Recommend a Film

     I believe that a great film for this class would be AVATAR!  This class is primarily about nature habitats, how they are important to the people who live in them and how to preserve them and make them last longer.  Avatar is a great film showing just how you can interact and be one with the environment.  When a marine is dispatched on a unique mission he becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world in which he believes is home.  Even though it is his alter ego that is involved in the place he calls home he still feels it is his and feels the need to protect it.  This movie shows just how important an environment and ones natural habitat is to sustain life.  Once their "tree of life" was cut down there was no longer a home, no where for their food, sleep, or no place to talk to their God.  I think this film incorporates a great deal of what we learned in class and puts in into perspective in a way that is entertaining to college students.  Avatar is a great film and I recommend it to everyone.  Here is the link for a trailer of the film.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdxXPV9GNQ

The Day After Tomorrow

     Everyone has their own depiction of the end of the world and we are all worried on when and how it could possibly take place.  The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science fiction disaster film depicting catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling and leads to a new ice age.  It is a great film with intense special effects in which shows the results of long term greenhouse effects.  It is a film with great reality and fact based concept that shouldn't be taken lightly.  Many studies show that the present day climate is very unusually unstable and although the severe and instant wild weather changes shown in the movie may not occur this unstable climate can cause drastic changes in weather.  This movie gets me to think what can really happen if we all keep living the way we are, not minding the effect we have on our environment.  Its a powerful movie that helps me to really step back and take a look at how I am living my life.  Not only to help move to a more sustainable future but also to enjoy life because you never know what can happen.  The plot of the film got me a little nervous about what could possibly happen and that the end of the world could eventually take place.  We all live slightly selfish and yet if even if we make it through our era, don't we want the Earth to be there for the future generations and allow them to have the same life we did?  

consumerism

      Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. Consumersim today has an impact and plays a major role in the degradation of our economy.  Consumerism tells us what to buy, when to buy it and when to throw things out.  This leads us to own and waste a lot of stuff.  It has a huge effect on our economy because since we have the freedom to consume and by everything that we deem is important we need the money to do so which creates a demand for money and ultimately debt.  The United States holds a small percent of the worlds population and yet uses a great amount of the worlds resources and creates more than their share of waste.  What we don't realize is that materials that go into the stuff we by have to be extracted from natural resources and buy using up those resources and ultimately throwing them away as things get "old" we are causing our own downfall.  We can't grow another planet but we can all work together to take action to protect the Earth in which we live and all its natural resources.  We have created a culture in which people are encouraged to accumulate and show off material wealth to define their status in society.  The statement "keeping up with the Jonses"refers to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social cast or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.  We as a society have turned consumption into a necessity and this has resulted in rapidly stripping the World of its natural resources in order to satisfy this demand.  We all need to learn to live within the means of nature.  

WALL-E ; Reduce, reuse, recycle reclaim

     

     This animated film was entertaining and I think Disney and Pixar did a great job in not only making the film but also incorporating an important topic into a light hearted, fun, kid friendly film.  The film took place in the future where human beings have destroyed Earth and evacuated the planet and although this film places it in the "futuristic world" this is very well where we are headed.  The film had an underlying message for the older crowd and minus the robots, this film has very realistic qualities on the fact that one day the we as humans can easily leave the earth covered in garbage.  
     The 4 R's reduce, reuse, recycle and reclaim represent the steps for responsible waste management.  These steps help to reduce waste of natural resources and cut down greenhouse gas emissions which are generated by transport and land filling.  One of the greatest sayings is " the easiest waste to manage is waste that is not generated in the first place."  The idea of reducing helps people think about their consumption and how much waste they generate.  The idea of reusing means finding a second life for a product and using it repeatedly.  Recycle means transforming waste in order to create new products rather than using new material.  Reclaim means deriving value that would otherwise go to waste from an item that has reached the end of its useful life.  Reclaiming is converting waste into resources such as electricity or fuel.  Reclaiming certain matter can be important in managing and controlling climate changes.  These 4 R's refer to taking material components and extending their life by re-incorporating them into a cycle of use.  By educating people on this idea and topic it will greatly impact the way people think about their consumption and will also impact those involved in waste companies to strive for the path of zero landfill.  This is great way to help our planet go green and to be more resource efficient.  It is important to understand that although one person can make a difference it, a group effort is beneficial and everyone should make positive choices not only for themselves but for the future and those who live on after us.  

Field trip to Lee County waste to energy facility

       I think this by far was my favorite field trip.  Although it was smelly and many would think its weird that I would like a field trip about trash it is something that really hits home and truly makes you sit back and think about your environment and how many people just don't care.  We as humans produce so much trash and the fact that there are very few counties that have facilities that convert waste to energy is unbelievable.  The landfills of trash and those things we call "mount trashmore" are only getting bigger and we will soon not only run out of space, but the effect on the environment will be significant.  It is important that people come together and use the stuff that we see as waste and better the planet by reusing.  The presentation was extremely interesting and I thought that tour was really cool to see how it all worked.  Also walking going over the the recycling facility was very cool too.  I learned a lot on this trip and I think what Lee County is doing is so great and many need to take their lead.  It is amazing that the stuff we call waste and don't want can be used as energy and provide power for many people to live off of.  

This is the cubes that they make for each type of
thing recycled after it has all been sorted 

This is all the pictures we saw during the presentation.  He is pointed to the picture in which he explained that that was the only amount of land and area their facility would need, since most of the waste is turned into energy and then the rest is plowed over and able to make room for more

 This is the picture of the control panel and the control room.  It is important that the workers in this area are always alert and are safe.  

Shows what was talked about in which this crane takes the trash dumped from the trucks and puts it into the next part of the system.  It was said that this crane can hold a large amount of trash.  

This is a great picture of all of our class going out to the dumbing site.  We were able to smell those wonderful smells! (not) and able to watch some of the trucks come in to do their shipments 

This is the picture of the model that was in the presentation room in which shows how their facility works and what processes the trash goes through to ultimately reach the final goal and product of energy.  


You can't help to imagine what it would be like to work in one of these facilities and separate peoples waste and trash for a living however what we don't realize is they play a huge role and are the people who are helping our environment.  Facilities like this in which turn waste into energy are much needed.  

My ecological footprint

         After doing the ecological footprint quiz on earthday.net I found out that to sustain my life that I am living it would take 4 Earths.  That is a ton!  When you think about it if everyone were to live this way that is when we tend to have a problem.  This is when I realized something needs to be done.  When reviewing my results I realized most of my problem was transportation which Is why i thought it would be interesting to do my second paper on sustainable transport.  I live two hours away in Miami and drive home almost every weekend, which is honestly unrealistic.  I also take many plane rides as my family is big on travel.  I believe I produce less trash than most people in the world and I live in an apartment with four other roomates and we try to consume as less energy as possible.  I also recycle and try do as much as I can to cut back on my transport such as car pooling or using public transportation whenever possible.  This quiz was important to take and I think it made a lot of my classmates recognize what they need to do in order to cut back and make a difference.  This put into perspective just how much nature my lifestyle requires.  it also shows just how selfish many of us are and how under informed and nonchalant we are about the fact that we are together depleting Earths resources.  Humanity needs what the nature provides  however just how much of that nature do we  have to use to sustain the lives each of us are living.  So have you ever thought about, whats your ecological footprint? http://www.earthday.org/footprint-calculator?gclid=CJK93uennbMCFRRynAoddQ8AOw take the quiz here and see how much demand you place on the Earths ecosystem. 

Sustainability

       The idea of sustainability is one that is scattered throughout the course, and all topics presented in class and in the text all relate and integrate into this topic.  Sustainability is based on the principle that everything we need for our survival and well being depends either directly or indirectly on our natural enviornment.  It deals with the conditions in which humans and nature can exist in harmony and present hope for future generations.  The need for a more sustainable enviornment is urgent.  It takes the effort of many people for our world to be in a better predicament.  With the drastic climate change, and changes in the economy every aspect of what we do needs to be transferred to a more sustainable way.  The topic that I did my second paper on was the idea of sustainable transport. This is a big deal in that if we keep up the way we are now, eventually we will deplete the enviornment of all its resources and human kind will lead to the downfall of Earth.  Transportation has many effects on not only the enviornment but the economy and the people. 

Campus Trail and Field trip

         On a rainy yet hot and muggy day we had a mini class exploration to the campus trail.  Although I am not a huge fan of hiking and being in the woods, it was interesting; at least for half of it.  I enjoy the peacefullness that nature brings and the serenity however sometimes that can be disrupted.  Halfway through the trail was a muddy mess.  I wore rainboots and even those had water overflowing into them causing my feet and pants to get soaked.  It wasnt that bad however lightening started in the distance which had me a little nervous, I dont like to get in the way of mother nature.  On the trail mostly what we saw were different species of plants and one main one pointed out was the "leaves of three let it be" (poison ivy) which actually I had never encountered before.  The other interesting thing on the campus trail was the hardwood hammock.  This was the most interesting part of the trail although we saw it towards the end of class so everyone was eager to leave therefore it was only briefly touched on. I ended up going back to the hardwood hammock so see for myself.  I brought homework out there and just decided to enjoy the breeze and see what nature really did have to offer.  I noticed a sense of peace in which allowed me to sit with my own thoughts and reflect.  Overall I thought the the trail walk was necessary.  Going to a University that is huge on sustainability and has so much to offer it would be crazy to graduate from Florida Gulf Coast without experiencing all it has to offer and to educate myself on how I could better the world. 
          The next class we took a field trip to Fort Myers beach to visit the cottage and learn about matanzas pass.  I thought this field trip was very interesting and the lecture before hand about the history of the cottage with intriguing.  The walk down the boardwalk was one that I had never experienced.  Walking through what we mostly talked about was the mangroves that took over each side of the boardwalk as we walked towards the overlook to see the water.  This was beautiful and enlightening.  We also took a walk down to the beach in order to show us both sides.  The beach is something that I am very familiar with growing up in south Florida and therefore is always a good time. 

Degrowth

Degrowth is the intentional contraction of overly inflated economies.  It can be achieved many ways in which include discouraging overconsumption, raising taxes, shortening work hours and informalizing certain parts of the economy.  This high level of economic consumption is putting unbearable strain on the Earths ecosystems which we need to live.  The main way to achieve degrowth is by reducing the overall consumption.  Everyone needs to take it upon themselves to lower their own ecological footprint.  change takes the effort of many not just one person.  Why is it that some people feel they can sit back and ride on the coat tails of the others doing all the work to sustain our enviornment?  It takes a great amount of education and awareness in order to implement change.  We need to increase human well-being and enhance ecological conditions.  I think this course is very good at integrating a lot of different topics and ideas into one large category of sustainability which is needed in order for this planet to have a future.  It all goes back to the idea of making resources available in order to lessn the likelihood of enviornmental collapse. 

Green Economy

         The green economy promotes growth that can improve the lives of people economically, environmentally and socially.  It is an economy that is concerned with being environmentally sustainable, socially just and locally rooted.  Environmentally sustainable in which we create a economic system that resects the ecosystem since we depend on the Earths natural resources.  Every person on earth depends on healthy ecosystems to sustain their lives.  Socially just that ensures all people have a decent standard of living.  Locally rooted based on meeting the needs of citizens in individual communities.  

         A green economy improves growth in income and employment by investments that reduce carbon emissions, pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency and prevent loss of biodiversity.  The green economy is a new vision that allows for creative solutions to multiple problems that the world faces by linking people and the planet.  

         We are in a time where environmental degradation is a major concern and causing economic problems.  The idea of a green economy has give us the opportunity to create green jobs which allow for increase in economics with environmental protection.  The green economy invests, protects and restores our ecosystems and biodiversity in order to secure their services for the people of today and the future.  The idea of a green economy effects economics in the fact that it will drive investments towards restoring the environment to allow for better quality of life.  

         I believe that a green economy will eventually take over and will provide massive growth by stimulating economic progress, increasing jobs and at the same time reducing global threats.  However I do believe that at the moment there is a lack of awareness and understanding.  In order to avoid collapse of our world it is important to wean the economy off its current practice and try something new.  

Corkscrew swamp sanctuary

We took a field trip to the Corkscrew swamp sanctuary which was actually really interesting.  While walking on the boardwalk we saw different habitats which I thought was really cool and our guide did an excellent job of explaining things along the way.  One of the most interesting things was seen right on our way, something called the living machine.  After everyone used the restroom we were taught how that system actually works and I think the process is really neat how it mimics nature and its natural water restoration rather than artificial water treatment.  Another really interesting thing I thought was how the sanctuary does its own controlled fires in some of the habitats to mimic nature with less intensity.  The wildlife seen depends on time of year, weather and time of day and also the amount of time you have to visit the sanctuary however we did see plenty of birds and insects and even an alligator of fairly decent size.

 I thought this was one of the most interesting photos and sites as it shows all 3 habitats seen on the tour where they merge.  

This was the one alligator that was seen on the trip and it was very exciting since it was big and we were able to see it in its natural habitat.

The 11th Hour

This film basically discusses the main topic of global Warming much like an Inconvenient Truth as well as  other problems facing are planet.  Many people overlook all the devastating problems that are facing our planet.  I am one to blame as well for being somewhat selfish and worrying about myself, my life and current situation instead of future generations.   After watching the film, since it focuses on how humans are contributing to the destruction of earth and its natural resources, I think it is extremely important to become aware and conscious of nature and how to preserve it.  In all films relating to this topic it shares suggestions and solutions on how to repair the damaged planet and changing our ways. I believe these suggestions should be taken into consideration and utilized. I think it is important to help save the world and do things that are environmentally friendly for our own sake.  It is important to me to take part in these things because I feel that although others may not partake, which has contributed to the planets decline, I am doing everything possible to make a difference and perhaps one day we will see the effects of our efforts.  The film has a strong message and definitely deserves to be heard.   

An Inconvenient Truth

I think overall the film, An Inconvenient Truth was good.  It’s a very good educational film and the topic discussed in the film is imperative.  However, I didn’t like the way it was organized and presented which was sort of in lecture form as it presents Al Gores speeches made around the world. 

In an inconvenient truth Former vice president AL Gore voices concerns on the very controversial issue of global warming.  The documentary focuses on the changes that can be made worldwide to help alleviate the crisis.  The film focuses on true facts about the disaster, consequences and its effects on the environment.  As we all know global warming is a very debated subject and is something that is sometimes overlooked.  This film helps put things into perspective and shares how individual efforts can help protect Earth and its future generations.  I think it is important for everyone to see this film.  I remember watching this film a while back and many people thought it was done for as a political issue.  However, it brings up good points and dispels myths associated with global warming. 

The film definitely wastes no time in eliciting fear as this climate threatens life as we may know it.  In my opinion global warming is a major disaster that everyone should be aware of.  If it continues on the path it is now and current rate there will be frequency in harmful weather condition, kill off glaciers, dry up lands, and kill off many species.  Even after watching this however, I am still skeptical about the topic.  I do believe that it can surely lead to life changing events however I still believe that the planet goes through cycles of cooling and warming and if global warming were to occur the damage is already too far done.  

ECHO field trip

Hunger is a problem worldwide that needs to be recognized and is something to be concerned about.  Many people are dying every minute when others that don’t deal with the issue are not even acknowledging the fact that it exists.  That’s why ECHO and its efforts are a tremendous step in helping people all over the world especially those that are less fortunate and economically unstable to stay well nourished.  What better way is there to help than in such a practical way.  The circumstances that people in third world countries are facing are overwhelming especially for the farmers.  So many how does ECHO make a difference?  They simulate conditions found worldwide and are able to teach those less fortunate how to work around those conditions to grow food.  They take real life situations and teach people how to survive off those conditions.  There are 3 main things that ECHO does which is educate /train, network and provide seeds.  I think ECHO’s efforts are incredible.  It is so nice to see such passionate people put in hard work for little in return except for pride and accomplishment.  You always hear about people asking why you are wasting food when there is people starving somewhere in the world.  Now that I have visited  ECHO it  puts things into perspective, gives that statement meaning and its something I will change.  It was shown to us on the tour that simple kitchen scrap could help feed worms which in turn help grow agriculture. 

This was a picture of the barrels in which we learned were able to allow energy to be made through the emissions

It was  here that we learned how goat manure was important and could be used as a fertilizer to help those in 3rd world countries grow food.  

 The farming tour was extremely interesting.  My favorite part was to see how many different ways there is to filter water, which can save peoples lives.  It’s amazing what you can do when all else fails.  The things they had set up to show us how people that are economically unstable can filter water, have agriculture, water plants, cook and make use of all the resources around them were eye opening.  These are all problems that us who live in the United States don’t have to deal with yet others do everyday.  I think it is great that those in the third world countries can be helped and taught to use all their supplies to a maximum and to make work with what they have.  It is the littlest things in this country that we take for granted and when looking at the efforts of ECHO to help stop world hunger it really puts things in perspective and allows me to be empathetic.  After the tour, it makes me realize that resources we take for granted are extremely valuable and its important to start making change and help for the better.  

Food Inc.

                           

      This documentary by Robert Kenner left me feeling speechless.  It brings up a issue that many of us living in America have already been noticing; our nation as a whole eat too much sugar and carbs.  Even these packages claiming they are “fat free” are not exactly our answer to a healthy nation.  We have the highest obesity, cancer and diabetes rates and there needs to be something done about it. 

     This documentary makes me realize that although the food we eat is cheap, fast and generally tasteful, there is a consequence for worrying about convenience over nutrition and the effect that our eating habits have on the enviornemnt and ourselves .  The documentary brings up the fact and has evidence to prove that the food produced, although cheap, is filled with chemicals and bacteria and therefore contaminated.  This film takes a greater look into corporate farming in our nation proving that the food we produce is harmful to the environment, the animals and humans.  

     What it says under the title of the film "you will never look at dinner the same" cannot be more true.  There is a big section of the film on the production of meat such as chicken, beef and pork, which honestly has made me not want to eat again.  It is extremely disturbing and has altered the way I will think when I simply grab a fast, cheap burger.  This film had the same effect on me that “Supersize Me" had.  It is ridiculous that our corporations put their self profit over our societies overall health, safety, and environment.  “The industry doesn’t want you to know the truth about what your eating, because if you do you might not eat it.”  This is a quote from the film and I feel like things really need to be changed.  When we buy our food it stands as our vote and opinion on the food we eat.  We are not powerless in this problem we have the power to change, and things can change if people become informed.