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.