State of the World

Truthfully, the book was just a supplement to the class. What I have learned throughout this course can not be realized through sitting down and reading a book. Issues must be presented and then people must discuss them, clarify them, and conclude truth. With help from the book and information shared from the class, I have concluded not three but one issue. Do we as a species have enough respect to care for our earth well enough to enjoy its natural gifts? Though at first glance a lot of the things expressed throughout the class seem negative, one concludes at the end that all is not lost. There are many people throughout our world who realize the damage we are doing, and are working with great strife and dedication towards fixing the problem. Some advancements made seem pertinent, like nature preserves. Still other problems rage on, still with people on both sides of the issue.

I feel this class has taught me the only way to solve this problem is to educate the world about the implications our actions can have on the future of the planet. If more people were aware of the amount of waste they create, or their ecological footprint- they will think twice. And that seems like all we need....

Final Thoughts

Woah- surprise surprise. This class ended up being one of my favorite college courses. All of my prior biases have been eliminated, and it has changed my whole perception of the natural world. I wouldn't change any part of this class, but would have maybe rather took it in fall or spring so I had more time for the work. The only assignments I found a little too much were these actual journals. Though they make you think, a lot of the connections are already made, and these journals just regergitate already confirmed thoughts. I think in a class like this, the more controversial the information the better. It makes you face real situations that we will soon be facing. Continue asking and tempting students to express how they feel about issues. The best way to learn about the things in this class is to openly speak about them.

A land remeberd was as good as it gets. One of the best books I have ever read, I recommend this novel to be used throughout FGCU's colloqiuim indefinitely. The other two on the other hand were a little much.... Now I understand to learn about issues, it must be expressed factually and scientifically like in State of the World. But the reading seemed a little too biased for me, and dropped a a few too many bogus statistics. As well, some of the readings in the colloqiuim reader were inspriring, but others too bland. I respect Paul Loeb, but honestly he just bores the snooze out of me.

The field trips were what overall made the class. Even the required service learning was like a field trip for me as well. All in all, I would suggest all of the trips we went to to the other classes. Ms. Davis, you did a fantastic job and I wish you the best :)

...

I once thought...

It is great to build large stone buildings
To sit for hours eating popcorn staring at a TV
To drive the nicest car as fast as possible
Using as many gadgets as my fingers can handle

To live in a large house
with many things that,
well, I only use once

I once thought highly of an affluent life.
I thought it sustainable, and feasible for the entire world
I figured we could all live in AC and run everything always.

I was taught wrong, and thought wrong.
We are taking ourselves too far into something that is not good.
And we are missing out on what we once had

Neighborhood Walk

As I reflected on my last post about this and looked at my drawing, I even more-so realized how unsustainable college club really is. We pay a package utility bill monthly, so our water usage and A/C prices do not differ regardless of how often we use them. Therefore, the majority of apartments are freezing cold, always running the wash machine with every light and outlet in use. As well, we have a trash pickup that only picks up trash. If you throw your trashbag in front of your door past 12 A.M, someone comes and picks it up for you real early in the morning. As well, the dumpster that I had not drawn in the previous post has no recycling bins. So to recycle here, you must sort your trash, and then take your recyclables somewhere like to FGCU. I know its not that serious, but too much of a chore to have a large portion of people doing it. Maybe I will say something next time I walk in there....

I am moving out at the end of this month too, so I am fortunate enough to be able to be aware of my resource usage. This class has obviously made me aware of my actions.

Spirituality

This post is a bit different for me because my spiritual beliefs are a bit different too. I was raised Roman Catholic, and went to a Roman Catholic school from kindergarten until I graduated highschool. When I was young, the belief in God was easy. Still I feel guilt when I write about my feelings towards the whole thing.

When I was in the 8th grade, my class of 60 were to all be confirmed. At this point in my life, I was completely confused as of to my beliefs. I guess I "pretended" to believe in God, however sick that may sound. But I truly don't think it is a bad thing. The ideologies and thoughts the camp in "Renewal" seemed healthy and positive, and were similar to what I was taught.

In my schooling I was able to gain "spirituality" through desire to better myself. This allowed me to somewhat pray, but rather reflect on what I could have done and can do to better myself and those I love. I appreciate nature- and really believe it is the best place to relax.

Even the children felt that prayer in the forest was deeper and more meaningful. If more people can experience this, they too will gain a sense of appreciation and maybe work towards protecting it.

Earth Charter

The Earth Charter has so far been the most legitimate solution for making large positive effects on our global crisis. First things first, to lay the problem on the table, the most industrialized nations have done the most damage. These nations have come together, recognized their faults, and have made a charter to try and strive towards bettering the future of our planet. As we have learned throughout the class- the burning of fossil fuels puts greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which traps heat. We have proposed to try and reduce our CO2 emissions to combat global warming. I believe the proposition being made is extremely feasible and realistic on all levels. A good thing can grow into something great, and if we could make environmentalism global, we may be an overall more productive and happy species.

Ecological Footprint

I scored a 5.1 I knew before I finished the test that my score wouldn't be good. The things that hurt me are my food consumption and travel, but I really don't see any alternative. My family also uses a lot of fossil fuels for travel and work. I would assume my Dad's ecological footprint would be much worse than mine, making me realize more how much change we really need. Though I question really how the numbers are constructed, it makes some sense. I know that if everyone lived like me, we would be in great environmental trouble. But I don't know what I can do but inform friends about the problem and hope for a renewable alternative fuel. Things like this scare me.......