\\ 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.

\\ Journal 3: Wet Walk Field Trip //

Prior to our Wet Walk field trip, I was definitely feeling apprehensive to the idea of having to potentially ruin some of my clothes and walk in waist-high murky water. However, having now participated in it, I can definitely say that the trip was an extremely enjoyable experience. It was fun getting to hang out with some of my fellow classmates and spend some much-needed time in a natural environment. As my life recently has been a whole lot of driving and looking at computer screens, it was liberating to literally jump into the deep end of a natural environment which shows me a part of the university campus I might not have seen otherwise. In fact, I and another student enjoyed it so much that we actually sat down in the water while we were waiting at the fork in the trail toward the end. I always have enjoyed engaging with nature directly but rarely get the opportunity to, living in a suburb, so I may just be visiting this trail again in the near future!

\\ Journal 2: Chapter 1 from Plan B //

From the first chapter: “As world food security deteriorates, a dangerous geopolitics of food scarcity is emerging in which individual countries, acting in their narrowly defined self-interest, reinforce the negative trends.” This quote stands out to me in particular because it highlights the vicious circle of more affluent countries such as the one we live in negatively affecting other parts of the world that are worse off, not just in food but in general. I think about how my position as a software engineer requires me to purchase high-end technology forged from materials extracted in other countries, which has a negative impact on their environments. As well, these products are produced in manufacturing conglomerates such as Foxconn which have profoundly bad impacts on foreign economies, environment, and livelihoods due to the poor quality of life these companies create for their employees.

\\ Journal 1: Sense of Place //

I believe that the natural environment, or lack thereof in one's place of residence, can have a profound impact on a person. As an example, I’ll pick a spot I used to ride my bike to often near my house. It’s a grassy field with a few trees surrounded by a road and some other houses, but in the center is a bizarrely-placed small church. For some reason, I really enjoyed visiting this place on cool evenings even though I don’t actually go to church. There was something rather serene, mysterious, and exciting about finding this place of worship surrounded by just a few trees and some grass out in the middle of an otherwise pretty ordinary suburban area. It illustrates to me the potential for nature to allure people to places they normally wouldn’t go to on a regular basis.