Climate Change

Climate change has been induced by natural and man made factors.  Our insistent need for energy and our obsession with consumption of trivial objects has had a substantial effect on the world's climate.  It is also the release of natural Carbon Dioxide and Methane emissions that has had an immense effect on the world's climate.  Temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, and habitats are beginning to escape.  Who is to blame?  We discovered in class that there have not been very many reliable explanations of climate change or global warming.  We are sort of limited to extreme views that leave little room for truth and neutral explanation.  The media has created very strong opposing views in order to explain global warming.  Extremists on either end have dictated the way the American public views climate change.  Without a balanced explanation of what global climate change is and why it has (really) been occurring.  Unfortunately, without a neutral and balanced explanation of the issue we cannot be expected to truly care or make a change.  Although I may not see the immediate repercussions of climate change the generations that come after me will have serious cleaning up to do.  That is, if we make it to another generation.  Climate change has the potential to put cities and states underwater.  It can also displace and kill off plants, animals, and their habitats.  This could have a massive effect on usable resources.

Eucalyptus. Genetic modification or not?

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.


There are many different species of Eucalyptus tree. It is estimated to be somewhere in the 700-800 range.  It grows inland of water and helps establish riverbanks.  They grow quickly and produce wood, oil, and natural insecticides.  The eucalyptus tree is also beneficial to draining out lakes, swamps, rivers.  It can empty the bodies of water through what is called 'water-sucking.'  The Eucalyptus tree is good for making paper, but as it is in the wild is not beneficial to a wide variety of plant and animal life.

Eucalyptus Plant

Eucalyptus Tree

Genetically Modifying a plant such as Eucalyptus could be beneficial for many reasons.  One of the major benefits of making a GM eucalyptus is that it has the potential to be able to resist the adverse affects of cold and freezing weather.  Ensuring plants resist freezing temperatures would lead to more sources for paper, wood, oil, and energy.  Since more trees would survive more energy can be harvested and used. Although GM Eucalyptus does have it's benefits, it also has it's downfalls.  There are both intrinsic and extrinsic concerns for creating a GM Eucalyptus plant.  Eucalyptus could become a catalyst of drought, it could also dominate other plants since it is made to sustain otherwise in-climate weather conditions.  Creating a plant with super powers that allow it to fight against the natural environment.  This makes it very threatening to create and spread GM Eucalyptus.  Although there are ways to research the consequences and manage them, it is also very risky and extremely costly to produce a plant with super growing powers.

What are the major elements of sustainable farming?

There are multiple methods of farming.  Sustainable farming is method that fertilizes and endorses the use of pesticides, given that they are made up of biodegradable compounds and are not made of synthetics and chemicals.  Sustainable farming also has made efforts to reduce energy use and water use. Sustainable farming resists the emission of harmful emissions to the ozone by using solar panels and wind turbines.  Sustainable farming can also be used in raising livestock.  There are organic and sustainable means to harvesting meat from animals in order to have things like steak, pork chops, and chicken wings.

There are stigmas that go along with sustainable farming.  Words like hippie, tree-hugger, and free spirit are thrown around in conjunction with the word sustainable.  However, sustainable just means able to sustain.  So sustainable farming means farming that can sustain.  Farming that can have a continual life cycle that is healthy and natural  There is no reason that we shouldn't demand fresh and natural food that has been grown under the best natural conditions.  I buy organic as much as I can, however since sustainable methods rely on nature the products are much more expensive. 

 Nature can be unpredictable and that affects the amount of food available and the price of the food.  On a large scale, I feel disconnected from the food industry. Other than a few steps before the grocery store do I research where my food comes from.  I could research further in order to know precisely where my food was born, raised, and kept.   However, I generally just care that it is from a clean location with satisfying living conditions for the animals.  Although I buy organic and do some mild research on sustainable and organic farming, I do not intend on growing my own food.  The amount of work that goes into food production is extreme and I cannot imagine having to live according to the weather.  Through the research of sustainable farming, however, I have an immense amount of respect for those in agriculture.

ECHO and their Effort in Ending Hunger

ECHO is the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization.  It is dedicated most of all to finding alternative energy sources to make food and water for countries that may be lacking heavy industry and satisfactory living conditions.  At ECHO, we toured the farm and came across many different plants, grow techniques, and machinery.   The machinery at ECHO was the most impressive of the three.    

Rower Pump

Rower Pump in Use

The machinery is made sometimes from recycled materials, but above all the machinery requires no electricity.  Some of them are powered by the solar energy panels, but most of them are powered by individual human energy.  One machine we saw was the Rower Pump (see photos.)  The Rower Pump is a simple model of a common piston pump.  The design uses a rowing motion to move the piston and draw water from the source.  Vic, our tour guide, said that even children could work these machines.  The developing world needs accessible machinery in order to produce water and food. This machinery is appropriate for developing countries because they are easy to use, require low maintenance, and can be operated by almost anyone, the machines ECHO has showcased are appropriate for hunger prevention.  ECHO focuses most of its land on food.  

Various Plants at ECHO

Eatable plants, fruits, and leaves are all growing in ECHO. 
We were allowed to sample many different types of plants in order to get an idea of what is easy to grow in often unsuitable conditions.  ECHO's mission is outstanding.  Although I have already elected to do my service learning at the Food Forest, I would be interested in visiting ECHO again.  It was very interesting to see what mechanical and eatable options are available.

Pressing Issues

In my estimation, the most pressing issue facing us today is solid waste.

L.A, California

However, that waste could not exist without those who create it and continue to create waste. We are quickly running out of the space to support not only our trash but our people.  In other words, what is even more pressing than the current waste issue is the threat of a worse issue as a result of rapid population growth.  If a wealthy benefactor gave me $100 billion dollars to address a global issue, I would allocate the funds according to the damages that the population has had on Earth.  I would allocate funds, above all, for the improvement of waste control and management.  Trash is having an effect on the quality of life on Earth. 

2010 Census

Although I find waste to be the most pressing issue, I do think that funds could be allocated to the preservation of land so that it does not get turned into a dump or landfill.  Our problems boil down to population expansion.  Although that is the biggest issue, it cannot be addressed head on.  Essentially we must address the issues that have trickled down from population growth such as waste, energy use, and land preservation.

Corkscrew Sanctuary

At the Corkscrew Sanctuary we saw many different types of plants, animals, and insect life.  We saw many different ecosystems and roles being played out in the forest. The Audubon Society came together in the name of preservation in order to provide a safe and natural habitat for animals and plants.  They offer a natural ecosystem for Alligators, Cypress Trees, and other wildlife.

Two of the Ecosystems at Corkscrew

Pine Flatwood

Wet Prairie 

The Corkscrew Sanctuary's boardwalk walks through a Pine Flatwood ecosystem.  The elevation slowly begins to drop, and soon you are entering a Wet Prairie ecosystem.  This ecosystem meets a series of swamp ecosystems.

The sanctuary also has its own water filtering system that is housed underground that uses plants to help in the processing and cleaning of waste water so it can be cleaned and recycled.  This reduces its use of water and its use of outside energy.  This non-profit values the efforts of conservation and effective change.  The society that created the sanctuary came together as a group and moved forward together.  Imagine the differences that could be made, locally and globally, if more people got involved. 

Strangler Fig

Saw Palmetto

The Audubon Society lived and breathed civic engagement.  They understood that educating the community through hands-on involvement in preservation would be an effective way to showcase the swamps of Southwest Florida.  The Audubon Society knew, that allowing people to interact with the natural world would be the most effective way to convince others to take the measures required in order to preserve and conserve the Earth and its inhabitants for many years to come.

Campus Trail

Cypress Tree - FGCU Fort Myers, FL

FGCU Campus Nature Trail

On our first day of class we ventured out of the classroom, across the boardwalk, over the highest natural peak on FGCU's Campus, and into a wooded area by South Village.  FGCU's nature trail is open to all students, faculty, and staff as well as to the surrounding community.  The nature trail is home to many plant and animal life.  We saw various types of trees.  Two of the trees we saw were very tall.  We saw the invasive species, Melaleuca and a native species called the Cypress.  We did not see very many animals other than a few fish under the boardwalk and a few birds overhead.  However, it was a very hot day - I am not surprised the animals were undercover.  Having a Nature Trail on campus is just one of the many green initiatives that FGCU has in place.  The trail is generally uninhabited by humans and is a sanctuary for critters and plants alike.  This trail gives students the opportunity to interact with nature and witness the growth and learn the value of natural life. As a communication studies major, I am presented with group work daily.  I spent last semester in a group communication course where we were placed in groups for an entire semester and did all work and presentations as a team. We were instructed to choose something about FGCU that we wanted to change and to then go through the efforts to make the change happen.  As a small group of seniors, we decided that we wanted to make sure that the green movements of FGCU continued after we graduated. Ultimately our goal was to provide incoming freshman with the information it took us four years to discover and create an online green forum for the FGCU community.  While walking on the nature trail in class with Joan (student environmentalist tour guide) and the rest of our class, I realized that I do not utilize the trail often or effectively.  It reminded me of my group communication class I just mentioned.  I was inspired to revisit the project and thus, have included an excerpt from our final project below.

http://youtu.be/uV5ZshaguTI