Ecological Footprint Reflection
June 1, 2010
I have always been aware that I can be wasteful and wouldn’t call myself the “greenest” person but I had no idea that I was as wasteful to the extent that my ecological footprint quiz showed me. If everyone in the world lived like me we would need 5.7 planets. I was disgusted with myself and how wasteful of a person that I am. From now I am going to be more careful with the products I consume and think before I buy. I believe that if everyone took the ecological footprint quiz that it would create awareness to people that they need to cut down on their consumption and really buckle down and become a greener community.
Americans have been known to be the most wasteful country. Also in last couple of years our consumption has tripled. If we keep living this way there is no way earth will be able to sustain this much consumption. We will soon run out of resources and have nothing left of this beautiful planet that we took for granted. It’s not just only Americans that are responsible for polluting the earth, but everyone. We as a world need to work together to sustain this planet that we call our home. We need to start working now and decreasing what we consume each day. It will be a struggle in the beginning, but once it becomes a lifestyle, consuming less will come naturally.
For my part of consuming less I would like to eat less packaged foods and eat more fruits and vegetables that do not harm the environment after consumption. I also will start being more conscious about recycling every bottle and piece of paper. These are resources that I am throwing away that can be reused and made into another product.
Me!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Field Trip 3- Agriculture
Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization
June 15, 2010
ECHO is an organization that helps communities with their agriculture in third world countries. They travel to these countries and implement their environmental techniques so that those towns can survive. While they are visiting these places they teach them how to grow fruit and other vegetables more efficiently and provide them with the various seeds so they can start their supply of food. ECHO will train interns at their Fort Myers location for a few months and then will send them abroad to apply what they learned at ECHO and help the town grow their food efficiently. The guide told us that the hardest thing to do is to convince these people to change their ways even after they explain the benefits. This is understandable because they have been used to farming “their” way and why would they want to change it. ECHO does not go to these countries to teach them to farm rather they educate them on more efficient ways to grow food under the harsh conditions that they live in. The global farm is divided into six different areas that represent the climate that is found in other countries, it allows the interns to study these habitats as they will be visiting ones just like this in a year.
The soil in every one of the six different climates at ECHO has a different type of soil and is very similar to the country’s in which they are trying to help. It was very interesting to see all of the different climates and environments that they have created there. They were all very different and had unique characteristics. Some would have very moist soil like the Tropical Rainforest and the Hot Humid Lowlands. Some other climates would have very arid and dry soil like the Semi Arid Tropics which only receive 10-30 inches of rain per year.
The economic relationship that ECHO has with the state would be that it is there to educate the community about the agricultural farms that they grow and study, as well as how in other countries that they struggle everyday for food. ECHO is open for guided tours that anyone can attend, they educate their visitors about the third world countries and how they teach the people more efficient ways to grow their crops. As a nation, ECHO sends interns in these countries and they are representing the United States as a nation. The people in these countries can truly see that they are trying to help their town and to stop world hunger. This agribusiness in the world will show other counties that they too can help out in this attempt to help other countries farm their crops. The potential ECHO has in enormous and can only grow more as it becomes more world renown.
Some environmental issues that could concern the business in this area are that each of six the different environments could be really hard to maintain and keep up with the weather that they are used too. Fort Myers obviously has very different weather patterns than some of the other third world countries ECHO is trying to study and help. As well as with the hurricanes that hit the state of Florida can have a huge affect on the crops. Some economy issues that this business could face would be the workers that have to travel to the different countries. It can be a very hard and difficult transition, the third world economies can be very dysfunctional and a challenge to live in. Since most of these countries speak a different language it could be difficult to communicate, even knowing the language some of these people have not received the same education and explaining the process could be quite complicated.
I can become involved and find solutions to feed the hungry by donating money online or donating stock to ECHO. Another way is to stay involved with the organization and donate my own time to help further expand the knowledge and awareness of ECHO. Keeping up on the most current events that ECHO posts on their website is a great way to learn more ways on how I can help learn solutions to feed the hungry. I truly believe that this activity is sustainable and a huge help to diminishing world hunger. The ECHO organization has been around for a very long time and throughout the years they have grown into a large and well known organization.
I believe that ECHO is the solution to ending world hunger. Once they become an even larger organization I believe that anything is possible. They will be able to expand and be available in other places around the world which would create awareness to people who live in that community. This would result in more volunteers and possible donations that can kick start this huge notion of ending world hunger. ECHO has worked so hard with the six different agriculture farms, and have seen the results that it has been beneficial to the third world companies they have helped.
June 15, 2010
ECHO is an organization that helps communities with their agriculture in third world countries. They travel to these countries and implement their environmental techniques so that those towns can survive. While they are visiting these places they teach them how to grow fruit and other vegetables more efficiently and provide them with the various seeds so they can start their supply of food. ECHO will train interns at their Fort Myers location for a few months and then will send them abroad to apply what they learned at ECHO and help the town grow their food efficiently. The guide told us that the hardest thing to do is to convince these people to change their ways even after they explain the benefits. This is understandable because they have been used to farming “their” way and why would they want to change it. ECHO does not go to these countries to teach them to farm rather they educate them on more efficient ways to grow food under the harsh conditions that they live in. The global farm is divided into six different areas that represent the climate that is found in other countries, it allows the interns to study these habitats as they will be visiting ones just like this in a year.
The soil in every one of the six different climates at ECHO has a different type of soil and is very similar to the country’s in which they are trying to help. It was very interesting to see all of the different climates and environments that they have created there. They were all very different and had unique characteristics. Some would have very moist soil like the Tropical Rainforest and the Hot Humid Lowlands. Some other climates would have very arid and dry soil like the Semi Arid Tropics which only receive 10-30 inches of rain per year.
The economic relationship that ECHO has with the state would be that it is there to educate the community about the agricultural farms that they grow and study, as well as how in other countries that they struggle everyday for food. ECHO is open for guided tours that anyone can attend, they educate their visitors about the third world countries and how they teach the people more efficient ways to grow their crops. As a nation, ECHO sends interns in these countries and they are representing the United States as a nation. The people in these countries can truly see that they are trying to help their town and to stop world hunger. This agribusiness in the world will show other counties that they too can help out in this attempt to help other countries farm their crops. The potential ECHO has in enormous and can only grow more as it becomes more world renown.
Some environmental issues that could concern the business in this area are that each of six the different environments could be really hard to maintain and keep up with the weather that they are used too. Fort Myers obviously has very different weather patterns than some of the other third world countries ECHO is trying to study and help. As well as with the hurricanes that hit the state of Florida can have a huge affect on the crops. Some economy issues that this business could face would be the workers that have to travel to the different countries. It can be a very hard and difficult transition, the third world economies can be very dysfunctional and a challenge to live in. Since most of these countries speak a different language it could be difficult to communicate, even knowing the language some of these people have not received the same education and explaining the process could be quite complicated.
I can become involved and find solutions to feed the hungry by donating money online or donating stock to ECHO. Another way is to stay involved with the organization and donate my own time to help further expand the knowledge and awareness of ECHO. Keeping up on the most current events that ECHO posts on their website is a great way to learn more ways on how I can help learn solutions to feed the hungry. I truly believe that this activity is sustainable and a huge help to diminishing world hunger. The ECHO organization has been around for a very long time and throughout the years they have grown into a large and well known organization.
I believe that ECHO is the solution to ending world hunger. Once they become an even larger organization I believe that anything is possible. They will be able to expand and be available in other places around the world which would create awareness to people who live in that community. This would result in more volunteers and possible donations that can kick start this huge notion of ending world hunger. ECHO has worked so hard with the six different agriculture farms, and have seen the results that it has been beneficial to the third world companies they have helped.
Field Trip 2 - Water Ecosystem
Water Ecosystem: Gumbo Limbo
This natural environment is so peaceful and calming. I walked along the board walk that took me through the mangroves and was very shaded by plenty of trees. It really made me appreciate the beauty of nature, and how this nature center is just a two minute drive or 15 minute walk from my house and sadly, I rarely ever go visit. I was amazed at how many different species of plants and animals that I saw during this walk. I was also saddened at the same time thinking about the oil spill that is polluting the waters and possibly heading to the east coast of Florida. The oil spill could ruin this natural habitat and kill many of the fish and other sealife.
Gumbo Limbo is on the Intra Coastal waterway at sea level. Consequently the plants and trees have to be hearty and able to thrive in salt water and sandy soil. The plants need to have root systems that are shallow so that they are not constantly under water. This shallow root system however, makes them susceptible to damage from high winds and hurricanes. The fish, turtles, crabs must also be able to thrive in this salt water environment. The mammals that live in this habitat seek out fresh water from rain to survive and also consume the berries from the surrounding plant life. Many of the animals in this habitat have also had to adapt to the close proximity of humans and they hunt the human trash cans and can be a nuisance.
I came to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center all the time when I was a child. It has changed a lot because the many hurricanes that hit this nature center in 2006 have forced them to renovate the center. It has grown back a lot of its natural habitat that used to be there, but has not grown to the full potential that it once was. They had to rebuild the board walk that goes through the mangroves and a tower that you can climb up and see over the whole habitat and intra coastal. They have added live tanks with sharks, sea turtles and sting rays. There haven’t been any fires in the area that ever affected the plants and animals. The hurricanes that have hit have been the most devastating because they knocked down many trees and destroyed much of the foliage.
Some of the animals that lived in this environment were also forced out because their homes were destroyed or their food sources were eliminated. Even though it has been four years since the last hurricane, there are still many trees lying on the ground, snapped in half and small shrubbery that is still in the process of recovering.
Some tree species that I saw were Gumbo Limbo, Pine Tree, Pond Apple – Annona Glabra, Cabbage Palm- Subu Palmetto , Saw Palmetto- Serenoa Repens and Mangroves. Some non woody plants that grow there are Wild Coffee, Seagrape, Wax Myrtle, Fire Brush and Coco Plum. Some bird species that live in this environment are Red Cardinal, Red Shoulder Hawk, Northern Mocking Bird, Blue Jay and Brown Thrasher. Some of the animals that I saw were Eastern Boxing Turtle, Green Anole, Crab Spider, Five-line Skink, Atlantic Stingray, Bonnet Head Sharks, Lemon Sharks and Fiddler Crabs in their burrows.
Gumbo Limbo is unique because the nature center is used for research by the department of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University. In addition, the Palm Beach County middle schools have a field trip to Gumbo Limbo in their Science curriculum. The general public also has the opportunity to sign up for field trips such as their sea turtle walks. The center has three fully equipped classrooms for analysis after the student’s field trip in the center.
The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex was founded in 1984 as a cooperative venture between the City of Boca Raton, Palm Beach County School District, Florida Atlantic University and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Incorporated. Gumbo Limbo dedicates a lot of its time and effort in protecting the nests of the sea turtles as well as creating a home for other plants and animals. Gumbo Limbo is publicly funded and does not charge admission to its visitors but requests donations.
This natural environment is so peaceful and calming. I walked along the board walk that took me through the mangroves and was very shaded by plenty of trees. It really made me appreciate the beauty of nature, and how this nature center is just a two minute drive or 15 minute walk from my house and sadly, I rarely ever go visit. I was amazed at how many different species of plants and animals that I saw during this walk. I was also saddened at the same time thinking about the oil spill that is polluting the waters and possibly heading to the east coast of Florida. The oil spill could ruin this natural habitat and kill many of the fish and other sealife.
Gumbo Limbo is on the Intra Coastal waterway at sea level. Consequently the plants and trees have to be hearty and able to thrive in salt water and sandy soil. The plants need to have root systems that are shallow so that they are not constantly under water. This shallow root system however, makes them susceptible to damage from high winds and hurricanes. The fish, turtles, crabs must also be able to thrive in this salt water environment. The mammals that live in this habitat seek out fresh water from rain to survive and also consume the berries from the surrounding plant life. Many of the animals in this habitat have also had to adapt to the close proximity of humans and they hunt the human trash cans and can be a nuisance.
I came to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center all the time when I was a child. It has changed a lot because the many hurricanes that hit this nature center in 2006 have forced them to renovate the center. It has grown back a lot of its natural habitat that used to be there, but has not grown to the full potential that it once was. They had to rebuild the board walk that goes through the mangroves and a tower that you can climb up and see over the whole habitat and intra coastal. They have added live tanks with sharks, sea turtles and sting rays. There haven’t been any fires in the area that ever affected the plants and animals. The hurricanes that have hit have been the most devastating because they knocked down many trees and destroyed much of the foliage.
Some of the animals that lived in this environment were also forced out because their homes were destroyed or their food sources were eliminated. Even though it has been four years since the last hurricane, there are still many trees lying on the ground, snapped in half and small shrubbery that is still in the process of recovering.
Some tree species that I saw were Gumbo Limbo, Pine Tree, Pond Apple – Annona Glabra, Cabbage Palm- Subu Palmetto , Saw Palmetto- Serenoa Repens and Mangroves. Some non woody plants that grow there are Wild Coffee, Seagrape, Wax Myrtle, Fire Brush and Coco Plum. Some bird species that live in this environment are Red Cardinal, Red Shoulder Hawk, Northern Mocking Bird, Blue Jay and Brown Thrasher. Some of the animals that I saw were Eastern Boxing Turtle, Green Anole, Crab Spider, Five-line Skink, Atlantic Stingray, Bonnet Head Sharks, Lemon Sharks and Fiddler Crabs in their burrows.
Gumbo Limbo is unique because the nature center is used for research by the department of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University. In addition, the Palm Beach County middle schools have a field trip to Gumbo Limbo in their Science curriculum. The general public also has the opportunity to sign up for field trips such as their sea turtle walks. The center has three fully equipped classrooms for analysis after the student’s field trip in the center.
The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex was founded in 1984 as a cooperative venture between the City of Boca Raton, Palm Beach County School District, Florida Atlantic University and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Incorporated. Gumbo Limbo dedicates a lot of its time and effort in protecting the nests of the sea turtles as well as creating a home for other plants and animals. Gumbo Limbo is publicly funded and does not charge admission to its visitors but requests donations.
Field Trip 1 - Neighborhood
Kirsi Keenan
Field Trip 1 Neighborhood
Three Separate Habitats
Three separate habitats that I encountered in the area of my neighborhood were my neighborhood/backyard, beach/ocean and lagoon. The first habitat that I encountered was my neighborhood and backyard the plants that I saw were an Areca Palm, Fox Tail Palm, Ficus Tree, Gumbo Limbo Tree and Poinciana Tree. This habitat is well maintained with a sprinkler system twice a week. The plants are able to grow quickly and remain very green because of extensive sun and adequate water. The soil in the area is somewhat moist since there has been plenty of rain and water recently this summer. The third habitat was the Beach/Ocean environment, here I saw Sea Grape Plants, Sea Grass, Sea Weed, Sea Oats and lastly I did not see this plant but I know it is present in that habitat, Phytoplankton. This is a very salt environment and the plants that grow here are very hearty because of all the salt that is present in the air. They thrive on lots of sun and the amount of water that they receive depends on the time of the year. There are times when these plants have to adapt and be able to live with less water. The plants root systems are shallow and short since they are near the water. The third habitat I visited was the Lagoon. The plants that live in this environment are Mangroves, Pickle Weed, Alkali Heath, Salt Grass, and Alkali Weed. This vegetation needs to live with lots of salt water. These plants have adapted to the very wet and salty environment in which they live in. The soil that is found in the Lagoon is very sandy. The plants have a very shallow root system because water is near the surface.
Ten Animals in the Habitats
The animals that live my backyard and neighborhood habitat are Foxes, Raccoons and Red Cardinals. The animals that are located in the Beach and Lagoon habitats are Possums, Skunks, Box Turtles, Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Manatee, Sting Rays and Portuguese Man-o-War.
Retain/Detain Water Systems
In my neighborhood we have water draining systems at the end of every street. Unfortunately since I live so close to the beach when there are heavy rain storms the streets get very easily flooded and do not drain until the water evaporates or the surrounding grounds become less saturated and absorbs the water. When the levels of the intra coastal waterways become too high, the water is released into the ocean to prevent flooding.
Relationships of People and What I Would Change
The majority of the people that live in my neighborhood are respectful of everyone’s property. There are some people who use the Florida Friendly Landscaping also called xeriscape. With this system they do not use extra water to keep their plants alive; instead they have plants that can thrive with amount of water that is given by nature. During the dryer seasons the City sets water restrictions so that people are forced to save water. Most of my neighbors follow the water restriction plan voluntarily all year. If I would change anything I would encourage people to xeriscape their property and have water restrictions year round. Especially during the rainy season, I would limit watering to once a week.
Three Unique Energy Saving Designs
While I was on the FGCU website for the Master Plan, one of the plans that caught my eye was the utilities element section. What interested me was the steam and chill water sub-element that they are planning to put in at some point. I was so intrigued that they want to put in chillers that are the most environmentally safe refrigerants that are available today. The university truly cares about the environment and has proven this by all the environmentally friendly tactics they use to keep the campus green.
Another plan that FGCU has been implementing is the power grid that they coordinated with Florida Power and Light. This is a highly dependable source of power and electricity. I always saw the solar panels get built in the front of the school and they always interested me. I never realized though all of the hard work and planning that had to happen before they could even start building the solar grid.
The last plan that I saw in the Master Plan, was the section about the Conservation Element. I was really interested in this when I was reading how the university restores the ecosystems of the campus if it has been polluted by toxins. As well as maintain the natural environment the university will never do anything that could potentially harm the water preserves that are located around the campus area.
Field Trip 1 Neighborhood
Three Separate Habitats
Three separate habitats that I encountered in the area of my neighborhood were my neighborhood/backyard, beach/ocean and lagoon. The first habitat that I encountered was my neighborhood and backyard the plants that I saw were an Areca Palm, Fox Tail Palm, Ficus Tree, Gumbo Limbo Tree and Poinciana Tree. This habitat is well maintained with a sprinkler system twice a week. The plants are able to grow quickly and remain very green because of extensive sun and adequate water. The soil in the area is somewhat moist since there has been plenty of rain and water recently this summer. The third habitat was the Beach/Ocean environment, here I saw Sea Grape Plants, Sea Grass, Sea Weed, Sea Oats and lastly I did not see this plant but I know it is present in that habitat, Phytoplankton. This is a very salt environment and the plants that grow here are very hearty because of all the salt that is present in the air. They thrive on lots of sun and the amount of water that they receive depends on the time of the year. There are times when these plants have to adapt and be able to live with less water. The plants root systems are shallow and short since they are near the water. The third habitat I visited was the Lagoon. The plants that live in this environment are Mangroves, Pickle Weed, Alkali Heath, Salt Grass, and Alkali Weed. This vegetation needs to live with lots of salt water. These plants have adapted to the very wet and salty environment in which they live in. The soil that is found in the Lagoon is very sandy. The plants have a very shallow root system because water is near the surface.
Ten Animals in the Habitats
The animals that live my backyard and neighborhood habitat are Foxes, Raccoons and Red Cardinals. The animals that are located in the Beach and Lagoon habitats are Possums, Skunks, Box Turtles, Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Manatee, Sting Rays and Portuguese Man-o-War.
Retain/Detain Water Systems
In my neighborhood we have water draining systems at the end of every street. Unfortunately since I live so close to the beach when there are heavy rain storms the streets get very easily flooded and do not drain until the water evaporates or the surrounding grounds become less saturated and absorbs the water. When the levels of the intra coastal waterways become too high, the water is released into the ocean to prevent flooding.
Relationships of People and What I Would Change
The majority of the people that live in my neighborhood are respectful of everyone’s property. There are some people who use the Florida Friendly Landscaping also called xeriscape. With this system they do not use extra water to keep their plants alive; instead they have plants that can thrive with amount of water that is given by nature. During the dryer seasons the City sets water restrictions so that people are forced to save water. Most of my neighbors follow the water restriction plan voluntarily all year. If I would change anything I would encourage people to xeriscape their property and have water restrictions year round. Especially during the rainy season, I would limit watering to once a week.
Three Unique Energy Saving Designs
While I was on the FGCU website for the Master Plan, one of the plans that caught my eye was the utilities element section. What interested me was the steam and chill water sub-element that they are planning to put in at some point. I was so intrigued that they want to put in chillers that are the most environmentally safe refrigerants that are available today. The university truly cares about the environment and has proven this by all the environmentally friendly tactics they use to keep the campus green.
Another plan that FGCU has been implementing is the power grid that they coordinated with Florida Power and Light. This is a highly dependable source of power and electricity. I always saw the solar panels get built in the front of the school and they always interested me. I never realized though all of the hard work and planning that had to happen before they could even start building the solar grid.
The last plan that I saw in the Master Plan, was the section about the Conservation Element. I was really interested in this when I was reading how the university restores the ecosystems of the campus if it has been polluted by toxins. As well as maintain the natural environment the university will never do anything that could potentially harm the water preserves that are located around the campus area.
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