Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass

I was surprised by our experience at Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass. I loved going in the little college and listening to the little old lady speak to us for over an hour on the history of the area. It made me feel warm and cozy, like I was sitting in the living room of my grandmother. I enjoyed hearing her first-hand account on the changes that the Ft. Myers Beach area had gone through over the decades- including the hurricanes and the influx of industry. I also liked walking around the area and seeing the mangroves, hearing the bees buzzing and the fish jumping, as well as smelling the fresh fruits and plants that were in abundance. I grew up in the Cape Coral/Ft. Myers area. Just throughout my short lifetime, I can say that I have seen many changes in the area. When I was younger, the area was less built up. Within recent years, I have seen a huge increase in the amount of shopping centers, restaurants, and recreational facilities. I think this has promoted an even greater sense of community since we now have more places to congregate and get to know each other. If a developer approached me offering me 300% the market value of my home to build condominiums over it, or 80% the market value of my county under the 20/20 program, I do not think I would accept it. Although money is important, there is no value for the memories a childhood home or neighborhood holds. I am very sentimental and reminiscent, and I would feel like I was "selling out" if I allowed a desire for money to affect my decisions.

Sustainable Consumerism

"Sustainable consumerism" is a term to describe environmentally-healthy practices used by businesses or companies marketing a product/food etc., as well as the individuals who are buying these environmentally-conscious products. On the large scale, industrialization and capitalism are usually in opposition to this sustainability. The focus of capitalism is widespread marketing, mass production, and gaining the most financial profit with the least amount of effort or economic input. For these reasons, most large corporations or industries let their greed cloud their concern for sustainability. Despite this, "going green" has gained some popularity in recent times. As a result of this, some companies have tried to promote a feeling of environmental awareness and friendliness (this is usually a facade). This is known as "greenwashing"- or a deceptive form of green marketing which leads individuals to believe that a company's policies or products are environmentally-friendly. I would be willing to spend a little bit more money on occasion to buy products that were TRULY organic, as opposed to fast foods distributed by monopolized organizations. After analyzing my eating habits for example, I noticed that I actually do support a lot of local "mom and pop" restaurants than I thought. I have become familiar with a number small, "fair-trade" coffee shops and eateries in the area that I enjoy going to. This benefits the local community as well as the developing nations worldwide.

Downtown

When I hear the word "downtown", I imagine an area with a variety of shops, restaurants, art galleries, and parks. I imagine many people flocking their to hang out and relax. I think that they are a culturally-diverse and unique area of any city, having the ability to appeal to various types of people. Downtown Ft. Myers is no exception. It can be said to be going through a type of "renaissance" because it is opening many art galleries, museums, and theatres. It frequently is home to art and music festivals. Whenever I travel to Downtown Ft. Myers, I feel like the artistic side of me is nurtured. It is particularly impressive because of its architecture which gives an antique feel to the community. Instead of bulldozing these fairly-old buildings and replacing them with modern architecture, they have remained and simply been transformed into functioning hotels, restaurants, and government buildings. This reflects sustainability because it shows how effectively buildings can be preserved, restored, and recycled- helping them to serve many purposes over the years. The "pedestrian spirit" is encouraged in Downtown Ft. Myers because it offers plenty of sidewalks for people to walk, jog, rollerblade, and skateboard. It has many parks where people can play volleyball, picnic, and stargaze. There are many landmarks around the Downtown area which commemorate different veterans and soldiers from the Civil War. I think the area has transformed over time because it has begun to appeal to younger audiences by the increasing night life.

Ecological Footprint

According to the quiz, if everyone lived like me, we would need 6.3 earths. This is a horrible score, especially considering that that is a higher score than the average for people in the United States. I feel like the reason why I scored this way is because I eat meat everyday, I have a big house, and I drive frequently due to my far commute to school and work. Through exploring the scenarios, if I reduced my meat consumption by half, my impact would go down to 5.7 earths. If I purchased products with less packaging and that used 100% post-consumer recycled material, my impact would decline even further to 5.4 earths. I think my biggest problem is the fact that I live in a 3200 sq ft home. What the quiz doesn't realize though is the fact that I live in this house with my parents who are fairly elderly and I am rarely home. We don't use a lot of electronic appliances and much of the house is unused. Despite this, my ecological footprint would still be quite large. If everyone on earth lived like American citizens, we would not be able to have a very large population on earth. We would probably only be able to hold about 1 billion and a half people.

The Price of Energy

In a monetary sense, I don't feel like energy is too cheap. Many individuals allocate a large percentage of their funds to powering their homes and putting gasoline in their vehicles. But if an individual in an industrialized country takes a step back and examines this issue further, I think he/she would agree that energy is very "cheap" in the more abstract sense of the word. We don't think twice about leaving lights, electronics, or appliances turned on. Although the price of gasoline has bothered many, few individuals have taken up walking or riding bicycles as an alternative. Americans view energy as expendable and ever-present. "Conservation" is viewed as a dirty word to many- meaning it holds a negative connotation. To lazy individuals, conservation implies effort, time, thought, and money. Conserving resources requires the implementation of tactics that are not always convenient. I believe that Jimmy Carter addressed an issue long before many people had the courage to speak about it. I applaud him for making the world aware of the energy crisis that we are now facing. He was on the right track decades ago- long before many. Personally, I feel like there may need to be more government intervention in regards to the environment. Generally I hate the government and want as little to do with it as possible, but in this case, it may be necessary for something bigger than the individual, to step in and require changes to be made. Energy conservation is a serious matter and enough time has already been wasted. If the government steps in now and models appropriate behavior and funds the production of renewable resources such as solar panels, wind turbines etc., much good can be done. Solar panels have a great deal of upside potential due to the limitlessness of the sun's power, as well as the fact that they don't have to necessarily be large and take up lots of space. I will make it my goal short-term and long-term to reduce my eco-footprint on the earth. I will make more attempts to carpool with my friends, take quicker showers and stop running the water while brushing my teeth, washing dishes etc., turn off lights, computers, appliances when they are not in use, and recycle more.

Climate Change

Climate change is the significant change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over time. This includes the change in temperatures worldwide, as well as the frequency of extreme weather events (natural disaster etc.). I believe that natural factors are partly responsible for such changes, such as continental drift, mountain building, solar radiation, and deviations in Earth's orbit. For the most part though, I think that human behavior is truly to blame for the change in climate, more specifically, the heating of the planet, that has been taking place over the years. Mankind's energy waste, land degradation, and overall lack of concern for the conservation of non-renewable resources, has caused much of the alteration in climate that we are currently experiencing. Climate change or "global warming" has been popular in the media lately. A very "gloom and doom" approach has been taken. Many people say that the world is going to end and that we are all going to die soon as a result of our actions. Popular figures such as Al Gore place extreme blame on humankind and attempt to guilt people into changing their lifestyle. Others claim that climate change isn't happening at all and that it is simply a figment of people's imagination or a hoax created to fulfill political agendas. For these reasons, it is hard to get a balanced or accurate viewpoint on the truthfulness of climate change. I feel like agencies such as The United States Environmental Protection Agency might give a more accurate look at the realities and the hard evidence of climate change. Even if global warming may be exaggerated by some agencies and underplayed by others, I believe that very few can deny that action needs to be taken by all of us to reduce our impact on the environment. If we continue consuming and disposing of resources like we are today, our future generations will have a hard time. They may live in a world with very little access to necessities such as water, food, and gasoline. They could develop horrible health problems due to toxins and poisons in the air, soil, and water.

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.

Eucalyptus plants can be found on all parts of the earth. They range from being the size of a small shrub, to taking on the form of a tree (some as tall as 300 ft). They generally have long slender leaves with flower buds that vary from white, to yellow, to red, to pink. They are mostly found in tropical areas due to their cold intolerance. They are known to be excellent sources of wood as well as great draining and absorbing tools. One downfall of the eucalyptus is the fact that they can often be fire hazards due to the oil that is produced on its leaves.

Genetically-modifying this species so that it will have a higher tolerance to the cold and adding it to the campus of FGCU, would have many benefits. It would be a beautiful addition to the university and would prove to be an excellent source of aesthetic pleasure. Unfortunately though, there would be a few concerns to consider. Instrinsically, the eucalyptus could be a fire hazard here in Florida. As previously mentioned, the oil on the leaves increase it's chance of setting on fire. In an area that is known for dry spells, it may not be the best idea to place such a species so close to a major university. An extrinsic concern would be the fact that FGCU's wetlands are a major component of the school. The eucalyptus, as previously stated, is known to drain and absorb water. If this were to take place on campus, it would mean death for many of the species and habitats on campus. Despite all of this, I think it would be beneficial to conduct further cost-effective research on this genteically-modified species and to weigh the pros and cons. In addition, the monitoring and maintenance of this tree could be included in the course requirements of classes held here at FGCU as well as be opened up as a service learning option. This way, the cost of outside labor would be minimized.

In this case, I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks. By trying such a unique experiment, FGCU would stand out as an environmental pioneer and would receive much merit and accolades for their courage and ingenuity. This would be beneficial to not only the students and staff, but for many other states who could be introduced to this cold-tolerant eucalyptus.