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Journal 7

Downtown Fort Myers

The history of Downtown Fort Myers is that people have lived there for at least 14,000 years, dating back to the end of the last great ice age. Back then, the water was held in glaciers, the sea levels were lower than they are today and peninsular Florida was twice as wide as it is today, extending into what is now the Gulf of Mexico.

In the early 16th century, Spanish explorers encountered the Calusa, a powerful Native American group in Southwest Florida. The Calusa controlled much of the region, including the Miami area, and thrived on fishing, shellfishing, and hunting. They resisted Spanish efforts to settle, with the first attempts resulting in hostility and deaths, including that of Ponce de Leon. Spanish Jesuit missions were established but failed due to the Calusa's resistance.

By 1763, following European diseases, the Calusa population had dwindled significantly, with many fleeing to Cuba. The Caloosahatchee River, named by the Seminoles, means "River of the Calusa."

Fort Myers, originally established in 1841 during the Second Seminole War as Fort Harvie, was reoccupied and renamed during the Third Seminole War. It later played a role during the Civil War, being occupied by Black Federal troops. Monuments around the town commemorate the area's military history.

Cattle ranching in Florida began with early Spanish settlers who brought cattle to the New World. These cattle, known as "scrub" cattle, survived Florida's harsh climate and were later herded by pioneers to Jacob Summerlin's ranch near Punta Rassa. From there, cattle were shipped to Cuba for better prices. It wasn't until 1908 that Fort Myers passed an ordinance requiring cattle to be kept outside city limits, as they had previously roamed the streets. Today, cattle ranching remains an important part of Florida's economy.

Fort Myers was a busy working waterfront from the late 1800s to the 1920s, with citrus, vegetables, and fish shipped from river wharves. River transportation was key before the railroad reached the city in 1904. The Caloosahatchee Canal, completed in the 1890s, connected the river to Lake Okeechobee. Today, the city's waterfront focuses on parks and recreational areas like Centennial Park and the Yacht Basin.

The "Fathers of Industry" in Fort Myers, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and George Sanders, played key roles in the area's development. Edison sought ways to produce rubber locally for Firestone tires, which would then be used on Ford cars. George Sanders designed the Edison Mall, which opened in 1964 and shifted shopping from downtown.

The Old County Courthouse, built in 1915 in Classical Revival style, now houses the county commissioners' offices. In contrast, the modern courthouse/justice building has a more contemporary design reflecting the evolving needs of the community.

During the Great Depression, WPA projects like Centennial Park, the Yacht Basin, and the Old Post Office (now the Sydney and Berne Davis Art Center) helped provide jobs and boost the local economy.

The "City of Palms" features two Palm Parks showcasing palms from around the world, and public art is integrated into various downtown buildings, such as the Caloosahatchee Manuscripts and a mosaic on the new Federal Building.

Downtown Fort Myers, once a hub for shopping and socializing, has evolved with the rise of shopping malls, leading to a shift in retail activity. The city now promotes "Smart Growth" to encourage sustainable, mixed-use development with diverse housing, cultural venues, and walkable spaces.

Fort Myers' history also includes the painful legacy of segregation, highlighting the city's complex and often less visible past. The importance of voting and understanding local politics is emphasized for active community participation.

Learning about the city relates to the readings and course objectives because the history of Downtown Fort Myers provides us details on the ups and downs the State and City went through. With our course, we learn the history of Sustainability and how it was sustainable then and now. The importance of this information helps us understand that life is about overcoming obstacles to better the future of the world for future generations and having a long-lasting world with having knowledge of sustainability.

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Journal 5

Pachamama Alliance- Awakening the Dreamer Project

The Challenges Facing the Environment section talked about how the increasing population is causing us to use more resources than what the Earth currently has and provides. The Earth is now viewed as a credit card. The amount of Earths we use and our ecological footprint is more than 1 Earth in North America, Europe, China, the Middle East & Central Asia. 80% of the world's original forests are eliminated. 90% of all large fish are gone from the oceans. Global warming and climate change is Earth's biggest threat.

The Delving into Social Justice and Spiritual Fulfillment section discusses how millions still suffer from environmental injustice, oppression, and racism today. Environmental justice is the belief that no community should have to bear the brunt of disproportionate environmental burdens. Women are the first to suffer from these issues. They are denied basic legal rights. Racism is a part of every part of our environment, which is unfortunate. Money doesn't help with spiritual fulfillment. The importance of spiritual fulfillment is connecting with our environment, people, and the environment itself. A lot of animals are on the verge of extinction.

Examining our Worldview and assumptions is the section that talks about how did we get here? An important point was made that we give all the rights to the world to humans but not the natural world. This section pointed out something important, stating that we don't think about the true cost of the product we buy. The things we buy are not from the businesses themselves, but instead from the clean air and other resources. Racism has a cost to every human on Earth, and it has dehumanized us all. They're assumptions that we as a society are throwaway species, humans, resources. Disposables are the items that cause us to lose connection with our Earth.

A New Story and the Illusion of Separation is a section that talks about the significance of the land being us and not doing things to the land that destroys us. We are all one, and we are all connected, we all come from the same source. We are the universe in the form of a human. We are all related in all factors. The reflection of my feeling connected is that it is something that can't really be put into words unless you're living that moment and sensation. It is a one-of-a-kind experience and a relaxing feeling of wanting that feeling every chance you can get. The times I feel disconnected are the worst because I get thoughts in my mind like, "Do I belong?" or "What is my purpose" and why am I going through this or feeling like this all you can do is hope for change and create it.

There are several inspiring trends in environmental activism today that inspired me and things I noticed, starting off with youth activism, the Young people are leading movements emphasizing the importance of the need for climate action. The innovative technologies help with renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, which are becoming more affordable and impactful. Corporations show responsibility by committing to sustainable practices and carbon neutrality in response to consumer demand. Biodiversity restoration focuses on rewilding and habitat restoration, which are gaining momentum to help combat climate change. Also, some governments are enacting stronger environmental policies and participating in international agreements like the Paris Accord. Community engagement worldwide has shown the importance of urban gardening and clean-ups, empowering individuals to make a difference.

When I envisioned an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet, I saw a world that cares deeply about our Earth and one that is sustainable for an infinite amount of years. The thing that surprised me in this vision was the amount of people connecting deeply with our world in a positive matter. The number of people I envisioned walking to the beach and environmental places instead of driving was surprising, and the car parking lot looked close to empty, helping save the carbon footprint of our planet.

"I am committed to bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet."

The wow moment of this course was just how deep the issue of sustainability of the environment was throughout the world. It provided deep details on what is affected and what needs to be changed. I learned a lot throughout this course.

The Awakening The Dreamer course was a good course for people to get educated of our Earth and the issues that is it facing. I would recommend it to people who aren't as educated to go through it to have a change in heart and be educated more about the problems the Earth faces and things we as humans can do to change it in ways we can control to have our only living planet last an infinite amount of time.

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Journal 6- Field Trip 4

Waste to Energy Facility

My experience at the Lee County Waste to Energy Facility was unique. I learned the importance of prioritizing throwing away trash/waste to where it belongs. The important reason is because if we do. It protects our Earth, environment, ecosystem, etc. That keeps our Earth as healthy as possible and prioritizing that is crucial because we are the only planet with living organisms.

To begin with, there is a statistic that per person, one ton of trash is generated per year. That is an average of 4.4 pounds per day. The importance of four-to-five R's is important, which is to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover/rethink. Reducing requires making smarter choices about what we consume and ways we try to sustain it as long as we can. To reuse, we repair, share, sell, barter, and buy second-hand. There are many ways we can do this, and for example, we can donate clothing, supplies, and other things that we don't use. Instead of throwing it in the trash, we reuse and pass it along, which helps our ecosystem. Recycling is important by making sure we recycle the appropriate items in the recycling bin/trash. The reason this is important is because throwing away things that aren't recyclable in the trash affects the recyclable items, so throwing trash into the trash is important. To recover is to recognize your waste for the resource that it is and dispose of it properly. With that being said, we must throw the trash where it belongs instead of littering and throwing it away where it doesn't belong. To rethink, everyone has to reconsider their decisions to reuse, reduce, recycle, recover, and make sure we all make the right decision within those circumstances.

At the facility, I learned about the recycling plant and its importance. The recycling plant is a mechanical, electronic & manual separation of materials to sell to manufacturers. All residential recycling goes to the Material Recovery Facility. The importance of this is that when we recycle, those items can be reused to make things we need. Recycling helps save trees and other important environmental things that don't have to be taken down to recreate our daily supply. With the recycling plant, it is important we throw away bags in the trash and not recycle them because those bags can affect the recycling plant. system.

The construction & demolition facility (C&D) is an important system that's in the Lee County Waste & Energy facility. The C & D facility represents 1/3 of all waste generated, such as landfill, drywall, dock pilings, PVC, asphalt shingles recovered, clean wood, metal, concrete, RSM, rigid plastic, cardboard, etc. The importance of this system is, in a way, how the Lee County facility generates its money because it sells things items that are recycled to businesses. The system helps with the facility in a way that this facility helps maintain our Earth. The yard waste has over 122,000 tons of processed; this waste can be reused, so if anyone is interested, there is a facility that provides this for free in the Lee County Area. We learned the importance of tires back in the day. Tire changes require new ones every 10k miles; nowadays, tires can last up to 50k miles before new ones, which helps preserve tire waste and the effect it has on the Lee County Waste Facility and the Earth as a whole. The facility functions with water and power, so this helps save that.

The consequences for littering and placing trash in areas that it doesn't belong are severe and is something not many people know. It depends on how much is littered it can be as bad as a 3rd degree felony and the dumping costs everyone money. Sustainability in Lee County is the leader in all North America because that county prioritizes it higher than everyone else. We as a world need to reach that level and that is something that is controllable by us humans. The sustainability this does helps future generations for however long the world exists. This helps meet our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs which helps save our planet.

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Journal 4- ECHO and the Food Footprint

From the video and the beginning of ECHO, I learned that ECHO helps farmers help themselves. It helps sustain plants, techniques, and technologies for farmers worldwide who struggle to feed their families. The mission of ECHO is to help go out into the world to provide training and resources that empower small-scale farming families to succeed. The organization prides itself on helping with hope against hunger by providing extensive knowledge on how farming can change that and learning about agriculture. ECHO is global it offers hands-on training worldwide with global resources and guidance. It gives hope through sustainable farming methods. E.C.H.O. stands for Educational Concerns for Haiti Organization.

The mission of ECHO has been fulfilled because it started with the help of Haiti and has expanded worldwide. ECHO has become an ever growing pipeline for sharing information, ideas, techniques, methods, plants, books, materials, solutions, and whatever has potential to ease world hunger. ECHO operates in over 190 countries.

The Nyeri Diaspora Leadership Academy (NDLA) has partnered with colloquium groups in the past to help a community in Kenya started in February 2023 through the identification of high performing KCPE graduates from Nyeri who were in need for support to join high school. After NDLA opened it raised over half a million Kenya Shillings. The group came together to finding ways to sustaining support for a long period of time by having a community through education support and leadership training. The organization prides in identifying empowerment opportunities for Nyerians both at home and abroad.

I learned that the sustainability of soils is important because if the soil is important for crops to grow so, maintaining it is crucial. 75% of the world's food is generated from only 12 plants and 5 animal species. I learned on how rice can be created after it the crop is grown and they use mostly hands to do it. It is sustainable because this is a cycle that occurs each time. ECHO provided information on how to farm in tropical lowlands and thats where the rice grows and the system of rice intensification is used. Soil and water conservation help prevent erosion, providing more nutrients for crops and a better harvest. Learned about the sustainability of SALT which is Sloping Agricultural Land Technology is a way which helps stablize soil health, build soil health, and naturally terrace hillsides over time to increase maneuverability for farmers.

Organizations like this is important to the world because it provides hands-on experience, knowledge, livelihoods are transformed, hope is found. ECHO helps with sustaining plants, techniques, and technologies to farmers around the world, who struggle to feed their families. This is important to me because it gives me knowledge and life skills to knowing why have a garden can be important in the long run for growing crops and it provides knowledge on keeping that sustainable by giving people the best information to keep it successful and long term sustainability for someone that struggles.

Car tires are adaptive technology that comes with adding resources to the tire like an old carpet and leaving it in the sun for a week, then build a border using wood, blocks or any solid materials to help keep the water inside. Then prepare buckets with water and nutrient solution then transplanting plants with soil intact then using mulch and other sources. This is something I would consider doing if I live in a city, but I learned that living in a farm area can be better with growing crops and plants. I learned how to start a successful garden at my dream home.

In my life, gardening is something I didn't do much of to this point. In elementary school, volunteering have been the only time I have gardened. I was around someone who started gardening, and they told me it is better to do that than go grocery shopping. My experience with ECHO has changed my perspective even more that I want to garden whenever that time is to help save money and building better habits to connecting to Earth. It is important to grow a biodiversity of foods because than when it comes to grocery shopping you wouldn't have to do much of it since there is a lot of different crops, fruits, vegetables, etc. being grown. It is better to grow it yourself because you know the proper treatment than buying something you don't know how it is treated. In my opinion food is imported more than grown. It contains pesticide residues because the codes on the fruits stickers suggest that. Foods are more processed in my opinion. Eating better and eating more sustainable comes with a mindset within a person because we control what we eat at the end of the day. We can reduce footprint on the land by doing sustainable activities in every area by doing research and going to a place like ECHO who provide that information on what works better for long term sustainability.

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Journal 3- Six Miles Cypress Slough

My learning experience from our field trip was cool and unique. I learned that our environment is not only important for the wildlife but for us humans as well. The video shows how important it is for humans to go out and see nature such as animals, the environment itself and learn about it and the effects it has on our environment in a sustainable matter. Not many people in this world get to see how beautiful the world is outside of a TV/video, so going out themselves to witness and experience the animals, nature, etc. is an experience that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Six Miles Cypress Slough has some nice spots to see first was the interpretive center. Section one consisted of three spots which are the six mile cypress slough interpretive center, young cypress swamp and gator lake shelter. Starting off with the first, the interpretive center. It is a green building and it has achieved LEED Silver Certification. The center’s construction incorporated a number of green initiatives that helped achieve Silver Certification. The building is located on old roadbed. Boardwalk around the center is made of reclaimed wood such as shipping pallets and recycled plastic. Rainwater is collected in cisterns and used in facility’s toilets. The young cypress swamp is a slough it is 11 miles long and 1/3 miles wide. The cypress trees are adapted to survive flooded conditions for a long time. The wide base of the tree is buttressing. The amount of water underneath the boardwalk depends on wet or dry season. The Gator lake shelter is man-made lake. It was created when its limestone was mined to build the foundation for the road. Even during dry season the lake retains water, that attract alligators and other wildlife creatures.

The 2nd section consisted of the shortcut intersection and wood duck pond. Starting off with the shortcut intersection. It is where cypress trees become dominant and the laurel oaks where those tolerate wetter soils than pines. The elevation drops further and the area is an ecotone. That is wear you can see air plants that look like pineapple tops, they are considered cousins. Air plants are epiphytes but parasites. The wood duck pond has 2 other trees species which are pond apple and pop ash are both native tree species that are adapted to growing in flooded swamp soils. Those trees are deciduous. Those trees help ring ponds create important nesting habitat for wading bird populations. The water that flows beneath the trees protects eggs and nesting from many creatures that would otherwise prey them. Fishes are often seen in that pond.

The 3rd section consisted of shelter and the otter pond. The shelter is where the slough drains a 33-square mile watershed and during the wet season holds 2-3 feet deep. That means the slough is important for water storage and flood protection. The wetlands are important for aquifer recharge. The slough is important for water purification since the plants that grow help slow the water down which helps the water that leaves the slough make it cleaner than the water that came in previously. The otter pond is where otters are often seen. They prefer fresh water and live in burrows that they often dig themselves in. The rainwater percolates down the limestone aquifers, fire can create ponds and the alligators maintain ponds.

The 4th section consisted of another shelter and pop ash pond. This shelter consists of a thick understory of vegetation which is higher level of elevation which means it is flooded for shorter periods of time. That helps plants grow easily. Resurrection ferns grow on the upper surface of branches of the trees that grow on swamps. Splotches are seen on the trees which are blood lichen. The pop ash pond is a good place to look for flowing water. You can see rare Florida rapids. Cypress knees are sticking up out of the water. It helps with giving stability in the soft shifting soils of the flooded swamp. The knees are extensions of the trees’ underground root systems.

The significance of the preservation of the slough of the region is important because it has a big impact through its environment, the nature itself, living organisms and the animals. The threats can be pollution, development of cities, climate change, invasive species, drainage and water diversion.

This trip helps with understanding sense of place, ecological imprint and sustainability because they all go hand to hand with each other. This is sense of place not only for us humans but the environment itself because this is where there connections are stored. This place helps with sustainability for both nature and animals and keeping it away from it threats will help it be sustainable for as long as it can be. As long as it avoids the threats that can’t be controlled. At the end lf the day its up to us as people to find with that sustainability.

The trip connects to sdg 14 “life below water” and sdg 15 “life on land” because the life below water are animals like fishes, otters, gators, plants and other living organisms and it is important for us not to damage their sense of place because it has an impact to where they live and spend there time. The life of land is us people and trees, plants, etc. making sure we are doing the right things to keep the environment clean and sustainable for as long as possible.

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Journal 2 FGCU Sustainability Efforts and Nature Trail Walk

On our first field trip, we explored FGCU’s Nature Trail Walk to the Cypress Dome. We learned about how sustainability is important for FGCU as a University. At our first stop we stopped at the campus’s Big belly solar compacting trash cans which is sustainability within the waste management area. The trash cans are spread throughout the campus. It is solar-powered, it compacts trash to reduce emptying frequency and truck space. It is wildlife-proof but sometimes scatters trash. The recycling aspect of the trash can is a single-stream system that simplifies sorting. The contamination can lead to disposal.

Our second stop was at FGCU’s Chiller Plant. The chiller plant helps to sustain energy efficiency. The chiller plant functions by using the thermal ice storage to cool buildings, which helps with saving money and resources for the long term. It does lack a true thermostat in some buildings which use conventional cooling. The benefits of the chiller plant it helps reduce costs with off-peak electricity discounts and uses non-toxic water coolant.

The third stop was the campus ponds which are on some parts of the campus. The area in which it helps sustain is the waste management aspect. The campus ponds are man-made ponds for storm water retention and treatment, that protect against flooding and improving water quality. For the wildlife shallow banks create habitats. The connected ponds serve as wildlife corridors.

The fourth stop was Seidler Hall which is one of the green buildings on campus. The building is different compared to the others dude the fact that the LEED Certification for the building is platinum compared to the others on campus. To get to that platinum status the building has to qualify on many factors which consist on focusing on energy efficiency, water conservation, and sustainable materials. The key features in Seidler Hall are the recycled materials, proximity of transportation, energy-saving fixtures, and green housekeeping.

The fifth stop was the Green Landscaping throughout the campus that consists of native plants and nature as a whole. The Green buildings help with the landscaping to adapting to local conditions and help with reducing maintenance and supporting local wildlife. The benefits help attract native insects and animals and enhancing campus habitats and green spaces. This connects to the social sustainability which means if people are happy than the place is happy. Which also connects to the triple bottom line which consist of people, planet, and prosperity. The sustainability factors in FGCU equate to equity, economics, and the environment.

In FGCU nature walk our first stop was the watershed it is an area of land that collects rainwater and directs it to a body of water. The services it provides is flood protection, water purification and aquifer recharge. The second stop was the pine flat woods which are the highest and driest on campus. The dominant plants are the slash pine and cabbage palm. The cabbage palm boots on trunks catches debris and rainwater. The soil is sandy, low in organic matter due to quick water drainage. The third stop was the fire ecology which has adaptations to fires and animals. The fourth stop was the invasive species which consists of three factors which are native vs exotic vs invasive.

The fifth stop in the nature trail was the oak hammock. Some of the characteristics are similar to the pine flat woods in such that both are shadier and moister. The flora and fauna have ferns and epiphytes that is favorable conditions for growth and include resurrection ferns and air plants. Stop six was the cypress swamp which the trees were cypress and the services that area (trees) were flood protection, purification and aquifer recharge. Stop 7 was the cypress dome the water color was brown tint. The high water levels consist of mosquito fish eat larvae and low water levels puddles favor mosquito larvae in which dragonflies help control mosquitoes.

My learning experience during the time in which I stood in the water was unique. The reason for that is because throughout the way there I felt disgusted and didn’t want to be there. Then i eventually gave in let most of my cloth get wet. I started to self reflect on myself due to the silence and peace. Looking above at the trees and beautiful view, i no longer felt disgusted and the water started to feel good. It felt like I was at a pool and if I was alone I feel like I could’ve tried to meditate. This connects with the concept of sense of place because that’s how it relates to my sense of place which is the beach. It felt similar during the peaceful moment. The sense of place in my opinion is what brings similar moments and similar experiences to your normal sense of place area.

As I stood by the tree in the Cypress Dome

The water felt relaxing and peaceful

The look above was bright and beautiful

In that moment it felt like my sense of place.

Overall, I was surprised about the FGCU Sustainability. If it wasn’t for this course or trip I would be clueless on how FGCU as a whole is with its sustainability acts. Thank you.

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Journal 1

FGCU University Colloquium

Hello to whomever is reading this, my name is Lenin Barahona. I am a senior, majoring in communication with a concentration in public relations. What I know about colloquium is that it's all about having conversations. The conversations can consist of many things, but just life in general. I expect to learn a lot about the world itself and how we can have a positive impact on the world in a sustainable way where it is contagious enough to spread from person to person. My group thought this course was about going on field trips, gaining knowledge about each trip, and taking it to where we can teach someone about it and spread positivity. I connect these learning outcomes with myself and my major because I can gain knowledge and spread it someone who doesn't know and also just have conversations where we teach and learn from each other. This connects with my major because we all can learn from each other and spread that positive energy that is contagious to everyone who is in the same field where there's a positive sustainability to raise each other up and not putting one against the other and coming together. My sense of place is the beach so a way I gain knowledge from this course and implement that is by having conversations with others who relate and find ways what I can learn from them and they learn from me then implementing what I learn to then maybe taking that conversation or advice and doing the same thing to try something new out.