Colloquium reader...

My favorite reading from the Colloquium Reader would be David Orr's selection. I find the concept of biophillia and biophobia very interesting, and I did not know biophillia existed until reading this reading early in the semester. I find this one to be the most relevant to my life because I am slowly moving towards a comfort of biophillia. Because of this course its objectives and work I have grown to love aspects of nature that I would have never noticed otherwise. My favorite quote from the passage is "Is biophobia a problem as, say, misanthropy or sociopathy, or is it merely a personal preference; one plausible view of nature among many?" I like this quote because it describes how I used to think, that not enjoying nature wasn't a problem it was my choice, and I was allowed to make choice. But if everyone does not begin to enjoy nature and feel at peace with it, we will never live on a truly eco-friendly earth. If I had to choose a reading from another class I would choose one from my marketing class. This relates to our colloquium class because nature is something that has to be shared with others gently, and smartly. If it is forced upon people it will not be perceived the way you want it to, and marketing would help this because marketing is all about how to "sell" a certain product or service based on how you want the audience to perceive it.

ECHO...

Although I had been to ECHO before, I enjoyed this trip to ECHO much more.The first time I went I was put to work right away without learning anything about the place or what I was doing. This time we were brought around most of the area and taught all about the different things and tools being used. I do not have a ton of experience gardening or growing food, but my mom does grow her own herbs and tomatoes in our backyard up north. Other than helping her with that, I have no experience gardening. My life would be extremely different if I did have to garden/grow my own food. I would have to use a lot of time to do this, and this time would be time I would usually use on other daily activities. (some necessary and some not) My life would be a lot harder and a lot more work oriented if I had to garden/grown my own food.

One time that I experienced a time of fasting was when I had a jaw surgery that left my wired shut for two weeks. It was a very interesting experience because the things I craved and the things I missed were not normal things that I would consume. They were actually the things that I would eat rarely.

Most of my food comes from the grocery store and is not fresh food. But when I am at home with my family most of my food is locally grown and is bought at farm stands/gardens. Most of the food I eat here at school is bought in a package of some form, and is processed.

Downtown Fort Myers...

I sincerely enjoyed the field trip to Downtown Fort Myers. I felt as if I was at home in the area, and not only was this because it was a city, but because I have spent a lot of time there before. I enjoyed getting to see a part of it I had not seen before, which was the part and fountain area that we started the trip off at. I loved walking through first street and the alley ways to see the nook and cranies that make downtown what it is.

If I had to redesign some of the urban area, I would redesign the area immediately around the Florida Rep Theatre. When you walk out one side of the theatre you walk out to first street with shops and restaurants galore. When you walk out the back side you walk out to the parking lot which buts up to the water, but you wouldn't even know the water existed. I think if you added a sea-side area with restaurants and water front shops, it would help draw attention and people to the area.

At FGCU the campus trails are important because they give students and community members to see a piece of SWFL that has not been touched at all. It is preserved in all its greatness to be a beautiful and completely natural state. It is an important part to the ecosystem because it holds true to the animals and plants that exist on our campus.

A sense of place interview...

I interviewed my grandmother, Judy, who grew up in Brooklyn, NY.

Sustainability...
At first she did not know what the word meant. But after defining it she still did not have a philosophy on sustainability. My grandfather added "if it happens it happens."

Ecological Perspective...
She thinks that green will be the future for everything. She thinks that green will be part of everything's future and that it will become part of everyday life.

Sense Of Place...
She says that she recycles, that we should do away with plastic and that everyone in the future should have an electric car. She feels that with the way the world is today, there is no place that the environment can be left alone, but feels more comfortable near water.

Upbringing...
She said that the first thing she thinks about is that when she was growing up she could smoke where ever she wanted to; in super markets, department stores and even in hospitals. There was coal to heat homes, and nothing was the same. Her husband worked with asbestos and things are completely different today than they were then.

Orchid Theif Character...

My character of choice is the orchids themselves.  They are the focus of the book in its entirety. Although Orlean talks about the book being about having a passion and being obsessed with this passion. The orchids do not have a driving force/or passion but they themselves are the driving force/passion behind the book and the book's characters. The struggle that relates to the orchids is that they are the source of conflict and resolution within the book. The orchids are something that many try to steal because they know they will be able to make money. The characters sense of place belongs on a tree in the depth of a wood. It can be found in Southwest, Fl. They are very rare to come by so when it does grow and thrive in this environment it is an amazing feat. I relate to this character because for some time while I was still in high school, I was fought over for roles in different shows. I was almost as mysterious as the orchid, because you would never know where I would show up and when I would show up.

Although this is not one of my cast lists, it is an example of one.

My neighborhood...

While I was home for break, I took the opportunity to walk around my neighborhood. Although this is not where I live currently, it is my home and where I my sense of place. My neighborhood looks like a very "normal" Northeastern neighborhood. Two story houses with white pillars, and white fences are a part of at least every other house, if not every where you look. But what I found to be interesting, and not something I usually take notice to, was the nature around me.

The huge pine and oak trees were beautiful to look at from the ground level. There is one tree in my front yard that always loses it's leaves first, and the back itself is losing its dark brown color. It is starting to turn grey/white and against the dark trees around it is stands out beautifully. The while walking around my backyard, which is a part of my neighborhood, it noticed how much nature was a part of what makes the yard "beautiful". The bushes, flowers, trees and surrounding yards were gorgeous. Even though it is starting to get cold and the leaves are starting to fall, the yard will look like a picture out of a book with the snow fall around it.

My ecological footprint...

After taking the ecological footprint quiz,  this was my result...

It is very sad for me to see that I need this many resources and acres of the Earth for myself and my my family alone. Although I do think that my family uses little electricity and water, we can definitely start using food from nearby areas and cutting down on our individual traveling. I hope that if myself and my family start to do this we will lower our footprint!

My usage through a normal day is a follows:

Energy: as stated before my electricity usage is not in excess, nor is my water usage. I can see how while at school it might be because all the classrooms always have all sets of lights on, and the AC blasting, but that is not my personal usage.

Fuel: Because I am a commuter I use a lot of fuel to get back and forth to school. It is about a 15 minute drive to school, and I make that drive at least twice a day. Then add in the fuel to drive to friends and food. I use much too much fuel.

Food Intake: I do not eat nearly as much as one should. And because of my schedule it is usually poor choices and not natural. I know I need to start purchasing produce from nearby farm stands and stores. This will not only help myself, but also the community.

Water Use: Other than one shower a day, and one or two water bottles, I do not use all that much water in a day. 

Packaging: Due to my poor eating habits, my packaging habits are poor as well. I am constantly drinking water bottles, soda bottles, eating from chip bags and candy wrappers. Once I fix my eating habits my packaging habits will change as well. 

Field trip to Matanzas Pass Preserve...

For class we took a field trip to Matanzas Pass Preserve. I truly enjoyed listening to Mrs.Hughes. Although I am not a huge history person, it was very interesting to hear her talk about the history of her home and island. Although she was talking about the history of the island, her personal stories made me feel engaged and it helped me have a personal connection to her and the island. I enjoyed the walk to the water and back, although I did not enjoy that there were no boundaries between myself and the nature around me. Like I mentioned in a previous entry, I am terrified of bugs and scary animals, so every time I would hear or feel something it would make me feel very uneasy.

Once we arrived to the water, it was an awesome view of the inlet, and the islands on the other side. The breeze made the heat bearable and seeing dolphins made the trip exciting.

Conservation 20/20 is basically tax dollars going to a fund to conserve land, because a very small percentage of Lee County is a conservation area. I think this is a necessary thing, because without the environment very few things would exist, and things would start disappearing. This is the first time I have heard of the program, and I think that it should be initiated in other areas around the nation.

My restorative moment with the environment...

Family vacations are a big part of my family's interaction. They are the only time we can come together and enjoy each others' company without the distraction of the outside world. Now, because of my parents' preferences we will always vacation on or at least a near a beach, but never anything less than walking distance to the beach.

I can remember when I was in my early high school years, we took a vacation to Aruba with two families we are very close to. It was one of the more exciting vacations we have taken because we were able to joke and share memories with not only our family but our friends as well. Having just finished up a musical at my theatre school, I was extremely worn down and tired before this vacation. On the second morning of the vacation, I took it upon myself to wake up early (which I do not do for anything) and sit on the beach before everyone else arrived. When I got to the beach, I laid down on a beach chair, listened to the sounds of the water coming in and out, and felt the warm breeze as it moved my hair back and forth. It was the first time in a while I had been at peace, and calm. I felt immediately as if I was gaining my life energy back. This moment was me being restored by the calmness, and beauty of the beach.

On a normal day to relieve stress I listen to music, and sing my heart out. Sometimes this happens outside, but most of the time it happens in my bedroom or car. If I had more time in the day,  I would make it a point to take walks outside and listen to music to relieve my stress, but I do not get a chance to ever do that. I wish I did.

My incoming reflection...

Although I like to pretend like I am "one with nature", I am truly not. I am a city girl, from the big apple. Coming into this class I am scared to find out what nature has to offer. Bugs frighten me, the sound of animals terrify me and most of all I do not like bad weather. But I am hoping to find nature within myself during this course. Which I know is a lot to ask for, so maybe I am looking for a sense of what nature is and how it relates to me; a girl from a big city.

I do see myself coming to college to find life long skills and goals, not just to learn my trade and move on. College is not just about the classes the take, but what you take away from those classes and how they can effect your life for the future. I am hoping to gain life skills to take with me back to NY to help bring nature into my life, even in a big city. I want to gain a new outlook on nature, and I am hoping to do so with this class.