Personal Journal Entry #11

                                                                                                                                    March 30 2011

     After taking my dog for a walk, I reflected back on the book A Land Remembered. I remembered how I discovered a completely new meaning for world around me. I also learned quite a bit about the history of how Florida came to be. I think that every Florida resident or anyone interested in reading about the history of land should invest a couple days in reading A Land Remembered.

     I also began to think about how rare it is to see the children in my neighborhood actually play outside. Today people are just "too busy" to actually take a stroll in the park, so to speak. I used to be one of those people. I always thought that is was a huge imposition to actually spend some time outside absorbing nature and the natural sun. But now, after taking University Colloquium, I have discovered something new about myself. I have learned about having a sense of self; knowing who I am in this world. It is important not to take the world for granted because our Earth is precious.

     I think that oftentimes it is part of our human nature to get stressed. I am a very stressful person and I would like to change that. But I think it is somehow pre-wired in our DNA to have such a fast-paced life where you are moving a mile a minute. My problem is I do not give myself any time for leisure activities. But that is the problem. Human beings cannot handle heavy loads of activity. We need to take the time to sleep for a minimum of 8 hours, which few college students actually do, and we need to eat. Sometimes I feel that I become so busy that I forget to have a decent meal or don't have time to waste on sleep. It is important for our bodies and the world to be taken care of. We will fall apart if we do not nurture our bodies. I often feel that I have so much on my plate that I don't have time to care for myself. College has proved to be very time-consuming and vigorous with the amount of work assigned. I am a super motivated type of person who is driven to do extremely well in school. I do not settle for anything besides perfection but that is my problem. Yes I am at the top of my class and I do very well in every course I take, but I am miserable. I have very little time for myself, barely any time for my friends and family, and I am overworked. I think that I am more stressed than any person on this planet, and that is pathetic for a young college student. I forget to realize that I have a life to life and I do not want to become part of the "real world" this soon. I need to enjoy the last year I have of college and make friends, join activities, and get involved. I love to help people but if I cannot learn to take care of myself then I will be of no help to anyone.

    University Colloquium, although extremely intense with homework, has been a learn opportunity for me. I have taken away so many great things from the class that is relevant to my life. It is not just a required course, it teaches each and every person how to become a great time manager and how to enjoy the simple things in life like taking a field trip or learning how the environment impacts our lives. Through all of the craziness of school I have been given the inspiration that I can make a difference in the world and that I have the ability to manage my stress. Now, I just need to use those gifts and actually take action.

Personal Journal Entry #10 - The Land Ethic by Aldo Leopald

                                                                                                                                        March 17, 2011

GR #7: The Land Ethnic by Aldo Leopald

The Land Ethic really emphasizes the relationship between individuals and society. Begins by saying that the Golden Rule tries to integrate this relationship but there is yet to be an ethic dealing with man's relationship to the land and the animals and the plants which grow upon it.

      According to an article on Land Ethic, it is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land and a high regard for its value. By value, I of course mean something far broader than mere economic value; I mean value in the philosophical sense. Perhaps the most serious obstacle impeding the evolution of a land ethic is the fact that our educational and economic system is headed away from, rather than toward, a intense consciousness of land. Your true modern is separate from the land by many middlemen, and by innumerable physical gadgets. He has no vital relation to it; to him it is the space between cities on which crops grow. If crops could be raised by hydroponics instead of farming, it would suit him very well. Synthetic substitutes for wood, leather, wool, and other natural land products suit him better than the originals.

      In short, land is something he has 'outgrown.' Almost equally serious as an obstacle to a land ethic is the attitude of the farmer for whom the land is still an adversary or a taskmaster that keeps him in slavery. Theoretically, the mechanization of farming ought to cut the farmer's chains, ' but whether it really does is debatable. One of the requisites for an ecological comprehension of land is an understanding of ecology, and this is by no means co-extensive with 'education'; in fact, much higher education seems deliberately to avoid ecological concepts. An understanding of ecology does not necessarily originate in courses bearing ecological labels; it is quite as likely to be labeled geography, botany, agronomy, history, or economics. This is as it should be, but whatever the label, ecological training is scarce.The case for a land ethic would appear hopeless but for the minority which is in obvious revolt against these 'modern' trends.

Leopold explained:

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land."

This sounds simple: do we not already sing our love for and obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yes, but just what and whom do we love? "Certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter down river. Certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Certainly not the plants, of which we exterminate whole communities without batting an eye. Certainly not the animals, of which we have already extirpated many of the largest and most beautiful species. A land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these ‘resources,’ but it does affirm their right to continued existence, and, at least in spots, their continued existence in a natural state. In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such."

Journal Entry #9 - Field Trip at Waste to Energy Facility

                                                                                                                                    February 27, 2011

     How well does the Energy from Waste systems technology mitigate the impact of consumerism?

     It mitigates the impact of consumerism by reducing, recycling, reusing, and recovering the excess refuse that consumers discard.  After taking a field trip to the Lee County Waste to Energy Facility, I have learned a considerable amount of information about how their system works. Each year the Florida Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) recognizes those in the public works field for their accomplishments. Very fitting for Earth Day was the announcement by the Florida Chapter of the APWA, that the Lee County Waste To Energy Facility Expansion Project had won their award for "Project Of The Year" in the Structures and Environment category. It is one of only a few Florida facilities that generate "Renewable Energy Credits". The energy created supplies the Lee County Solid Waste Division the power to run the Waste To Energy facility, the Recycling Facility, and the Transfer Station at the Buckingham complex and allows for the sale of an additional 45 Megawatt in power. This is enough energy to supply 36,000 homes. Visit http://www3.leegov.com/solidwaste/Autopage_T1_R18.htm for more details. 

     First of all, it is not an incinerator. Second, this is a great facility that allows anyone take a tour and familiarize themselves with how the system works. My tour allowed me to get an up close and personal view of how their recycling system works. Basically, they take ALL trash (that is not harmful) and covert it to energy. The amount of garbage that the claw picks up, to convert to energy, is equal to the amount of energy used in 1 house for 2 months.


     If there is an open opportunity to visit this facility I would definitely recommend stopping and taking a tour to learn about how important this is for us. If every county in Florida decided to incorporate an Energy from Waste Facility, then we could be using our unwanted garbage and creating energy instead of having everyone's garbage sitting in a landfill.

 

Personal Journal Entry #8

                                                                                                                                February 23, 2011

    

     After taking my dog for a walk I recalled a chapter I read in the colloquium textbook, State of the World. Thinking about it, the reading has given me a better understanding of commercialism and the importance of creative play.

     Today, however, commercialism primarily refers to the tendency within corporatism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit. There is also a tendency for intangible things such as happiness, beauty, or health to be given a monetary value or to be spoken of as commodities. The main point of the reading is that children's need for creative play is diminished by the commercialism in today's society. Solution: children need to play and be outside to stray away from constantly playing video games, watching television, and overeating.

     Children's favorite leisure activity these days, in both industrial and developing countries, is watching television. In the United States, children spend more time in front of the television screens than in any other activity besides sleeping--about 40 hours a week outside of school. 19 % of U.S. babies under the age of one have a television in their bedroom. The mere introduction of electronic screen media into a culture can profoundly influence societal norms such as standards of beauty, diet, and interpersonal interactions.

    A survey of 400 major employers across the United States found that many of their new young employees, whose childhoods have been shaped by intensifying commercialization, lacked critical thinking and basic problem solving skills, as well as creativity and innovation, all of which are nurtured in creative play. Efforts to limit children's exposure to commercialism and promote creative play are aided by a growing recognition of the need for children to CONNECT WITH NATURE. Advertising and marketing alone have been associated with eating disorders, sexualization, youth violence, family stress, and underage alcohol and tobacco use.

    I found an interesting website that talks about creative play, I would recommend visiting this website:

http://www.creativeplayplus.com/category/creative-play/ 

Personal Journal Entry #7

                                                                                                             February  13, 2011            

    

      "Preventing the collapse of human civilization requires nothing less than a wholesale transformation of dominant cultural patterns. This transformation would reject consumerism— the cultural orientation that leads people to find meaning, contentment, and acceptance through what they consume—as taboo and establish in its place a new cultural framework centered on sustainability. In the process, a revamped understanding of “natural” would emerge: it would mean individual and societal choices that cause minimal ecological damage or, better yet, that restore Earth’s ecological systems to health. Such a shift—something more fundamental than the adoption of new technologies or government policies,  which are often regarded as the key drivers of a shift to sustainable societies— would radically reshape the way people understand and act in the world. (State of the World)"

    

     Consumerism has now so fully worked its way into human cultures that it is sometimes hard to even recognize it as a cultural construction. It simply seems to be natural. But in fact the elements of cultures—language and symbols, norms and traditions, values and institutions—have been profoundly transformed by consumerism in societies around the world.

Here is a table depicting cultural norms:

Personal Journal Entry #6

                                                                                                                                   February 6, 2011

The Puppy Bowl

     While taking my dog for a walk, I took a minute to just think. It was his birthday yesterday and I had no idea what I should get him. So, at that point, I decided that a good birthday present for my dog would be to let him run around and take a long walk. With a long walk, he could soak up the sun and sniff every fire hydriant, bush, or tree that he possibly desired. And he absolutely loved it! It is not every day that he has the opportunity to play outside for a long time, but if it isn't too hot he actually enjoys working off all his wound-up energy.

   And today we are sitting in and watching the Puppy Bowl. This is a show on Animal Planet and it is basically a football game with puppies instead of people. The show is adorable. Nicky, my mother, and I were quite satisfied to sit and watch the game. All dogs love to run around and play and I am happy that my dog, Nicky, loves to be in the great outdoors just as much as I do. It is important if you are a pet owner that you allow them to absorb the nature outside at least once or twice a day; it is both healthy for your dog and for you, the owner!

Journal Entry #5 - Field Trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

                                                                                                                                        February 6, 2011

     The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was a very interesting field trip to take. Located in Naples, Florida, there are many different types of activities to partake in: bird walks, early walks, sunset strolls, night walks, and bird watching. The Audubon Society built the boardwalk with a special tropical hardwood that requires no chemical treatment and is harvested in a sustainable way that helps preserve the Brazilian rainforest where it grows. They also strive to use earth-friendly products and to reward companies that protect the environment.

     As you walk along the boardwalk trail, there are many interpretive signs on display to show the historical backgrounds of Corkscrew. The first sign you come across displays: The Start of the Sanctuary and continues with this quote, “We have to save the swamp a hundred times but we only get to lose it once.” In the 1930’s, lumbermen began logging bald cypress trees because the trunks were knot-free and the wood was highly resistant to rot. Lumber companies built railroads on levees to haul the huge logs out of the swamp. Once the railroads came in, there wasn’t much stopping the harvest of all south Florida’s cypress. In 1952, logging began at the southern end of Corkscrew Swamp. Because this was the largest remaining stand of unlogged old-growth cypress forest, concerned citizens and a coalition of organizations including the National Audubon Society joined forces to save it. Thanks to the willing cooperation of lumber companies that owned the land and the generous support of donors nationwide, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was established in 1954 with 2,880 acres of prime cypress swamp.

     In addition, there was effort to get legislation passed to protect wading birds, which was the initial action of the fledgling Audubon Society. It was the first nationwide, grass-roots conservation organization in the country. The society’s efforts to save the plume birds launched many further actions that helped preserve Corkscrew Swamp, one of the few remaining functional parts of the greater South Florida Ecosystem. Corkscrew is also “working with nature to manage the quality and quantity of our water”. Water is the lifeblood of Corkscrew Swamp and Everglades. Yet during the last century, people altered the natural flow, attempting to control flooding and to make more land available for agricultural and residential development. As ground water supplies dwindle and water quality deteriorates, we are beginning to understand the impact of our actions and the need to restore that natural system.

    This field trip was both fun and informative. I have learned much about the various plant and animal life in Corkscrew and I hope to one day visit again early in the day to see the animals in the natural habitat. Anyone that lives in Florida should take a moment to visit the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and enjoy the boardwalk. There are many exciting things to be learned and all you have to do is discover them for yourself.

Below are pictures from the trip: