Blog entry #8

Blog Entry #8: In your view, is climate change anthropogenic (manmade), "natural", or some combination of the two? What (or who) would you consider reputable sources for climate change information? How is climate change portrayed in the media? Does this portrayal make you more or less likely to alter your lifestyle? What do you think the effects of climate change will be on your children and grandchildren?

In my opinion, climate change is both natural and man-made. There have always been greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, they are what keeps the heat and makes it liveable on earth. Without them, the earth would be one giant ice age. However, since industry kicked off, man has been putting more and more gases into the air, which has made an impact on the natural order of things. Man has made it a bit hotter, but not much. However, if we dont start to pay attention and control what we are doing, we may push ourselves into a situation that we cant get out of. Perhaps another ice age, or a catastrophic series of natural disasters, or an intensely hot burnout. Climate change is portrayed in the media as a very bad thing, its all mans fault. Im not going to change my lifestyle because of it. I have been raised to live at certain standards of living and i sure as hell am not going to go back to prehistoric lifestyles. However, i do believe we should try to find alternate ways of doing things so we can perhaps lower the amount of gases being spewed into the atmosphere. I believe for my children and grandchildren it wont be much different then it is now, i think the overall effects of what is going on now, wont take place for a few hundred years. Then again, im no scientist so who really knows.

Blog entry #7

Blog Entry #7: Hypothetical scenario – ArborGen (a biotech company) has expressed a desire to plant test plots of genetically modified eucalyptus here at FGCU! This GM eucalyptus has been engineered with enhanced cold tolerance. This allows it to grow not only in Southwest Florida, but potentially as far north as South Carolina. As an eco-aware citizen, the USDA has subpoenaed you to testify on the merits and pitfalls of this plan. Do some research on the web and prepare a brief statement to the USDA addressing the following questions:

· What is known about the ecology of the eucalyptus tree in general?

· What are the benefits of this technology?

· What are some of the potential intrinsic concerns?

· What are some of the potential extrinsic concerns?

· Can reasonable and cost-effective steps be taken to mitigate these risks?

· Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter in regards to planting the genetically modified eucalyptus trees on Florida Gulf Coast University's campus. There are a few benefits to the Australian native tree, including firewood, tissue papers, oils, honey, etc. However, the fact of the matter is that this tree is not native. We already have many invasive species in Florida, wildlife and plantlife. The potential harms that this tree could cause should be considered as well. Some things to consider would be that the tree absorbs so much water. It has been used to bring down water levels in some areas because of its vast absorbing qualities. Southwest Florida is a wetland area, we cannot plant trees that can potentially change the entire environment around the area. This would cause harm to all the other native species that rely on wetlands to survive. Another big concern is the fire hazard associated with these trees. "Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (ignited trees have been known to explode) and bushfires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns" (wikipedia) This not only causes concern towards all the wildlife and plantlife around the trees, but also mankind. Forest fires can travel fast and can be very hard to put out, and the risk of these trees causing a fire at FGCU is too much. For one, it is a conservation area, there are many parts of the campus that are strictly conservation and if something were to happen to them because of this invasive species, that would be terrible. Also, all the students that are on campus all throughout the day, and those who live on campus could be caught in the middle of a brushfire with this highly flammable species. As a concerned citizen, and a student of FGCU, I do not think it would be a good idea to bring these trees into the area. The potential risks outweigh the potential benefits, and should be taken into consideration when making this decision.

Sincerely,

Lydia Mayernick

blog entry # 6

Blog Entry #6: What was your overall opinion of ECHO? Did anything in particular stand out? How do the examples that were showcased compare to your view of "American" agriculture? Do you feel that their work is relevant to the developing world? What is "appropriate technology"? Would you be interested in performing your service learning with this agency? Why or why not?

I thought ECHO was a great place. I loved the animals although I feel some of them could have been in better living conditions. I thought it was cool how the ducks fed the tilapia who in turn can feed people. The "mountain" was pretty cool, i wish we could have seen what all was on it. The thing that stood out the most to me was probably the Miranga leaves because our guide was so excited about them and talked about them for a long time! Most of the things we learned about had to do with feeding people in other countries with the different ways to grow crops and whatnot. It didnt really fit in with "american" agriculture as i understand it to be. Their work is relevant to the developing world as long as they go do missionary work and bring some supplies over there and show the people how to build the "appropriate technology". Appropriate technology is machines and such that you can build with minimal supplies found in most places around the world. I would not be interested in performing my service learning with this agency, mainly because it was super hot out there, and i tend to get dehydrated and faint easily.

blog entry # 5

Blog Entry #5: What are the major elements of "sustainable" farming? How are ecological principles woven into this framework? Do you buy organic or "naturally" labeled foods? Why or why not? Do you feel connected or disconnected to the current food system? If there were space on campus, would you be interested in growing your own vegetables (or, if the thought of vegetables makes you wince, fruit instead)?

The major elements of sustainable farming include, but are not limited to: Conservation and preservation - recycling used materials, preserving natural resources, etc. Biodiversity - crops are rotated around the fields to enhance the soil and prevent disease spreading. Chemicals are used only when necessary, and only the ones that are approved for "sustainable" farms. Animal Welfare - Animals are treated better at sustainable farms, allowed to roam and graze naturally. Socially just- Workers are treated fairly in pay, benefits, safety, and housing. Ecological principles are woven in through every aspect of sustainable farming, through conservation and preservation, and animal and human welfare. I do not buy organic food, however I do buy greenwise chicken, when I want a full chicken to cook because they have smaller chickens, and I don't cook for very many people, and their chickens have the gizzards and everything already pulled out and cleaned up inside. So, it takes some nasty steps out of preparing a chicken. I do feel a bit out of the loop in the current food trends with everyone trying to buy organic and eat "healthy", I don't care what I eat as long as it tastes good. I wouldnt mind growing my own food, my family used to grow our own vegetables in Michigan and we made an amazing salsa from them. We also grew raspberries which were great to just go out and eat. We had neighbors who grew great watermelon. So, I really wouldnt mind growing my own food at school if there was room for it, I just would have to take the extra time out of my day to take care of it.

Blog Entry 4

I believe the most pressing environmental issue facing the world today is loss of natural land and animals. Everywhere around the world people are tearing down natural land to build skyscarpaers, condos, and universities. The land they are destroying is not only messing with our own health, by destroying resources vital to our own survival, but it is also destroying animals. There are tons of endangered, and threatened animals out there, many of which people dont even care about. I am not against hunting, i think its fine, people can do what they want, but i am against killing for no reason. There are tons of people who hunt just to kill and leave these animals there. There are also people who just dont care that we are losing entire species, because they dont know of their importance to our survival. If you kill off one little tiny bug, it will effect the entire food chain. People dont realize this, they think "oh its a bug who cares", but there are other species that rely on that bug for survival, and if its gone, they will be too, and there predator, and so on until it reaches the top of the food chain and we run out of animals to prey on. Which by the time that happens, we will already have killed off all of our natural agricultural food. If i was given 100 billion dollars to use on the environment, i would use probably 60% of it on preserving land and animals, and use the rest accordingly with other issues.

Blog Entry 3

Corkscrew Field trip.

Diferent ecosystems I saw on this trip included, swamp, prairie, and wooded land. The different areas provide different resources to all the species that surround that area. The trees provide shade, and the swamp provides water. The living machine was very interesting. Id never even heard of one, or knew they existed. I think it is amazing that some corporations even use them at their corporate structures as a way to conserve energy. Conservation is the saving and preserving of natural resources and wildlife, while stweardship is how we manage our resources. Many non-profits provide ways to help ensure the preservation and conservation of the worlds eco-systems and wildlife. Many of which, also provide knowledge and education to people on how they can help as well. People who are knowledgable of these organizations and what they are doing, can help out in their own community and make a difference on their own. Civic engagement is very important in the preservation of our environment. The audobon society chose this acreage to save plume birds, and made a huge impact in their survival, without this property and the society, they may have been hunted to extinction. Government plays their part in providing assistance to non-profits when needed. Bulldozing and building condos would help with the housing market since so many people are always moving to florida, however, we need preservation areas in order to keep on surviving. If we were to bulldoze the area, many animals would lose their homes, and many important agricultural species would be ruined and change the surrounding ecosystems.

Blog entry #2

Your musings on the campus trail walk and the selection of this site for the FGCU campus. Is it consistent with the “eco-empowerment” mission of the university? Or is it entirely incompatible? Why or why not? Does your particular background predispose you to a certain viewpoint?

I think the campus trail walk was a good experience, our professor taught us many things about the different plant and bug life we saw on the walk. Our guide, however, was so infatuated with these southeast asia orchids that she didn't do much guiding and didn't even need to be there. If our professor was not an agricultural expert, we would not have learned anything from this trip. As for the site for FGCU, i think its a bit hypocritical for them to be so eco-oriented and yet tear up wetlands to build our school. However, this area is mostly wetlands and it is hard to find a big area for a school without running into some issues. I do think it is a good thing that the campus is built here instead of some mall or condos, because they have promised to leave a certain percentage untouched... which some corporate structure may not have been so willing to do. I'm not sure if this is consistent with the eco-empowerment mission of the university, i can tell they are trying, which is why we all have to take this course, but im not sure if i am qualified to make that decision.. I don't know everything that is said or done with the school. My background makes me practical, it makes me uncertain as to what the university is doing or has done to be eco-friendly. Many people just believe what they are told, and i have learned to second guess things and not just believe everything the tv and news tell you.