Monday, July 12, 2010
Environmental Biology
I am also taking an environmental biology class two days a week. This class and colloquium are similar but yet so far different. Envrionmental biology has us going on field trips to places I would never go again. We hiked through the cypress domes and marshes at FGCU. It was by far the most disgusting thing I have ever done yet at the same time very informational. I have now seen a duck potatoe plant, water lillies, fire plants and learned the difference between pine trees and cypress trees. So with taking ccolloquium and environmental biology I ahve learned so much about invasive and native species, our land and different types of ecosystems.
Neighborhood
I live in a apartment complex in Fort Myers off of Mcgregor boulevard. It is a quiet neighborhood with a lake in the middle of it. It has a sidewalk going all the way around. I walk the circle almost every day and everyday I notice something new. The ducks have hatched eggs. So there are new ducklings running around. Its so great to watch them grow up everyday.There are small fish turning into bigger fish soon to be laying eggs too. The turtles are getting so bigger. The birds are becoming more active. I believe this is because humans feed them bread everyday and their is an abundance of little fish swimming around. We have palm trees every where. The landscape is well manicured and gorgeous.
I have never noticed the simple things around the lake until I started taking this class. I have realized what a beautiful place I live in. Its phenomenal.
I have never noticed the simple things around the lake until I started taking this class. I have realized what a beautiful place I live in. Its phenomenal.
Grateful
Simply be grateful. Well I have so many things to be grateful for. I have a wonderful fiance that i marry on July 24, 2010. He is the man of my dreams and everything I could ever want in someone. He is also the father of my amazing son. Ryan is 9 1/2 months old. He is always so happy and silly. He is the love of my life. My fiance works and makes enough so I don't have to. I have the joys of being a stay at home mom and its the best. I get to watch my son grow up everyday and learn something new. I also have two step daughters. They are great. They can give me a headache some days but I couldn't ask for more. Last but not least I ahve a dog. He is the most obedient dog I ahve ever seen. He is 9 and will listen completely. He loves all the kids and ever tries to play wth them. If hes not playing then he loves to just snuggle in your lap.
As you can tell I have so many things to be grateful for! Life is just amazing and I love living my life one day at a time.
As you can tell I have so many things to be grateful for! Life is just amazing and I love living my life one day at a time.
oil spill
Well the BP oil spill has been going on for months now. What is bp doing to fix it? They are building a containment dome that should be done in August but it may or maynot work! So what about all the animals and life that may or maynot living from the first day or leakage to now? Why isn't BP asking for help from other countries or the government? Why sin't the governement stepping in and taking over this spill? Afterall it is their ocean too! BP is having clean up crews working almost all hours of the day but what about working on a permant fix so we can stop these millions of gallons of oil! So now the wuestion for florida is... are we going to promote and vote yes for offshore drilling? hoping this is a just a once in a lifetime issue? Is it going to be all about bringing in Florida money instead of taking care of our beaches and wildlife that lives here?
Events in Land Remembered
There are a few events that have stuck out of the book. Most of them were in the begining of the book. The first scene I remember is the one were Sol gives his car to his shoffeur. Those things today just don't happen. Rich people die with their money or give it to family members, definietly not their help. The next event I remember is when the McIveys helped out the indians. There were two men chasing the indians and Mr. McIvey made the two men get off his property. He fed the indians with what little food he had and let they stay the night. This type of kindness doesn't exist anymore. In todays world people would just turn their heads and pretend not to see the indians or the danager they were in. This book was a great reading and made me oipen my eyes and realize how kind people can be and what the land use to be before we ruined it with our developments.
Reflecting on colloquium
Colloquium was an interesting class. It maybe me thing about nature more than I have in the past. There are a few things I would have changed though. The discussion forum is something I would definietly change. No one respond to each others post. So maybe make the discussion worth more of your grade? I would change the papers. The papers didn't really help the class, they seemed just like busy work to me. I would maybe add more field trips to replace the papers. The field trips were great. They got me to go to places I have never been and examine the wildlife and plant life. I loved it. Also I would add a little more guidelines for the service learning project. It is a good idea to have the project but not having any dynamics didn't work for me. That could just be me though.Overall the class was well worth the time and effort spent on it.
25 things about a place
There are twenty five things about a place that make me happy. This place would be Lakes Park.
1.There is a playground designed for young children
2. They have baby swings.
3. Butterfly garden
4. Flower garden
5. Cactus garden
6.train rides
7. lake with fish and alligators
8.wild birds
9.water area with spitting water
10.picnic benches
11.shaded rest areas
12.grills for picnics
13.icecream shop
14.snack center
15.bicycle rentals
16.water bikes
17.another water area
18 older children playground area
19.naature trails
20.parking area
21.cheap entertainment
22.farmers market every friday
23.boardwalks
24. rollerblading areas
25.water fountains located everywhere
Lakes Park is a great place for anyone at any age.It is my favorite place of all times. I probably go there at least twice a week.
1.There is a playground designed for young children
2. They have baby swings.
3. Butterfly garden
4. Flower garden
5. Cactus garden
6.train rides
7. lake with fish and alligators
8.wild birds
9.water area with spitting water
10.picnic benches
11.shaded rest areas
12.grills for picnics
13.icecream shop
14.snack center
15.bicycle rentals
16.water bikes
17.another water area
18 older children playground area
19.naature trails
20.parking area
21.cheap entertainment
22.farmers market every friday
23.boardwalks
24. rollerblading areas
25.water fountains located everywhere
Lakes Park is a great place for anyone at any age.It is my favorite place of all times. I probably go there at least twice a week.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
lifestyle and health in environmnetal influences
My lifestyle and health is influenced by the environmental issues and outcomes. Today there is the huge oil spill that keeps leaking oil into the ocean day after day. My lifestyle is affected by this because I work at a seafood restaurant and we are already slowly running out of supplies. Our oysters are almost gone everyday because the fisherman that usually go out and get the oysters are getting paid way more to help clean up oil so no one is getting the oysters. Fish supply is diminishing too. So soon our business may diminsh to really nothing. Who wants to come into a fish house to eat chicken or a burger? Not to many people.
Service learning projecct
My service learning project was to help clean up the beach. This became harder than I thought. You have to have proper training class before you can even volunteer. So after I took the 4 hour course I drove to Panama City and volunteered. it's hard work. You are out in the sun all day bent over working. I although I would do it again in a heartbeat, It is a very demanding service learning project.
As far as my PowerPoint presentation of it; i had a good time doing it. Power points are a easy and fun way to describe what and how you did something. You get to put a little part of you in it too.
The form we had to send to the teacher and then her mail it back to FGCU seems like a hassle. I wish there was an easier way to get it signed by her and to FGCU.
As far as my PowerPoint presentation of it; i had a good time doing it. Power points are a easy and fun way to describe what and how you did something. You get to put a little part of you in it too.
The form we had to send to the teacher and then her mail it back to FGCU seems like a hassle. I wish there was an easier way to get it signed by her and to FGCU.
Environmental article- Why recycle glass?
Glass recycling is both simple and beneficial. Let’s start with the benefits of glass recycling:
Glass recycling is good for the environment.. A glass bottle that is sent to a landfill can take up to a million years to break down. By contrast, it takes as little as 30 days for a recycled glass bottle to leave your kitchen recycling bin and appear on a store shelf as a new glass container.
Glass recycling is sustainableGlass containers are 100-percent recyclable, which means they can be recycled repeatedly, again and again, with no loss of purity or quality in the glass.
Glass recycling is efficient.. Recovered glass from glass recycling is the primary ingredient in all new glass containers. A typical glass container is made of as much as 70 percent recycled glass. According to industry estimates, 80 percent of all recycled glass eventually ends up as new glass containers.
Glass recycling conserves natural resources. Every ton of glass that is recycled saves more than a ton of the raw materials needed to create new glass, including: 1,300 pounds of sand; 410 pounds of soda ash; and 380 pounds of limestone.
Glass recycling saves energy. Making new glass means heating sand and other substances to a temperature of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires a lot of energy and creates a lot of industrial pollution. One of the first steps in glass recycling is to crush the glass and create a product called “cullet.” Making recycled glass products from cullet consumes 40 percent less energy than making new glass from raw materials, because cullet melts at a much lower temperature.
Recycled glass is useful. Because glass is made from natural materials such as sand and limestone, it glass containers have a low rate of chemical interaction with their contents. As a result, glass can be safely reused. Besides serving as the primary ingredient in new glass containers, recycled glass also has many other commercial uses—from creating decorative tiles and landscaping material to rebuilding eroded beaches.
My thoughts: You should definitely recycle glass! You can get paid for each glass bottle bring you in. They can be safely reused. It saves room in your trash can and good for the environment. Why shouldn't you recycle them?
Glass recycling is also simple, as I pointed out at the beginning of this article. It’s simple because glass is one of the easiest materials to recycle. For one thing, glass is accepted by almost all curbside recycling programs and municipal recycling centers. About all most people have to do to recycle glass bottles and jars is to carry their recycling bin to the curb, or maybe drop off their empty glass containers at a nearby collection point.
If you need an extra incentive to recycle glass, how about this: Several U.S. states offer cash refunds for most glass bottles, so in some areas glass recycling can actually put a little extra money in your pocket.
Glass recycling is good for the environment.. A glass bottle that is sent to a landfill can take up to a million years to break down. By contrast, it takes as little as 30 days for a recycled glass bottle to leave your kitchen recycling bin and appear on a store shelf as a new glass container.
Glass recycling is sustainableGlass containers are 100-percent recyclable, which means they can be recycled repeatedly, again and again, with no loss of purity or quality in the glass.
Glass recycling is efficient.. Recovered glass from glass recycling is the primary ingredient in all new glass containers. A typical glass container is made of as much as 70 percent recycled glass. According to industry estimates, 80 percent of all recycled glass eventually ends up as new glass containers.
Glass recycling conserves natural resources. Every ton of glass that is recycled saves more than a ton of the raw materials needed to create new glass, including: 1,300 pounds of sand; 410 pounds of soda ash; and 380 pounds of limestone.
Glass recycling saves energy. Making new glass means heating sand and other substances to a temperature of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires a lot of energy and creates a lot of industrial pollution. One of the first steps in glass recycling is to crush the glass and create a product called “cullet.” Making recycled glass products from cullet consumes 40 percent less energy than making new glass from raw materials, because cullet melts at a much lower temperature.
Recycled glass is useful. Because glass is made from natural materials such as sand and limestone, it glass containers have a low rate of chemical interaction with their contents. As a result, glass can be safely reused. Besides serving as the primary ingredient in new glass containers, recycled glass also has many other commercial uses—from creating decorative tiles and landscaping material to rebuilding eroded beaches.
My thoughts: You should definitely recycle glass! You can get paid for each glass bottle bring you in. They can be safely reused. It saves room in your trash can and good for the environment. Why shouldn't you recycle them?
Glass recycling is also simple, as I pointed out at the beginning of this article. It’s simple because glass is one of the easiest materials to recycle. For one thing, glass is accepted by almost all curbside recycling programs and municipal recycling centers. About all most people have to do to recycle glass bottles and jars is to carry their recycling bin to the curb, or maybe drop off their empty glass containers at a nearby collection point.
If you need an extra incentive to recycle glass, how about this: Several U.S. states offer cash refunds for most glass bottles, so in some areas glass recycling can actually put a little extra money in your pocket.
my sustainable challenge
There are several things I could change in my life to make things a little "greener" and more sustainable. So what challenge should I take upon? After careful consideration, I am going to try to eat everything organic with the least amount of packaging possible.
My first day as this challenge begins, I am drink faucet water instead of bottled water, I went to the local farmers market and got fresh fruit and vegetables. I then went to the butchers shop (Marios Meat market in ft.Myers) they cut the meat for you then put all the meat in one big bag. It saved on individual packaging and came from small local store.
Days 2-6 were all anout the same. I ate my fresh food and drank faucet water. Nothing to exciting happened.By day 7 I was craving the fast food, candy, soda everything I didn't want to have.
Day 9 I finally caved. I did go back to eating the organic food after inhaling a cheeseburger, fries and a soda.
I learned a valuable lesson from this challenge. Although eating organic is great, my body craves all the bad things too. So this may be from inducting all the chemicals and grease into my body for years and now I am dependant on it or it maybe my tastebuds just wanted it. i am trying to make a happy medium between the two. So that way i'm happy and still trying to help out the environment.
My first day as this challenge begins, I am drink faucet water instead of bottled water, I went to the local farmers market and got fresh fruit and vegetables. I then went to the butchers shop (Marios Meat market in ft.Myers) they cut the meat for you then put all the meat in one big bag. It saved on individual packaging and came from small local store.
Days 2-6 were all anout the same. I ate my fresh food and drank faucet water. Nothing to exciting happened.By day 7 I was craving the fast food, candy, soda everything I didn't want to have.
Day 9 I finally caved. I did go back to eating the organic food after inhaling a cheeseburger, fries and a soda.
I learned a valuable lesson from this challenge. Although eating organic is great, my body craves all the bad things too. So this may be from inducting all the chemicals and grease into my body for years and now I am dependant on it or it maybe my tastebuds just wanted it. i am trying to make a happy medium between the two. So that way i'm happy and still trying to help out the environment.
Downtown field trip 4
Field trip 4 Downtown Fort Myers
What is new urbanism? It is an urban design movement which promotes walk able neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. Yes downtown fort Myers completely fits this description. They have the luxurious high rise condos to middle class condos then to low-income housing. Job types vary from court house and city jobs to small mom and pop shops.
I feel most comfortable and energized walking into the park area. Landscape is scattered around nicely. Grass is green and cut very well. The whole area feels open and inviting. There are not abundant amount of parks and green spaces here. I don’t feel a sense of connection to this area but it is a nice place to visit.
A ton of space is devoted to vehicles. There is paid parallel parking everywhere. It cost you a dollar an hour. There is so much parking devoted to this area for all the people that need to come here even just for an hour. You have the courthouse, county jail, water management and several law offices. At night parking is free for all the bars that open up in the evening. There are busses that travel down that way which might be least expensive. I would not use the county bus since I have a car.
Most of the city’s tax base goes to maintenance these days. They have spent a ton of money in the past few years renovating it and some parts are still under construction. Now our tax money goes to keeping it clean and beautiful. People who live in the inner city can shop for groceries at the Publix right down McGregor or there are a few smaller locally owned stores. I think they are trying to tax more to gain more of a profit.
Yes there are several signs of homelessness. Graffiti is in a few places but I think with the remold it has covered up a great deal of it. No I don’t feel comfortable in the city during the day and especially at night. During the day there are so many people driving crazy and walking around angry from the courthouse. You just never know what’s going to happen. At night the bars open up, so you mix alcohol with anger. The news always talks about all the gun shootings down there too. It isn’t a safe place. Tourist probably isn’t safe in this area either. They won’t be in any harm’s way if they just go to the park and leave but I wouldn’t trust it. I would not consider living down here at all.
I learned that downtown can be a pretty place if you just stop and take a minute to look around. My favorite place was the playground and least favorite place was the parking lot. The playground had nice landscape and the parking lot had graffiti in it and made it look run down. Advantage of living down here is you are close to a city park and government offices. Disadvantages of living here would be all the violence and nonstop traffic. People here do feel very connected to their space. They show this the way they stand on the streets and run their stores.
Some changes that could take place would be safer streets. A nicer parking area and better sidewalks would be a great improvement also. I definitely think safer streets should be improved immediately.
What is new urbanism? It is an urban design movement which promotes walk able neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. Yes downtown fort Myers completely fits this description. They have the luxurious high rise condos to middle class condos then to low-income housing. Job types vary from court house and city jobs to small mom and pop shops.
I feel most comfortable and energized walking into the park area. Landscape is scattered around nicely. Grass is green and cut very well. The whole area feels open and inviting. There are not abundant amount of parks and green spaces here. I don’t feel a sense of connection to this area but it is a nice place to visit.
A ton of space is devoted to vehicles. There is paid parallel parking everywhere. It cost you a dollar an hour. There is so much parking devoted to this area for all the people that need to come here even just for an hour. You have the courthouse, county jail, water management and several law offices. At night parking is free for all the bars that open up in the evening. There are busses that travel down that way which might be least expensive. I would not use the county bus since I have a car.
Most of the city’s tax base goes to maintenance these days. They have spent a ton of money in the past few years renovating it and some parts are still under construction. Now our tax money goes to keeping it clean and beautiful. People who live in the inner city can shop for groceries at the Publix right down McGregor or there are a few smaller locally owned stores. I think they are trying to tax more to gain more of a profit.
Yes there are several signs of homelessness. Graffiti is in a few places but I think with the remold it has covered up a great deal of it. No I don’t feel comfortable in the city during the day and especially at night. During the day there are so many people driving crazy and walking around angry from the courthouse. You just never know what’s going to happen. At night the bars open up, so you mix alcohol with anger. The news always talks about all the gun shootings down there too. It isn’t a safe place. Tourist probably isn’t safe in this area either. They won’t be in any harm’s way if they just go to the park and leave but I wouldn’t trust it. I would not consider living down here at all.
I learned that downtown can be a pretty place if you just stop and take a minute to look around. My favorite place was the playground and least favorite place was the parking lot. The playground had nice landscape and the parking lot had graffiti in it and made it look run down. Advantage of living down here is you are close to a city park and government offices. Disadvantages of living here would be all the violence and nonstop traffic. People here do feel very connected to their space. They show this the way they stand on the streets and run their stores.
Some changes that could take place would be safer streets. A nicer parking area and better sidewalks would be a great improvement also. I definitely think safer streets should be improved immediately.
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