Entry # 10: Final Goodbye to Colloquium

I really can't believe this semester is almost over.  I know I say this every semester, but now more than ever before, the time has just disappeared.  I learned so many important things in this class that it would be near impossible for me to list them all, but what really made a huge connection to me is the link between sustainability and the need of implementing this in our health care system.  After reading about the need for Reinvention of Health care in the text, writing a paper on it, and giving a presentation on the topic, I have learned a great deal about the status of the health care system in the United States as well as in other parts of the world.  I have learned also about what changes need to be implemented in order to prevent the occurrence of disease rather than just the treatment.  I was glad to be able to learn about this as I plan to have a career in the health field one day and the connection between sustainability and health care was made very clear in the ways that the health care system needs to be greened.
       The one thing that I really loved about this class was the first-hand experiences I received that I probably never would have had if I hadn't taken it.  I loved all of the field trips we took to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, ECHO, and downtown Fort. Myers, as well as the walks around campus.  It was wonderful to be able to see all of these places.  I hadn't been on an actual class field trip since probably middle school and it was a wonderful experience to learn new knowledge in an exciting new place along with my classmates.  However, in all honesty, I really found the quizzes to be one of the more difficult aspects in this class as it was difficult to remember specific knowledge about the stories I had read, especially when they were each only a couple of questions. 
       I think the thing that affected me the most out of this class was the service learning.  If I wasn't required to do this, I would never have gone out to volunteer at the Randell Research Center and learn about the Calusa Indians there while cleaning up the center as well as meeting two other girls from FGCU while volunteering there.  I also would not have known about 350.org which has such an important message.  On 10/10/10, we planted 350 plants on campus and cleaned up litter, and afterwards, I went to the main website and saw how people from all over the world were participating in events as well on the same day.  It made me feel like I had been a small part of a global movement, something that was much bigger than myself.  If not for colloquium, I would not have experienced all of the things I have listed in this post, and these are the experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.  I'm so glad that my colloquium class brought information about sustainability into the classroom and into my life as well.

Entry #9: Field Trip to Downtown Ft. Myers

       For our third field trip, my class took a trip to Downtown Fort. Myers.  It was very exciting to be learning the history of Ft. Myers and to see pictures of areas we were currently in from many years beforehand.  I loved walking up and down the city streets, and viewing the water in the Calusahatchee was the perfect ending to the day, even though it had started out a little wet when we started the trip.  The place in the city that made me feel most comfortable and energized was by the water.  It was very beautiful to see the buildings highlighted by the setting sun as well as the looking out into the distance over the river.  It is peaceful there, but also lively as there are many boats in the marina and people riding by on their bicycles next to the dock.  The urban landscape that we witnessed on this field trip was very exciting, and not calming at all.
          Everywhere you look, you see people moving and walking all the time, as though everyone has somewhere important to be.  It almost makes you feel as if you need to get going to places and doing different things as well.  The areas in the city that are without plants and greenery definitely feel much harsher than the areas with plants.  The green that stands out among the concrete buildings is comforting and soothing to the eye, and it adds a feeling of peace.  However, when walking around downtown, I noticed that there were not a lot of parks in the urban environment.  There was a very small park filled with palm trees that was quite lovely, but even though there may be more wildlife in this one area, overall I did not really see evidence of wildlife in the urban spaces.  I really feel a connection to the city as it has such an energizing feeling to it.  I do enjoy to be in open spaces, with only nature as far as the eye can see, but there is just a powerful and awe-inspiring feeling to city life and the hustle and bustle of it all.  It is as if it has its own persona and character.

       A large amount of city space is actually devoted to vehicles.  There are several parking garages where one can leave their vehicles, as well as lots and streets in which people will park along.  Garages cost the most to park as it is one dollar per hour to park there (with a limit of five dollars per day), and the cheapest is that in some area parking lots you can park for free, but only for a couple of hours.  The largest generator of parking need would be for the many people who commute and work in the area as there are many law offices, and large corporate buildings.  Certain businesses will arrange to share parking as there is a limited amount of space and it it easier to do this.  For example, a government building might use a certain parking lot for its employees during the week, and then on Sundays, that lot may be used by a nearby church for its members. 

       The most convenient mass transit in the area would likely be the bus system.  In all likelihood, I would probably not use it as it would take more time than it would to use a car. I would definitely use a mass transit system, however, if it were in a place where it would be advantageous to take mass transit over the use of a personal vehicle.  There are different shopping malls and strip developments that have appeared along the highways that bypass the city, and these take a lot of potential business away from the cities.  With more opportunities to go to mega-chain stores, people don't need to go into the city to buy what they need from local businesses.  Therefore, a lot of money that could be put into the city and local business is being used elsewhere, and this hurts the city's economic lifeblood.  Before mega-stores, most people in cities would go down to their local grocery store, but now that huge chains have opened up nearby, there is less money being spent in local businesses.  This is a problem that doesn't occur just in Fort Myers, but everywhere, as people are attracted to the discounted prices (even though this may mean discounted value as well) and ease of access to strip developments and chain stores.

       Overall, this field trip was a wonderful experience and I had a great time during it.  I hope that I will be able to go back downtown soon for any upcoming events that are occurring in the area.  It was interesting to have learned how downtown Ft. Myers has changed so much from long ago up until now, and yet some buildings look like they haven't changed at all.

All of the pictures in this blog post are from http://www.picturesfrom.com/fort-myers/

Some of the information that was included in this post was learned from http://www.cityftmyers.com/

Entry #8: Major Pollutors

     As a society, we are consumers.  We buy things, use them up until we don't want them anymore, and then eventually dispose of them.  The question is however, where does all the waste that we have produced go??  Well, it ends up being transported to landfills.  The worst part is that toxic materials have to be disposed of as well, whether they come from factories, or health care industries disposing of hazardous materials.  These materials end up going back into the world in which we live.  We are, in essence, creating harmful, toxic wastes in order to produce the consumable items we so desire, and then putting this waste back into the Earth, creating negative impacts to the environment, and to all of those people who live in the vicinity of the waste disposal area.  I don't believe there is a true solution to disposing of toxic materials so they do not harm the environment or impact the health of the people in the nearby area, but there are several things that could be helpful.  Firstly, incineration of materials can be quite dangerous.  Even though it alleviates the build up of garbage, it can have far worse consequences.  When items are incinerated, the smoke will enter the air, and many times this smoke contains harmful chemicals.  These chemicals are being introduced into the air in which we breathe, a horrible concept to even consider.  To stop the incineration of certain toxic wastes would be a good way to lessen their negative impact.
       We have to try as hard as possible to keep toxic wastes separated from other ordinary waste.  By quarantining it and placing it in areas that are not in close proximity to human beings, we can try to decrease its destructiveness.  No matter what though, the environment will still be impacted by this.  I also believe that people who live in poorer neighborhoods are most definitely subjected to noxious industries more than those in rich neighborhoods.  People pay money so they can live in gated communities, and don't have to see the horrible side to the world in which we live.  Their garbage is placed out on the street, picked up by a garbage truck, and is never seen again.  There are no factories down the street polluting the air with smokestacks; there are community parks instead.  Unfortunately, the horrible aspects still exist; they are just hidden from the sight of those who have enough income in order to afford a blindfold, and are instead relocated to areas where people who don't have enough money to leave are exposed to the noxious industries and wastes instead.
        According to the website, http://www.scorecard.org/ , the top five polluters that are in my zip code are Munters Corp. in Ft. Myers, Precision Econowind Inc. in North Ft. Myers, KCS Intl. Shamrock Div. in Cape Coral, Action Craft in Cape Coral, and Polymer Casting (DBA Corinthian Marble) in Fort Myers.  The top polluter is Munters Corp. and what is extremely shocking is that out of the top eight polluters, they are releasing more than twice the amount of waste of the other seven combined.  Munters Corp. is releasing 159,572 pounds of waste, while the second highest, Precision Econowind Inc. is releasing  22,202 pounds of waste.  Munters Corp. is releasing methanol, formaldehyde, phenol, toluene, and methyl ethyl ketone into the air.  From their main website, http://www.munters.com/en/Munters-Corporate-Home/About-Munters/ , it was determined that Munters specializes in the creation of optimized indoor climate solutions that are energy efficient.  It surprised me to look at the website and read about them producing products that are energy efficient, and know that they are the biggest polluter of the environment, (through releases of pollutants into the air) by far in the area I live in.