Personal journal #8

I didnt write all of my personal journals on time so excuse the date guys! However, I truly took time for all of these experiences this class and the added time of procrastination gave me time to really let the experiences sink in.  I appreciate my surrounding very much and I actually took time to go for a walk last week with no perspective or goal in mind. I simply found some woods and started walking!  Its nice to enjoy nature with no real end result in mind except enjoyment. I did realize I hate squirrels though, haha. Squirrels in my neighborhood are mean and apparently are ticked off about what we are doing to nature and decided to take it out on me!

Personal Journal #7

   I had an unintended run in with nature today. My car battery died and I had to walk through the woods as a short cut to get to where I was going. Its funny that sometimes we have to be forced to take in nature but in the end I enjoyed the inconvenient encounter. Don't get me wrong.. I certainly don't want to go trade in my car for new walking shoes but it certainly brought old topics and conclusions to new light.

Personal Journal #6

I had to mow the lawn today. Aghhhh.. Its terrible. Florida weather will make you not like going outside. However, if we can all just take a minute to realize our ancestors didn't care if they got a little sweaty and dirty and it certainly didnt hinder their day. It gives you a whole new perspective on what is important. We shouldnt let society affect who we are and what we enjoy just because nature is so "out of season." Pun intended.

Reflection on Colloquium and Final paper.

   I will continue my life with this new perspective gained from this course so that I can help change the world for the better. I am leaving this class with a better understanding of environmental issues. I think considering the diversity of the class and the number of students that had to be reached with a single curriculum, this class was very successful. I believe the class was very thorough in making sure the ideals of living green was cemented in our minds far after the semester is over. This class has made me want to get out and make a change. I believe a major part of this curriculum was focused on personal growth through getting out and doing through experiential education. I was most influenced by the field trips and visual interpretations of the curriculum. Sustainable growth and development seems to be the most important part of environmental studies because without that we will all die. In fact, this is very literally true. Without the proper resources, humanity will eventually kill itself out. Our well being is directly tied to nature’s well being. We can live happily if nature is happy, but nature can’t necessarily live if we indulge ourselves too much. We must learn to be a little more conservative of our limited resources. We must educate ourselves and others by the masses or this discussion will be all but a faint blur in history. 

Reflection on Service Learning

   My service learning experience was to research, detail and expand on a given time period while tying in a subject of an unexplained skull found under the Price House in Punta Gorda, Florida. This assignment helped me understand the diversity and layers that Southwest Florida’s history contains. I also reflected weekly on my natural environment. This gave me better comprehension of my town and the agriculture surrounding my neighborhood. I see it while driving to work and I see it every time I go outside but it is rare to take a moment to truly examine one’s surroundings. The emotional and analytical responses to such simple assignments are astounding and surprising to say the least. These experiences tied in directly to the coursework have helped me to better reflect on more global topics from my local perspective. I have now learned to see the big picture from small sized puzzle piece perspectives. I now can appreciate preserving the natural environment more because I see that my choices can directly affect me, my local environment, and my community. The content of the University Colloquium gave me the perspective I needed to achieve my goals and better understanding that was needed to complete my off campus service learning assignment. I don’t think the work we did as a class will directly affect social change, however I do believe what we learned in class has changed students enough to contribute their whole lives to the change that is needed to affect our society. Success is in numbers and changing a class’s perspective can be enough to eventually induce a social change. 

Letter to Future Students

To future Colloquium students, I suggest you use your time wisely in this class. This class is packed with work and assignments but behind all of this is a deeper meaning peppered with real life experiences. Take this class for the adventure that lies within and listen with an open mind and I believe you will all grow as individuals by the end.

Waste Energy Plant field trip

   This week in class we visited the Lee County Waste Energy Facility. If you throw away your garbage in Lee County it comes here to be changed into clean energy.  The plant reminds me of a twisted claw game that you find at many miniature golf places. It picks up the trash with a giant metal claw and dumps the garbage in a big bin to be burned by flames fueled by propane gas. This is entirely more efficient than landfills with the added bonus of the trash getting turned into usable energy. Thankfully decreasing our dependency on natural gas, oil and coal.

   I wish our county would get rid of our landfills and conduct business this way also, but we don't.  It seems more practical in every manner.  It pays for itself over time because they produce and sale the energy that it produces. It doesn't fill up miles of land with raw garbage and it is better for the environment. Hopefully, more counties in this area will catch on and go green.

Punta Gorda field trip

     The first stop we went to was the Wyvern Hotel.  The building was huge and offered a horizon view from the top.  On one side we saw Charlotte Harbor, to the other was downtown.

     The next place we stopped was History Park.  There we saw the  "Price House." I was intrigued by the design of the old houses and the stories that were just as much of the foundation as the actual house itself.  

     The last place we stopped was at Ponce De Leon Park where we stopped by a hot dog stand and then went for a walk. We walked around and viewed the animals including a bald eagle that they hold in captivity in the small zoo type area and then out through mangrove trees to the pier by the water.  We watched as the boats came in and enjoyed the day out by the water.  

Personal Journal #5

   In class this week I read a chapter from "State of the World," entitled "Broadening the Understanding of Security."  I reflected upon the topic as I went out for my walk around the neighborhood.  I passed by some pastures and down to my local gas station.  This chapter is basically about humanity and poses the question can it rally around a common goal/purpose and leave behind its history of costly conflicts and divisions?  As I passed by the gas station this idea rolled around in my head. Outside the gas station sat several drunks who frequent that area and on most days can be seen on the side of the building on top of milk crates. I was thinking, if society can not come together to fix problems locally such as homelessness, vagrancy and alcoholism then how can we expect to discard our intercontinental issues and come to any major world changing agreements? America is a good representation of multiple countries coming together because we ourselves  are a melting pot of many races, creeds and backgrounds. With that in mind, I look around and see that right now I don't believe we can come together as one voice until the situation is dire.  That is just the natural case of human beings. We must be forced into making changes because our lives are built on convenience and accessibility.

Personal Journal #4

   I live in Nocatee, FL which is a small town next to Arcadia, a slightly larger small town.  There really isn't much to do except be involved in nature.  Nature surrounds me because quite frankly there is nothing else out here.  I took a walk by the banks of Peace River and enjoyed the fresh breeze.  It is actually very nice out and the wind is strong and cool on my skin.  We jestingly refer to Peace River as Nocatee Beach because most days you will see many people perched on its banks with fold out chairs and umbrellas in hand.  Its nice to have a slice of nature so close to my front door.

Babcock Ranch

This week our class visited Babcock Ranch, a 17,000 acre planned community plus additional acres that contain a "working ranch." It is one of the largest cattle ranches in Florida.  We took a tour of the ranch on a large cut away bus that was driven right through the woods and swamps.  Our guide offered practical knowledge of the plants and animals that occupy the ranch. At one point she actually brought a baby alligator on the bus for us to see and touch. 

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 Here is a picture of the "cracker cattle" that we came in contact with on the ranch.  They slowly grazed through the pasture right outside our windows, only feet from the bus.   

   
The trip was fun and very educational. 

Personal Journal #3 What is the best way to live?

   What is the best way to live? This is an intriguing question. I believe Socrates said it best with "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." The best way for us to learn and take in as much knowledge as possible is to accept the fact that we know nothing. We are empty vessels and with humility we can acquire great insights into our surroundings if we just allow it. I think we should all live with an open mind and welcome new experiences, friendships and knowledge.

Personal journal article #2

Yesterday, I played football with my friends out in the field. The field next to my house was very green, damp and full of life. It is next to woods where we often see wildlife as we play football. I am happy to live in a smaller town where I still have the opportunity to enjoy such luxuries as nature and seeing fields of green grass available for us to use. Isn't it ironic that in todays society, nature is both a luxury and a commodity? I can't imagine living in a large city and worrying about smog or pollution from the large populous affecting our views of the environment around us. I believe quality of life is directly proportional to the quality of our environment. This acknowledgement makes it that much more important for me to preserve and appreciate my local environment.

ECHO

We visited ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) today. ECHO is a multi faceted program that strives to cure hunger through training, innovation and networking with people from various countries all around the world. 


I think our field trip to ECHO was very interesting and informative. Its good to know there is a group of people willing to strive to make a real difference. This seems to be a very successful program that would be a worthy cause to donate our service learning hours to. Im sure ECHO can use the volunteers.


By far, the most interesting tree that I saw there was the Moringa tree. It is a thick tree with drooping branches that is cultivated for many uses including water purification, malnutrition, and as an antiseptic. ECHO does its fair share in distributing the seeds and knowledge of these trees to many countries world wide.

About Me:

I am creating this blog for the University Colloquium at FGCU. My major is Management and I hope to graduate soon. Pictures will be posted soon...

My Neighborhood

My questions:

 1. Why are there so many oak trees in Florida?
 2. Why are there no street lights in my neighborhood?
 3. Why is Florida so flat?
 4. Why is the grass so unhealthy?
 5. How can we naturally get rid of all these weeds?
 6. Are there more efficient ways to make ditches? (So they don't fill with standing water)
 7. Do all of these cows effect the local environment?
 8. Does Moss serve a purpose?
 9. Does the massive amount of squirrels effect our environment?
 10. Are dirt roads better for the environment?


I forgot how rural this area really was, until I took a walk around my neighborhood.  There are cows everywhere. What happened to people just keeping goldfish as pets? I love the great natural allotment of oak trees in my neighborhood, this is one of the perks of living in the middle of nowhere. It is quiet outside and you can really reflect on the environment.