Journal #7

 My experience with the University Colloquium class has definitely been a memorable one. The main reason I say that is because I haven't been on a school field trip since grade school. I don't think I will ever forget bus rides to nature centers, trail walks, and touring downtown Ft.Myers, all for a college course. This class has opened my eyes to many real life environmental issues that I hadn't been exposed to previously. I've learned so much in the past few months, I had no idea it could be this fun. I guess I just expected a required class to be difficult and boring. Being able to learn the material through field trips, in class activities/videos, and lectures made the course so much more enjoyable. This course has taught me about the worldly issues our planet faces such as the peak oil crisis and global warming, and what the future will be like, scary as it may be. I've learned ways of how to live a more sustainable life, whether it be to converting to solar panels, or using a compost recycling system. I have also become more aware of how lucky we are in the United States, in comparison to other countries. How we are fortunate enough to have food to eat whether we buy it from our grocery store or grow it ourselves. Other countries aren't as fortunate. Their weather conditions and poverty limit their ability to grow their crops. All in all, University Colloquium has been a positive pleasant experience for me this semester. I would say the most fun took place on the field trips and the most challenging part was the research essay. But for there to only be one paper due out of the entire semester, I'd say that is PRETTY GOOD!

Journal #5

In the center of South west Florida is a town named Ft.Myers. Originally named Ft. Harvey. Usually, a town is said to be named after a famous  general or someone who has accomplished something memorable, but the name Myers came from a man, a colonel, who was engaged to a captains daughter. In 1886, the permanent settlers came to Ft.Myers. The first school was established in the 1880's, but was burned down by some kids later on. After the burning,the 300 some residents of the Ft.Myers area drove to the commission in Key West to try to get help to build another school. However, the commission turned them down and said for them to build another school on their own. Around the 1920's, Collier and Hendry county came about. A short while later, around the 1930's, after the Ft. Myers area started to become a tourist hot spot, Thomas Edison and his friend/mentor, Henry Ford came down to visit. The reason for Edison's visit was to search for bamboo. After his findings, he became interested in Ft.Myers. So interested, that he bought 13 acres of land, which is now called the Seminole Lodge. During that time, the Arcade Theater, located in downtown Ft.Myers, was a popular entertainment spot not only for the residents and visitors of the town, but also for Thomas Edison. He had a special seat in the theater rigged with a hearing aid just for him. He was kind of like the celebrity of Ft.Myers, and was treated as such. After Thomas Edison's death, his wife had the brilliant idea of creating a library, in his name. Edison Community College, now Edison State College, was born.

Journal #4

"A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash", really did open my eyes about oil. I never realized all that it is in! It is amazing to think that it is in the clothes and shoes we wear, to the plastics our food is stored in, to the walls surrounding us. The video described oil as "the blood of the earth." Before watching this video, I used to think we just used oil for gas, little did I know, that 70% of one barrel of oil is used for fuel. What about the other 30%? Since oil is referred to as "our God," it is a big deal when the price of oil increases. Because when the price of oil goes up, so does the price of everything else! The video mentioned an interesting fact about how one single barrel of oil equals 25,000 man hours. That is also equivalent to twelve people working all year round. THAT IS INSANE TO THINK OF IT THAT WAY! When oil was first discovered in 1914 in Venezuela, it never crossed anyone's mind that eventually, one day, it would run out. I felt sad when they were showing all of the plentiful oil in the early 1900's, pumping it out all over in Venezuela and Texas, and then cutting to the shots of the same places, only there was no oil and completely desolate. How sad that no one saw the supply decreasing. Because oil is used for almost everything these days, it is very believable that it is known as a magnet for war. Countries would fight over it. It’s crazy to hear that many wars in history started because of oil.

Journal #3

After reading Richard Louv”s article, I feel so enlightened. This particular passage was of interest to me, not because I have ADHD, but because I’ve worked with kids who have had it. I used to nanny for 3 small children, all who were diagnosed with this disorder. When they would come home from school I would be the one to help them with their homework. It was a disaster. They could never focus. They were always jumping up and down in their seat, and took forever to accomplish one single task. When reading about how something so simple such as nature could help improve an ADHD child’s behavior, I was shocked. Shocked and bummed. I wish I would have known this years ago! It would have saved me from loads of frustration and stress. I would never have thought to take the kids outside to do homework. They were the kind of kids who always owned the latest in technology, therefore they were constantly inside watching T.V., playing video games, etc. Maybe that in itself was the problem. In today’s world with all of this technology around us, it really is important to expose our kids to nature. Not even neccesarily the children with ADHD, all of them. It is so easy for a parent with a child with ADHD to simply put them on medication such as Ritalin, when on the other hand you could just make an effort to take them outside for 20 minutes. I mean, nature is all around us. We, in Florida, have it a lot easier because of the simple fact that the weather is mostly warm year-round. So theres no excuse for “it being to cold out to go for a walk.”

Journal #2

Fortunately I was born in Naples, FL where  palm trees, gumbo limbos, and pine trees are my backyard. In the 21 years of living here I’ve been exposed to all kinds of animals and wildlife. Black bears, possums, skunks, alligators, and several indiginous snakes to name a few. I was born with an education of what it is like to live in the woods. I was brought up to know things like, “red to black friend of Jack, red to yellow, kill a fellow,” referring to the bands on a coral snake. And if I were to see the trash cans knocked over in the morning, I would know it was the family of black bears living in our backyard, just searching for their dinner. Living in the woods has taught me a lot. Not only about what kinds of creatures are all around but about people and customs, that just aren’t that familiar. For example trick or treating. Wasn’t an option. I mean of course we weren’t deprived of a childhood, we just had to beg for candy at our friends neighborhood, or go down town. People around these parts of town don’t even know their neighbors names. But how can you? Right next door isn’t someone’s house, its all woods. Growing up in the woods has made a very big impact on my life. I know that I take it for granted sometimes when I take vacations, and go out of state. This Christmas I went to New York City. I couldn’t even imagine how it’d be if someone from the city and myself were to change places. They would freak out if they saw a corn snake in the yard, let alone a bear. They’d be amazed at all the roadkill in the street while driving. 

Journal #1

Vadana Shiva’s article about the importance of biodiversity made me realize how many various species are involved when it comes to this thing called life. After all, the term biodiversity means the diversity of life. Since biological diversity and cultural diversity go hand in hand with one another, it is beneficial to understand how this can affect humans. For centuries we have hunted and gathered many different kinds of plants and animals for our food source. Isn’t it crazy to think that without these 80,000 types of edible plant species available to eat, we might not have gone on to survive? Today in some parts of India, 7,500 of those plant species are used for medicinal purposes. I was shocked at all the different uses of plants the locals use to cure ailments. David Suzuki says “ We owe practically all life to bacteria.” Its funny to think that things like bacteria are why we go to the doctor, to get rid of them- when in actuality they are the reason we are all here to begin with. 

When I started to read the Protectors of the World of Plants article, the first sentence made me realize something. In the past when visiting a zoo, I would always hear the tour guide talking about all the different endangered species that are out there. Naturally, when thinking endangered species, I would think of tigers, gorillas, pandas, etc. I never even thought about endangered plant species. It’s not as if there would be such thing as an endangered plant exhibit.