Reading #14 - Reason To Hope

I believe the children within my community should have a lot of hope because of my youth, energy, intellect, and indomitable spirit. Everything is continuously changing within our community including the environment. Some of these things are for the good and some are for the bad. I strongly believe people learn something new every day; therefore, it is important to teach to younger generations about the environment including college students. We are the future of the world, and we need to understand why it is so important to preserve our environment. If younger generations do not learn about the importance of nature then our earth will be in even more of a shamble than it is now. The key is to make the children interested about the environment, so they can grow up to take care of it. Older generations need to start teaching younger generations about what nature used to be like. I truly believe it is never too late to change our ways, and I think starting by teaching people about the environment would be a good way.

Reading #13 - Rachel Carson

After reading these articles it makes me realize the bad effects that occur within our environment. I am amazed by the amount of chemicals that are sprayed into the environment. We are continuously destroyed nature and all these bad effects are irreversible. I truly hope people start to realize the amount of danger and bad effects these chemicals proved our environment. I believe too many people do not care about or think about the effects things have on the environment. I think chemicals should be tested within a controlled environment before being distributed to society. Therefore, the effects of the chemicals can be tested before the use of them. It is our fault that there are bad effects on nature because we are not testing them before. I believe it is our job to change our ways in order to keep our environment safe. Even though, we are unable to change everything that has already occurred I believe we can at least sustain what we still have in nature.

Personal Journal #3 - the Wonders and Realties of the World

The other day my roommate and I went to the Six Mile Slough. It was a beautiful day outside, and it was right before it started raining. I had never been there before, and my roommate thought it would be a great day to go for a walk. While we were there I noticed how bad of a drought we are in right now. We were not able to see any animals, and my roommate found that very strange because every time she has gone she has seen alligators and otters. There were many cut down trees, and everything seemed gloomy. However, it was a great day to go out and enjoy nature.

A Land Remembered - A Whole New World

I was born in Canada, and I always thought the environment I lived in was amazing. However, when I moved to Southwest Florida four years ago I was taken back. I decided to go to Florida Gulf Coast University over other schools that were at equal levels solely because of the astonishing environment we are able to live in. Every time I go outside there is something new to see. Even though, this area is becoming more developed I still believe we are preserving a lot of the beauty Florida has to offer.

I can remember when I first moved here, and my best friend was coming to visit for the first time. She asked me what it was like to live in Florida, and at first I was not too keen on it, but I learned to enjoy the many aspects of nature others are not able to experience every day. I told my friend that it was like living in another world compared to Pennsylvania. I explained to her that there are a variety of animals here, such as deer, wild boar, alligators, snakes, armadillo, birds, and panthers. She was especially shocked to hear that we have deer in Florida. I went on to explain the various foliage we also experience in Florida, such as malaleuca, red maple, and cabbage palm.

There has been a lot of change occurring in Southwest Florida. Right before I moved to this area I heard they destroyed a field in order to build Gulf Coast Town Center. Now that I have been here for some time I can see more changes that are occurring in the area. More land was destroyed on Alico Road in order to expand Gulf Coast Town Center. Recently, on Treeline Road many trees were burned down for some apparent reason. I am waiting to see what will be happening in this area in the future. They also recently started building the new Red Sox Stadium by Gateway, and they needed to destroy more land in order to build the stadium.

It is sad to see all the changes that are occurring in Southwest Florida. Walking outside into the fresh air will not be the same as new roads are being paved and new building are being built. I will no longer be able to appreciate as much nature as I used to before all these changes occurred. I hope there is some law that will be enforced to stop the killing of the environment. I know that our University is not able to build on certain areas of the land because it is land that must be preserved, and the people whom sold the land to the University made an agreement with them that they would only develop on a certain amount of the land.

I believe in the future Southwest Florida will not even look like the same place to me. If people continue to destroy the nature of Florida and continue to build there will be no more environment for us to enjoy. Parts of Southwest Florida need to preserved, and I believe there are many people out there that will make sure some of the land is preserved forever no matter what.

There are many people in Southwest Florida that are “going green;” however, more people need to get on board with the slogan. If people in Southwest Florida were to make decisions through an ecological perspective our environment could be saved. Southwest Florida still has a lot of environmental beauty to be destroyed, and I hope it never comes to the point that there is none left. I believe if more people learned to live like the MacIvey family from A Land Remembered then our environment would be better off. The MacIvey family had little to nothing, and they were not able to buy whatever they wanted like we can do today. They were very grateful for what they had, and I believe not many people are thankful or grateful for everything they have. I believe many people take advantage of what they have. Many people buy things they want and not things they need. If people were less picky and more appreciative our environment could improve greatly. I also believe if we stop building now our environment could benefit. We are not able to take back things that we have already destroyed, just as Solomon MacIvey stated, “If I would rip out the concrete and put back the woods, I would. But I can’t. Progress ain’t reversible. What’s done is done forever, and I’m sure as hell not proud of it” (Smith 401). If builders stop building on our beautiful lands then our environment might be saved and may continue to be appreciated in future generations.

If I as an individual were to make a few changes, I do not think it would make much of a difference. However, I believe I started telling more people about how to make changes then it would make more of a difference. I would start by carpooling more often. I used to carpool to school with my friend last semester, but we do not do it anymore. I already recycle everything recyclable, but I could encourage others to do the same. I could also use less water inside my house and make sure to turn things off when they are not in use. I believe these little changes are possible because they are simple. And I am going to start thinking about doing these small things. If I wanted to do something bigger within the community I could start a service project to help plant new trees in an area that is in need; however, this would be difficult for me to do because of how busy I am. It would also be difficult due to funds for the project. However, I hope one day when I have the time and money I am able to have some kind of project to help preserve the environment.

Smith, Patrick D. A Land Remembered. Englewood, Fla: Pineapple Press, 1984.

Reading #12 - The Nature of the Everglades

After reading The Nature of the Everglades and watching the documentaries I believe the Everglades is a national treasure. It is the first national park in its biodiversity, and alone that is enough to be a national treasure. There is nowhere else in the world like the Everglades, and I am very happy I am able to be a part of it. I have only driven through the Everglades a couple times on my way to the Keys, and I find every last but of it fascinating. The Everglades has a vast majority of plants and animals, and its beauty and serenity is overwhelming at times.

I strongly believe this national park is worth preserving. I think it is our job as humans to help keep this habitat from dying. We need to improve the quality of water and help keep endangered species alive. The conservationists are doing a great job trying to preserve the Everglades; however, they cannot do it alone. We all need to work with them in order to save the Everglades.

If the Everglades are preserved I believe future generations will appreciate the experiences they will be able to take part in. I also believe if future generations are taught about how much work went into preserving the Everglades that they will understand and appreciate why the Everglades is so important to Florida’s ecosystem. The national park covers a large amount of southern Florida, and I believe it is something everyone must see. It holds many aspects of nature one will never see anywhere else in the world. I hope to actually visit sometime in the near future.

Reading #11 - Endgame, Michael Grunwald

Endgame by Michael Grunwald taught me a lot about the Florida Everglades, and how it is still being preserved. I had no idea it was the first national park preserved in its specific biodiversity. It is amazing to be able to experience and have access to something like that! I was unaware how much politics had to do with conserving the environment. It was interesting to read about the Homestead airport because I have many friends who live in Homestead. I was surprised to read that four days before Clinton left office they rejected the Homestead airport. This is the first time I have read or heard anything about politics and the environment.

A quote that really stuck out to me was, “Action taken to restore the Everglades in the next year will set the course for the next several decades” (p.78). I was unaware that conservationists were working so hard to conserve the everglades. They helped stop plume hunts, preserve millions of acres of wetlands, and secured the largest nutrient cleanup in history. Even after all the work they did that everglades was still dying. The ecosystem was out of the ordinary; cattails were spreading, tree islands were vanishing, muck soils were sinking, and estuaries were collapsing. I believe there are many people committed to preserving the everglades; however, that does not mean it will happen. Although, I believe there is a chance that is could happen, but only if people are educated about the need to conserve the everglades.