Urban Environments - Downtown Fort Myers

Fort Myers started as one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee River. It was a base of operations against the Seminole Indians during the American Indian Wars. During the Seminole Wars, Fort Myers was a strategic location for its visibility and access to Atlantic waterways. After the wars, Confederate blockade runners and cattle ranchers called Fort Myers home. The winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are a primary tourist attraction in the region.

In Fort Myers, they have an Environmental Science Division and their mission is to provide a responsible management of the natural resources to the town of Fort Myers. They also are accountable for improving the future health and sustainability of the town through regulations, education, informed management, and cooperation with citizens and business. However, economic forces control the efforts of environmental and historical conservation. A prime example of this would be the Hall of the 50 States.

The Hall, which has been empty for nearly a decade, was built in 1927 as a dance hall and community center where historic figures used to appear and partake in local events. As of now, there has been a ten to fifteen year debate on whether to restore this historic monument or to destroy it completely. Either way, as time passes, the building is slowly deteriorating and in order to refurbish the structure it would cost the county millions of dollars that some feel the money should go to other more important uses.  

Fort Myers, just like any other city, has its ups and downs; it also has examples of biophobia, biophilia and topophilia. Biophobia, or the dislike of nature, is shown to me whenever I see new construction taking place such as the building of new roads, shopping malls, restaurants etc. where they are tearing up the greenery and the land to make way for our own selfish desires. On the other hand, Fort Myers does have plenty of models of biophilia, or the love of the natural world, such as the conservation of the six mile cypress, environmentally friendly parks, nature trails etc where they preserve as much of the natural land as possible and promote others to do the same.

After seeing biophilia actions in Fort Myers like the ones I just described that, in turn, gives me a strong feel of topophilia or a strong sense of place. When I was growing up, the few things I remember from my childhood was playing outside all the time from day until dusk. I even recall my parents almost “forcing” me to either come back inside to do homework or eat yet I was enjoying the outdoors so much that I wouldn’t want to. This aspect of my life ties into the university colloquium goals since the main goal is “to provide a sense of place” and I believe that I have. The land, the grass, the sun and even the bugs are all things that I am accustomed to and I still, to this day, feel that the surrounding environment is connected to me just like a sense cultural identity and it makes the love that I have for it even stronger. “We relate to the environment around us in different ways, with differing intensity, and these bonds have different sources. At the most common level, we learn to love what has become familiar” (Orr, 193).

References

Orr, David W. "Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution." Earth in Mind: On Education,Environment, and the Human Prospect. Washington, DC: Island, 1994. 186-211. Print.

Located along the Caloosahatchee River, this park gives Fort Myers citizens an opportunity to be close to nature.

Created by Marlin Miller in 2011, this oak tree was originally suppose to be cut down by officials however it was turned into a beautiful sculpture and placed here in Fort Myers.

The Banyan tree was planted in Fort Myers by Thomas Edison in 1925. The tree covers 400 feet and is the 3rd largest in the world. 

Healing the Earth's Scars and Why Save Endangered Species (Goodall)

Jane Goodall, an English primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace, remind us that it is never too late in healing Earth’s scars. She is well known for her optimism and gives us her four reasons for hope. They are the human brain (or our intellect), the resilience of nature, the indomitable human spirit, as well as the determination and energy of young people. I can say that I agree fully with all of Jane Goodall’s four reasons for hope.

Firstly, our intelligence over the years has been developing faster than ever. More people are becoming educated and seeking higher education which will lead us to utilize our problem solving abilities to make wiser and more responsible choices about the environment. Next, the resilience of nature is an incredible thing; I have seen greenery regrow when human damage had originally made it nearly impossible. Also, I have witnessed species on the brink of extinction reproducing and being renewed as no longer an endangered species.

Then, the indomitable human spirit amazes me time and time again as I see children especially in third world countries who are barely getting their daily necessary intake of food and water, smiling, laughing and playing. Furthermore, I recently saw an article where children in the poorest parts of Africa had a dream of owning a camera so they went ahead and made a “camera” out of stones and rock then pretending to take pictures of each other. I also feel that if one sets their mind to their dreams, goals or aspirations, anything is possible.

Finally, the determination and the energy of young people is like the underdog of all the reasons for hope. This is due to the fact that the youth are still, at this time, being treated like kids however that doesn’t stop them from making a difference in the future and for future generations to come.  Now that people are becoming more educated in addition to the young are learning more about environmental and ecological issues that affect them I can tell they want to correct the wrong doings on this planet. Once they know what the problems are and have the tools to take action, they will.

Those who kill animals often proclaim that they were “protecting themselves” yet learning about the relationship between Jane Goodall and the apes has made me come to realize that there is an understanding and communication error. What I mean by that is if humans, just like Jane, were to take the time and energy to not solely believe what they are told by society that “animals are dangerous” but rather to grasp knowledge of these creatures then they could see that they mean no harm. “I believe that human know how and the resilience of nature, combined with the energy and commitment of dedicated individuals, can restore damaged environments so that, once again, they can become home to many of our endangered species” (Goodall).

Our student learning outcomes are along the lines of developing a better understanding of the environment, critically analyze environmental issues, describe ecological features and demonstrate a practical understanding. All of these outcomes tie into with Jane Goodall’s reasons to hope as our human spirit helps us develop a better understanding, our intellect lets us critically analyze, our energy of youth gives us the ability to demonstrate and, last but certainly not least, our resilience of nature allows us to describe.

References

Goodall, Jane, Thane Maynard, and Gail E. Hudson. "Healing Earth's Scars: It's Never Too          Late." Hope For Animals and Their World. New York: Grand Central Pub., 2009. 161   177. Print.

Jane Goodall making a funny face with a fellow chimp many years later

Jane Goodall interacting with a baby monkey. I think the baby monkey is warming up to her and accepting her. 

Young Jane Goodall first observing the primates with her binoculars from a far distance.

Silent Spring and Obligation to Endure (Carson)

Rachel Carson’s work, “A Fable for Tomorrow” from the excerpt “Silent Spring” is an important learning experience as it is considered a landmark in ecological literature that she is able to present both what is and what can be. With “Silent Spring” being a best seller and named top 25 of the greatest science books of all time, it still continues to inspire environmentalists today even half a century later. This section from the best-selling book serves as warning for the overuse of pesticides in the eco-system. While pesticides are known for destroying insects and other organisms that may damage cultivated plants or animals, many of us fail to realize how dangerous the use and abuse of these deadly chemicals really are.

Even though pesticides are banned in the United States, almost 500 chemicals are introduced into the country every year. Through the use of pesticides, man has altered the balance of nature. “Man is a part of nature and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself. A war he will lose unless he comes to terms with himself” (Carson). Not only did the vegetation and animal life suffer, but the doctors were overwhelmed with the odd diseases that came into their offices. Pesticides can effect humans by causing headaches, nausea, skin irritation, as well as rashes; and on a more serious note, cancer, nervous system problems and organ damage. They can also have an effect on the environment through water, soil, plants and animals.

Carson portrays the lack of reproduction with the “white powder” and what it impacts.  For example, the chickens lays eggs but do not produce chicks or the birds were either dead or migrated to another site and no fruit, bees, or other animals could sustain life. She describes the “white power” or pesticides as an evil spell that has settled on the community. However, the author never mentions exactly what the actual “evil spell” is in the story.

Nonetheless, using the metaphor of an evil spell, the author explains it is a mysterious disease which wipes out entire flocks of sheep, herds of cattle and that man has done this to himself. “No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world…A grim spectre has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know” (Carson).  I believe the author’s true purpose was not to ridicule the public but rather to raise awareness of the issue at hand and hopefully promote the stopping of the misuse of pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides as these can induce such harm to man and to the world. I also feel she is implying that this is not a situation that lies outside the control of human beings who can do their own ecological part to make sure that which is present is a future that is ecologically sound for all creatures.

References

Carson, Rachel, and Lois Darling. "A Fable for Tomorrow." Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton       Mifflin, 1962. N. pag. Print.

Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring

An example of massive spraying of pesticides onto a field of plants

An example that Rachel Carson is definitely a role model

An aircraft spraying extreme amount of poison (pesticides) over a reign

Florida and the Everglades politics - Grunwald and Douglas

I think Florida has changed a lot over the years and it is definitely not the Florida that it used to be. I am originally from up north and I remember everyone talked about Florida as this beautiful paradise and it was without a doubt the vacation spot to go to. However, as time passed and now that I am actually living in the “sunshine state” I can see Florida’s true colors. I believe that the changing of Florida and the population growth is directly related to the construction and expansion of roads. I-10, I-95, I-4 and I-75 and the turnpike are all newly constructed highways and there are still more in the process of becoming built. Prior to these roads, Florida was a different place. If you wanted to get anywhere, you had to use U.S. highways 1, 17-92, 27, 301, 19, and 41; and that, in turn, discouraged a lot of people from moving here.

Don’t get me wrong the continuous growth of Florida from new houses being put up to entire towns coming about is bringing in a lot of travelers, tourists and seasonal residents which may be considered a good factor, yet I feel the consequences of structuring are being overlooked. I’ve seen every road, every shopping district, and even every community imaginable expanded or in the process of being expanded. While this is taking place, more trees are being torn down and old authentic houses as well; causing the "old Florida" everyone talks of, no longer existent. All the more so Grunwald explains the severity of constant constructing “tree islands were vanishing, muck soils were shrinking, estuaries were collapsing, and development was blocking the recharge of the region’s groundwater” (Grunwald).

What I make of most politics in general, whether that be regarding the Everglades or not, is that they see the environment as merely a product and solely utilizing it for food, fuel and as a cash flow. The Everglades is a 1.5 million acre wetland preserve and considered to be the unique treasure of Southern Florida. In spite of this, the Everglades was being threatened by the manufacturing of the Homestead airport which would not only put the Everglades in danger but also put risk an entire ecosystem in a generation. Activists sought out to see a solution by passing a bill called the CERP that would be a start to solve south Florida’s natural water needs as well as problems and hopefully bringing the serious issue to the people’s attention. Let me just say it definitely grasped my attention real quick, if the place where I live in, the place I call home is having water difficulties this will affect everyone’s drinking water including my own. And I will not allow the water that I drink, the liquid that sustains my life to be contaminated, jeopardized much less eradicated. As Douglas reminds us that “water is timeless, forever new and eternal” and it made me reflect on how sometimes we forget just how important the basic necessities like water are to us (Douglas).

References

Douglas, Marjory Stoneman., and Robert Fink. "The Nature of the Everglades." The Everglades:  River of Grass. New York: Rinehart, 1947. 104-49. Print.

Grunwald, Michael. "Endgame." The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 78-103. Print.

A map of the Everglades

Timeline of the condition of the Everglades

Earth Charter and Life Connections

The principles I think are the most important and relevant to my service-learning project are principle number one which is “respect Earth and life in all its diversity” and principles number five that states “protect and restore the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.” Principle number one teaches us to recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings. I feel this connects to my service learning because the Naples Zoo encourages educating and motivating guests to appreciate all lifeforms in the natural world.

Principle five explains that we should make environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all developmental initiatives. It also tells us to establish and safeguard viable nature and biosphere reserves, including wild lands and marine areas to protect Earth’s life support systems, maintain biodiversity and preserve our natural heritage. Additionally, it promotes the recovery of endangered species and ecosystems.

The Naples Zoo has done many, if not all, of these things as their mission statement expresses to continue their proud legacy of delighting and informing guests, and to inspire conservation through innovative, intimate, and memorable experiences. David Orr applauds places like the Naples Zoo as he believes “the attempt to encourage biophilia will not amount to much if we fail to decide to reshape these kinds of places so that we might become deeply rooted” (Orr, 205).

The Earth Charter relates to the University Colloquium course goals because the Earth Charter talks about how the well-being of the community as well as of humanity depends upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecosystems while one goal of the course is to develop a commitment and awareness to ecological sustainability. David Orr even discusses the importance of supporting the environment in Love it or Lose It as “Natural diversity is the wellspring of human intelligence” (Orr, 197).

My major is Human Resources Management and I feel that the Earth Charter relates to my major in a way, specifically, with principle number sixteen since it articulates to “promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence and peace.” My future career will involve developing and encouraging appropriate personnel policies in addition to enforce those policies which connects to the Earth Charters sub objective in supporting a mutual understanding and cooperation among all peoples.

In my field, I will also be expected to foster a positive work environment and effective employee-employer relationship tying in with the Earth Charter’s mission in implementing comprehensive strategies to prevent violent conflict and recognizing that peace is the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself, other persons and other cultures. I chose this particular place to complete my service learning hours was because I have a background familiarity with this specific facility.

References

Orr, David W. "Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution." Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 186-211. Print.

Naples Zoo mission symbol

http://napleszoo.com/Visitor_Info/mission-statement.htm

Naples Zoo President and CEO discusses the role of zoo and aquariums in connecting children to animals and natural places

ECHO Farm and the Food Footprint

Reflect upon my ECHO Farm experience:

One thing that I learned about sustainability is that ECHO workers teach people and equip them with agricultural resources and skills to reduce hunger and improve the lives of the poor. They also train people, especially in other countries, where language barriers can exist. Organizations like this are important because their purpose is to help those who are teaching farmers around the world know how to be more effective in producing enough to meet the needs of their families and their communities. ECHO has been fighting world hunger with innovative ideas, information, agricultural training and seeds. It utilizes an array of techniques for growing tropical food and forage plants in difficult areas, such as hillsides, flood-prone lands, urban rooftops, and semi-arid regions.

An example of an adaptive technology that we experienced is the step action pump. The step action pump is a human powered solution used to harvest and manage rainwater. This device is perfect for getting water out of a well in case of a long term event without electricity. Discovering this at the ECHO farm has made me realize that I can apply this to my own life. In the event of a hurricane, which can potentially knock out the power.as well as possibly flood my basement I could use it to clear the unwanted water.

Some examples of plants that I have encountered were the rice cultivation and the Asian Kitchen Garden. The rice cultivation has multiple benefits such as it is less dependent on continual flooding, it reduces seed costs and it increases production. The Asian Kitchen Garden provides a year round score of nutrition and saves farmers money on regular seed purchases.

Food Footprint:

My experience with gardening has included watering household plants and occasionally taking care of food producing vegetation (banana tree). If I had to grow my own food my life would be different because I would need more land in order to produce a sufficient quantity of food to sustain my lifestyle. When I fasted for an extended amount, I felt more irritable, very tired and weak. I think it’s important to grow a biodiversity of foods with the aim of maintaining a healthy diet. Well, most of my foods come from the supermarket and honestly most of my consumption comes from imported goods.

Some things that I eat are relatively locally grown such as tomatoes, lemons and green apples that are sourced from farms in Immokalee, Florida which is approximately 35 miles away, while other items that I partake in are imported and/or processed in other various countries. Yes, most supermarket foods do contain pesticide residues so I believe what is most important for eating better, more sustainable food is to purchase organic locally sourced produce. I have already implemented this idea into my everyday life by committedly shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. However, the obstacles I may face are the costly expenses along with the burden of time and travel. I plan to consolidate a week’s worth of grocery trips into a single once a week outing. This will help cut down on expenses and decrease the amount of time to and from the grocery store. 
References
Maravilla, Marissa. 2015. JPEG File. 

The sign outside the ECHO Farm in Fort Myers, Florida

The Gardening section of the ECHO Farm

Passion fruit from the ECHO Farm

Tomorrow's Biodiversity (Shiva) and A Land Ethic (Leopold)

I think that together the readings by Shiva and Leopold relate thoroughly to the society of the United States. First, let me start out by saying we need biodiversity. Biodiversity relates to everyone, including me, since it satisfies basic necessities in everyday life like food, drinking water, fuel, shelter, and medicine. Shiva even mentions that "All the needs of two-thirds of the world's people are met by biodiversity" (Shiva). Much of the world's population still uses plants and animals as a primary source of medicine, and in the United States alone, about 57 percent of the 150 most prescribed drugs have their origins in biodiversity.

Biodiversity is also important because it sustains healthy ecosystems. You may be asking, why should I care about sustaining healthy ecosystems? Well, ecosystems offer to us pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests. Many flowering plants depend on animals for pollination, and 30 percent of crops in the United States depend on pollinators single-handedly. “Biodiversity has rescued our food security from the risks of genetic uniformity” even though we rely on just eight mere crops to provide 75 percent of the United States’ food supply (Shiva).

The United States, surprisingly, is far richer as well as further diverse in both species and ecosystems than anticipated; seeing that we have over 200,000 species originated from here yet, in spite of this, 500 of those species are becoming extinct or are missing. Furthermore, the United States contains a large amount of the world's forests, grasslands, and vegetation, however, 60 percent of that have been lost.

Leopold dives right into what a land ethic is and, in short, it is basically the “rules of the land” or more importantly how we should treat the land. We, here in the United States, see the land as merely fattening up a pig for slaughter so that we can make a profit rather than caring and treating the pig as a pet. Even Leopold says "Land use ethics are still governed wholly by economic self-interest" and I think that is especially true for the United States (Leopold). We are more concerned with getting the most bang for our buck, that we fail to realize the damage in the products we purchase have on the environment.

I will sometimes find myself swinging by any Walmart or Target and buying the cheapest most convenient items that I can and honestly I am not really thinking about where my money is truly going or how the merchandise was made, so long as I get my stuff. I want to break away from partaking in an agronomy, the work of producing and using plants solely for food and fuel, and start focusing on what products will help create a safer, more preserved and more sustainable Earth.

References

Leopold, Aldo. "The Land Ethic." A Sand County Almanac. New York: Oxford UP, 1987. 58     77. Print.

Shiva, Vandana. "What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It So Important?" Tomorrow's Biodiversity.   London: Thames & Hudson, 2000. 38-57. Print.

We are all connected

A basic ethic everyone should follow

Diamond and the Ecological Footprint

In a tale of two farms, Jared Diamond discusses the mystery behind how societies fail or succeed in the world. The answer? It is based on our environmental choices and our means on dealing with ecological issues. “Many of those abandonments were at least partly triggered by people inadvertently destroying the environmental resources on which their societies depended” (Diamond).  I believe this is most certainly relevant in my own life, especially in my own backyard.

Deforestation, one of the factors in Diamonds five-point framework, "was a or the major factor" in the collapse of societies since trees take so long to regrow, deforestation has more severe consequences than crop failure and can trigger disastrous erosion (Diamond). Where I live today, trees are being cut down like nothing in the way for new buildings to be constructed in place and with less tress around there will be less oxygen as well as less rainfall produced. Sure, by doing this, society is expanding and it may be helping the economy in one way or another; however, the environment is being considered as a secondary importance and as a result will suffer.

In my own community, we are experiencing soil erosion for the reason that the residents pull out any and all weeds that they find unattractive. Consequently, this weed pulling is causing the root to be pulled out along with them and without the roots our soil is subjected to “exceptional fragility, hence the reasons why only certain societies suffer environmental collapses” (Diamond). I think the exceptional fragility Diamond is referring to is once the erosion of topsoil occurs, it will trigger the soil to become more compact and not allow water to escape into the ground, initiating potential flooding. On top of that, more than 99 percent of the world’s food comes from soil

and with soil becoming so severely degraded, we will not be able to produce enough food for our survival.

I feel that I am contributing a decent amount to both the success and failure of the society. On a positive note, I have been volunteering at the Naples Zoo for a little over a year in helping to promote the conservation and the preservation of the natural world. Also, I always recycle, I do not eat a lot of meat products, I do not splurge on materialistic items, plus my car does very well on gas mileage. On the other hand, I do travel solo a lot by means of my own vehicle, I do fly occasionally, I do not really take any form of public transportation and I usually consume produced foods.

I was so shocked when I found out my ecological footprint, since it would take 4.6 Earths to support my lifestyle if everyone lived the way that I do, that I thought to myself ‘it is time for a change.’ I am going to begin treating all the resources that I use as scarcely as I can since I feel that I have taken for granted the easily accessible resources at my disposal.

References

Diamond, Jared M. "A Tale of Two Farms." Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005. 15-37. Print.

Maravilla, Marissa. JPEG File. 2015

Possible flooding from soil erosion taking place in my community

Low levels of soil likely due to soil erosion in my community

Deforestation as a result of constructing near my development

Trees are essential