Journal 10: Colloquium Reader

Well, its no secret now but its an obvious trend that everyone ended up loving colloquium. Since the first day of class we were all put at ease that this would be a fun enjoyable class. This was no lie, even the very first article we were assigned to read in our Colloquium Reader was rather enjoyable. In fact, it was my favorite passage. Richard Louv's excerpt from Last Child in the Woods was just brilliant. The excerpt gave a perfect depiction of today's society and its band aid method of solving learning and attention disorders. A recent up rise in the prevalence of ADD and ADHD can be directly linked to a lack of contact with nature. Nature possess natural calming qualities and is its own form of education. Children of this decade are slowly being removed from their natural habitat of the outdoors because of the up rise in technology.
I found this reading to "hit home" quite hard. I have a thirteen year old brother who was diagnosed with ADHD and from the start I thought it was a mistake. My younger brother is the definition of today's culture; computers, video games, virtual realities, and situations where " there's an app for that!"
I found the article very insightful and hopeful for our future. I even noticed qualities of myself in the nature deficit disorder and I still feel hopeful about our future.

Journal 9: Field Experience: ECHO

Today we took a trip out to ECHO where I found myself surrounded with exotic plants and trees which varied from cranberry flavors to tiny chili peppers. I was very intrigued with the ECHO tour we were given. Our tour guide was a soft spoken man who looked as if he originated from the Philippines. He had a funny sense of humor, eating dangerous plants seemed to be one of his favorite jokes. While walking through the various gardens I was glad to see the shimmering leaves of the bamboo trees dancing high in the sky as the wind attempted to blow through the steel wall of plants. I remember looking straight up at the dome of bamboo and watching the leaves dance faster and faster as the wind blew harder and feeling a sense of peace. I really enjoyed trying all the edible plants that we passed by. Some of my classmates encouraged me to eat species I would have rather not, but hey I'm still alive, no? 

I am an avid gardener myself so I had a blast learning about the endless reusable products that could be used as planters. It was hilarious, plants were growing directly out of soil bags, tires, newspaper beds and I think I even saw a shoe! This was inspiring for me to see all these different methods because I am always open to sustainable options that I can utilize in my backyard. 

If I had to find, grow, or cook my own food such as people in third world countries I would love to have ECHO as a community partner. They have come up with tons of innovations such as slow burning clay ovens and even solar cookers that work similar to a crock pot!They also had impressive methods of plant growing and ways to obtain water manually. I admit that this lifestyle would be unfortunate but it is possible. For me it would be a tough transition because I, sadly, eat packaged food for convenience I would definitely experience spouts of true feelings of hunger. 

Journal 8: Field Experiences

Boring and Uninteresting would probably be the first two words I was prepared to use pre-departure of Down Town Fort Myers. How pretentious of me! This morning I prepared myself for my first encounter with Down Town Fort Myers and a negative attitude followed me right to the last seat in the back of the bus.

Upon arrival I was actually quite impressed with the quiet, quaint little town. First I was pleased to see that we were situated right on the water with the familiar mangroves and other wildlife. There were tons of interesting history facts that stood out to me during the trip. I was impressed with the palm tree garden and the many varieties of palm trees from all over the world. I also found it very interesting to hear about the big possibilities ft Myers had in its future before several poor economies cut it at its knees. I felt a bit on edge while walking the streets. everything seemed so old and abandoned that I was not sure what to expect around every corner. Not to mention horror movies were filmed here! 

On a separate note, I felt much different about the campus walk. I had been thrilled to go to the Food Forrest that we have on campus ever since I went to an event hosted on campus by the organization last year. Food was served using solely the by product of the garden and it was very inspiring. I was amazed by the Food Forrest, I couldn't believe that students my age were capable of such complex organization of plants to increase maximum biodiversity. Over all I thought It was genius. The tree that really caught my attention was the Miracle Moringa tree and its edible little leaves which are packed with nutrients that could save malnourished communities.  

I believe the Campus trails are important for students natural curiosity. It is a healthy way to exercise and feed the mind valuable knowledge and nutrients it craves. We are humans of this earth, and therefore should be indulged in nature as much as possible. It is our natural habitat. 

Journal 7: Sense of Place Interview

I have mentioned in previous journals a bit about my grandfather Paul Halwick. My Pop-Pop has lived on the Chesapeake bay my entire life and he is the most nature conscious person I've ever met. He has kept up a 20 ft x 20 ft garden by himself ever since I can remember. He is a man of the land, eating his own vegetables and fruits, and saving local wildlife from road hazards. I decided to give Pop-Pop a call to ask his opinion on sustainability and his ecological perspective. To start off the subtle interview I asked my pop-pop how his garden was going. He told me his garden was better than ever! He had just harvested a slew of zucchinis and my Nana was making zucchini bread as we spoke.

Pop-Pop being silly while picking cabbage for my aunts

I shared his excitement when he told me about the harvest because we all love Nana's zucchini bread. I told him about how my university was founded on values of sustainability and wildlife conservation. It was no surprise that he was impressed. Paul Halwick is a simple man, so his answers have similar qualities. "Oh that's nice." he reply's. Then he continues " I think that is very smart, maybe y'all should have a garden like I do... I teach gardening lessons to the neighbors, you know, I could teach you college kinds a thing or two."
He was impressed when I told him about all the sustainability projects we have on campus like the food forest. But he didn't seem to have any interest in Loofa fruits or bamboo. It seemed like zucchini, squash, and tomato's were enough for him and anyone else to survive.

Roma tomatos, cherry tomatos, egg plant, green peppers, squash,
and zucchini all grown from Pop-Pop's garden 

My upbringing compared to my Pop-Pop's was less intense. He grew up in the era of the great depression. When I spoke to him about the great depression and his experience in war it dawned on me that there was an obvious reason he valued sustainability, it was his only option. He had no choice but to save everything he had, reuse all the resources he gained, and work hard with his hands to reap the benefits of this hard labor.
I have realized that I really value my grandfathers sense of place because it has provided me with a solid foundation to create my own.

Pop-Pop in the garden with the neighbors speed boat in the background.

Journal 6: Orchid Thief character Profile

While reading the Orchid Thief I have found myself identifying with John Laroche. I find it sort of shameful that I see a lot of my own personal tendencies in his character. John Laroche's character is depicted as a sort of crazy man with wild ideas and huge ambitions. However, with those large ambitions usually follows a large failure. I find myself taking on odd projects or finding a passion for a topic outside of my comfort zone very often. Like Laroche, I can dedicate my whole self to the topic and suddenly loose interest when I feel I have exhausted my curiosity.
I dislike this quality about myself. I sometimes find myself wishing I would have stayed committed to one task because I would have been the best at it, just like Laroche believes. However, I am very thankful that I have a wandering eye for passion because I truly enjoy "getting my feet wet" in every subject. I believe that being well rounded is a positive trait and can assist you in all different situations in life. Just like Laroche, I don't half ass the topics or practices I enjoy. I indulge fully but lose interest quickly after gaining all the necessary information.
Laroche has many different driving forces for his passions, in this book Orchards are the culprit. His struggles are just as powerful as his passion because of his infamous attitude of dropping subjects at the drop of a hat. I believe that Laroche's sense of place is still unknown. I believe if he had found that "get rich quick" scenario successfully that he would find some way to be unsatisfied and on the search for another topic to conquer.

Journal Entry 5: Your Neighborhood

Learning your sense of place is a satisfying task. When you are aware of your surroundings and your environment you can identify where you belong, therefore finding your sense of place. Today I took a walk around my neighborhood with my friends. We are all colloquium students searching for our sense of place and it was very apparent that we belong right where we are. Osprey Cove is the home for us, where we recycle, clean up the streets, and garden in our extra space.
Osprey Cove has some sustainable features including the many recycling bins located outside of each building for easy recycling. Along with its recycling bins three man made retention ponds were created to conserve rain water and street runoff to recycle its water supply to use for the sprinkling systems.
Osprey Cove has beautiful landscaping for a vibrant and welcoming environment for all of its friendly residents.
Osprey cove residents have become so dedicated and proud of their neighborhood that they have planted fruit bearing trees around the pool in their spare time. The ripe banana fruits are prime examples of a sustainable food. The banana tree is a perfect example of a sustainable food source. Also, because I have the privilege of owning a 1st floor apartment I have full access to the grass area outside of my porch. There I choose to grow herbs such as basil, rosemary, and cilantro on the porch.
With the nature opportunities provided in Osprey Cove I have had a better chance to get antiquated with nature and find my sense of place.

Here my friends and I enjoy the first fruits of the famous Osprey Bananas.

Journal Entry 4

Its amazing how we live our lives day by day and not even question where our food has come from or how it was so neatly packaged. Well, my eyes were just opened by taking this online ecological footprint calculator. According to the quiz, if every person on earth lived my lifestyle it would require 4.2 earths to provide enough resources to support that life style. That is amazing. Honestly, I thought I lived quite humbly, drive an Eco friendly car, don't eat out much, and I even car pool if I am able to. 

Turns out that my humble life would be a grave life for our earth if we all lived like me. I do believe that some changes could be made. It seems that my food consumption of poultry, dairy, and eggs has had a large impact on the earth due to its farming process and excess land take up. I suppose if i changed my diet I could help make a difference. However, a lot of these changes are difficult because of the demands my life calls for. Most often I make my daily decisions based around my responsibilities. Work, school, family, are demanding and the clock on the wall gives us no justice. Time is proving to be quite an enemy. These are reasons its hard to make some life changes. 

I have taken a look at my daily activities over a 24 hour time span. My daily energy intake seems to be low. I am very conscious of my energy bill therefore I am conscious of how much I use. My biggest energy flaw would probably be the air conditioning. I am a huge advocate for a cold room for a good nights sleep. However, I am very good at unplugging and turning off unneeded items. 

I am also very conscious of my fuel intake. I drive a 2012 Honda civic. Its quite technological. I have display boards on my dash that break down every miles per gallon down to the last drop. My fuel take is aprox 11-12 gallons it usually can get me about 400+ miles. I have been noticing that just about every time I use my car it is about 10 miles per usage. Therefore, after about 40 or so trips in my car I am re filling another 11-12 gallons for another few weeks of guzzling. 

MY food intake is in my opinion not terrible. I think That I do not waste foods, but I am guilty of many pre packaged items such as hummus, juices, cheeses, egg cartons, etc. and ( don't tell anyone) while I am here at school I do not recycle. My water intake is generally normal. Showers, teeth brushing, face washing, and dishes. That's about all the damage. 

Journal Entry 3

Today we visited Mantanzas Pass on Fort Myers Beach and it was fantastic. After our bus ride we all slowly but surely loaded into the small cottage where we found rows of chairs and our host, Mrs. Hughes. She was a fascinating woman who had countless unforgettable stories about the town of Fort Myers, her childhood growing up on the island, and the differences that she now sees on the island. It was refreshing to hear these amazing stories. Mostly, because the only stories I hear about Fort Myers Beach are the drunken Saturdays and spring break extravaganza.

Mrs. Hughes even offered us her very first batch of sea grape jelly that she homemade. I tried some and it was great! I even went back to West Palm Beach this weekend where I saw slews of sea grapes and I couldn't help but tell all my friends about my experience with Mrs. Hughes and her stories.

The Sacrifice Leaf

When I was walking the board walk on Mantanzas Pass I felt so privileged to be walking in the sunshine towards a beautiful bay, through red, white and black mangroves. I happened to pick a leaf off of one of the black mangroves so I could write about it in my journal. The leaf I picked was yellow, unlike all the other green leaves on the clustered branches. When I was in my marine biology class in high school we took a camping trip to Big Pine Key. This is a pretty prevalent Key among the Florida Keys, its home of state parks and tons of historic sights to see. Anyways, I learned that mangroves are submerged in salt water all their lives, and the salinity of the water can be harmful. The plant has learned to adapt over several thousand years by sacrificing one of its leaves (per cluster) to absorb all of the salt in the branch and die. Therefore we call these yellow leaves, sacrifice leaves. Pretty neat!

Picture of the Mangrove with a few Sacrifice leaves

I was intrigued to see the dolphins feeding along the mangroves across the bay. Also It was very interesting to learn what an estuary was! A combination of salt water and fresh water from rivers run together. Another fact I thought was interesting was the history of these swamp lands, where invasive plant species threaten the wild life and its environment. I believe that using our tax dollars towards preservation of beautiful areas like this is money well spent. Mantanzas Pass was really a fun experience for me. I also had to go to work directly after class, I thought it was going to be a dreadful day. However, I actually felt more energetic and lively regardless of the long day. Lets get a hoo-ra for nature! HOO RA!

Journal Entry 2

You know what, this is beginning to be quite frustrating. As soon as I begin reading our journal entry prompts I have an "a-ha!" moment and I know exactly what to write. But then, the next sentence in the prompt is exactly what I was going to say. Great minds think alike I suppose.

I am so thankful that I have found serenity in nature quite early in my life. I can say with confidence that our generation of kids born in the late 80's to the mid 90's are the last "outside kids.". Technology was present but not as widely accepted, therefore our parents would force us out of the house. Because of this upbringing I think that I have become closer with nature with out even being aware of it. 

Just walking from class to class on campus I immediately feel relaxed and revived. Sometimes I close my eyes and listen to the buzzing and crickets in the swampy areas (always aware of those long boarders though). It brings a wave of calm energy from the top of my head straight through to my toes. almost like a filter, just grabbing all the tension, stress, and anxiety that has flooded my thoughts. I have no clue how some students can spend hours upon hours studying in the library. I prefer to study at my apartment, where if i become overwhelmed with stress I can hop in the pool, for for a run, go fishing in the lake, or even tend to the herbs in my garden.

 I myself am a Spiritual person, and I believe that God made us specifically for this earth. It is a vital combination, humans and the earth, because we were made specifically for this world. All made of the same chemicals and molecules.

I am always ecstatic to go on vacation where cell phone service is unobtainable. I've been on cruises, fishing trips, and other countries where cell phones seem alien. These are the best vacations, where you focus on yourself, the company you have, and nature. The three basic human needs for a connection to this world. It is exciting to turn on your phone upon landfall but it makes you realize the time and experiences you're missing out on by consuming your brain in a 2x4 block of technology we call a phone.  

Journal Entry 1

First off, I would like to applaud Florida Gulf Coast University for being as smart as they are for requiring it's students to take a class on sustainability and finding our sense of place. I would also like to applaud the genius that decided only upperclassmen could enroll in this class.

I do not believe that I would be able to understand this subject if I were any younger. When I say, understand, I really mean it in the context of "appreciate." The realization that we are one with the environment comes to a person when he or she can be humble enough to realize that we are not the center of the universe. It comes to a person when they can realize that feeling small is extraordinary and not diminishing.

On my first trip to New York City two summers ago I believe I found that dwarfing moment. Walking out of Grand Central Station for the first time I took a moment to stop and look up into the skyscrapers and feel like I was apart of these thousands of people around me, regardless that I was traveling alone. I know, New York City is probably the worst example of environmentally friendly but, that was my moment. I think it takes those few extra candles on your birthday cake for a person to truly recognize beauty.

That's what this world is to me, beauty! Everything in it is beautiful, fascinating, and has a purpose. So needless to say, I was actually pretty excited to take this course. Still, even after the first day I am excited! I am very eager to go on our field trips. Its amazing that our University is one of the few who understand that hands on learning is most effective and environmental education should still be valued.  I hope that I can learn about our environment through my new eyes; These eyes that have been opened and flood fascinating information into my mind. I have been pretty proactive about our first assignment, Richard Louv's article on Nature Deficient Disorder. Let me say that I am fascinated already. Even the first assignment is a attention capturing subject that every one of us students could relate to. Perhaps a family member, a friend, or even ourselves have seen this first hand.
This is the perfect relation to my major as well. I study Health Science with a minor in Spanish and Marketing. Yes, off the wall, but I am here to better myself and I feel that I am accomplishing just that.

Becoming a well rounded person is the ideal concept of college; at least in my opinion. Some people have different views, views that focus on money as the success indicator. Please, do not call me a hypocrite. Of course I would like to make loads of money and live the good life on Palm Beach with Jimmy Buffett. However, If I could become well rounded enough, educated enough, experienced enough, I could share conversation with amazing people and learn from them as well. I crave this type of rich. Rich in culture and experience. I hope I can find these values in this class to carry me on in my future endeavors, even if its just to pass on the lessons learned.