Love it or Lose it

David Orr in this piece brings up the topic of "biphobia", which is the culturally acquired urge to affiliate with technology, human artifacts, and solely with human interests regarding the natural world. If maybe one person feels like this it may not be a big deal but if a growing number of people feel like this it might be become a detrimental state of being. At the other end of the spectrum is "biophilia" which is defined as the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.

Somehow some way humans have always modified their environments in order to make them more fit for themselves; not always benefiting nature at best. With the knowledge we now have we need to make a choice between biphobia and biophillia. They way biophobia has manifested itself has led the world in which it is becoming easier to be biophobic. For example ozone depletion, meaning more eye cataracts and skin cancer, does not give us more reason to stay indoors. Biophobia acts in a "vicious cycle" which leads people to act in such a way as to undermine the characteristics of nature making the person or persons dislike nature.

We now live in a time where it is greatly debated about what it means to live "sustainably" on earth. But our dilemma is that we are trying to define what sustainability means while dealing with an either an intimate relation with nature or total mastery of it. This is what tugged at my heart when I read this article because it is one hundred percent true and we must do something about it.

Will Modern Civilizations Endure?

I believe modern civilizations will endure. We are only a spec in the time line of civilizations but given what we have accomplished and all our knowledge I can't imagine civilizations progressing to a more modern time period, unless there is some sore of global scale natural disaster that is out of our hands. Yes in the ancient days there were the Romans, and the Mayans, etc. All big civilizations but right now in most of the world we are caught up with technology. And if a certain region doesn't encompass things that maybe a second or third world country would have we at least know about them and have some knowledge about their presence.

In the ancient days there could be people on one side of the globe and others on another side and no one would know because there were no means of travel as there are now, or means of communication as there is now. I have never studied a time in which there was more technology than what we have now or a time in which we were so "caught up" in all kinds of aspects whether it be medical, military, technology, engineering wise, etc. If there was such a time we have no remains of it therefore I don't think it has ever existed.

I think we will continue to evolve and grow and there will be a modern civilization. However I do think we are creating "our own bed" if you may by the way we are living and exploiting this planet.

High & Low from Colloquium

I heard about this class before I had to take it and it has been pretty much what I've expected just a bit faster I presume because of the summer term. I have actually learned a lot in this course. I've never been as one would say "environmentally inclined" and from the readings in the weather makers, all the video's we've watched, and the lectures I can now say I can carry a conversation with someone about environmental sustainability. I actually like learning about it. It's amazing how complex the environmental spectrum is. One thing affects another that then affects another and so forth. It can get overwhelming but if there's anything I've learned in this course is that you can't let all these issues get to you at once.

I remember after leaving class on the first day I was so overwhelmed with environmental issues; I felt like a huge weight had been put on my shoulders (not to mention it has been the longest class I have ever sat through). Then slowly but surely the more we've learned as a class we've come up with ideas for different issues and I think that's very substantial coming from someone that had not even come across any of these issues.

It is apparent that the world is heating and I've known this for sometime and some other key facts that we've talked in class, but never to the specificity that I now know. Another thing I had no idea about is how fishes have been hypothesized to get fished out by 2048. This is mind boggling to me that we have taken advantage of our resources to this extent. This is not only in my future children lifetime but in mine as well.

My major is biology but I'm more geared to pre-med so this is not really "my thing" but I'm more conscientious in my daily activities now. I really try to read all the material assigned because I truly enjoy reading it and learning about it all. It's better to know and be prepared than be ignorant. Another thing I try to fit in my schedule is to watch a bit more of the news although I may not enjoy it, its important to know about your surroundings and what's going on in the world and that is something colloquium has helped me with.

So all in all I did enjoy the class it had more work than I had anticipated, but it forced us to really learn the material. Also Professor Muldoon really taught us a lot of neat things not just from an environmental standpoint but economical as well. As he once said in responding back to a student that said we are destroying this earth, "the earth has been in existence for billions and billions of years we are not destroying it, it will shrug us off its shoulder before we get a chance to destroy it; and that is exactly what is happening."

Downtown!

Downtown experience was fun! Our group didn't get first place, but we got second so it wasn't all in vain. It was hot and muggy and we were all exhausted after, but it has been by far the most interesting field trip I have ever been on. The things on the list for the scavenger hunt were almost impossible to find. I don't think I found one thing myself. Thank god for the other girls in my group! But we all had our duties I was in charge of the map one of the girls was in charge of writing the answers down  and the other girl had the best vision she found a lot of things. So I accredit our success to our organization. Plus Professor Muldoon may have helped us out a little here and there!

It was actually quite ironic because for Fourth of July I had been in the downtown area and then the very next day we had our field trip there it was as if I had lived in the downtown area for a day. I am now very familiar with the area and next time I am to go down to downtown I will remember our field trip and smile!!

It was hard work and exercise but it beats being in a classroom for five hours so I think we were all happy, plus it gave us an excuse to notice the little things that sometimes we may just walk by and not notice.

Echo Experience: Service Learning Reflection

My service learning experience was awesome!! I did my complete ten hours at the Echo Organization located in North Fort Myers. I had previously heard of the ECHO organization because students from one of my other classes had done some volunteer work with ECHO, but I wasn't actually aware of what it was. ECHO stands for Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization and it is a non-for profit Christian organization. 

The first time I went to Echo I was amazed at how peaceful and tranquil the site is. There is definitely a positive energy that dwells in the people that work there as well as in the work that they do. Echo exists to help the poor on an international level especially in the agricultural aspect.

I dealt directly with the volunteer coordinator, Karen Franklin, that was very hospitable to myself and the other volunteers as she placed us to work in the Get into the Gardening Event. For this event we basically guided guests to the right area for the tours or to buy plants as well as handed out fliers. The event had trees for sale and but also had different activities going on such as educational workshops and the ECHO tours.

The second time I went to volunteer they placed me to help in a seed bank to collect seeds off a lettuce tree that was bought to them from a missionary that had been to Australia. The task was simple but very time consuming I now know how much patience is needed when picking for seeds and being able to efficiently do the job.

The Land Ethic

What is ethic? Ecologically, it is a limitation on freedom of action in the struggle for existence. Philosophically, it is a differentiation of social from anti-social conduct. But all theories and definitions of ethics lie within the principle that an individual is a member of a community and that his ethics allow for co-existence among others.

Land ethics are simply the expanding of the definition of ethics to include soils, waters, plants, and animals to equal the land. Why is it necessary to add land to our understanding of ethics? Well, because it's our habitat it's where we live and if we don't take care of it, who will?

A land ethic changes the way we should live in our land. We shouldn't be conqueror's of the land but learn to live as citizens of it. Many times in order for us to accept or apply a concept or action in our lives it has to be of some economic importance. Well with animals and other environmental entities at times it is not applicable and thus we just overlook land ethic as a priority or ignore it completely.  Lack of economic value is sometimes a character not only of species or groups, but of entire ecological communities such as marshes, bogs, and dunes. What we usually do is delegate these lands into refuges, monuments, or parks but it is difficult for the government to undertake this task because unfortunately it cannot possibly own or control such scattered parcels. Therefore a critical obligation on behalf of the private owner is the only solution for these problems.

"El Lago del Espiritu Santo"

There is no other area in the world like our Florida Everglades. The type of wildlife that it inhabits, the openness of land is quite exquisite and only available there. That is why the Spanish called it the 'El Lago del Espiritu Santo' meaning the lake of the Holy Spirit.  Truly the Everglades means 'big water'.

The origin of the name Everglades came from "River Glades" River became 'Ever' and after the acquisition of Florida from Spain in 1819 by the U.S. was it's present name used.The Indians though called it the 'Pa-hay-okee' which means "Grassy Water." The Everglades today is referred to as a plural entity and one word.

The Everglades encompasses shallow lands with shrubby trees in masses of water. The trees are called saw grass. In the Everglades is the greatest concentration of saw grass in the world. With the mud, the water, and the tall growing saw grass it is impossible to get through the Everglades by foot. Saw grass is so strong that really the only thing that defeats it is fires. Layers of ashes mark where old fires once were.

A major part of the Everglades is the rock it encompasses it which holds the fresh water and the grass. The surface rock below the Everglades dips south at an incline of half a foot to every six miles. The material of the rock came from the sea, which is called "oolitic limestone." With the sun and air it hardens in clumps. And in some places it becomes shelly.