Journal 4: My Carbon Footprint

 
I went to sustainability.publicradio.org to find out my carbon footprint.  I took a carbon footprint quiz last year, but did not remember what score I had received. I thought it was going to be a multiple choice quiz like last years, but I was surprised to see that this quiz was completely different. This carbon footprint quiz let us make our own character. After making our character, we were able to choose our house, and then we were able to input all of our information about our houses. I put in information about my home and not my college dorm. I figured I should do the quiz on my house since I live there for the majority of the year. I was shocked to see my results for the carbon footprint quiz! My results said “Those eco-friendly choices have you headed in the right direction! The bad news? You’re still a long way from sustainable. It would take multiple Earths to support a planet living you lifestyle.” I scored the worst in “food and drink” with seven points. In “shopping habits” I had a total of five points, and my third highest was “home” with a total of four points. I realized that I may not have done everything I could to live sustainably, but I didn’t realize how bad it actually was. I could definitely use a lifestyle change, because if everyone were to live like me it would take 4.4 planet Earths to sustain everyone. I know that the fact that my house has solar panels helped me to have a lower score. My family also carpools with friends, and we are even starting to use energy efficient light bulbs. These are only a few minor changes in our life style, but it has helped our electric bills. So, I know it has also helped us to move to a more sustainable lifestyle. I know that being able to live sustainably is a ongoing effort. After taking this quiz, I am going to try and make more lifestyle changes to help live sustainably. The next step that I am going to take is to try and set up recycling in my house. It may be a tiny change in our household, but I will be curious to see my carbon footprint next year after making more changes to my life and home, to see if these little changes have helped.
This is the link to the game that shows you your carbon footprint:

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/consumerConsequences.html

Journal 3: ECHO Field Trip

ECHO Field Trip!

       On September 8, 2010 my University Colloquium class at FGCU went on a field trip to ECHO. ECHO stands for educational concerns for hunger organization. The thing I liked the most about this hunger organization was that they did not just hand food to the hungry. Instead, they supply the hungry countries with different seeds that are capable of growing in the land that they live in. After supplying the seeds, the organization shows the native people how to effectively grow the plants. For example, in an urban setting ECHO has provided new ways of growing plants in things like tires, kid pools, and with the help of things like soda cans and carpet. The home base for this organization is a fifty acre campus that is located in south Florida. It is a Christian based program that sets up internships for missionaries to go over to different countries and share their knowledge of seeds and farming. They have already reached over 180 countries by problem solving, providing seeds, educating and training, and networking with other hunger organization.
    Some interesting facts about this program is that they house their interns on the property. They have different plots for the different environments they will encounter when they are helping the poverty stricken countries. They have animals that live on the property that you would see in those types of living conditions. For example, ducks in rice patties. Ducks provide manure to fertilize the rice, eggs to eat, and meat for the starving people. SALT was another interesting concept that I learned. Sloping agricultural land technology which improves soil on hillsides that prevents erosion by providing natural barriers.

    Some interesting plants that plants are the moringa which is a plant that provides tons of nutrients to everyone and is a fast growing plant. Miracle fruit gives a sweet taste in your mouth so that everything tastes sweet for a while after. The neem tree provides dental hygiene, shade, soaps, cosmetics, lotions, and is also used as an insect repellent. One more interesting plant that was shown on the tour was the cranberry hibiscus. This is another fast growing plant that taste sweet and is easy to grow, making it ideal for people who are hungry.
http://www.echonet.org/ For more information this is the ECHO website!

Journal 2: A Morning of senses at FGCU

                                                        “Hey, little girl  

                                                Look what you’ve done
                              You’ve gone and stole my heart and made it your own
                                         You stole my heart and made it your own”
         Jack Johnson floods the room with his soothing melodies. I know I have over slept by a few minutes, because Jack is already half way through his song My Little Girl, that is off of his new album To the Sea. My eyelids have to be pried open with the thoughts of all that has to be accomplished today. It is pitch black in the dorm room thanks to the blacked out window and the television remote that is blocking the time on the clock, since it is an obnoxious bright blue that will keep me awake at night if I don’t block out its light. I stumble to the doorway tripping over my soft and fluffy rug that always seems to have an edge up on me in the mornings. Even if I try to avoid the soft rug that is placed at the end of my bed I always seem to trip over the corner of the rug. I open the door and the aroma of a vanilla candle floods the room, along with a mixture of onion bagels and fresh brewed coffee. To some people, that mixture of smells would be overwhelming and sickening, but to me those scents are a jump start to my day. I rush to get ready throwing on the first thing that I touch in the dresser drawers and I run out of the door to my first class of the day. Right when I open the door to walk to school I feel like I am stepping out into a brick wall of heat. Another day in Florida with no hope of cool day and knowing that even if it does rain it won’t makes things better. In fact, it will just make the day more humid and thick, which no one wants. Walking to campus my senses are overwhelmed. The birds are chirping, the sun is beaming down, the cars and people on bikes are speeding, and the fresh taste of orange juice is present in my mouth. I arrive on campus ready to learn and knowing that my day of classes has only just begun.
Jack Johson singing My Little Girl  This is the youtube video off of his To the Sea Album that was released this year. Click the link to hear this great song  :)

Journal 1: My Connection to the Florida Environment

  My connection to the Florida Environment and how much time I spend outside.
     I have lived in Florida all of my life, and I have come to love the environment. I spend most of my time outside. I try to take advantage of all of the opportunities that the Florida Environment provides to its people. One of my favorite outdoor activities is camping. I feel that camping provides me with a closeness to nature. Camping takes away some of the every day distractions like cell phones and televisions. This allows me to relax and gather all of my thoughts. I go camping at least twice a month for three or four days at a time. Camping is a great way to connect with Florida, because the camp grounds set you up with plenty of opportunities to have a great time outdoors. Canoeing is one of my favorite things to do while camping. I usually end up staying at a campground that is located on or near a river, lake or ocean. Hillsborough River State Park is the most recent camp site that I have been to. The river that I canoed on was beautiful, and the park left the river very natural, making sure that they did not disturb the land. During the three hour canoe ride I was able to see an alligator, many fish, insects, and even a fawn that was coming down to drink out of the river.

 http://www.floridastateparks.org/hillsboroughriver/default.cfm 

       When I am not camping and the weather is nice, I love to hangout at the beach with friends. The beaches in Fort Myers are nice, but the drive to the east coast is worth the wait. Playing football in the sand, swimming in the ocean, hanging out on the board walks, and soaking up the sun rays are just a few of the reasons why going to the beach is another one of my favorite past times.

         When I am living at school during the fall and spring semesters my home is almost three hours away. So, when I get a chance to visit home I spend most of my time outside. My family and I live on a pond. My grandpa stocked it with many different fresh water fish before I was born. Whenever I have free time I like to sit out by the pond and cast a line. If my brother and I are lucky we can catch some dinner for the family. Unfortunately, I do not get a chance to go home often, but on a weekend visit my mom and I like to take the horses out for a trail ride down along the Cotee River. Growing up on property, rather than in a neighborhood, has been a great advantage, and in my opinion has brought me closer to nature then most people. 

The Fishing Pond

                                    Cheyenne and T.C.