another thing that was interesting to find out was that in the 1920's downtown Ft. Myers was the hot spots for vacations. Including some very famous people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone all made their vacation homes in Ft. Myers. Another thing that was really cool was the mural that was hidden between the shops and the Hotel but what was really cool about it was the history of each picture on the mural and the stories behind each one.

State of the World - Africa

Our presentation was on Africa and that Africa is facing a soil fertility crisis, and a continent-wide famine which could be imminent in the absence of viable solutions. Green manure/cover crops can improve crop yields while building farming systems that reduce costs and labor, increase incomes, improve nutrition, and build up rather than destroy natural resources. An independently developed green manure/cover crop system used by the Dogon people of Mali is proving that this approach is an appropriate and feasible method of staving off impending famine.

Lover's Key State Park

Lover's Key State Park was by far one of my favorite field trips becasue growing up on the East Coast of Florida I lived really close to the beach and that's where I would spend most of time. Since going to Florida Gulf Coast I haven't been able to spend as much time at the beach as I'd like. So going to Lover's Key was just another day at the beach. Also it was my second time going to Lover's Key on a field trip and this one was by far better than the last one. One of the things that I didn't like about the beach was that it was very shelly and it hurt to walk on but the beach was very private which I liked.

If everyone lived like me we would need 6.28 Planet Earth's to provide enough resources. My ecological footprint broke down from largest to smallest, food, carbon, services and goods, and then shelter. To support my lifestyle it takes 243.55 global acres of the Earth's productive area. To reduce my footprint I could reduce the amount of animal products I eat by half. I could purchase products that use less packaging or look to see if it was made by recycled material. Just by doing those 2 things I can reduce my footprint from 6.28 Earth's to 5.6. If everyone lived with a 4.6 eco footprint it would take about 21.5 global acres of the Earth's productive area to support that lifestyle. According to the Data and Results table on this website, the average American's eco footprint is getting greater and greater every year. This shows that we are not getting better at saving our Earth, we are getting worse. This website was very interesting and I can see how the questions they asked us really are the core of why our eco footprints are so large and those are the things we need to change to make the difference to our Earth.

Ethics

Ethics are the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture. As we've seen in past generations and in our generation is that kids are not brought up the same as they were in prior years. For example when Professor Morris talked about how the kids at Perkins didn't offer there seats up to the elderly couple that walked in. Not saying that I'm perfect or anything but parents brought me up to respect my elders and that means treating them with respect and giving up my seat if an older couple. Another thing with our generation is were attached to our cell phones and instead of paying attention to others company were always too busy messing with our cell phones. This class taught me a valuable lesson that I will never forget.

In our third class we talked about "Earth on Edge" and we watched some videos on the Kansas Dust Bowl. What I took away from class was that climate change is a big deal and we are really starting to see the effects of it. This summer has been by far the hottest summer I've ever experienced and being a golfer it is brutal. There was one day this year were 48 out of the 50 states have experienced 90 degree weather. The only way to get rid of any of these issues of global warming is us, the people. Our actions and our daily lives are what has the biggest impact on this issue. Until we come together and cooperate the best way we can to minimize some of these problems, these issues are just going to get worse.

ECHO Field Trip

On our field trip to ECHO I learned that ECHO stands for the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization. Touring their facility gave us all great insight into the many different aspects of agriculture. The organization showed us many different farming techniques that were designed to be efficient in specific environments; from desert lowlands to monsoon soaked valleys. The organization also taught us they demonstrated and exemplified very easy, sustainable and modern techniques to peoples who cannot afford to use modern technology or equipment. The Christian organization focuses on teaching these practices to the less fortunate and those who live in the third world. One of the things that I found to be really fascinating was the Moringa Tree. What I found to be intriging about the moringa tree is that it grows quickly in just about any type of environment. Also the plant is edible and its leaves are rich in protein and minerals such as, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C. Another thing the moringa tree can be used for is water purification. Which all of these thing are important for third world countries because they not as fortunate as us to eat or drink clean water everyday.

Corkscrew Swamp Sancuary

One of the things that I found to be fascinating at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was The Living Machine. When we first got to Corkscrew we saw The Living Machine, it is a series of plants that filter out waste from a nearby bathroom. I was pretty impressed to hear that this seemingly random assortment of plants was so useful. Besides The Living Machine some other things that I found interesting were that Cypress trees knees are thought to be a way of breathing for the tree and also it uses the knees for support like a buttress. Another thing that I also enjoyed was when we took a 10-minute break to just reflect. It was very peaceful to just listen to the everything and just take a step back from everything and take time to just think about things. Also when we were on are way back we saw a gator with it babies all around it in a puddle of water. Alligators are one of the most predominate creatures in a Cypress Swamp and can be found throughout Florida and Louisiana. We also learned about Pine Flat woods, and a Freshwater Marsh.