Entry #5: Fossil Fuels

 While looking around on http://www.discovery.com/, I found a very interesting article entitled  “How Much Fossil Fuel is in the Earth?”  It was written on September 24^th, 2010 by a person named Cristen Conger.  I was interested in reading this article because just in my most recent University Colloquium class, the subject of using fossil fuels as our dominant source of energy and the fact that they are not going to last forever came up.  The title of the article poses a very interesting question, and one that I am sure many people are unsure about.  We hear that our supply of fossil fuels will run out by the year 2050 according to the rate humans are currently using them, and yet other forms of renewable energy aren’t implemented enough yet to take the place of fossil fuels.  It gets more confusing though. 

The article stated, “According to the 2010 International Energy Outlook, ‘as of Jan. 1, 2010, proved world oil reserves as reported by the Oil and Gas Journal, were estimated at 1,354 billion barrels-12 billion barrels (about 1 percent) higher than the estimate for 2009.’”(Conger)  This increased amount of proved world reserves would seem to conflict with the notion that our resources of fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil are being depleted.  The reason this does not happen to be the case is because proven reserves are what is being estimated. “those figures refer to reservoirs of oil, coal seams, and natural gas deposits that companies are sure they can make a profit from, if they could bring them up using current extraction techniques.” (Conger)  Because we are always advancing our technology, different methods for obtaining these natural resources that are buried below the Earth’s surface are constantly changing and developing.  If new technology is developed that can reach sources of fuel that were basically off limits prior to the new technology, the amount of fossil fuels available to us increases.  Those sources of fuel would then be put under the title of proved reserves.

  “The International Energy Outlook expects a nearly 50 percent jump in global energy demand by 2035.  During that same period, renewable energy is slated to increase to 14 percent from 10 percent of global supply.” (Conger)  When I look at these numbers, it is kind of scary.  The global demand of energy resources in rising at an astounding rate.  Also, while the amount of proven reserves may increase due to the increased technology, these fossil fuels are still disappearing and proven reserves can quickly decline, sometimes a lot more quickly then people had previously thought. 

  In summary, while the amount of proven reserves may increase due to an increase in possible methods to acquire such sources, it is still a finite resource and it will therefore one day disappear from the Earth.  Hopefully by that time, we will have put enough effort into developing mass use of alternate energy sources such as wind power, solar power, and hydro power that we will not be so reliant on fossil fuels to serve our energy needs.

The article that was summarized in this blog post can be found at

http://news.discovery.com/earth/how-much-fossil-fuel-is-in-the-earth.html

 Conger, Cristen. "How Much Fossil Fuel Is in the Earth? : Discovery News." Discovery News: Earth, Space, Tech, Animals, Dinosaurs, History. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. http://news.discovery.com/earth/how-much-fossil-fuel-is-in-the-earth.html.

Entry # 4, This New House

           I am kind of torn on how the layout of this blog should be as I want to give factual information about my home, but also want to give my opinion about its environment and resource use. So I believe I will start out with a summary of the homes facts and then reflect upon what it all means. I also have included a picture of myself in front of my home in this post.

  



Mango Tree in Backyard

I live in a home in Southwest Florida that is approximately eight years old.  It is constructed of mainly concrete using the concrete block system. It also contains wood, sheet rock, and fiberglass shingles on the roof. Those are the main components; there are also Formica counters, tile floors, etc. but I think the items I have  already listed account for most of the houses' materials.  I would say the house is somewhat energy efficient, but it could be much more so. We try not to leave lights on or water running so as not to waste energy and resources. We hardly ever use the heat (not really needed in Florida except for maybe a few particularly cold days) and the air conditioning never goes below 80 degrees. The house is 2150 square feet (under air) and we have four people and four pets living in the house (most of the time).  When I used to go to high school, the house was about five miles away and we road on the bus most every day.  College is now twenty eight miles away from my home, but I only use the car to commute back and forth every other weekend or so. 

           I think the yard is very nice as we have a lot of thick foliage, several fruit trees, and lots of flowering plants.  Of course to maintain the yard ( which is a quarter acre), we use powered equipment like the lawnmower and occasionally use chemicals in order to kill pests.  We also have a pool that we have to maintain by adding chlorine to it.  House hold chemicals are kept in the cabinet under the sink and in some bathroom cabinets; we use certain chemicals like Windex, Fantastic, and Pledge, in order to keep the house clean. While we have one dog and three cats in the home, we have a bunch of different creatures such as rabbits, lizards, frogs, birds, many different bugs, and also a black snake which live around the house. 

Brown Anole on screen cage

         Because of the fact that we live in an area that is more developed, I know that the animals and plants surrounding us don't fare well since many people will cut down trees and mow down bushes just due to the simple fact that they may not seem aesthetically pleasing and will kill animals that get in their home like a lizard or frog just because they are "gross".  It astounds me that people can give the excuse that since the animal is in their house, its okay to kill it since it shouldn't be inside. In my opinion, since that species has been where their house is now situated for many many years prior, they were sort of living there first.

  

Hi there!



       Our home fits well with the surroundings, since it is surrounded by similar homes.  But if it were magically dropped down in the middle of a densely forested area, it would stick out like a sore thumb with its tan stucco walls and glass double doors.  Even though my family isn't  especially wasteful with our consumption of natural resources, the idea that we rely on gas and oil so much for travel is horrifying to me and I would like to learn more about how alternate forms of energy like wind power are being used.  I think as a nation, one of the most important issues at hand is making more of an effort at employing these methods.

       In my opinion, our home is not a natural environment.  There is a lot of gray area  there I think since one could say all things are natural because even though they are man made, the resources used to make them at one point had to come from the natural world.  In my opinion however, the best way to think of something as natural is when it is made of materials at hand, and not manufactured in a distant place and then shipped to you.  I don't think most of the houses that people equate as their homes are natural. If you build a fort in the woods out of sticks and leaves, it is a natural environment. If you go camping with a waterproof tent and giant coolers, it is not a natural environment.  I believe that I am not really of nature because of the fact that I was born in a hospital with medical care.  It isn't a bad thing at all, but I feel that from that moment on, most people aren't of nature.  By receiving treatment that you wouldn't likely get with no modern supplies, one has a much better chance of survival, but the treatment and care you are receiving aren't of nature. 

Entry # 3: Trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

      On Tuesday, our University Colloquium class took a field trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which is located near Naples, Florida.  All I can say is wow.  I have lived in Florida for over six years now and I had no idea that a place like that was nearby. It was incredible walking around on the boardwalks and learning all about the different types and of plants that grew and the animals that were found in the different habitats there.  I really hope that I will be able to go back there soon and enjoy it with my family.

       There were several different events that led up to the creation of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  In the 1930's, lumbermen began to log many of the Bald Cypress trees that grow in the area.  It was after the war and people began to want to build more homes.  Also, Snowy Egrets used to be hunted in the area because their feathers were used in women's hats.  They were hunted to near extinction.  These species are now protected as the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has been constructed.

       The wetlands really serve us in protecting our water quality, maintaining biodiversity, and preserving watershed.  Different chemicals and toxic materials can enter the wetlands due to runoff, meaning that when it rains, they can  be washed into the water source.  However, since wetlands are such a slow moving body of water, the chemicals and sediments can be trapped and accumulated in the bottom of the water body where the plants will keep in place.  The wetlands also preserve the watershed because they collect much of the runoff water and then slowly release it into the watershed.  Without the wetlands, flooding would increase dramatically.  The wetlands maintain biodiversity as well by providing an environment where many different species of flora and fauna will flourish.

        At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, there are different forces that occur that impact the environment there.  One of these is fire.  Fire helps to clean out the underbrush that grows wildly.  It allows for the removal of some invasive species and creates more areas for species to inhabit since they will be able to move throughout the territory easier.  It also releases nutrients that are trapped in the dead plant material, putting them back into the soil for other plants to use and flourish with.  Elevation is another thing that impacts the environment.  The land slopes so that while some areas are dry like the uplands and pine flatlands, the wet prairie and cypress slew are very wet and the water gets deeper.  However, humans want to live in drier areas and are continually building their homes in such places.  The species in this habitat (bobcats, raccoons, deer, and coyotes) are being threatened because their home is disappearing.

       Water is an important resource in this environment; however, there are several factors in Florida causing problems.  Water would normally flow down throughout Florida, keeping the habitats wet and moist.  But due to human construction of roads like Tamiami Trail and I75, a veritable dam of sorts was built across Florida, preventing the natural flow of water.

       We went through a lot of different habitats on our walk through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  These are the habitats and some of the animals in them:

Pine Flatwoods: slash pines, sabal palm, palmetto. Some of the animals found here include woodpeckers, and black bears. Note that the burns that occur in this area help get the nutrients back into the soil and helps to clear out the underbrush.

Uplands: Bobcats, raccoons, bears, deer, coyotes. The uplands are becoming more threatened as we have don't have limited uplands in Florida, and those areas are where all of the houses are being built.

Wet prairie: Cypress trees, deer, panthers, great egrets, and wood storks.

Cypress Slough: Alligator flag, Pond apple trees. The story is that alligators are present wherever alligator flag grows because the water is deep enough for them in these areas. :)

It is also interesting to note that as you go down the list of habitats, the land slopes downhill and so you will be in areas that have more water.

             On the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary website, some of the other habitats listed include the Pond Cypress, the Bald Cypress Forest, the Central Marsh, and the Lettuce Lakes. There are several main species found in each habitat.   River otters, red-shouldered hawks, and black bears are found in the Pond Cypress.  Woodpeckers, alligators, and alligator flag are found in the Bald Cypress Forest.  Raccoons, red maples, and anoles are found in the Central Marsh.  Herons, including the little blue heron, and alligators are found in the Lettuce Lakes.

       I think it was amazing to visit Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  I learned a lot and it was so peaceful to be able to walk around on the boardwalks and breathe in the clean fresh air, especially since I had just come from my Organic Chemistry II Lab class beforehand.  The trees were tall and majestic, the water was calm and serene, and even though we got rained on while there, it almost made the experience more special.  It felt like the Sanctuary was coming alive.

        I learned most all of the information in this posting during my field trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  The website for the Sanctuary is: http://corkscrew.audubon.org/  I learned about several of the habitats and species found there at this website as well.

I took all of the pictures in this post when we were at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Entry #2, Outdoors, Then and Now

       Being outside while growing up was normal for me.  My sister and I would always play in the backyard, running around in bare feet when the weather was hot, and donning snowsuits and boots when the ground was blanketed in white snow.  Even though we lived in a suburb in New Jersey that was less than an hour away from New York, we had a small patch of woods behind our house that we could walk around in.  It was a peaceful spot that you could go to and just escape from reality for a little while; of course I was still a kid then and had fun pretty much all of the time, so there wasn't much of a need to escape.  My family lives in Florida now, and even though the backyard is considerably smaller, I appreciate it for what it has, not for what it lacks. I love the fruit trees we are able to grow here, like our banana tree and mango tree.  I love to see the anole lizards scatter about every time I step outside.  I love the fact that life seems to continue here rather than coming to a standstill in the cold winter months as it does up north. Even though they are different, I love the outside world in both places because being in nature allows me to breath and calm down.  It lets your worries temporarily leave you, and breaks up the monotony of textbooks, computers, and television.

       I am excited that by taking University Colloquium, I will get to learn about environmental sustainability, but also the fact that we will take field trips outside and experience perhaps first hand what we are learning in class. The messages from our readings in the University Colloquium Reader this week really seem to connect with what this class is about.  John Dewey wrote in his article, Traditional versus Progressive Education, a section of Experience and Education, that, "...the fundamental unity of the newer philosophy is found in the idea that there is an intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and education". When I hear about progressive education involving a basis upon experiences, I see it depicted in this class since we will not only learn about the environment, but be emerging ourselves into it. I will admit that while I enjoy watching most animals, certain ones like snakes,wasps, and spiders can never be far enough away from me.  So I suppose that would have to be the thing I would be most apprehensive about, getting a little too close to nature for my own comfort.

       I actually really enjoyed when we went out on the FGCU campus tour. Even though it was so hot outside, I was really surprised how much we learned and shocked that we walked just a little bit and were in areas on campus that I didn't even know existed.  I was surprised there was an area on campus where fruit trees have been planted, and the chilling plant was very interesting.  I liked learning how the large metal containers were filled with ice and were able to keep the campus cool with the air blowing over it.  I had always assumed the walkways were only in place to provide shelter if it rains or from the sun, but it makes sense that by shading the windows of the adjacent buildings, it reduces cooling costs. It was an exciting experience, much better than I thought it would be, and I learned more in just an hour of this class about FGCU then I had in the previous two years since I started attending the school.

Information on John Dewey article found in:

Dewey, John. "Traditional versus Progressive Education." 1938. University Colloquium: A Sustainable        Future. 2009. 1-5. Print.