\\ Journal 10: Final Reflections //

Upon thinking about my experience with the class, I would say that my opinions on how we should treat the environment haven't necessarily changed, but I will say that the severity of the situations which we have put our planet in have been made a bit more clear to me. I have little doubt that we as a species will find ways to better inhabit the planet, as tons of great conservation efforts are happening as we speak, both on a local and a national level. I think from now on that I will try harder to educate others on ways to best live in an environmentally sustainable manner. As well, I've found myself taking shorter showers and remembering to turn off lights in rooms that aren't being used. Still, I'm only one person, and I think we have a long way to go to undo much of the damage which has been done. Overall, I'm glad to have had the experience with the colloquium class I've had, and absolutely enjoyed learning about the environment with my peers. Thank you for teaching me. 

I leave you with this. (click)

\\ Journal 9: Service Learning //

I did my service learning project at the Rotary Park Environmental Center in Cape Coral, Florida. The caretakers at this park do many different things for the park, including a butterfly garden, nature trail preservation, and a dog park. For the sake of my project, I was basically going to show up and do whatever work they needed to get done to improve their park. For my first visit, I spent some time uprooting a certain kind of invasive plant. We then mulched a space and added some gravel to another. This endeavor counted for my first three hours of work. The rest of my visits were all the same and all completely on my own. I was tasked with removing a particularly pesky invasive species of plant from a patch of land that one sees when they first drive into the park's parking lot. In order to do this, one must use a shovel to cut into the root of the plant, then uproot it with the shovel. Finally, you still have to remove it forcefully by hand. It was admittedly a very strenuous experience. I would spend two hours doing this, then three hours a few weeks later, and then two more hours a week later to finish up my hours requirement. As I've mentioned in the reflection essay, this instilled within me a deeper appreciation for all of the hard work that goes into up-keeping a space for environmental sustainability and as a space for people to enjoy spending time in.

\\ Journal 8: Downtown //

I was initially pretty confused about how a trip to downtown Fort Myers could prove to be relatable to our experience in colloquium, but having been on it now, I have a greater understanding of this. It was a bit surreal for me seeing the downtown area at nine in the morning, where many of the stores, restaurants and bars weren't yet open. I enjoyed the initial tour of some parts of the city, and was a bit delighted to find out about the cultural restoration efforts going into the city. We stumbled upon one of these when we first got to the city, where people were setting up display tents and a stage. The crux of this field trip took place at the Museum of History. I was initially pretty intimidated by the guide, and wasn't really sure what to expect from the rest of the trip. However, I came to find it extremely interesting, and particularly enjoyed entering the train car. Being able to look through all of the little rooms was intriguing. I've always been really interested in slice of life fiction, and so being able to get a similar education in person was exhilarating. At times, the tour felt a bit long in the tooth, but looking at all of the models, newspaper clippings, and other paraphernalia was interesting. This was a place I previously would never have thought to visit, but I'm glad that I did. Overall, this ended up being my favorite of the five field trips we embarked upon.

\\ Journal 7: ECHO/Estero Island //

I basically had no idea what to expect from the trip to Echo Park in Estero. I'm not sure I'd ever been to Estero Island, so I didn't really know how what to expect. On the bus ride in, I was surprised to be greeted by a beach and some pretty typical beachside shops and tourist attractions. I really enjoyed meeting the woman from Echo Park and hearing her stories about the island from far before it was commercialized. The fact that she sat us down in a small room and even had cookies and lemonade available made for a particularly intimate experience. She seemed to be able to recite her entire spiel without a break, indicating to me a deep knowledge and appreciation for the island and its history. In particular, I enjoyed hearing about the bizarre tomb for the man who some Estero Island residents regarded as a messiah, which the government quickly would shut down. I liked going out to the pier to see the water and watch the boaters, as the scenery was gorgeous and calming. All in all, this wasn't my favorite trip, but I definitely enjoyed it a good deal, and would enjoy visiting again.

\\ Journal 6: Corkscrew Swamp //

Going into the field trip for Corkscrew Swamp, I was a little unsure what to expect. I knew ahead of time that we wouldn't be getting wet as we did with the wet walk, but I did think it would be a bit more of an intimate interaction with nature than simply walking along a board walk. In truth, I left this field trip feeling a bit disappointed. Perhaps this has something to do with my state of mind during the day, or lack of sleep, or both, but something about this trip didn't seem to resonate with me much. There were a few things I enjoyed, such as the wide expansive view of tall grass (pictured below) and getting to see the alligator, but overall I didn’t much care for this particular field trip.

\\ Journal 5: Chapter 3 from Plan B //

“We are entering a new era, one of rapid and often unpredictable climate change. In fact, the new climate norm is change.” (Brown 56) This quote by Brown is quite profound for me. It highlights how we as a society have become so complacent in our current means of living which negatively affect our environment, that we just look the other way when it is suggested that we should be thinking harder about the way we live. It makes me more interested in exploring the ways in which my major, software engineering, could be used to have some positive effect on the environment, even if minute. As I’ve stated in a previous journal, my major inherently has a negative effect on the environment, so I’d like to explore in the future ways which use software in order to model negative trends related to our relationship with the environment which could be used as an educative tool.

\\ Journal 4: Footprint Quiz //

My results are pictured above. I believe that this is largely due to the increased amount of time I spend driving, as I live in Cape Coral and the FGCU campus is a roughly forty-five minute drive. As well, it may have to do with the types of food that my family generally purchases. My family consists of only two people, myself included, so we generally have to purchase cheaper foods due to a relatively light income. Still, I do think that if I were to improve my current ecological footprint, I would likely start using the Cape Coral bus more often like I used to before I owned a vehicle. When I get older and move out from living with my parents, I will probably live in an apartment which will have a significant effect on my current footprint.