Conclusion of Colloquium Blog 10

Coming into Colloquium I never really cared much about the environment until I realized how big of a role it does play in my life. The different field trips gave me a different point of view of nature and our environment. For example, I've been to Lovers Key beach and Downtown Fort Myers several times, but never payed attention to the surroundings until they were pointed out. After discussions in class, I realized that our world is in need of help and people need to become aware before it's too late. It's sad to say that most people won't change their ways until it personal affects. We need to open our eyes and do the best we can even if its just turning off lights when we leave or taking shorter showers. The easiest way to make changes is by word  by mouth and starting to change our lifestyles.

Blog 9.Echo project

During the Echo project, I became excited to see the fruit that we would be working with. I went to the grocery store to see if I could buy it, but unfortunately they didn't have any in stock. After doing some research, I learned that the Pummelo tress are from Southeastern Asia and only blossoms from 2 to 4 times a year. When picking out fruits it is important to know such information where it comes from and the origins of it. The pummel is like a grapefruit and but isn't in available as much like the grapefruit. The project introduced me to a new fruit that I didn't even know existed and I started to appreciate the fruit even more because it is such a unique crop.

Blog 8. Downtown Fort Myers

 After going to Downtown with class, it was different to see the other side of downtown rather than the  social side. It was so fascinating to learn about the real side of the "city of palms". Walking through the city I realized the history  these buildings had behind them and what were the true reason of why Firestone, Edison, and Ford made such a big contribution to Fort Myers, FL, One of the things that stuck out to me was the area mainly for the palms trees. The palms are a powerful symbol for Florida, and it was neat to see all the different palm trees from all over the world. This area has the most palm trees in the whole wide world. I also never noticed the memorial that is located right to the Indigo hotel which goes back to the revolution of blacks and whites. Thinking that downtown was only great for their restaurants and bars, I had no idea how historic downtown really was.

Blog 7. Lovers Key

On June 12, 2013 Our colloquium class went to Lovers Key Beach State Park for the day. It's one of four barrier Islands and is home to manatees, dolphins, rabbits, and bald eagles. I noticed on the trip that Lovers key isn't really the typical beach that many go to. It's more of a private beach for shelling, picnicking and sunbathing. Besides its beach scene, it also is considered a park for outdoors activities such as picnics, canoeing, kayaking, biking, and hiking. As you pass by the beach you can see Sea Turtles and shorebirds miles along the beach. After a day at lovers key, you can get a piece of the history and natural beauty this location offers.

Blog 6 Plan B

In Plan B 4.0, it was interesting to read about the three models of social change. The first one is the Pearl Harbor model where something has to happen for us to want to change. The problem with this is it might to be late. The second is the Berlin Wall where change comes over with time when attitudes change. Lastly is the sandwich model where change happens rapidly because of political leadership. Such as our government and administration.I believe the Pearl Harbor change is most common with people because until it truly impacts their lives, people won't change their ways. I'm guilty of this until the issue is introduced to me, then I'll start to change my ways. I believe every little bit can help and as long as I'm doing my best, I'm making a difference.

Blog 5. ECHO

In our field trip to Echo we were introduced to lots of plants, fruits, and vegetables where they grow right onsite. Some plants include bamboo which grow very fast and is used for clothing and then the miranga which is the most popular and nutritious plant. One thing that stuck me with me was that countries live off plants that Americans don't even eat or know about. We should take more advantage of more plants and fruits that aren't normally eaten. In countries they handle rabbits more often instead of cows  because their easier to maintain and live off of. Miracle fruit is very popular in poor countries since they need lots of medicine due to poor nutriton it makes the medicine taste better. Another common fruit is bananas where each tree grows up 60-80 pounds and then must be cut down to grow more.

Blog 4. University Colloquium Book. Perreras

In the University Book, the importance of nature is dicussed and the impact it can make in someones life. "By bolstering children's attention resources, green spaces may enable children to think more clearly and cope more effectively with life stress." This study has revealed a big improvement in children who haveADD/ADHD and has replaced the medicine for these disorders. Whether a child or not, nature helps people get sense of place or mind which help tremoudously with daily activities and success. This helps with concentration,  moods, and emotions which play a big part in lives. Nature is a way to live a happier life according to research and everybody should take advantage of nature therapy because their is no price to it.

Blog 3 Earth On Edge

The Video Earth On Edge made me realize that their is a lot more going on throughout the world than I thought. As humans, we face different problems everyday but their is one problem that we all are going to face if we dont start changing our ways;less natural resources. We need to start saving fuel, using less, and using our natural resources right in front of us. Environmentalists say our world will be like Haiti with conflicts of resources and water. I never noticed how our world has degraded and the way were living is not ok while other foreign countries are struggling heavily. If we continue to push earth life systems to their limits and not take advantage of our crops we could take a whole 180 turn.

Perreras Corkscrew Sanctuary

On May 16, 2013 our Colloquium class went to the Corkscrew Sanctuary and learned what Old Florida is all about. Their are three different types of levels in the forest such as the pine upland, swamp, and the prairie.If an environment is a species indicator it means if panthers or other species are dying,  the environment may be dying as well. It needs certain species in the environment in order for it to survive and stay preserved. Liking is also another big factor to a forest to stay preserved because it requires good air quality to survive. For example Cypress trees adapt to environment roots next to the tree for oxygen. Another plant that is most common and grows in deep swamps,  was traced back to Native Americans when they used them for alligator signals. These could be found typically by the swamps and can survuve throughout the dry season. At the end of the trip, we were all in silence as we heard different animals in the forest move around in their natural habitat.

Food Forest. Blog 1 Perreras

For the first day of class, I began to have a different perspective on nature and started to become interested in the topic. I was introduced to the food forest on campus which was created by students and naturalist here on campus. The food forest's main objective is sustainability and to educate students on campus about the importance of the environment. It's open to students to volunteer and informative sessions weekly about what types of fruits and plants were planted in the forest.Some of the fruits that we got the chance to see and taste were berries, strawberries, and bananas. The berries could only be eaten if they were a dark color showing they were fully processed, and the banana tree can only build one set of bananas per tree which can take months. You also can not remove the banana from the set until it is fully processed because it can ruin the natural process. We learned that certain plants can be used for cooking but in the proper manner and that they are mostly all at our fingertips for our daily uses.Before this class, I had no idea that FGCU even had a food forest and were doing such sustainability methods.It's very impressive that students themselves implemented the food forest and are pursuing so much to better the school and our world.