Sustainable Consumerism

Sustainable consumerism is the ability of an individual to take into account all the issues involved in making a decision when shopping.  This means that one will think of the impact that buying an item will have on the environment as well as other individuals.  People become more environmentally aware of how their shopping impacts people. 

Globalization and capitalism are negative drivers in this phenomenon.  Because companies want to push their items, they are making them very desirable.  This forces individuals to want only one item, which in turn makes them forget about sustainable consumerism.  People don't care were the product comes from as long as they get what they want. 

Green washing is the false advertising of companies on their products, stating that they are green or eco-friendly.  This happens so companies can hide when they are not doing environmentally friendly services.  This leads consumers to buy the product under false pretenses. 

When it comes to foods labeled organic, local, or fair-trade I would pay a premium, but it depends on what the product is.  If it was along the lines of cow by-products, then I would pay a premium to avoid the hormones that are pumped into it.  But when it comes to other products, it would depend on the product and the difference between organic and the non-organic product.  I'm generally not very picky when it comes to my food. 

I prefer to go to major chain stores over mom and pop shops.  Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on the person) chains generally offer the same products, so no matter what you know you can get what you want.  Also there are no mom and pop shops in the area in which I live.  I do like to eat at local restaurants as opposed to chain restaurants.  The quality of food and price tends to be better at local restaurants, as well as the service is always better.  They type of store/restaurant depends on the situation. 

By not buying locally, I'm hurting the locally economy, as well as harming the planet.  If I were to buy locally, I am reducing food miles and general product miles.  If I were to be more aware of the choices I had when shopping I could be helping the planet and fellow man.  Overall I need to start being more aware of the choices I make while shopping and try to buy locally. 

Estero Island and Matanzas Pass

Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass were very interesting.  It was very interesting learning about the history of the island, especially from someone that has lived there for years.  We got a first hand experience of the way the island has changed over the years.  It was nice seeing that after much of the island was urbanized, that people wanted to preserve a part of the land. 

Seeing this area of land that was preserved within all this built up area was a really nice experience.  Its almost like having a park in the middle of a huge city.  Its weird walking through the pass and hearing cars in the background.

The local quality of life is being enhanced as they have dug areas for fish to come in and eat mosquito's, to control the mosquito population.  The area also provides an area for local wildlife to live, this way they can thrive in their natural habitat.  Especially since the land has been taken away from the natural wildlife.  The pass is the last remaining area on the island that is all natural. 

My hometown hasn't actually changed much from when I was a child.  There really hasn't been any development in my area.  I come from a small town in Michigan, and they couldn't afford to build much.  And they actually preserved a lot.  The schools have access to different wooded areas, and there is a public beach that has been there forever.  My hometown has been almost preserved in a sense.  While my hometown isn't very big, I don't really feel a sense of community.  It is big enough to were not everyone know each other, and the community didn't do a whole lot to bring its citizens together. 

I don't care how much money is offered to me, I would never sell my childhood home.  I would almost spend any amount of money I could to get it back.  I love my childhood home and so many happy and good memories there, and I still miss that house to that day.  I personally feel you can not put a price on memories.  Even if the county approached me about buying my home back, I still would not.  I lived next to a big wooded area and that in my mind is a enough conservation of the land.  I could not personally sell that home. 

My Ecofootprint

After using the eco-footprint calculator, I have discovered that if everyone lived my lifestyle we would need 4.9 Earth's to support humans.  This number is a little shocking when first seeing it.  While I am not the most sustainable of people, I didn't feel my lifestyle was that bad for the environment.  This was a little bit of an eye opener. 

Part of the reason my number is as big as it is, is because I don't buy locally and I buy a lot of processed foods.  If I cut back on the process foods and bought more things that are grown locally this would help a lot.  This reduces the amount of food miles that it takes from the origin of my food, to my plate.  Also if I eat less animal products this will reduce my number.  Animal farming has a lot of inputs, for very little output. 

If I were to change these things, however it would only reduce my eco-footprint a little. We would need 4.7 Earth's to support everyone.  It did reduce my footprint a little, but not much.  Part of my problem is that I drive a lot.  I live 20 plus miles from work and school, as well as 40 plus miles from my boyfriend.  So I do a lot of driving all over the place.  I can not reduce my driving needs at all.  Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the maximum population the earth could sustain if everyone lived my lifestyle. 

Energy

Is energy too cheap?  I think that energy is not too cheap.  While I don't feel energy needs to have any price increase, I feel we overuse it.  Energy needs to be used appropriately. 

Conservation is not a dirty word.  More people actually need to become more aware of conservation.  We need to conserve the resources we have.  If we don't then we won't have any resources left. Everyone should become aware of what conservation is and try and apply it to their everyday life. 

Jimmy "Cardigan" Carter proposed that we deregulate energy prices.  He also set a cap on the amount of gas one could buy at one time.  As well as trying to convince people to reduce their energy consumption.  While I feel Carter had good intentions, he should not force this upon people.  People have the right too make their own decisions.  Carter would have probably been taken more seriously if he didn't just start making these plans.  He should have kept the regulations on gas which would have cause less problems for everyone. 

With regards to alternative energy source, I feel the government should steer us away from fossil fuels.  We only have a limited supply of fossil fuels left and could really use an energy efficient resource.  We need to be able to use some other resources to get energy from. 

I feel that solar power has the most upside potential.  While solar panels may be expensive to install, the savings on energy bills will go down, and it is a cleaner way to get energy.  Solar power can generate a lot of energy and can save households and businesses a lot of money.  The sun is always there and we don't have to worry about the need for wind or different food sources.  Solar power has the biggest potential in my eyes.

I can personally start using less energy sources.  I can start by limiting the amount of electronics and lights that I have on at one point in time.  I can try to use less electronics in my day to day life.  In five years I could have solar panels on my house, which will lower my need for public energy, and I could actually help if I create a surplus of energy the power company could use it.

Downtown Fort Myers

When I hear the word downtown I think of a busy bustling area.  I picture an area where there is a lot of people as well as shops, restaurants, and various offices.  A place where one can go to unwind and have fun.  Downtown areas don't have as much presence as they once did.  Downtown areas are not what they once were.  With strip malls and grocery stores going up on every corner, there isn't as much need for downtown areas.  People don't want to travel as far to get a product that they can get 5 minutes from their house. 

Downtown Fort Myers is experiencing a renaissance in the sense that the city is restoring a lot of the downtown area.  They have seen how important the history is and want to help give people a sense of place.  The prominent architectural features are those of what they once were.  They want to keep the buildings as close to as original as possible, by just renovating them.  They want to stay true to what Downtown once was by keeping original structures and renovating arcades throughout the downtown area. 

The city wants people to see what was once there.  They want to revitalize the downtown life and have people come together like they once did.

Downtown Fort Myers has many historical spaces throughout downtown.  They have monuments in Centennial Park depicting different historical events, like the Ford, Edison, Firestone fountain, and the monument for the black soldier division stationed in Fort Myers.  They also have a mosaic depicting some of the history of the city outside the post office arcade. 

The economy has changed drastically over the years.  The downtown area/port was once all about trade and now its all about restaurants, law offices, and the night life.  The use for downtown has changed. 

This all relates to sustainability as they are re purposing buildings.  Instead of tearing buildings down they are restoring and re purposing them.  They are also using a lot of natural elements to help protect the land, such as the mangroves that help provide a natural sea wall. 

Climate Change: Man-made or Natural?

On the subject of climate change there are many views.  Most views are that its man made, natural, or some combination of the two.  I personally think that climate change is a combination between being man made and natural.  If you look back through history the climate has had many changes.  Many of which occurred before man.  However, I do feel man may be making the climate change faster than it normally would. 

It's very hard to pick out a reputable source on climate change information.  A lot of the information out there is skewed one way or the other.  I personally feel the only reputable sources would be an un-biased climatologist.  This way we are getting just the hard facts. 

Climate change is always portrayed in the media as being very threatening.  If we don't act now then there will be a serious problem.  The media tends to create chaos, and we should really take everything said with a grain of salt. 

This portrayal does not make me very likely to alter my lifestyle.  The most harmful thing I do is use electricity and drive to and from work.  And with that, there is a lot of research going on to find more environmentally friendly energy and reduce our emissions. 

The effects of climate change if it continues to change at a rapid rate it could effect my children and grandchildren.  The climate change can effect the agriculture, causing droughts and changes in natural environments of certain areas.  They may face strange weather conditions, food shortages, and fresh water shortages.  Climate change is serious, however we can not just blame it on people. 

ECHO

ECHO is a very important organization.  It gives people the resources and skills they need to help grow there own food and make a living doing it.  The organization is important because they are not just giving people food, they are giving people the resources to cultivate food for a lifetime.  Its like the old saying goes, "give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime."

I like that ECHO teaches people that you just don't need soil to grow plants in.  They are showing people that you can grow food in many different situations.  They can grow food in urban areas as well using swimming pools, cans, and carpets as resources to promote growth.  This shows that the land does not have to be fertile and you can live in an urban area and still grow food. 

The examples that were showcased in ECHO vary greatly from those of American agriculture.  I'm so used to seeing rows upon rows of one crop.  ECHO teaches people that this is not the only way to do it, that you can intermingle different crops together, which helps promote growth. 

ECHO does a great service for those people living in developing countries.  It gives them the tools to grow their own food and make an income on it.  They want people to be able to support themselves and be able to feed themselves. 

ECHO not only teaches these people how to grow food, but they give these people appropriate technology.  This means that the technology that the people use is appropriate for the environment in which they live as well is not too advanced that the machine being used is expensive to fix.  They want to make sure people can live within their means and are able to use the technology provided to them. 

While ECHO does provide a great service for people, I am not interested in performing my service learning with this agency.  I like the service that the organization provides for people, however I do not like gardening and would prefer to do my service learning with animals. 

Genetically Modified Eucalyptus: Good or Bad for FGCU?

The Eucalyptus tree is mostly native to Australia, and there are over 700 species.  It is an important resource because it is a fast growing source of wood and producing oils that can be used for cleaning and functions as an insecticide.  The tree can also be used to drain swamps as it has water sucking ability.  Nearly all of the species are evergreen.  The tree has the ability to be chopped off at the root and grow back again. 

The eucalyptus is very beneficial in the fact that it can dry up flooded areas very quickly.  It also grows at a rapid rate and can regrow if its been chopped down. 

There are some concerns with the eucalyptus tree though.  The tree has a high possibility of catching on fire, especially during dry seasons and lightening storms.  The oil that is produced by the leaves are highly combustible. 

After taking all these factors into account it is not cost-effective to mitigate these risks.  Florida already suffers from droughts, and if FGCU allowed ArborGen to plant the genetically modified there would be a bigger water problem.  The water that is needed to recharge the aquifers would be sucked up instantly by the trees.  While the trees do grow at a rapid rate, the benefits do not outweigh the risks. 

Sustainable Farming

Sustainable farming is all about getting the most one can out of the land by using the least amount of inputs and using the most environmentally friendly resouces.  No harsh fertilizers should be used, only organic fertilizers or natural compost in the fields.  The farming would be done by hand and not using any form of machinery

There are many ecological principles being supported in sustainable farming.  They are doing whats best for the environment.  They are not putting any harsh chemicals into the ground which in turn is also protecting our drinking water.  By not using machines, they are reducing their carbon footprint and lessening their dependence on need for oil.  The food will be safer to eat and animals on these farms are treated better. 

I don't buy organic or naturally labeled foods.  While I do knowsome ofthe different organic products can be better for you, I feel that I haven't had any problems thus far with it and don't want to spend extra money on the items.  Organic and "natural" foods tend to be more expensive. 

I feel that I am very disconnected with the food system.  I don't want to know where it comes from, how it was grown/treated, or what is generally involved in the whole process. 

If FGCU offered a space to grow my own fruits or vegetables, I would not be interested in using the land.  I don't like gardening and personally amnot worried about fresh versus store bought.  I prefer to just go to the store and buy everthing I need. 

What is the Most Pressing Environmental Issue?

The most pressing global environmental issue facing us today is the overuse of the land.  Farmers all over the world are overusing the land, which is making the land infertile.  Once the land becomes infertile you can no longer grow anything on it.  This then causes people to go without food.  Without taking proper care of the land and cultivating it properly we will not be able to continue using the land.

If I were to have a wealthy benefactor give me $100 billion to address a global problem, I would not allocate it to just one issue,  I would partition the money amongst many issues.  It would not be fair to just focus all the money and attention into just one problem.  If I were to allocate the money to just one problem, that could potentially create more problems because all the other global issues are set aside.  If we had a sum of money that large, there is no excuse for us to spend it on one thing, that would be irresponsible. 

Corkscrew Sancutary

While at Corkscrew Sanctuary we explored a few different ecosystems.  We explored a pine forest, cypress dome, and a prairie marsh.  All of these ecosystems work together to protect the natural environment.  These ecosystems protect the natural vegetation and allow it to grow and flourish.  They also help protect varying species of animals that all provide a special service for the environment.  They allow rain water to flow in the appropriate directions, as well as allow the rain waiter to recharge the aquifers.  Recharging the aquifers replenishes the ground water supply, providing more water for nature and us humans.  These ecosystems help keep a general balance in nature. 

Conservation is the limited use , allocation, and protection of natural resources.  Stewardship is the cooperative planning and management of natural environmental resources.  Private non-profits work to bring conservationism and stewardship together to help protect our natural environmental resources.  They want to make sure we properly use the land and conserve the natural resources that we are quickly depleting. 

Like-minded people can ban together to make change happen.  If a group of people come together for a cause it can help make changes.  The Corkscrew Sanctuary was started because one guy sent a letter to a newspaper and other people saw it and got together to preserve the land.

The location of the Corkscrew Sanctuary was selected to preserve one of the largest remaining strands of virgin bald cypress and pond cypress from logging.  Most of the trees on the sanctuary are over 100 years old. 

The government should acknowledge that we are depleting our remaining natural resources. They should offer help monetarily and legally to ensure the ecosystem is preserved.  Without laws we can't ensure that our environment will be protected.

We should NOT bulldoze the sanctuary to build condos.  This sanctuary is a very crucial asset to the environment it needs to be protected.  Once its demolished we can't get it back.  The sanctuary is doing a lot of good for the environment as well as educating people on the importance of conservation. 

FGCU Eco-Friendly?

The placement of FGCU's campus is consistent with the eco-empowerment mission of the university.  The university is centrally located in Southwest Florida, which will help lower commuting times for most of the students a faculty.  This lessens the need for gas, as the commute will be reduced for most students.  The university is trying to maintain the natural environment as best as possible.  They maintain approximately 350 acres in the natural environment.  This helps maintain the natural eco-system that is seen throughout campus and southwest Florida. 

FGCU has nature trails throughout campus.  This allows students to see the natural environment that once flourished in the area before the urban sprawl.  In the nature trails students can see a pine forest as well as a cypress dome, and all the natural vegetation that comes with that.  The university is getting rid of the Melaleuca tress, which were once thought would help the environment.  These trees soak up all the water that is much needed to help the environment.  FGCU has successfully removed approximately 90 to 95 percent of the Melaleuca trees on campus. 

Melaleuca

While exploring the different eco-systems seen on the nature trails, students can see lots of different vegetation.  They can see poison ivy, American beauty berry bushes, and alligator flag, to name a few. 

Alligator Flag

American Beauty Berry Bush

Poison Ivy

FGCU also does other things to continue with the eco-empowerment mission of the university.  FGCU has a solar panel field that is giving power to most new buildings on campus, which will cut electric costs significantly.  FGCU also has solar powered trash compactors on campus, limiting the need for the trash to be changed as often and need for as many garbage bags.  FGCU encourages students and faculty to bike to work by offering showers, so they can clean up after the bike ride.

With all these things combined FGCU is being very sustainable.  Everything about my background and lack of love for nature should make me not want to live sustainably.  However, while attending FGCU, I discovered that I have the opposite thoughts of most people with my background.  Everyone on campus should be able to openly see that FGCU is sustainable and is definitely pushing forward with their eco-empowerment mission.  If they weren't they wouldn't require every student to take this class. 




Colloquium: What it is and What I Expect

I personally was not looking forward to taking Colloquium, but that all changed after sitting through the first day of class.  I didn't know what to expect with this course, but now I expect to learn how to live a more sustainable life.  I am looking forward to learning what little things I can do to help the environment.  How the smallest of actions can make the largest impacts. 

Sustainability means the ability to maintain an environment so that it can remain productive and replenish itself.  This relies on us humans not overusing the land and being aware of how our reactions impact the environment.  

As an accounting major, I am able to help companies explore the costs of becoming more sustainable as well as perform audits of a company’s impact on the environment. Accountants have a lot of influence over companies, as they can tell how many resources the company is using and can help them limit the resources to become more sustainable.  

I personally have some different behaviors that are unsustainable.  I have been known to take long shower; I will sleep with the TV on and leave various electronics plugged in longer than necessary.  I can be wasteful in everyday life, by throwing out recyclable items, wasting gas in my car by sitting in it while it’s on, and I will leave the door to my lanai open while the air conditioning is on.  I personally don't like nature, but my attitude towards it has always been one of a caring nature.  I don't want to see us deplete the remaining natural resources we have.  We need to work together to preserve what we have left.