Journal #20 - Colloquium Highs and Lows

First, I have to say that the worst part of colloquium has to be the final presentation. I was fine with writing all the papers since I understand this is a Gordon Rule course, but I felt the presentation is unnecessary. With all of the movies, papers, other presentations, and field trips, I think the idea of this course has already been drilled into our heads. I’m fortunate for it, since I will take on this information and keep it for the future, but the presentation thrown in on top of everything is pointless. I feel this way mainly because there are other exams and projects that are demanding as well. That was a big low in this course. The high points in this course were of course the movies and field trips. I found them all to be very entertaining and informative. My favorite field trip was the one to CREW. It was a relaxing environment and I enjoyed learning about the history of it. My least favorite was ECHO although I enjoyed the sustainability of it all and what it stands for. I think it was important to focus a lot on oil and climate change, but at the same time, I wish we could have learned more about the ocean and overfishing. It would have been nice to learn more about the US policies against/for whaling and other areas like that. One other thing I enjoyed a lot in this class was the passion you, as the instructor, had for the lessons in this class. I think that helped a lot to keep the class interesting.

Journal #19 - Colloquium Class Experience

When it comes to my experience in this Colloquium class, I mainly feel as if the videos were the most effective tool. I was able to see the impact of oil drilling, climate change, and other important things. These things that I learned from the video I was able to share with others. For example, my father loves to fish and always has. The video we watched about the blue fin tuna made me realize, even more than I already knew the problems of overfishing. While my father only does drift fishing and doesn’t catch blue fin tuna, it is still imperative that people become more aware of what they are doing, especially since the smaller fish may be food for the fish that have dwindling populations. Mainly, the topic on climate change had the biggest impact since that was a consistent theme throughout the class and as stated in a previous entry, it is just worrisome when it comes to my future as a woman who wants to have a family and a sustainable quality of life. Also, the service learning hour fulfillment just made me more aware about my career choice in wanting to work with animals. I’m thankful that in this class, we had the choice to choose what we wanted to do for our service learning. In my other IDS course, Foundations of Civic Engagement, we were forced to work on a class topic that was not fun at all. I enjoyed the freedom we were able to have in this class. Because of this class though, I have made wiser food choices and am more knowledgeable about a lot more than I was when walking into this class.

Journal #18 - Stoneman Douglas Part II

In this article, Marjory Stoneman Douglas is trying to make the point that there is no place that one can point and say “man began there.” The author goes on to discuss how the Indian came to Florida. It is no secret that the Americans pretty much took over this state and didn’t leave the Indians with very much. This article is just really explaining how the Indians and other people made their way to Florida and the Everglades. The most fascinating thing about this article is when it is written “But if the animals came and became extinct, as the Everglades took shape out of the receding waters, it is certain that no animal life could compare with the wealth of the fish life about the newer coast.” These days, our marine life is decreasing due to overfishing and the growing population. With the video we watched in class about the bluefin tuna, I think it is very possible that a lot of the fish will be deceased or extinct as Marjory Stoneman Douglas says. It is up to us to fix this population. It is also talked about the turtles. Well, the turtles always have to worry about higher end animals eating their eggs. This is why not many sea turtles survive after they’re born. What I learned from this article is that we have to take care of our land. This is also the responsibility of the Indians who are being talked about with the various places they landed.

Journal #17 - Stoneman Douglas

When reading Marjory Stoneman Douglas's article about the Everglades, it made me think back about the book, The Orchid Thief. It just made me realize even more how important it is to take care of our Florida Everglades. There was once a time where we just ruined it, hacked it all up, and now we have to live with those consequences. There isn't a feasible way to restore the Everglades. Living in Florida all my life, I've been to the Everglades, and I have to say that it is a very majestic place to be. All the saw grass and nature is simply astounding. The only thing I have to worry about is all the air boat tours. Having been on one before, I know it can be very loud, and I wonder if it disturbs the wildlife that live in the Everglades. On the air boat tour, one can see plenty of alligators. They seemed fine, but I think it would be in the best interest to not disturb the wildlife. The only good thing that comes about is the tourist industry can help boom the economy and help out the Everglades in the long run. As the author was describing, the Everglades is a beautiful place to be at during the different times of the year. To see the water move underneath the saw grass is quite a sight to behold. Aside from having to agree with the author about plenty of what is said about the Everglades, I found this article to be very informative. It is discussed how and what helped form the Everglades and debunks any myths.

Journal #16 - Service Learning Experience

In order to fulfill my service learning hours requirement, I decided to volunteer with Friends of Gummi of Naples. It is an in home adoption agency run by a lot of caring volunteers. Friends of Gummi pets are also at the PetSmart at Coconut Point Mall. They have cats and dogs of all ages. I started to volunteer with them during the summer and continue to do so. I have cats of my own back at home (away from my apartment near campus), and always want to do what I can in order to help animals. Once I graduate from FGCU, I am going to continue my education and get a vet tech certification. This is just providing more experience for me in the long run. During my time at Friends of Gummi, I am able to see firsthand how happy a person or family can be when adopting a pet. It makes a world of difference, and I am elated to be a part of it. Friends of Gummi also partakes in a lot of fundraising events such as cruises, luncheons, and adopt-a-thons. I was able to participate in an adopt-a-thon and it was a lot of fun. It was at Devoe Cadillac dealership. This adopt-a-thon was mainly for the older cats that aren’t adopted at PetSmart. Unfortunately, once a kitten turns six month, they lose that cute kitten look people seem to want so much. They get their own personality and at this age, people don’t seem to want to adopt them. Every cat deserves a second chance.

Journal #15 - Thoughts On Climate Change

At this point in the class, I am just stunned that so much damage to where we live is being done. I am now beginning to worry about my future, and especially those of my future children and grandchildren. It may seem as if I am living in such a wonderful country, but there is a lot left unspoken. There is so much carbon in the air and I have to deal with that every day. The carbon and other pollutants are what is making the climate change occur. It may not seem as if it is happening so rapidly, but it is. It’s already December and it’s insanely hot outside. Even though I live in Florida, it should start to be cold somewhat. People don’t see any of what they are doing as wrong. They just think they have to do what needs to be done to get by even if it causes a climate catastrophe. No one wants to change his or her actions. All of the videos that we watched in class should be mandatory for people to watch. I am thankful I was able to see the videos and become more aware. Now I am able to tell others the extent of the damage. If we don’t try to stop now, it is only going to get worse, much worse. I don’t even want to think about the day I have to deal with the climate change, or rather future generations.  I know that those who lived before me may not have knew about the hazards, but it is up to those who are living now to make the change.

Journal #14 - Oil

When I read the article "Squeezing More Oil From the Ground", it made me think of how much oil I use. Oil is in almost everything whether I like it or not, but when it comes to gasoline, I try to limit how much is being used. I like to carpool as much as possible. I also walk when I need to. Unfortunately, I don't have a bicycle at the moment or else I would ride that instead.  I just think more people should be more aware of what they are doing to the environment. The oil that’s being drilled is very hazardous to our environment. Also, when reading the article, I had questions over how reliable it is. Yet, when watching the video Crude Awakening, it brought everything into perspective. It seems as if countries such as the Middle East and Venezuela may not be using the right techniques which makes it even more of an endangerment. I also couldn’t believe that a country like China doesn’t even seem to try to limit the damage they are doing to the environment. There is still so much coal being used. There was one father in the movie who was worried about life for his daughter, but it does not seem that many had that same viewpoint. In addition, it is a little, if not more nerve-wracking to think about what will happen when all the oil seems to have been sucked out of the ground. We just want to be greedy and take as much as possible of what we can get.