Journal 10

Throughout the semester you had asked us to look at the moon. On some nights clouds would cover it completely and other nights it would sweep over it and you would only be able to see it every once in awhile. My favorite nights were those where is was full and shined so bright it lit up the sky and you could see everything around you. Even thought observations can’t show you what effect the moon has on the earth I have always been fascinated with the fact that the moon has such a big influence on the tides and the way the earth moves. If the moon is not in the sky one night, it does not mean that it is not doing its job it just means it’s taking a break from being seen on this one specific night. One particular night that I happened to look at the moon for and extra long time was just about a week ago. It was the brightest full moon I can ever remember seeing. I sort of just dozed off in my own little world and imagined all of these “what if” type of things in my head. How did we even find a way up there to look at the surface? Then it got me to wondering what it was like up there and if we will ever be able to step foot on other planets. They have been trying to for so long and are still unsuccessful it makes me wonder why and how it was possible to make it to the moon. After this watching the moon assignment is over with I still think that I will find myself gazing up that way. Not just to look at the moon, but the check out the starts and wonder to myself what else goes on up there.

WD 309

Journal 9(I did Fort Myers trip instead of Invasive Species)

Our trip to Downtown Fort Myers was extremely eye opening. For almost the entire semester I had been curious to try and picture where they had dropped the cows off "A Land Remembered". Although it might not be an exact location, it gave me a great idea. The park where we first got off the bust was really quiet and the fountain with Thomas Edison was really cool. I thought it was a little funny how they even had statues of fake fish in the water though! Once we started walking around some and we then got the see the Buffalo Soldier statue and then made our way to the Olympian Art Museum. My favorite part of the museum was the painted shoes walking on the wall by the entrances to the bathrooms. It had adult shoes as well as children’s ones all painted in different colors. The entire museum was really great. I wish I could afford to buy some of the art that they had....maybe one day!! I also really enjoyed going to the hotel and seeing the view from the roof. Even just walking down the street was great. They had all of these little shops that you can't find anywhere else. If given more time I would have loved to go inside and see what some of them had for sale. After living here for 7 years and not knowing everything that was around, it was great to go see everything! I will definitely try and go back to the arcade theatre and see a show. Even though it is older the seats and atmosphere in the building were great. It makes me wonder what it was like when they first built it. Especially since, now it is surrounded by other skyscrapers and tall buildings! I love that we live in such a diverse place….and not diverse in that we have lots of different people, but diverse in a way that Fort Myers has so many unique things to offer.

WD 334

Journal 8

Almost everything that we consume on a daily basis is covered in a package. Even if it is fresh fruit and not necessary wrapped in a package, it usually still has some type of sticker on it to distinguish a brand. My breakfast consisted of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patties. The box was bright red with green lettering. I wasn’t really attracted to the package itself but not many sausage products are made with turkey. My orange juice was in a big bright clear bottle, with a giant orange on the label. These items weren’t chosen because of the way the labels look but because that was what I wanted to eat. If you think about how food and consumer products are labeled, mostly they are targeted towards specific groups of people, or the labels may emphasize words that would catch the attention on their target consumer. “Low fat”, “no sugar”; these may attract people who are dieting. Cookie packages and cereal boxes are colorful with characters that are relatable to children and then the children want those products. If they beg their parents enough, they just might get what they want! It is not just food label and packaging either. On most occasions, whether it is toys, or bath products. Children’s products tend to be extremely bright and eye catching with cartoon characters or characters that they have seen on the television before. Adult products may show really shiny, desirable hair on shampoo bottles.  These types of marketing strategies target specific people. It is no coincidence that all of the makeup products in a cosmetic store have gorgeous flawless women representing them, or that all of the commercials on TV about toys have kids playing with them. If the products are not relatable to the consumer, then chances are it will not sell very well.

WD 306

Journal 7

Electricity is not thought of in my household very often, unless for some reason we don't seem to have it. It is definitely taken for granted. The first thing I do in the morning is check my phone, which has been plugged into the wall charging all night. I might turn on the TV, and then I'll walk down the hall to use the bathroom, and a light is turned on. Maybe I will make breakfast on the stove, grab some things out of the refrigerator, and start my day. EVERYTHING that I do in the first 30 minutes of my morning requires electricity. What if we did not have electricity?? I am not quite sure what I would do. I am sure I would manage, but the number of activities that we do on a daily basis require electricity. It would take a lot of time and patience to go back to not having it. I remember being in the 5th or 6th grade and we had an ice storm where I lived in Maine. Some of us did not have power for almost 15 days. Thankfully we had a gas stove and a woodstove, and we used coolers outside in the snow instead of the refrigerator. We were lucky enough that it was cold, but without electricity in a warmer climate, and possibly no ice, it would have been impossible to save all of the items that were kept in the refrigerators. Overall I feel that electricity is taken for granted and some may not realize the value of it until it is gone for an extended period of time. Growing up in Maine, we used to have the power go out frequently, so as a habit I usually keep candles and flashlights around. One can never be too prepared!

WD 302

Journal 6

Our field trip to Fort Myers beach was interesting and educational! It was great to learn about how the island became populated and how much quieter it was eighty years ago. The Island is only 7 miles long and only 1 mile wide at its widest point. The first bridge was built in 1921 but was later washed out in a Hurricane in 1926. They built the second bridge in 1926 and it was much sturdier the second time! The hurricane that washed out the bridge was also the hurricane that established the University of Miami’s mascot! The Island finally got electricity on 1934 but it was only on beachfront property and along the main BLVD. They finally started mosquito control in 1949, and then finally in 1950 shrimp boats arrived. As amazing as the beach is today it has changed drastically from the years that it first started being populated. Land has washed away throughout the years and many storms, and landfills have been made to create causeways and bridges. These man-made things have changed the flow of the water, and have also caused pollution, so the waters are not as clear and beautiful as they once were. Fort Myers beach and the Gulf waters are also different from other shrimping communities. At first shrimpers thought that the waters just weren’t filled the shrimp, but it was later discovered that the shrimp in the gulf come out at night and not during the day like on other Florida coasts. This brought lots of money and fisherman to the Island! I thought this was quite interesting. After learning all of this in the cottage, we look a walk on the boardwalk! It was so pretty walking through the mangroves, and we got to look out over Estero Bay and we were also able to see sea grapes, which are sometimes made into jelly!!

wd 313

Journal 5

The carbon footprint was interesting. I had to take in previously in a different class, and my results were about the same in both instances. It’s amazing to think that by living the lifestyle I do I use that much energy and resources. If everyone lived the way I did, it would take almost 6 earths to support everyone. Here I am thinking that I am doing pretty good at living green, by recycling and using less waste, but I am actually having a huge impact on the way the earth works. It makes me wonder what kind of impact people that don’t recycle or care about the planet are making. It makes me really get to thinking about how much of an impact my place of work is having by not recycling the many bottles of wine we go through. I asked my manger what gives. Why do we not recycle if we go through hundreds of wine bottles on a busy night during season? Amazingly enough it is because they want you to pay an outrageous amount of money for someone to come pick it up every week! How ridiculous is that?? Paying to recycle and save the planet. Besides that bothering me, it still amazing me that people need to drive around these huge SUV’s just to get from point A to point B. Large gas guzzling vehicles have always irritated me, and I have always owned a gas efficient car. Sometimes it is necessary, but those who drive them for fun really need to try and understand why they shouldn’t! With the way everyone is living now….and how everyone is constantly trying to make things bigger and better I wonder if the planet will survive. We together as a world community seem to be getting better and are becoming more aware, but we still have many more people to educate!

wd 314

Journal 4

My overall thoughts on the field trip to the corkscrew swamp sanctuary were that it was awesome! The only thing i wish that we could have done was walk the ENTIRE boardwalk since we only got to do sections of it. The cypress trees are amazing and the overall feel and look is unbelievable. It was interesting to see the different aspects of the eco-system that exists there and how everything works together to keep it the way it is. We got to saw an alligator just floating around in the swamp, and also we saw a million spiders and heard birds calling. I wish we could have stayed longer to see if any other animals would have made their way out of their places. The Friday after the field trip I took a trip to Fort Lauderdale and caught myself staring more at the sides of the road and looking past the trees and imagining what I saw out there for miles and miles. I kept trying to figure out if the trees I was seeing were cypress trees and if it looks just like it did on the field trip. It made me wish I could have walked through the entire swamp and compare all of the different areas. It really did amaze me and I think I might go back just to walk the entire boardwalk again. As little as I thought I might be interested in this class in the beginning, it really is giving me a new perspective and I have caught myself explaining and telling others of all of the cool places we have gone to in the area that I have never known were here! I told my boyfriend that I was taking it to the sanctuary….hopefully with less people following along we can be quieter and more birds and animals will come out to see us!!
(word count: 314)

Journal 3

I thought the field trip to ECHO was great! I wasn't really excited to go at first especially since I had never heard of ECHO and I wasn't sure what it was all about. I did some research online, and read a few different things, and still wasn't amped up to go. Once we arrived I found it to be more interesting. Some of the things that I learned will probably stay with me forever and I have even been inspired to eventually have my own moringa tree. It's an amazing tree and the possibilities of things it can do are almost endless! It has more nutrients in the little leaves than anyone could have ever imagined, and the way it can purify water just amazed me. I also found the neem tree to be of interest. It has antibacterial properties! It got me wondering why as a community we do not take advantage of these two amazing trees that could potentially, or possibly already are growing in backyards. The entire ECHO community of volunteers and interns is an amazing staff with great goals in mind. It amazes me that they can mimic such different landscapes and weather scenarios to get the necessary information so that they can better communities in different parts of the world. A part of me wishes that they would educate people in the US more, so that we can become more independent on our own agriculture vs. having things imported. I believe strongly in organic food and sometimes i have to not think about where my food is coming from! This trip along with the book A Land Remembered has really inspired me to live as naturally as possible. Maybe I will even have my own homestead one day and I won’t need to rely on anyone! This could an unrealistic goal, especially since I wouldn’t be able to hunt animals all year long, but it's something I really wish could happen one day in the future!
332 words

Journal 2

So I am looking out the window from my apartment and I see trees...thats all. Just trees. It reminds me of being back home when i lived in Maine and trees were the only thing surrounding me. The differene now being that when i walk to the other side of my apartment the only thing i can see is other apartment buildings and cars and pavement. The smell isnt the same, the grass isnt the same, and even though there are trees visible, those arent the same either. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, and i really appreciate being able to go to places where you can't always hear cars driving by, or airplanes flying over head. Given the circumtances of not having woodland areas surround me anymore I feel that I do have enough nature around me to sooth my soul on days when I am really missing "home". Florida is my home now and I love where I live...on most days! I took my dog for an extra long walk the other day to check out the area a little more since i recently moved to a quiter area of town. We live on a dead end road, and all throughout the area behind us are canals and houses right on the water. I even found an area that is protected by the state, completely fenced off that cant be touched my anything or anyone. Its completely natural! I appreciated that this was right in my back yard and I didnt even realize it! Then I kept thinking to myself that this must be the reason that i am constantly covered in mosquito bites. After my walk, i sat down on the couch, looked our the window again, and smiled because I felt lucky to be able to actually have a "natural" place in my backyard when most areas in town don't have that anymore.
(319wds)

Journal 1

Some people find it extremely important to be connected to the environment. Not that I am excluded from this group of people, but reflecting on my past experiences I have never really LOVED being outdoors unless the weather is comfortable, or I had a desire to be there. Not being a Florida native I had to adjust to the differences in the landscapes and also the types of wild life that I was surrounded by. Moving 1200 miles south, from Maine, there was a huge difference. The grass wasn't soft on my feet, the mosquito's were even worse that I could have imagined and on top of that the humidity and 30 degree increase in temperature was hard to get used to. Basically I hated being outside. It was a constant comparison, and never an appreciation. 6 years later my blood has thinned and I am able to stand the humidity with more ease, but it still isn't the same. When living in Maine I was constantly outside. With the change of seasons it gave me variety and also different types of activities to do outside. I would build forts in the snow, shovel(not my favorite), run around, eat it....Then when spring came around, and it was raining more than usual, there was MUD! Playing in the mud, riding my bike in the mud, anything to get dirty. Summer cam next, and it was time to swim in the lakes, ride out bikes down dirt roads, run through the woods, and believe it or not....I would find snakes to play with. Of course I never really had to worry about poisonous ones when I was in my moms Garden. I did most of these things until I was 16, and then we packed and moved to Florida. I was beyond excited to be living in a different place and to have the beach only 30 mins away....or further depending on WHICH beach  wanted to go to. Then I began to think to myself how lucky I was to be surrounded by beaches. How many people can choose to go to 15 different beaches all within 3 hours of each other? Since moving I definitely don't go camping as much as I did when I lived in Maine, and I am most certainly more paranoid of the different species running around. I thought that there were some huge bugs in Maine, but there are some outrageous creatures crawling all around us down here. It amazes me how a different type of environment and climate can create and house such weird and unique creatures. I still am not completely connected with my Florida environment, but as I grow older I am beginning to appreciate it in a new way. Instead of complaining about how hot it is, I go outside and sweat and swim in the pool! It still amazes me that I can wake up most mornings and the sun is shining...no rain, and barely any clouds in site. Due to the little rain fall, when I can hear a storm rolling in, I love to watch it roll in and see how dark the cloud is. Ill curl up on the couch and listen to the storm. I may not spend as much time outside as I would like due to working full time, and being in school, but that doesn't mean that my appreciatetion and connection isnt growing as time passes!