Blog #10

Sustainable consumerism to me is being able to have a competitive marketplace like we already have in place, but making sure that we are able to keep it ecologically friendly and making sure that it can be sustained for not only this generation, but for future generations. I personally believe that globalization and capitalism are at odds against all forms of sustainability. It doesn't take a PhD to see that big business is a big part of the environmental problems we find ourselves in today. Greenwashing is a term used by big business to promote a product as "green", even if it really is not a green product. This is terrible in my opinion and totally undermines consumer confidence in a company. Despite this fact, many companies still use this today. As I said in a previous blog, I am willing to pay a little more for organic foods, however I'm not so willing to pay extra for "fair trade" because I highly doubt that they are any "fairer" than normal trade items. In all honesty, I probably would prefer  big chain stores to mom and pop places just because they are often cheaper and more accessible than smaller places. My time is valuable and if I can go to a stop that is a "one stop shop", I'd rather do that. I guess the greatest example of a social trap that I succumb to often is that of visiting walmart. I personally hate the store and know that it is terrible, both in a social justice and ecological sense, but I go often because they are cheap and nearby.

BLOG #9

My overall opinion of ECHO was very positive. I enjoyed my time there a great deal. I think my favorite part was following Dr. Durham around and enjoying tasting the different plants that were being grown. It was interesting to learn from the guide as well about ways in which we can become more sustainable in growing our food. One thing in particular that stood out was the terracing that was used and how it allowed for less land to be used with a greater number of plants being grown. Another thing that stood out that was interesting but slightly gross was that urine could be and was being used on the farm as water for the plants. Being a healthcare major, I knew that urine was nitrogen rich but never imagined using it to water and fertilize plants. While it sounds a little gross and barbaric, it makes sense. I believe that this style of farming is not realistic when compared to the "American" view of farming. While this is sustainable, it is not feasible on a large scale, which is what is needed in America. I believe this type of farm could be used well in developing countries to feed small towns and villages and is much more practical for this use. I would personally love to do service learning hours at ECHO and learn more about ways in which they are helping to promote sustainable farming.

Blog #8

Coming soooo!

Blog #7

I believe that the major elements of sustainable farming are the ability to grow the food needed today without compromising the ability of the future generations the food that they need. This can be done by measures such as crop rotation so that the ground is not depleted of all it's nutrients. I personally do but organic foods because they are not much more expensive than non-organic (usually anyways) and I believe that they are overall much healthier for me and my friends and family because they lack some of the nastier pesticides. I will admit that I do feel rather disconnected from my food sources. Apart from the few items I buy that tell me where my food is coming from, I am pretty oblivious. I know that this is terrible because it is important to know where your food is coming from so you can make sure that it is safely handled and prepared, however I do not have the time to personally check all of that and rely on the government (which is bad) to do all the checking for me. The third frontier spoken of in earlier readings definitely plays a role in this. For example, the movement towards living in cities has definitely played a role in the fact that no one knows where their food comes from. If there was space on campus, I would be interested in growing my own veggies and fruits. I do enjoy gardening on occasion and it would be nice to know where my food was coming from!

Blog #6

When I hear the word "downtown", I immediately imagine a bustling cityscape full of people, restaurants, shops, and other urban settings. I imagine the loud roaring of buses, the beeping of car horns as people nearly wreck their cars driving like lunatics. I also imagine a place absolutely devoid of any kind of nature. From my relatively small amount of time spent in "downtown" settings, I would put it at the opposite end of the spectrum from nature. I believe that downtown fort myers is experiencing a sort of "renaissance" because more money is being pumped into it for renovation and advertising. I'm ashamed to admit it, but until about a year ago, I had never even been to the downtown area of fort myers, despite having lived here my entire life. Before the art walks and music festivals began, I had no reason to travel downtown. The only thing I knew that was in downtown was the prison. The most prominent architectural feature I've seen in downtown is the courthouse. It is styled with roman-style pillars and decorations. I believe all these design features are meant to rekindle the pedestrian spirit, meaning they want people to walk up to the buildings and enjoy them for their features. They are meant to be enjoyed up close, not at a distance while driving in a car. The economy of fort myers has definitely changed just in the last 20 years I've been alive and here. First of all, the thriving construction businesses have all but gone under. Also, small businesses have all but been replaced with larger businesses. This is not good from a sustainability standpoint because larger companies have terrible track records when it comes to sustainability.

Blod #5

Doing the ecofootprint assignment was eye opening. According to the website, there would need to be 4.4 earths to support everyone living like me. While the average is 4.6 (just a tad higher than mine), I still feel like this number is a little too high. After all, I do my best to make sure that I am as green as I can be. I recycle everything that can be recycled, I drive as little as is possible (which can be hard since I commute to work and school everyday, both of which are in opposite directions from each other.) One reasonable behavior that i could modify would be to take public transportation one or more day a week. Not only would this significantly decrease my monthly gas bill (definitely a plus!!), it would also help reduce my footprint. Also, I do eat a great deal of beef and chicken, so I could easily reduce the amount of meat I eat to help reduce the overall land needed to raise the food. I couldn't find where the maximum population that earth could support was on the quiz, but i'm willing to be it is far less than what the earth currently holds. Thank god not everyone lives like me (especially people in the developing counties where there are a ton of people, like china and india!)

Blog #4

As of recent, I definitely do not think that energy is too cheap-- in fact, it's destroying my budget. While some forms of energy (electricity) may be cheaper than others (or maybe I'm just more used to their prices), some like oil are way too high and are draining my budget. I do not think that conservation is a "dirty" word- maybe just misunderstood. When a lot of people think of conservation, they think of a bunch of hippies yelling about saving the rainforest, which can sometimes be true, but it is much more than that. It is making sure that this generation gets what it needs from the environment without compromising the next generation. Without conservation efforts, we would be in serious trouble and the earth would already be destroyed. When it comes to fossil fuels, I am definitely a proponent of government intervention. I agree that something needs to be done ASAP to help break our dependence on foreign fuels. The government should focus research money on finding additional fuel sources. I believe that one of the most promising sources of fuel in the future is hydrogen. I have done some research on hydrogen and found that it is one of the safest, cheapest, and most clean burning fuel possibilities and would love to see more research done on it. I can take steps to reduce my energy footprint today such as driving less (making less of a carbon footprint with my car) and in the future by just consuming less.