Sense of Place

                                                              YOUR NEIGBORHOOD

" You can't know who you are until you know where you are" -Wendell Berry

In today's world you never hear of someone going on a nature walk, just wanting to sit outside on a beatufil day, or taking a pinic. At least the people I surround myself with say comments along those lines. In today's world everyone is into who has the nicest car, playing with video games, or just doing anything that does not relate to being outside because it is either too hot or too cold. People are not thankful for the beatiful planet we live on and do not advantage of it.




This picture was taken from our sail boat... My family and I were
anchored near a private beach in the Virgin Islands

Where I feel most at home is out in the ocean on my family's sail boat. The boat is kept in Puerto Rico where we travel to several times a year. Being on the ocean and just sailing is the only time I have to clear my mind and think. This is the only place that I can just let go and relax. I feel like one with the ocean, knowing that we are moving with just the power of the wind. 


I think being out on the ocean makes me feel at home because all my childhood memories that I think of are of our family vacations to the beach. Ever since I could remember my family and I were at the beach or on the boat. Just knowing the ocean is so huge and so many different animals and living things live in it makes it incredible to think about. Being on the ocean is so relaxing to me because I am able to get away from all the stress and worries I have. I am with my family spending time with everyone and not having to worry about leaving to go do something or going to work. We can all just be together and that means a lot to me because my family is my rock. I love being out on the ocean so much because it is a place were  my family has always shared time together.

Blue Chip is the name of our boat



 

 I live in an apartment community of college students. Our complex is built near FGCU campus and it has 12 apartment buildings each with 3 floors. We do not have much grass or trees around our area but there are little areas behind the building were I have seen girls sitting and just catching up with their friends.  Our complex does recycle our trash and I always see signs up to remind the students to recycle and to turn of the lights when we are not in our rooms.

A picture of my building from the back and you can see in the picture
the grass where I have seen girls talking laying on the grass

I think our complex as a whole could do more for our enviroment and become more green. I also think my complex could do more because FGCU just bought the complex I live in and FGCU is very green. I know changes take time and I think with time West Lake Village will become just as green as FGCU. For example, I think they could put around our complex the trash compressors that FGCU has all around their complex. Also the complex could plan a once a month trash pick up and that would be another way for people to met each other as well. I think things will be changing around my complex very soon and I hope so as well.



The view from my pinic table along side the lake



Since I can not always be on my sail boat I have another place on campus that actually makes me feel like a sense of place. There are a few pinic tables along side the lake in front of the library and when I am feeling stressed and overwhelmed this is where I like to sit and just think. I like this spot on campus because back at home I live on a cana and we have a good amount of land so when I used to live at home I would go out there just to look at the water and just have alone time. This is why I think I like this lake view on campus.

Also, I like this little spot because I see wildlife. Once I was sitting at the table and when I looked up I saw two turtles catching some sun on the wooden beds students have made for the animals. This reminds me so much of my spot back at home becuase on our canal I would see all kinds of wildlife. For example, ducks, snakes swiminng through the water, manatees on very rare occasions and the list goes on. Being at this spot just makes me realize how beautiful our environment really is and how FGCU is really making a differnce. 

Ecological Footprint

                                                              FOOTPRINT

Picture was taken from http://www.google.com/ images footprint

This quiz makes me feel very guilty of everything I do on a daily basis. The average person is suppose to use 4.5 acres and my score was 6.1. So I am over the average person which means I need to adjust my habits. My highest consumption is my food. I do no buy anything organic and I think I have to research more and begin to eat better. I know that my mom is always concerned with the electricity that we use in the house and always trying to find a way to save as much as possible. So at home I can not say that I save as much as possible because it really is my mom that does it. Everyone in my family can always improve there behaviors. I did not know that food was such a big part of our daily consumption and would be such a big part. All I know about organic food is that it is more expensive and since I am a poor college student at Publix I always buy the cheapest things I can find. Now, I am realizing that this is not the best thing for me. I should be more considerate of what I am putting in my body. This is going to be the first change that I make.

 Fuel usage- I do use my car everyday and several times a day. I go to school Monday- Thursday and when I have more then an hour break in between classes I go back to my apartment and then drive back to school. Some times I drive to and from school twice a day. I also go to the gym Monday-Friday which means that is another trip that I do using my car. I put gas in my car at least once a week. There are definitely some changes that I can make with my fuel usage. I live about two miles from campus so I could buy a bike and when the temperature goes down ride a bike to class. Also instead of going back to my apartment in between classes I could just stay on campus. Lastly, instead of making two different trips from school then the gym I could go straight from campus to the gym and cut out one drive daily.

Picture was taken http://www.google.com/ images cartoon car

Food intake- I do watch what I eat so I eat 5 small meals at day. After this quiz that I have taken I am going to begin and starting buying organic food.

Picture was taken http://www.google.com/ images food

Water use- I drink about 4 liters of water everyday and I do drink out of plastic containers. I do not throw away my bottle of water every time I finish drinking it because I refill them as much as possible. I do always recycle my plastic bottles.

Picture was taken http://www.google.com/ images water

 Packaging- Everything that does come in a package I am always aware if I can recycle it. At my apartment I do recycle everything possible and I am also getting my roommates into the habit as well. If I am in a place that does not have a place to recycle I will keep the item and just recycle it when I can.

Picture was taken http://www.google.com/ images recycle

Field Trip- Campus and Trails

Taken from http://www.fgcu.edu/

                                                              Campus Trails                                                                     
I have noticed that this course has many field trips that gets us to be involed in our community and inform us about our environment. I like this much more then just sitting in a classroom reading from a book and the professor just telling us what we should do. The field trips let us get first hand experience of everything that is going on that we might not be aware of. Every week I am gettting more interested in this class and I never thought I would say or think that.

The first field trip we took was a walk around our campus. I did not know FGCU was such a green school. I love the fact that what connects the parking garages to the campus our boardwalks. Honestly, the walk from the garage to the buildings is such a peaceful walk. Ssometimes I just zone out and I forget that I am at school and I think I am walking through a park. On this field trip I learned that the reason FGCU built the boardwalks was so they would not have to cut down or damage the natural habitats that were living there. So instead of building into the grown they built over it. Another thing I love that FGCU does is that they have an ice plant that freezes water over night and during the day that ice melts and circulates around the campus and this is how FGCU provides A/C. I thought that was amazing. Just by doing things like this FGCU is saving thousands of dollars. If other universities did what FGCU does the world would be a better place.

                                              This is a picture of the Ice Plant at FGCU

                                              One of our boardwalks on campus
Last week my class went on a wet walk on campus and I had no idea what a "wet" walk meant. I knew that we would be getting dirty and very up close into nature but I did not know to what extent. I was in thigh high swamp water. I could not believe that I was doing this walk. Honestly, before I started this class I was not the most nature friendly person, but my habits have quickly changed since I have started talking colloquium. I LOVED the walk! It was intense with all the mud and walking literally through a swamp but in the end it was all worth it.

Picture was taken from http://www.google.com/ images swamp walk

This is LITERALLY what our class looked like during our swamp walk. Definitely the coolest thing I have done in a while.

Every week I look forward to coming to this class!

Incoming Reflection

FOUR SEASONS

This picture was taken from http://www.google.com/

This is my first semester at FGCU, when I got my class schedule and saw University Colloquium I had no idea what to expect. After I had read about the class I was hesitant, but since it is a requirement I had no choice but to take it. I really did not know what to expect from this class and why FGCU made Colloquium a requirement to graduate from the university.

Ever since I was young I always liked playing outside and getting dirty. As I got older that changed a little bit, I still like being outside and doing activities that involve being outdoors. I cannot really say I have much experience exploring the wilderness because I have never been the type to go camping, hiking, or on nature walks. I am more into sports, horseback riding, and atv runs. I also am aware of the harm we are doing to our planet. I don’t liter and I try to recycle as much as I can, but I know that I can do more for our planet.

My goal for this class is to go in with an open mind and experience everything we do in this class with a positive attitude. The things we will be learning in this class I will take with me for the rest of my life. I also want to get more involved with the wilderness and become more active in my community in trying to help as much as I can. One person can make a difference and maybe that one person can be me.




This is a pciture I took from an airplane
on my way to the Virgin Islands!
My favorite place I have been so far.

  If you really sit back and think about our planet is AMAZING! It has been around for 1,000 and 1,000 of years. How mountain ranges form on there own, or rivers are created, it is a spectacular thing. I truly am thankful everyday for this life we live.







This is a video I posted that I have found on youtube called Four Season. It is a short clip about the four seasons and the images it shows are amazing. It makes me realize how beautiful nature really is. We also need to do anything we can to help peserve our planet and keep it as beuaitful as it is for as long as possible. One person can make a differnce!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h80dsrqZ5LM