Personal Journal Entry #23 - Response to First Journal Questions

April 14, 2011

Answering Questions posed in Journal #1

1.) For living in a gated community, why are there so many houses without lawn care? Shouldn't each person have the same quality of grass, which is alive rather than practically dead?

 - Maybe all houses do have lawn care but if some grass looks better than other grass it would probably be the fault of the sprinkler system. Sprinkler heads are very fragile. They can go any which way and easily break causing people to have different consequences with lawn care.

2.) Why are there sandspurs in the grass, when there is no sand? (Nicky did NOT appreciate getting one stuck in his poor little paw. Thankfully, I was able to remove it with quite a bit of effort.)

 - Living close to the beach, where sandspurs live, causes them to be blown by the wind, picked up on beach goer’s shoes, clothes, and towels. But I am not in walking distance to the beach so there must have been an outside source that was involved here.

3.) Why are there hardly any residents playing the outdoor sports activities? Throughout my neighborhood we have swimming pools, tennis courts, mini-golf, even bocce ball. Why are people rarely taking advantage of these fun activities?

 - This may because of the hot weather, not wanting to be outside, and not having as many kid-friendly games. They are limits to the hours on tennis courts and pools. There are also no basketball courts, furthermore, residents are not permitted to have their own basketball hoop on their driveway. I think kids have advances in technology that influences there play time to be inside rather than outside. Maybe since my community is mostly older residents, they are not prone to such active exercise.

4.) Does the colder Florida temperature have a harsh effect on the trees and the flowers?

 - During the winter, temperatures can get below 40 degrees. So yes, this affects them because if the temperature drops this low, for a prolonged period of time, it damaged all vegetation because they can’t tolerate those low temperatures. It can even cause frost so a good preventative is covering the plants.  

5.) Will it ever snow in Florida?


 - Not in Naples because it is too far south. It’s too subtropical to get lucky enough to receive snow. But in northern areas of Florida there is a possibility of snow flurries. L I love the snow.


6.) Why is it that every time trash pick-up day comes around, which is twice a week, all of the houses on my block has massive amounts of trash in a matter of days?

 - People consume more than you would think. Each American makes about 4 pounds of garbage daily. If the rest of the world produced as much as Americans, there would be about 10 MILLION tons daily or 4 TRILLION tons yearly. The Environmental Protection Agency reports the United States produces approximately 220 million tons of garbage each year. This is equivalent to burying more than 82,000 football fields six feet deep in compacted garbage. There are no statistics readily available for the entire planet, but considering the United States makes up about 4% of the world's population, this is a LOT. I would personally estimate the entire planet's yearly production of garbage to be somewhere in the vicinity of 4 to 5 BILLION tons
7.) Do people in my community have respect for the environment that they live in? Does anyone think about the environment at all?

 - Yes. There are actually meetings for environmental actions that can be beneficial for my community. They just made signs for the drains saying do not pollute. So there are people that care for the environment but it is hard to generalize. I am one person out of the two-thousand houses that has an appreciation for the environment. There is likely to be more with that many people.

9.) Are there people who do not know how to recycle items?

Here are five reasons why people do not recycle. I don’t think people do not know how.

1. Inconvenience

Inconvenience is the number one reason that people don’t recycle. In many regions of the country, especially rural regions, curbside recycling programs do not exist. But garbage pickup does. Therefore, recycling takes extra effort and a drive to the nearest transfer station while throwing it out only requires a walk to the curb.

2. Lack of Space.

In close relation to inconvenience is a lack of space. Many people do not want open containers of “garbage” lying around the kitchen. There is no pantry, closet, or other out-of-the-way place to put recycle bins, especially when separate bins for glass, plastic, aluminum, and paper are needed.

3. No Deposit, No Return.

I spent several years in Michigan where its 10-cent bottle and can deposit leads the nation. I tell you that rarely did a beer bottle make it to the landfill. Even if people threw them out, someone would come along and take them out of the trash. Conversely I’ve found that beverage drinkers in states without deposits are far more likely to toss everything in the trash. This is not just homeowners either. In Dallas, TX I watched large trash can after trash can fill up with bottles at a local bar…Imagine the waste from just one establishment!

4. Misinformation.

Many people just don’t see how recycling — or lack thereof — affects their daily lives. Perhaps they don’t see the landfill piling up in their town because the garbage is shipped elsewhere. Perhaps they don’t know the myriad of products that are made or remade from recycled materials. Perhaps they haven’t noticed the price of certain products rising because of depleted resources that could be supplemented with more recycled materials. It has nothing to do with intelligence or a lack of compassion. The fact is that many people still don’t see the point and have been misinformed about the severity of rising trash heaps and a depleted environment.

5. Too Confusing.

Adding to the inconvenience of recycling is the confusing nature of many recycling programs. For instance, there is something like 13 different kinds of plastics, and in some areas you can only recycle plastic bottles in which the necks are smaller in width than the body. Add to that the inconvenience of separating materials and the daily grind of work and family. Who has time to figure it all out?

10.) Going around my community I noticed many houses and lawns that were unattended. Why do I never see anyone watering their plants? If people have the time to roll their garbage cans to the end of the driveway shouldn't they also have time to take care of the outside appearance of their homes and water their planted garden?


 - I think that people do water their plants; they just never go outside when I am. I have been asked to water my neighbors’ plants before. So I know some people MUST water their plants or else they hire someone for them! ;)


Also, 11.) What is the purpose of riding around on a bike and putting your dog enclosed in a mesh basket? Wouldn't they like to smell the roses, mark their territory, or chase after the birds? What is the point of containing them while you get a breath of fresh air?


- Maybe they are injured, sick, or dying. Maybe their owners were trying to let them get a last look of the great outdoors. Maybe the pavement was too hot walk on so they were trying to help. Maybe they didn’t see anything wrong with it. I think that dogs like to take a walk because they get to get some exercise themselves and they can smell every scent that passes them by. I swear I sometimes see my dog smile!