Final Impressions

As the semester comes to an end I must say that I am walking away from this class with a new outlook on the environment. While I have taken some environmental classes in the past, I feel that I gained the most knowledge from this class. I enjoyed the group work on the chapters in the State of the World which allowed us a brief overview of the chapters without having to spend a great deal of time on them. I also enjoyed the group discussions where we put our desks in a circle. It made the classroom seem more like a community and less like a boring classroom. I also enjoyed each of the field trips and thought that each one had a great deal to offer. However, I did feel that some of the readings we were assigned in the Colloquium Reader were written in a way that was very difficult to understand. I feel that more discussion should have taken place before those readings in order to gain a better understanding of their content. Overall I think that this class was very enlightening and I feel I will be coming away from this experience with a greater respect for the environment.

Thanks for a great semester!

Spirituality, Religion, and Sustainability

After watching the movie "Renewal" in class, I have a new idea about how religion and spirituality can effect a persons relationship with the environment. I was impressed by how the communities responded to the idea that religion is related to the environment. For example when the church in New Jersey decided to make changes such as placing solar panels on the roof, the entire community responded very positively. In addition, I was also extremely impressed with the Jewish environmental camp which gave young children a change to interact with the environment. I feel that it is ideas such as the ones addressed at the camp that will give our children a better chance at connecting with the environment and therefore they will make better decisions later in life. A large number of people in the United States, and around the world belong to a religion or at least have some kind of spiritual connection. By showing these people how the environment can relate to their beliefs we are reaching a huge number of people. This impact will make people think differently about how the treat the environment and hopefully change the impact we are having on our world.

The Earth Charter In Action - Religion and Sustainability Taking Root in Germany

Neighborhood Walk

After completing my second neighborhood walk, I definitely notice a change in my observations from the walk I took in the beginning of the semester. One thing that I noticed I had become more aware of was the idea of green building. While before my main focus was on the types of animals and plant life I found in my neighborhood, now I felt that I was more observant of areas that had been influenced by development. For example, I noticed that in the community across the street that the land had to be raised significantly in order to construct homes in the once flood prone area. I feel that while I was not able to identify any new organisms, I was more aware of the lack of sustainability in my neighborhood.

Sense of Place Interview

This Thanksgiving holiday I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by the majority of my friends and family. And during this time I was able to speak with both of my grandparents about their relationship with the environment as well as discuss the differences between their generation and mine. The majority of the conversation revolved around their opinion that our current generation has a complete disconnect with the environment. They discussed how, while they did contribute to some of the environmental problems we are currently facing today, they lived must more sustainable lives and were taught to appreciate nature. The differences they noted were mostly that the majority of the products being distributed in today's market are now made as disposable product, where in their generation everything was made to be reused. For example, in their youth you would buy flour in cloth sacks which could then be used to make items such as clothes and curtains. In addition they also use to use their old clothes to make blankets instead of just throwing them away. They also stated that the environment was one of their only sources of entertainment. While children today are constantly inside playing video games and watching TV, the people of their generation saw nature as the only source of entertainment. They would use nature for recreational activities such as swimming in lakes and ponds, riding bikes, riding horses, and walk instead of driving to their destinations. After hearing their stories, I informed them of the University Colloquium class that I was taking, as well as all that I have learned during this semester. They seemed to share the idea that the class itself was a wonderful idea that would allow people of the current generation to have a chance to establish a relationship, similar to what they had with the environment.

Environment in Local News

Throughout the semester we have been discussion the growing topic of "going green." The article I have chosen from the New-Press discuses this very topic. The article entitled Fort Myers House a Green Home written by Gabriella Souza, describes a Fort Myers home that has recently been renovated and designated "green" by the Florida Green Building Coalition. And while the home does not look any different from any other home on the block, it is full of green amenities. In addition to the solar panels on the roof which heat all of the water that flows through the house, the home also offers

• painted walls which use less chemicals than normal paint


• tinted windows to keep the home cool in the warm temperatures


• walls which were injected with insulation during the remodeling to save energy


• faucets and toilets that use less water


• compact florescent light bulbs in each of the homes fixtures.

Projects such as this one have been popping up all over the state thanks to the funding provided by the Neighborhood Stabilization Act and the city of Fort Myers is looking to create even more.

After reading this article I have some mixed feelings. While I know that making a house more "green" can have positive effects such as lower costs to the owner as well as a smaller impact on the environment, I have to wonder if spending such a large amount of money is absolutely necessary at this time. While I think that doing things like tinting windows and using paint that contains fewer chemicals are all good idea, I think that using such a large amount of money on solar panels is too extravagant for these times. Currently we have large numbers of people who can longer afford to live in their homes and instead of helping those people we are remodeling livable homes for thousands of dollars. I feel as a society we are making steps in the right direction in respect to the environment. However, I feel that we need to also be aware of the financial aspect of what we are trying to accomplish.

Fort Myers House a Green Home

Field Trip #6: Canoe Trip at FGCU Marine Lab

Field Trip #6: Vester Marine Lab

After taking the field trip to FGCU's Marie Lab I feel that I have a greater understanding of the area. Before this field trip I had never canoed before so I was very hesitant in the beginning. However, with a little practice (and an experienced partner) we made it through. Although the trip did seem a little long and tiring, I feel that I learned a lot from the experience. We were able to see such things as fish, crabs, stingrays, and even a raccoon which we saw swim across the water. We also learned that areas, such as the mangrove estuary where we stopped which was relatively shallow and full of mangroves, is an area where any organisms first start their lives. We also learned that it is very important to protect coastal areas because even the smallest things such as a small amount of pollution can have a large impact on the water and organisms. Also, destroying the areas where mangroves once grew can also have negative consequences because these trees are our natural defence against things such as storm surge.

Vester Marine Lab Offical Site

State of the World Impressions

After hearing all of the student presentation on The State of the World I felt that the three Climate Connections that made the largest impact on me were Geoengineering to Shade Earth, Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy Potential, and Employment in a Low-Carbon World. I felt that all three of these articles were especially interesting because each one contained information that I could directly relate to my life. In the first article on Geoengineering, we learned that scientists are looking into way to shield the earth from being heated by the sun. I found this very interesting not only because it could potentially effect me, but also because the idea seemed so futuristic. I had no idea that we as a society had the capability to put things into space that would act as a shield to reflect some of the heat we are currently receiving from the sun. In the second article, which talked about electric vehicles, I felt that because we are currently seeing a rise in popularity of these types of vehicles in our own area, I could really relate to the article. The author of this article discusses many of the new ideas that have recently been publicized about how these electric vehicles are the way of the future. Offering fewer emissions and lower costs, the expansion of electric grids to power these cars as well s exchange stations for batteries, will hopefully one day be part of our everyday lives. Finally in the article which discussed employment in a low-carbon world, the author talks about how thousands of new jobs could be created in such a world. With the development and growing popularity of things such as solar home systems, the article states, "could eventually create some 100,000 jobs." In addition jobs would also be created for the green automotive industry, production of secondary scrap-based steel, as well as recycling jobs are all occupations which would be created in a low-carbon world. Overall, I believe that each one of our Climate Connections articles contained information of great significance. While the three articles listed about made the largest impact on me, I feel that each one had an important message.