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Final Journal

Before the class started, I had believed that this class was going to be just about field trips, essays, and mainly stuff about environmental sustainability. These pro-conceptions were similar to the rest of my group. I also knew that there was going to be a service-learning component of this course, but I thought the service-learning was going to come from field trips and not from actually going out and getting service-learning hours. My views have definitely changed about what we learned. 

One of the things that has changed was not really knowing what my sense of place was. When asked what my sense of place was, I did not know what to say. Now, however, I realize that my sense of my place is more akin to the garden that I did my service-learning hours at or the Six Mile Cypress Slough.  These places gave me a sense of relaxation and beauty that I feel I have never known. My learning experiences changed my preconceptions because now I actually know what it means to be environmentally sustainable.

My ecological perspective changed quite a bit over the class. At first I thought climate change was a problem that was still quite a bit away. Now , I understand that it is a problem that is heading closer and closer to us. One sign that really showed this was how hot it was when we were going on field trips. One of those field trips was on the hottest day in a while. That really impacted how I viewed climate change. Another thing that has impacted my ecological perspective was ECHO Farm. I never really thought about how to garden in a sustainable way. After going there, I realized that there are many different ways to garden in a sustainable manner. The square-foot garden or sack gardening has really inspired me to start a garden as soon as possible. 

I guess the “Hummingbird” in me is starting to come to life after this course. I am much more ready to start advocating for the environment, especially after learning how social work and environmental sustainability goes hand in hand. I cannot wait to start off small to just keep growing and growing in my advocacy.

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Downtown Fort Myers

My pictures did not send again.

Section 1: Each of the stopping points provided me with something interesting and different that I didn’t know about the downtown area of the city. One of the things that I learned was the fact that the Centennial Park was developed during the Works Project Administration, specifically the New Deal program. I know a lot of parks were developed due to this program so I found it interesting that I was actually standing in one of those parks. Another interesting thing that I learned was during the Palms Park. I had a lot of fun walking around and seeing the different types of palms that have been donated. If I am being honest I thought there was only one kind of palm tree. One palm that stood out to me was the Majesty palm. I remember thinking how unique it was. It was also interesting to find out that Fort Myers is known as the city of Palms. One thing that reminded me of another field trip was the library which was LEED certified. I remember during the first field trip, the one building that was the highest level of LEED certified. Finally, I enjoyed looking at the different Arcades that were nearby. It definitely allowed me the opportunity to expand my definition of arcade. This is due to the fact that when I think of an arcade is a building full of game machines. So learning that an arcade can be a center of entertainment, food or theater, was great. Overall, I really enjoyed this field trip, I got to explore more of downtown Ft. Myers than I have been able to the entire year that I have lived here. 

Section 2: A sustainable and livable city is a city that you are able to have amenities close by and resources easily accessible. The reason I believe this is because cities now are made to be vehicle friendly which is not a sustainable way to live. Cities need to have amenities closer by to make sure their citizens are able to walk to the grocery store. This is what it means to have a sustainable and livable city.

Section 3: A wow moment was the Alternative History Mural. It was the tenth stopping point. It was a beautiful piece of art that showcased a lot of history that I do not feel is talked about enough. One thing that confused me was that it was hidden. I would expect that a mural like that would be out in the open for people to be able to see.

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Pachamama Alliance

My reflections during the video were about the same. I was constantly in awe and had a revived sense of hope to improving our community. I felt as though there was no going back after hearing about climate change. It is disheartening to hear that the world is heating up and causing irreversible damage. However, this course helped me to reverse how I think and want to become a better advocate for our world. One of the wow moments was when I was hearing about economic justice. This is kind of justice that is talked about, but it kind of ignored I feel like. There is a lot of talk about gender-based wage gaps, but it is not just that. It is also about making sure everyone has the needs they require. 

My overall reflection of this course is about how wonderful these collection of videos really are. They really did help me understand how important it is to live a sustainable life. We only have one Earth and we need to be able to protect it from both climate change and ourselves. Our Earth is not infinite and we need to make sure future generations are able to enjoy the beauty of our world.

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Waste Energy Facility

Once again, my pictures did not send.

My trip to the Waste Energy Facility, or COVANTA, was very insightful indeed. I learned that the facility has been operating since 1992-1993. I learned that it has at least five different names, one of which is called the Magic Plant by young children who tour the facility. I also learned that the facility held 11,000 tons of trash in there on that day (July 27). It was really interesting to hear that because I honestly did not expect that amount of trash to be held in that building on just that day. It also shocked me to learn that only one person can gather one ton of trash per year. I honestly could not have expected that I can make one ton of trash. And considering that the Lee county population is thought to be about 850k people, that is a lot of trash built up. Another interesting thing that I learned was that Lee and Hendry county’s trash both come to the Waste Energy Facility and that there are 4 pick ups weekly. That means 122k tons of yard waste is processed there. This waste plant also uses single stream recycling. That is where all recyclables are recycled instead of being separated manually by those who are wishing to recycle. Considering all of this plant’s attempts to be sustainable, it was not shock to find out that Lee county is a leader in sustainability in North America. It shocked me, however, to find out that there are 61 plants in North America that use this kind of waste to energy facility, but it only makes up about 9% of how America’s trash is reduced. Another shock to me was that you could use waste to energy. I thought that waste was a one way street and not able to be used in so many different ways, and that it powers about 30k houses. This trip really did allow for me to learn so many things I did not think was possible. This trip has given me the ability to learn more about conservation efforts in both my county and the country. It has also empowered me to make more efforts in being sustainable and advocate for more sustainable efforts.

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ECHO Farm

My pictures once again did not send.

Part 1: I learned a lot about sustainability. There were many different ways that you can plant a garden to be able to grow your own food. These ways are square foot gardens, sack gardens, and even tire gardens (my personal favorite). These are incredibly efficient to gardening in smaller places or places that do not have good soil quality. Another thing that I learned about sustainability was the different filters that were available. These filters were a clay pot, sawyer candle filter, a Berkey filter, and a bio-sand filter. My favorite filter was the Berkey filter which is a metal pot with charcoal covered ceramic in the middle that has to be replaced. Another thing that I learned about sustainability is when I found out that houses can be built out of plastic bottles and earth bags. If I were to apply one thing in my daily life, it would be the gardening tactics that we learned about. I was thinking about how I could apply the different gardening tactics that were talked about, especially the square foot gardens and the tire gardens.

Part 2: ECHO project can have incredibly beneficial impacts on international communities due to the fact they teach different gardening techniques and are able to provide better sustainable options for people rather than relying on easier and less sustainable options. An example of this is the sack gardening project in conjunction with the Nyeri Diaspora Leadership Academy. By teaching communities in different areas how to garden using sacks, it allows them to be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables within a sack. This allows for a smaller area to garden, thus not destroying the environment tearing down trees and ripping up grass. This is connected to the Hummingbird story because both the ECHO project and Nyeri Diaspora Leadership Academy are making small impacts on a larger issue. They are doing their small part to help others. 

Part 3:

Question A: While I have never grown food before, I have grown flowers. This started as a hobby during COVID and it is something that I gain an interest in every once and a while. My grandfathers also tended to have small gardens that they took care of when I was younger. I have a distinct memory of walking around my paternal grandfather’s garden and looking at all the cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes (I do not really remember).

Question B: I feel as though I would have a much healthier life if I had to find or grow my food. I tend to rely on junk food to get me through the day, which is something I am trying to stop, but I just fill up on this junk and ignore the much healthier options. If I had the opportunity to grow fruits and vegetables, I would be able to save more money and have a better impact on my health.

Question D: Most of my food is processed and then prepared by me. I think the most important ideas for eating better and/or more sustainable food is the fact that it is not readily available or inexpensive to the average person. Whenever I go shopping, I cannot really afford the healthier or organic foods that are available. This is due to the fact that those kinds of food are extremely expensive. When you are one a college budget, buying fresh fruits and vegetables can be quite difficult. 

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Six Miles Cypress Slough Preservation

I was not able to post pictures due to them not sending, and this is not as detailed as I would like it to be due to the fact that all of my notes were deleted. 

Part 1: This park is off of the road on a busy road and is about 3,500 acres. It was originally used for the cypress wood during the war effort. However, a group of students, referred to as the Monday Group, started to petition for it to become a park. First they went to the national government, then the state, then the city. They petitioned in Fort Myers for it the city government to purchase this land to protect it with a tax increase and then in 1976 it officially became a protected park.

Part 2: The importance of this preservation is to show how beautiful nature can be and how we need to fight to protect our world more. Without sloughs like this, we’d have no natural filtration systems or trees to recharge our aquaphors. Some threats to this park would be climate change and habitat destruction. Climate change can negatively impact the park by killing the surroundings and drying up the water, making this park absolute. Habitat destruction can also be a threat due to all of the organisms living in this area and if that were to be destroyed, we’d have a massive loss in biodiversity.

Part 3:

Section 1: One thing that I learned that really stuck out to me was what a slough actually was. A slough is a slow moving body of freshwater that eventually makes it way into an ocean. Learning that really helped me to process the actual environment around me and the importance of maintaining such environments. We went through an ecotone. which is a transition between two ecosystems, which showcased the newly planted cypress trees to the oak hammock. Another unique feature about this area was the fact that the lake was man-made. It used to be a limestone mine, but was converted into a lake to help restart the ecosystem.

Section 2: Wood Duck Pond was unique in the fact it was a naturally made lake and showcased the two very similar looking Pond Ash tree and Pond Apple tree. They look similar in the fact that they have similar looking leaves, but are different due to the fact that the Pond Apple tree produces a fruit.

Section 3: On the way to Otter Pond, I learned how ponds were formed. They are formed through either acid raid, fires, or alligators. We also learned about the fauna that grows in the water called spadderdock, which provides a great habitat for fish or wading birds. A unique feature about this area was the grandmother tree. It is a cypress tree that is over 400 years old.

Section 4: Pond Ash Pond provided a great resource for showing all the different animals and plants that live in this area. Two animals that I found look similar are the Great Egret and the White Ibis. They are both white birds, but the similarities end there. The egrets have yellow bills with black legs while the ibis have orange bills and legs. A quote that I found interesting was by Henry David Thoreau. The quote said “You learn that if you sit down in the woods and wait, something happens.” This really resonated with me because I feel like that doesn’t just apply to the woods. If you sit down and are patient just about anything happens, but especially in the woods due to the fact that is practically brimming with life.

Part 4: This trip helped me understand the three colloquium concepts by showing what my ecological imprint and lack of sustainability can destroy. I really kept thinking what a beautiful place this area was and how I’d like to preserve it from being destroyed. I feel like this has inspired me to really start reducing my ecological imprint and become more sustainable. I feel like this place could also become my sense of place very quickly due to how calming and relaxing it felt.

Part 5: All in all, I really enjoyed walking through this preservation. It really showcased how important nature is to really understanding your world. I felt at peace during the trail walk. I also kept thinking about how much I’d like to bring my family there and how I’d be able to enjoy this further in the winter time when it is not so hot.

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Part 1- Nature Trail Walk:

Pine Flatwoods: The most interesting thing about this section of the trail walk was the highest and driest ecosystem on that path. I also found it interesting that it has a nutrient poor soil which makes it difficult to grow vegetables and plants. I actually didn’t know much about this ecosystem, like a lot of the ecosystems that we went through that day. I learned that there was a thing called ecotone which is where two different ecosystems mix.

Oak Hammock: The most interesting thing about this system is that there are quite a few owls that like to hang around in that ecosystem and that there is a lot of mushroom. I already knew that plants like to grow on different kinds of trees, but I did learn that there was such a thing called Resurrection Fern. If I were to have seen that out and about on my own time, I would have thought that it was a different kind of Spanish Moss.

Cyprus Dome: What I found interesting about the Cyprus Dome was the fact that there was a lot of different things within the ecosystem that coexist with Florida weather. Since Florida weather is so harsh, the native plants and native animals have to be able to withstand the weather. Once again, I did not know much about this type of ecosystem so everything that I learned was pretty new. I was surprised to learn that the bottom part of a Cyprus tree is called a buttress. Standing in the dome, I was feeling a wide array of different emotions. I was standing anxious because I was not wanting to feel anything brush against my leg. On the other hand, I was also feeling a sense of calm and serenity due to the peacefulness of the entire situation.

Part 2- Ecological Footprint: After reflecting on a typical day for me, one of the areas that needs improvement is my trash consumption. I tend to use quite a bit of single-use plastic and instead of reusing or recycling my plastic, I just throw it out. I keep all plastic bags in my counter or closet, but I use those mostly for scooping out my cat’s litter. I could improve my single-use plastic usage by using things that have recyclable or reusable properties. Another thing about my day that I need to reduce is my electricity usage. I tend to always have a video playing either on my TV or phone while I am doing something else. Although it helps me to stay focused, if I were to lessen my electric usage, I would be able to reduce my electric bill. I did also notice that my ecological footprint went down from 3.7 Earths to 2.5 Earths. I think doing the specifics of each section that I could really improved my score.

Part 3 Connecting All the Sections and Overall Learning Experience: All of the three sections are connected because it shows how important it is to recognize the different ecosystems so that when we are thinking about our ecological footprint, we can recognize the different systems we are harming. I can know see the ecosystems in my mind that make Earth so diverse and beautiful, and want to protect them from harm. I guess I could say that my wow moment was when we were standing in the Cyprus Dome and everyone was looking at the owl in the tree. It showcased how beautiful nature is and how it is a home to many creatures that we don't see during the day.

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Journal 1

I am Caramon Coambes and I am a Social Work major. When meeting with my group members I found that our pre-conceptions were all pretty similar. We all just knew that this class was a requirement and that there were field trips. The only difference was that I had no idea about the field trip where we would be going through the swamps. Some of the things that I already knew about Colloquium is that we were going to be going on field trips and that this is a required course. I also knew that there was a service-learning portion of the class. Although I had thought that the service-learning was going to come from the field trips and not from going out and volunteering somewhere. I am expecting to learn quite a few things from this class. Since I am wanting to become a social worker and a big part of social work is advocacy, I want to be able to learn how to advocate for the environment just as much as for people. Our environment needs to be advocated for just as much people do. I hope this class will help give me the resources to help advocate for better treatment of our environment and to lessen the things that are happening to our environment. I connect the learning and outcomes with myself because I hope to better myself with how I treat the environment and learn about it. Through the learning and outcomes of this class, it will provide me with the information to be able to do that. With my college major, this will give me a better insight on how the environment and social work go hand in hand. For my sense of place, I do not really know. I do not have a sense of place that I know of quite yet. So hopefully through connecting the learning and outcomes I will be able to find my sense of place. This is something that I discussed with my group. I do not really know where or what my sense of place is. I would like to think it is within my room or a serene forest, but I do not really know. While my team members have found their sense of place, for example their car or the mountains from their home country, I cannot relate. So, I hope this might be able to change one day or that I might find the place that calms me down.