Post 5

On Thursday we took a field trip to Lover's Key State Park. It was nice having class at the beach for sure, but I also did learn and was able to explore with my friend Kelsey. The area is roughly 293 square miles and called an estuary environment. Learned about the different kinds of mangroves. Red mangrove the roots look like hands or walking trees. Black mangrove have roots that look like fingers sticking out of the ground. White mangrove roots look like trees with no special roots. If you were to plant any other tree in this environment it wouldn't survive. Most tress are not able to survive in salt environment. The mangroves collect the salt through the roots and use fresh water to then excrete the salt. Most trees have seeds but the mangrove has something that is called a propugle which is a seed attached with nutrients that is free standing and wiggle its way and plant itself. We saw some wildlife such as an osprey and a seagull. There was a plethora of shells and also we found sand dollars, starfish and hermit crabs. We take for granted living in Florida. There is so much out there to be explored. I enjoyed this field trip. We should have class at the beach every class period. 

Post 4

In class on June 6th we watched a video on a cycle that humans go through and how wasteful we are as human beings. It showed a diagram how we as consumers go from sitting on the couch and watching a TV ad, to going out and buying the product, to then using the product to finally then toss it. The video said we throw out and stop using 99 percent of what we initially buy. That is a scary statistic. I know the video has made me more conscious as a buyer. We always buy in the moment and don't consider the lasting effects in making the purchase. When I shop I always do a need verses want before making a purchase. We all go through our "stuff" very fast, but instead of just throwing our purchases out we need to be more conscious of recycling. Recycling whether it be donating to a thrift store or sending it to a designated place to be recycled. If we can make these efforts to change as a society, then we will be able to make a difference in ecosystem of our world. I know I am always conscious about recycling, but this brought it into a new light for me. I will definitely show people the video so they can make an effort to change their habits as well.

Post 3

The fourth class meeting we went on a field trip to ECHO. ECHO is an organization to help people who work internationally with the poor to be more effective especially in the line of agriculture. When we visited we got to see all the different agriculture that is housed at the ECHO plantation. So many different species of plants, vegetables and fruits. It was not only local things they produce, but also invasive species you can find around the world. Casaba is the  plant that took me by storm. Seventy of the worlds carbohydrates come from casaba. You can make bread out of casaba and tapioca comes from casaba. Meringa was another plant species we learned about. Crushed up meringa is used as a supplement for babies for breast milk in foreign countries. There was a sign at ECHO that said meringa had 7 times vitamin C of oranges, 4 times calcium of milk, 4 times vitamin A of carrots, 3 times potassium of bananas, 3 times iron of spinach and 2 times protein of milk. Those states were interesting to see. The tire planters were one of the coolest things I saw. It showed it doesn't matter where you live you can grow just about anything out of the tire. So people in New York who don't have agriculture space as we do in Florida can also grow yummy fruits and vegetables like us. I enjoyed my time there and will most definitely go back there.

Post 2

The second class meeting we went to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. I really enjoyed this trip! What intrigued me the most had to be the living machine. The living machine is recycling at its best. It recycles waste water into water that we could actually drink. This would be helpful in the future and present day since our water supply is already getting low. There was a lot of information I learned there. I learned of the three main things that maintain the environment which are: fire, water and elevation. The fire keeps the nutrients high. Cypress trees like wet areas so you will not be able to see them in the center of the dome. There are different types of cypress such as the pond and the bald. The bald cypress drops leaves when it is cold and looks like a feather. Pond cypress is skinny looking and sticks straight up. I also learned that the alligator is a keystone part of the environment. Keystone meaning their importance is greater than their number. The wildlife and environment was truly astonishing. I think it is great that some of the old Florida is still being preserved for generations to come. I enjoyed this field trip and hope to visit again in the future.

Post 1

The first day of class we took a trip to check out the food forest. I have never seen anything like that and think that's awesome to have on a college campus. It educates students on different kinds of tropical fruit, native species and vegetables. It is also led by students for students. Some people might not have adequate resources able to get fresh fruits and vegetables, but are able to get fresh fruits and vegetables at their convenience at school. Being able to just go and pick your food off of the trees while getting educated is a double plus. The food forest is also a great way to serve and give back to others. I plan to maybe serve in the future so I can see what all goes on around there. If we can get educated as students at FGCU, then we as a student body will be able to educate people surrounding us. We would be taking small steps to improve the health of our society if we can educate others on what they are eating. I think there needs to be a more awareness on campus to let people know that it is there. The food forest is awesome and I look forward to seeing what it will produce in the future.