Exotic/Invasive Species and Burmese Pythons

            The Ecosystem is very tricky. It all pertains to the environment surrounding us. A person would have to learn the Ecological Literacy to fully be aware of what is going on in the world. An Exotic species is a non-native species, from somewhere else, not part of the local ecosystem. Invasive is a species whose populations are growing out of control, causing harm to humans, animals and crops.

            Exotic and Invasive species come from all type of different things. Sometimes they can come from pet trades. For example, iguanas invading on Boca Grande. Hurricanes can often bring different effects. Each different species has a niche. The role of the native species is jeopardized by non-native species. Everything works together as a whole in a particular ecosystem. Nothing can stand alone. We all need one another. It is a relationship between the environment and the organisms. When new species come in, the ecosystem could change. It causes old species to lose their niche, causing instability.

            The exotic species, which are the non-native, could cause the native species to become extinct, because it is not part of the local ecosystem. The lack of biodiversity, as a result, can create monoculture. The Melaleuca Trees comes from Australia. Allelopathy has a bio chemical that comes out. It kills anything that shades under it. It does not adapt for this area. Developers brought them in to soak up water. Exotics can cause the spread of diseases and blights. The delicate balance of nature is disturbed.

            The Burmese Pythons in Florida came by pet owners and the hurricanes. They are very large in size. The females are over 20 feet long, and the males are over 14 feet long. In 2010, the population was estimated at around 150,000. There are few predators in Florida for this species. (306)

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

            The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is the largest remaining cypress forest. In the 1800’s, the Plume Hunters slaughtered hundreds of thousands of egrets and herons for the sake of fashion.  In 1886, millions were paying $32 an ounce. That was twice the price of gold at the time. It would take four egret plumes to adorn a lady’s hat.                                                 

            The Sanctuary works with nature to manage the quality and quantity of our water. Water is the lifeblood of the Corkscrew swamp and the everglades. Yet during the last century, people altered the natural flow, attempting to control flooding and to make more land available for agriculture and residential development. As ground water supplies dwindle and water quality deteriorates, we are beginning to understand the impact of our actions and the need to restore the natural system.

            The slough was the lettuce lakes along the boardwalk tail are in the bald cypress forest, but when water levels are too deep, no trees can grow. The deeper water and open skies attract a variety of wildlife, especially during the spring.

            The Corkscrew Swamp has the largest nesting colony of the wood storks in North America. They nest here during the winter. The wood stork is one of the endangered species that depends on the protected habitat of the Corkscrew Swamp. When shallower ponds elsewhere begin to dry up, it is the best time to see wading birds, turtles, alligators, and other animals that require an aquatic environment.

            One of the most amazing things I saw happened when they had a telescope set up on the boardwalk facing this Red shouldered Hawk. It was in the process of eating something, but I could not tell exactly what it was. While there, our class also saw a 10 foot alligator right up under the boardwalk. I had never been so close to an alligator before. The whole time I was there I kept thinking about A Land Remembered. Anyone who enjoys the wildlife should definitely take a trip there. It will blow you away! It puts you in the mind of Jurassic Park! (351) 

Impact of Packaging in a Consumer Society

In the system of values of the consumer society, health has become a fundamental determinant of quality of life, and it has evolved into a major factor in economic and social policy. According to the Resource Library online, “The Consumer behavior definition is the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behavior, and the environment by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives. In addition, the overt actions of consumers, and the behavior of the consumer or decision maker in the market place of products and services. It often is used to describe the interdisciplinary field of scientific study that attempts to understand and describe such behavior.”

    Within a 24 hour period, everything I have was packaged. Every Tuesday and Thursday I have class. That means there is no time to cook. By the time I leave school, I have to go and pick up my daughter from school. Afterwards, we stop at home, she does her homework, change her clothes and we are off to her tee ball practice. Leaving her practice I normally stop at a fast food place and grab us something to eat. That way she does not have to wait for me to cook, because I like her in the bed by a certain time on school nights. Almost nothing is healthy at fast food restaurants. From the burger to the fries, even the cups that the drinks come in are packaged. I know it is terrible for the environment, but a lot of times, I do it for the convenience. What a selfish thing for me to say, but I am working on being more sustainable.                                                     

  

            A recent food article talked about food packaging and the environmental issues affected by packaging. The article stated, fast-food chains are under pressure to reduce the amount of solid waste they generate, and Maine has banned fruit drinks in aseptic packages (juice boxes). Yet, packaging is integral to today's life style. Nowhere would the loss of modern packaging be more quickly felt than in the food processing and distribution system. In underdeveloped countries where packaging is minimal or nonexistent, food losses of 30-50 percent are not uncommon. In the United States, packaged food losses are less than 3 percent, while fresh food losses are 10 to 15 percent. Reduced food losses lower food costs. As a society we are trying more now than before. We have come a long way with sustainability but still have so much more to do. (421)

Electricity Used Within 24 Hours



Save Electricity



          Within 24 hours I used many things that required electricity. I never just paid attention to how many objects a person uses throughout the day that requires electricity. Honestly, I do not feel like I could go a day without it. I am just going to tell what I did within a 24 hour period:

Took a steaming hot shower

Washed and dried my laundry

Talked on my cell phone

Watched television

Used my lap top to do homework assignments

Vacuumed my carpet

Used air conditioning in the house

Cooked on the stove

Drunk a cold beverage from the refrigerator

Ironed my clothes

Played the Xbox 360 connect

            After I took the foot print quiz a couple of weeks ago I started trying to use less electricity. When I walk out of a room, I started cutting the light off even if I was coming right back. I try to unplug anything that I am not using. For example, if my cell phone is not charging, I would take the plug out of the wall. I normally fall asleep and leave the television on. Doing that is electricity wasted for no reason. I cannot watch anything if I am asleep. Whenever you have something plugged in a circuit, you are using electricity, even if there is nothing connected to it. Whenever I take a shower it is at least 20 minutes. I did not realize I was using electricity just to take a shower. You have to have electricity in order for the water to be hot.  A lot of times a person does not even realize when he or she is using unnecessary electricity. At this day and age almost everything a person enjoys doing is some way or another related to electricity. Thank God for Thomas Edison! (304)

Japan Struggles to Contain Radiation as New Fire Rages at Damaged Nuclear Plant

         

There is a struggle to contain radiation in Japan. There was a raging fire at a nuclear plant in Fukushima Daiichi, which is located in Northeastern Japan. The cause of the fire was unknown. Officials of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) were considering alternatives to uranium fuel rods that are in what The Times described as “a boiling rooftop storage pool.” The article stated that the first idea is to use helicopters to spray cold water on the rods from above; the second is to inject cold water from below. The rooftop pools are still radioactive and if they allowed to overheat it could be dangerous. It is critical that the rods remain submerged in cool water.

            None of the reactors were in commission when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck. It damaged the cooling and containment systems throughout the nuclear complex. As if that were not enough a tsunami hit right after that. The Tuesday morning after an explosion damaged the inner containment building at the reactor at least 750 workers were evacuated. According to the article, it released a rush of radiation 800 times more powerful than the “safe” hourly exposure limit set by the Japanese government. Scientists have detected cesium-137 and iodine-131, two highly radioactive isotopes outside the plant, a clear signal that two or more of the reactor cores are seriously damaged and at least partially melted down, according to U.S. nuclear experts.

            If the engineers fail, and the cores overheat and melt through the structure that is meant to contain them, the consequences may include an untold number of cancer deaths, billions of dollars in cleanup costs, and an environmental disaster that leaves the region around the nuclear plant uninhabitable for decades (300).

Fort Myers Beach Historic Cottage and Matanzas Preserve

            I have been to Fort Myers Beach a million times and never knew we had a historic cottage there or the Matanzas Preserve. I thought the trip was amazing. The island itself is seven miles long. Mrs. Joe Hughes was the volunteer that told us all about the island. When she moved on the Beach there were only 23 families living there. In 1955, the 1^st library was started on the island. Ladies went around and borrowed books from people in the area and put them in a little cottage, and that is what they called their library. When Mrs. Hughes was a little girl the predominant occupation on Fort Myers Beach was shrimpers and fisherman. The local fisherman discovered that that shrimp were in Southwest Florida waters because a lazy fisherman left his net in the water. She gave us an insight on what was going on back then and how far along the island has come. Mrs. Hughes let us taste some sea grape jelly that she had made herself on a cracker. It was the best jelly I have ever tasted in my life. It tasted like heaven on a cracker.      

   To begin with, the Calusa Indians were the first ones to live on this estuary island. Then the Spanish came after them, and tried to take over. That is when the fighting began. We get the name Matanzas from them. Matanzas means massacre in Spanish. The native people had a chief named Carlos. San Carlos Park was named after him. The famous explorer took a fatal arrow during the massacre that caused his death.

            In addition, we took a tour on this trail and the boardwalk was made out of milk cartons. I guess you could say that is recycling at its best. The mangrove is the most common plant on the island. Fort Myers Beach is a barrier island. It is the nursery for many fish. The water is full of nutrients. It is a nursery for wildlife. Mangroves are the life for all living things around them. It protects the land. (356)

Carbon Footprints

            Until I took the carbon footprint, I never knew how much I was damaging the earth. The consuming lifestyle that I am living comes with a really big price tag for the rest of the world. On the carbon footprint it showed the bars as the total number of global acres that represent the amount of biologically productive space on Earth. The planet has 26.7 billion global acres of land and ocean. That is about 4.5 acres per person. My lifestyle showed over that amount, meaning my score will equal more than one Earth, and we know that can never happen.

        What I have learned is that living more moderately in just a few areas of my life can have a huge impact. This idyllic world that we live in now could change quickly and radically depending on how a person answers to the questions in each lifestyle category. The food and drinks a person can consume is connected to more than just the land. Even shopping habits do not just end at the store. They have a ripple effect also. Where and how you live makes a big impact on the world as well. After I took the carbon footprint the 1^st time I tried recycling and buying less. When I took it the second time I could see that it made a difference. It was very surprising how something so simple and small can have a big impact overall. When taking the carbon footprint quiz it is very important that you understand your score. The score received at the end of the quiz shows the consequences of your consumption. It tells you the number of earths it would take to sustain all the people on the planet if everyone lived like you. By changing a few things in my lifestyle I not only received a better score, I also gained a new way of living that really was not that different from how I lived before. (331)

                              

Reflections on the Field Trip to ECHO

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

           On January 27, 2011 I took a trip to ECHO in North Fort Myers, a place that I did not even know existed. I was amazed by the end of the trip; it was unbelievable. ECHO is a non-profitable interdenominational Christian organization. ECHO aids those working with the poor internally, in regards to providing new ways to grow and maintain food sources. They achieve these goals through these four elements: Problem solving, Providing seeds, Education & Training, and Networking.

ECHO stands for Education Concern for Hunger Organizations. The trip showed me how to survive under different living circumstances. Families that are very poor have to live off what they grow. In the winter time, a family would need to be able to irrigate their crops. Irrigation pumps can radically improve a family’s life by efficiently delivering water to their crops without electricity. Drip Irrigation is a technique for irrigating crops that conserves water and reduces weed pressure. It will water two rows of plants. It is made out of three bamboo sticks with a bucket hooked on it in the middle. It has a kit at the bottom of the bucket. With all the modern technology we have today I was surprised by this simple machine.

In the third world countries that ECHO is sending the seeds to, goats are one of the most common livestock. It is a good cash crop, but very destructive. They are normally kept in a Zero Graze Unit, a system that protects crops from animals, and provides for collection of manure. This is good for the soil. My favorite thing at the ECHO is the Maringa. It is called the miracle tree. It has some of the most nutritious leaves of any tropical plant. The fresh Maringa leaf gives a person:

o   7x vitamin C of the oranges

o   4x calcium of milk

o   4x vitamin A of carrots

o   3x potassium of bananas

o   3x iron of spinach

o   2x protein of milk

This leaf is great for rubbing on arthritis. It appears to be a miracle vegetable tree. This tree grows in the community garden at ECHO.

(362)

Memories of my Childhood Home

                                 

                              

Growing up I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. The reason for this is because I knew if I stayed there, I would get plenty of treats. When I stayed there on the weekends, my grandmother would always bake cakes. When she finished mixing the cake and place it in the oven, she would always give me the bowl then I would scrape the edges of the bowl with the spoon. I loved eating the cake mix that was left in the bowl. It was delicious! I guess you could say I had a sweet tooth.

I could remember waking up early on Saturday mornings to the smell of bacon. Once I smelled the aroma, I would drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. My grandfather would always be sitting on the front porch. I would walk out there to tell him good morning and then head into the kitchen. My grandmother was always greeted with a hug and a kiss. Even though I would still be kind of weary, I would just sit at the kitchen table and watch her cook breakfast, because I knew it would not be long before the rest of my family came over to eat breakfast.

It was pretty much first come first serve. When it was gone, one would just miss out and eat what was left. I could hear when different family members arrived. The sound of the car doors being shut or just by one of them having a conversation with my grandfather before they walk in the house. During breakfast time there would be so many different conversations going on. The younger kids would be running around the house laughing and playing with one another. Once breakfast was over everyone would decide what we were going to do that day.  Occasionally we would go to the movies. Other times we would go shopping, but whatever we decided we all did it together as a family.

I really enjoyed those times together. I could see how much love my family had for one another. Saturday morning would be our family time. We always looked like a tourist group because it was so many of us. That was our time to unwind if we had a long week of school or work.

Growing up my grandparents’ house represented happiness, stability, love, and laughter. Whenever I had a problem, once everyone got there, it disappeared with the love that surrounded the house. My childhood home taught me that no matter what I am going through, there is always going to be a family member in my corner to help me get through it.

(word count 454)

My Connection to the Florida Environment and how much time I spend Outdoors

I really do not spend a lot of time outdoors. That could be because I do not feel like I have a connection with the environment. I realize that my generation has become disconnected from the environment. John Milton defines nature as “A wilderness of sweet.” Richard Louv defines nature as “natural wilderness-biodiversity, abundance.” Louv uses a term called “nature-deficit disorder.” In a way I feel as if I suffer from that, but in a way I do not. I have noticed that the older I get, the less time I spend outside. Not that I did not enjoy spending time with my friends when I was younger, but my schedule changed so I had less time to spend with my friends on certain days.

 Here are a few things that hinder me from spending time outdoors; my schedule, time, and homework. I really would prefer to be inside doing something with air conditioning versus being outside in the hot humid weather that we often have in Florida. With modern technology today, there are different things that can occupy your time inside, and that is what I have become accustomed to. For example, watching television, shopping, and being on the computer are just a few that comes to mind.

According to Louv, in the colloquium reading, nature offers children freedom, fantasy, and privacy. I agree with that because even though I do not spend a lot of time outdoors, when I do it relaxes me. When I spend time outdoors, I tend to walk the beach when the sun goes down or when there are not a lot of people there. The sounds of the water moving with the wind tend to relieve stress because it sets your mind free. 

 word count:303