#6--ECHO

ECHO was  a pretty unique place to visit.  I can't believe that people actually intern here and literally live off of the land.  There were a lot of things that stood out to me.  There were so many different types of plants and were grown in 6 different "types of land".  It was neat that they had live animals there too to help out with their crops-so cute =].  Here are a few different things that I learned:

-They have a tilapia pond that is big enough to feed a village.  It had a lot of ducks kept in it so that their waste would feed the algae in the pong which in turn would feed the fish.
-One of the plants' ( I can not remember the exact name) seeds can be ground up and placed in a 2 liter bottle of dirty water.  After 2 hours of sitting the water is 95% pure.
-A lot of animals (goats, chickens, rabbits) are used to help produce manure to help feed the plants.
-rice can be grown 2 different ways--the traditional way in a flood ground with seeds planted far apart or in a slightly moist area with seeds placed close together.  The difference between the two is that there is more weeding to be done by the women in the dry area.

After seeing all of the different cookers and grinders, I have to say that we have it easy in our country.  I could never imagine growing, picking, and grinding my own rice like that.  I can't believe people across the world literally have to build their own miniature cooker to have meals!  I feel that the work done at ECHO is relevant to the developing world because it is important to make use of what you have to be able to survive.  In foreign countries they do not have the types of luxuries available to them as we do to us.  (making use of appropriate technology--using what you have to make what you can) 

Even though ECHO was a really neat place to visit, I do not think that this is somewhere I would like to volunteer.  I do not think that it really suits my personality.

My friend Mikey pumping the water!

Two ways to grow rice

Solar ovens

Entry #5--Sustainable Farming

The 3 basic elements of sustainable farming are:
-environment protection
-social responsibility
economic viability

"Key ecological principles for land use and management deal with time,

species, place, disturbance, and the landscape. The principles result in

several guidelines that serve as practical rules of thumb for incorporating

ecological principles into making decisions about the land."   http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/pdf/landuseb.pdf

I personally just buy what I please at the grocery store.  I do not buy "organic" or "naturally" labeled food because it is very expensive and I really do not find the product that much better than what is normally purchased.  I feel disconnected with the current food system.  I find myself buying a lot of frozen food because it lasts longer.  I live by myself and do not eat at home very often so it becomes a huge waste for me to purchase fresh food.  Most of it gets thrown out because it goes bad and I end up losing money.  I am not sure if I would take advantage of a space on campus to grow my own fruits and vegetables because I know I do not have the time to commit to taking care of them.  I have thought about growing my own little garden at home, however.  I do not have much of a green thumb so many of the things I plant end up dying.  I would probably make more use of fresh foods if they were readily available at my own home.

As for a spot on campus, I believe that they do have their own little garden set up.  I get emails just about every week to volunteer as a back yard farmer.  It is by the welcome center on campus.  I will have to check it out sometime.

#4--The Most Pressing Global Environmental Issue

I would have to say that the most pressing global environmental issue in my own opinion would be over-population.  It's not that I necessarily feel that over population is the biggest problem its that the more people there are in this world, the more problems occur and the worse current issues get.  For example, a few major issues that everyone is concerned about are:

-deforestation
-pollution and depletion of the ozone layer
-global warming
-h2O depletion
-killing off of species

There more people there are on the planet...
-more trees are cut down
-more garbage
-more oxygen being used
-more devlopment

"Overpopulation occurs when a population has exceeded its carrying capacity.  The entire planet and virtually every nation is already vastly overpopulated. Africa is overpopulated now because, among other indications, its soils and forests are rapidly being depleted—and that implies that its carrying capacity for human beings will be lower in the future than it is now. The United States is overpopulated because it is depleting its soil and water resources and contributing mightily to the destruction of global environmental systems. Europe, Japan, the Soviet Union, and other rich nations are overpopulated because of their massive contributions to the carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere, among many other reasons." http://animalrights.about.com/od/wildlife/a/HumanOverpopulation.htm

If I had a billion dollars to address a global problem, I would disprese it to people in our country to spend it however they please.  Life is too short to worry about every problem and to live scared about "what could happen" if we continue our ways.  I would spend some of the money on campaigns targeted towards elementary and middle schools, our next generation, on how they could make a difference in the world and make changes in their homes to help the planet.

Entry #3-Corkscrew field trip

There were many distinctive eco-systems we saw on our trip today and I really learned a great deal about our enivornment!!  I thought it was really cool that they had the giant "bins" filled with plants and trees that naturally purified the water. 

"The programs and activities at Audubon Centers and Sanctuaries reflect the three pillars of Audubon’s mission: education, science, and conservation action, adapted to the specific Center site and to the community it serves. With its goal of helping people discover, learn about, and care for nature close to home, Audubon is continuing its commitment to establishing Centers in communities that have the least access to nature."(corkscrew audubon website)  Responsibility to take care of something belonging to someone else (or the environment) is important to many people who work for non-profit orgnizations.  Every little effort that any person makes to do this can make a huge impact and promote change.  We all have to work together and do our part to conserve what is left. 

The original purchase of the land was for the audubon group to collect their "bird" feathers to make their fancy hats and have since then added on to their land.  Why would we want to bulldoze and build condos on such beautiful land?  All of the different plants and areas work together in their own little ecosystem and provide something different that another may not be able to do.  If we were to tear down this land, we would be taking a large area that is preserved to stay as natural as possible and make sure that we have some type of "natural" area remaining so we do not destroy the little that we do have left.

Entry #2--Campus Trail Walk

I believe that the campus trail walk and the site selection are consistent with the "eco-empowerment" mission of the university.  I can't believe that there were 21 original locations to where FGCU could have been placed.  I believe that the Alico location was the best choice.  When I think of the location on Colonial and 75 I just think of how congested and "cheap" the area has become... especially with a Walmart right around the corner.  A "nature" school should truly be in the nature, not a congested area.  I was really astounded by the different facts that I learned today about FGCU.  Some of the fun facts of the day....

• Our air conditioning system is based on a "block of ice" that is frozen over-night and the melted cool water is dispersed underneath the ground to cool off the buildings.  It is frozen overnight because it is cheaper to run the electricity and also makes the equipment more efficient because it does not have to work as hard in the Florida heat if done during the day.
• The over hangs that are over the walk ways and the windows help prevent the sun from coming in the buildings during the day to keep the building cool.
• The solar power fields are used to run electricity to half of the new buildings on campus.
• All of the plants on campus that have been placed there are native.
• Academic Building #7 is one of the 3 buildings in our state that is LEAD certified, and at a Platinum level.
• All of our lakes are connected.  They serve to catch the overflow of water and hold it in the area as long as possible so that it can refill the water supply underground.
• The board walks are made with a special wood that is shipped in to our school that will last approximately 50 years and is rot proof and insect proof.
• The rocks along the paths next to the buildings serve to catch the rain water off of the roofs of the buildings to help it seep into the ground instead of causing run-off.

Although the school is environmentally friendly, there are a few things that I disagree with that the school could have done better.

• Although we do have a solar powered field I believe that the panels should have been placed on the tops of the buildings to keep from tearing down the land.
• I did not like watching a video showing how we kicked panthers and other animals out of their homes =(
• The idea of recycling on campus is awesome.. but have you ever truly taken noticed that we are throwing our recyclables into a plastic bag?....
A bee hive in the back trails of campus.
"laxative berries"

I had no particular view point before this tour.  I also found it very interesting that there are so many different types of plants found on our campus that are edible and used for different things such as depression medicine and an antidote to poison ivy. I was freaked out to go on this tour before hand but now that it is over with I can say that I really enjoyed it and getting to know our school better... I am beyond thrilled I did not see one frog even though I got eaten alive by mosquitos!