Wednesday, June 30, 2010
State of the World Presentations
Today’s presentations for the State of the World 2010 textbook were very insightful and informational! When I first started reading the chapter titles outlined in the beginning of the book, I thought to myself “What do these topics have to do with sustainability?” After listening to everybody’s presentation, the topics really clicked. Religions, Education, the Media, and the Government all affect the way people think and function in everyday life. One of the hot topics which really hit home for me was religion, as a Christian, I can see how sometimes messages delivered by pastors can be misconstrued by the audience. Or worse, people may understand the principles of their religion, yet, they still act upon materialistic customs. I really liked the quote the professor introduced during the class discussion, “What would Jesus drive?” I thought this was a clever statement because it reminds people that Jesus was not materialistic, so if you want to be more like him, live within your means and nothing more. As well, focus on helping others and not yourself.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Service Learning: Day One
This was my first visit to the Caloosa Girl's Scout Camp and I must say, it was a very nice visit. I really enjoyed viewing all the nice houses and trails along the way to my destination, also, I noticed that the grass was really green on this side of Fort Myers. I figured there must be more nutrients in the water, but either way, it sure makes the landscaping look really nice. During this trip, I learned a lot about what a forest ranger does and why their job is so important. Basically, they help Florida maintain it's natural order, which is very important for sustainability. Overall, my experience was very nice, I really enjoyed the ranger's humor throughout his speeches; it makes learning a lot easier! In addition, I am glad that I was able to make a difference by chopping down some invasive plants today. I sure got a good workout!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Changing Social Marketing
For my presentation this week, I was assigned the chapter titled, “From Selling Soap to Sustainability”, in this section, the authors Jonah Sachs and Susan Finkelpearl discussed how Americans completely revolutionized consumerism in the 1950’s by shifting marketing approaches to an identity based system. Essentially, people are driven to purchase items they aspire to be associated with. Overall, the product is supposed to make the person look classier and trendy. As an American consumer, it is difficult to think about the effects I have on the environment due to my purchasing decisions. Furthermore, I am aware that most of the purchases I make are influenced by the ideas I have about the product; therefore, I am a victim of identity-based marketing. However, now that I am aware of my ecological footprint, it is safe to say that I will definitely only limit myself to consuming thing I need rather than want. It is a small step, but it makes a big difference in the long run.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sustainable Habits
Now that I am more aware of how I affect the environment on a personal level, I researched some ways on how I can reduce my ecological footprint. I came across a website called Ethical Consumer and in it, they featured an article titled 5 Ethical Shopping Tips. This article discussed alternatives as well as suggestions for achieving more sensible consumption practices. Of those five suggestions, there were two tips that really appealed to me. The first suggestion was very simple and practical, basically, they recommended consuming less! All I have to do is review the items I consume, determine which ones are unnecessary, and eliminate or reduce the amount I purchase. The second suggestion was to shop locally; by purchasing items at stores that produce local crops, it reduces the amount of gas and pollution spent to export items around the world. Beyond changing my own bad habits, I think it is also very important to spread the message to our neighbors of how we affect the environment. In addition, I would recommend that they actually complete their own ecological footprint survey because it is a real eye opener.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My Ecological Footprint
According to the calculator sponsored by the Global Footwork Network, my ecological footprint consists of six planets and twenty-six global acres of the Earth’s productive area in order to supply enough resources to support my lifestyle. After learning the results of my personal ecological footprint, I was really surprised that the numbers were so high. Furthermore, I was appalled and disappointed in myself because I am killing the planet at such a rapid pace. Completing this survey brought to light all the small things I do on a daily basis that take a huge toll on my environment; I obliterated most of these things from my mind because they are like second nature to me. I rarely even take time to consider the products I am consuming and overall, I ended up making some really bad decisions. Consequently, the Earth has taken a huge toll because of my carelessness.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Lovers Key State Park
This was my first visit to Lovers Key State Park and I must say that this is one of the most “alive” beaches I have ever seen. During my visit today, I spotted plenty of fish, rays, a crab, and a starfish. It was a really great experience because most of these animals I have only seen on television. I was also amazed with the mangrove system that is settled along the shoreline. I had no idea how many benefits come from this plant! Overall, coming to this destination helped me become more aware of why it is critical to monitor the chemicals we leak into the lawns and sink pipes. Everything that is absorbed through the ground eventually runs off into the ocean and damages or destroys the mangroves. I did not really think about this fact until I actually came to this park and saw for myself how essential the mangrove system is to marine life.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
American Consumers: The Sad Truth
This video was a big news flash for me, the most shocking thing I learned was how many natural resources we are using on a daily basis and even more shocking was how much we throw out in less than six months! Another surprising factor that I learned was that Americans only take up of five percent of the Earth but we use like thirty percent of its natural resources. That is just embarrassing! As the speaker in the video was pointing out some facts, I realized that I was actually guilty of contributing to the problem. There have been times where I actually bought a product for the sake of having the latest edition; my thinking was that the newest edition would be faster and more efficient. Really, it wasn’t all that faster and it was just as efficient. If I learned anything from this video, it would be stop consuming so much and start reusing items until they can be replaced.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Land Ethics
After reading Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethics, I realized that he made a lot of good points about the narrow mindedness of humans. Perhaps people just choose to be oblivious rather than proactive, but essentially, he pointed out that in order for humans to not destroy the environment, mankind needs a good enough reason. In his article, he exemplifies this idea through a factual scenario, “At the beginning of the century songbirds were supposed to be disappearing. Ornithologists jumped to the rescue with some distinctly shaky evidence to the effect that insects would eat us up if birds failed to control them. The evidence has to be economic in order to be valid.“ As unsettling as this statement is, I realize that it is very true. It is difficult to think about the scope of damage humans are continuing to have on this Earth. It is a selfish manner, but humans will always prioritize themselves before nature.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Depressing Oil Spill Effects
Although I was aware that many animals were going to be affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, every time I see something in the media, it still pains me to see the damage it is causing. The Associated Press took the liberty of documenting the destruction of marine life in the Gulf by taking pictures of all the animals covered in oil. For me, learning about something visually has more of an affect; in this case, that is just what happened. After seeing pictures of birds and crabs drenched in oil, as well as dead dolphins, sharks, and fish washed up on shore, it really angered me inside. I wonder if anything is being done to prevent more deaths from occurring. I know that there is nothing we can do about the oil spill because that is already taking it’s course, it should have been prevented long time ago by taking the necessary precautions. With all that said and done, it is too late. But I think we can still save the animals, perhaps we can rehabilitate them in an aquarium until we can find somewhere where they can be relocated and repopulated.
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Animals-suffer-after-oil-spill/ss/events/sc/052010gulfoilanimals#photoViewer=/100603/480/urn_publicid_ap_org_befc0f8b50a44a05b9788f972a9e2e99
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Animals-suffer-after-oil-spill/ss/events/sc/052010gulfoilanimals#photoViewer=/100603/480/urn_publicid_ap_org_befc0f8b50a44a05b9788f972a9e2e99
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
ECHO Fieldtrip
After visiting ECHO, I really felt inspired and motivated because this organization actually makes it possible for regular people like me to help the world become a better place! Basically, this organization works with poverty stricken countries all around the world and educates them how to use their natural resources so they can feed themselves. As I was walking through this site, I was blown away by some of the trees with “super powers” such as the Moringa tree, which has four times the calcium that is found in milk, seven times the vitamin C that is found in oranges, four times the vitamin A that is found in carrots, 3 times the potassium that is found in bananas, and 2 times the protein found in milk. That is amazing, I never knew that such a powerful tree could exist! Overall, I really found sense of purpose in visiting this site and I will definitely complete the remaining of my service learning hours here! There is so much more to be learned, this is a great place!
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