Great changes! - Journal #15 (20)

This class really opened my eyes to a lot of the problems going on in the world today. From global warming to starvation in Africa, I feel I have become much more rounded as a global citizen and am now taking a proactive approach to the climate crisis and conserving food.

The field trips were awesome. My favorite, by far, was the trip to Ding Darling. I liked the fact that it was in an environment I was somewhat familiar with. The papers were all very interesting topics to right on and I enjoyed spending time on them. The discussion posts were good, but a classroom setting would have been much better for connecting with my peers. I plan on developing a recycling program and starting to make an effort to not waste as much food.

I think that a colloquium, such as this, should be required for all students nation-wide. This would inform the next generation and be beneficial to all of us. The next generation is going to unfortunately inherit the problems the current generation is creating. Programs need to be in place to educate the youth of this generation to live sustainably and reverse the devastating damage we have done to our planet.

Overall this class changed my lifestyle. I have a concern for the environment now, whereas before I had little concern for anything involving “conservation”. I am now thinking of opening a environmental consulting company somewhere down the lin. Before this class I was thinking of trying to get into the oil industry. Talk about a drastic change for the better!   

Feeding the impoverished (19)

I really enjoyed the field trip to ECHO for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I was able to meet two other kids from the class and discuss our opinions of the class; secondly I like the it is a Christian organization and all profits made are dispersed worldwide to help those in need.

Unfortunately, the actual field trip it was somewhat miserable. The mosquito population, due to the recent rainstorms, was out of control. In the midst of the constant battle versus the mosquitos, I actually did learn quite a bit and even tried some different types of foods. I really enjoyed seeing there exhibit of “urban farming” or “rooftop agriculture”. It was a simple means of providing food through farming in an area not normally considered farmable.

My next favorite area of the farm was the duck and tilapia pond and the goat house. These were both such simple designs, but had numerous benefits. The ducks were housed above a manmade pond stocked with tilapia, the feces from the ducks would fall through and feed the fish, when the fish grew to the appropriate size they would be eaten. The goat house was a similar concept: the house was elevated to keep the goats and other farms animals out of the gardens, but to still use their waste as fertilizer. Every farming technique designed there was completely sustainable and used around the world by missionaries with ECHO. It was such a neat experience and I would love to do it again out of rainy season.

Conservation in action, protect SWFL! (18)

During my visit to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary I observed a dramatic change seldom seen anywhere else in nature. Walking down the boardwalk from the visitor center I traveled through three different types of environments within one hundred feet of each other: pine flat-woods, wet prairie, and the swamp. Pine flat- woods were created by changing sea levels during glacial times and are now a very important ecosystem in Florida. Pine flat-woods help to make many different products such as: various resins, perfume, soap, gum, and paint thinner. Pine flat-woods are a unique ecosystem because in order to prevent the ecosystem from being overgrown and allow new plants to grow the ecosystem needs to be burned. Fires are also important because they help break down the plants so that they can release their nutrients into the environment. I learned a lot about conservation on the field trip and how every person needs to try to live as sustainable as possible and try to preserve the environment. Florida is growing at a rapid pace and if we keep living the way that we are, our precious state will not be able to support us for much longer. Stewardship is the duty of each person to try to conserve and protect the environment. The Corkscrew Swamp supports this philosophy and tries to instill it upon its many visitors. The role of private non-profit organizations is extremely important because they educate the public on many environmental issues that they might not be aware of. Corkscrew Swamp charges a small fee for visitors to enter the park. These fees go towards many areas such as: maintaining the park, employees, and educational programs. Like-minded people can change the world by informing others about the issues at hand and by doing their best to live a sustainable lifestyle.

The motivation to protect the Cypress Swamp is because it is one of the largest remaining forests of Bald Cypress in the world. The government should fight to protect this forest and in the past there have been soldiers that have protected this land from being destroyed. A soldier was even killed while on duty protecting the forest. Destroying this forest and building condos would be a tragedy and would be terrible for Southwest Florida's ecosystems. There would be hundreds of species of animals and plants that would be killed and never seen again and building on this land would also be a major disruption to the sheet flow of the state.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is also home to an endangered species known as the wood stork. The wood stork went on the endangered species list in 1984 due to habitat destruction and over hunting. Fortunately, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to the largest population of nesting wood storks and makes a very conscious effort to protect and preserve their environment. One of the ways they do this is through a system called the Living Machine. This “machine” is actually a combination of small plants, animals, and bacteria that feed on biproducts of human waste. As the waste travels from one area of the machine to the other, each specifically chosen organism removes some form of harmful substances. By the end of the machine, 90% of the water is reused to operate the bathrooms. A separate tank is used for the drinking water thankfully!

Something else of interest:

                                          

Calusa Nature Center - Journal #14 (17)

I chose to do my service learning at Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium off of Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers. It was recommended to me by a couple of close friends who described it as “something fun, yet educational.” I of course was doubtful so I decided to check it out. They were right. On my first day there I mainly took on a student role and learned about the different animals they had and how to feed them and clean their cages. We started off cleaning Tails’ cage who is a brown fox that is suffering from random seizures. We couldn’t stay in the cage long because the veterinarian was examining Tails and he was getting a little aggressive.  Unfortunately I don’t remember any of the other animal’s names. After cleaning the Tails’ enclosure, we went and starting working with the raccoons, who were also in a fairly aggressive mood. We continued in a similar manner until every animal living at Calusa Nature Center had clean food, water, and a clean place to sleep.

The coolest thing to me was seeing kids who are much younger than I am, volunteering at Calusa Nature Center and truly enjoying themselves. These aforementioned kids were also very quick to put me in my place whenever I messed something up (which was quite often). The two days I worked at Calusa Nature Center were truly enjoyable. They have all sorts of different kinds of animals, from butterflies to alligators. The only thing I wish I could’ve seen was the seven foot alligator being fed. I guess that just means I’ll have to go back for the rest of my 80+ hours!  

The scavenger hunt! (16)

Today was probably the worst day to have gone up to downtown Fort Myers for my field trip. It was overcast and rainy and no parking was available because everybody was getting ready for the Fourth of July! Other than the battle for parking toward the beginning of the trip, I had a great time! I went with my girlfriend for moral support and what was supposed to be a two and a half hour field trip turned into a six hour shopping day! But it was good to go into all the art galleries and the old buildings, I was surprised at how good some of the art in the galleries were. I especially like a couple of the paintings in Howl Gallery, I never really considered myself someone who would be interested in art, but actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the things that kind of disappointed me was that the chamber of commerce was closed. I was really hoping to learn more about the history of Fort Myers other than what we found out during the scavenger hunt. Centennial park was also pretty neat, the statue of Edison, Ford, and Firestone was awesome, three of America’s greatest inventors all sitting around a campfire just having a good time. The atmosphere of the downtown was awesome, lots of little cafes and shops, a couple bars, just a relaxing, fun place to go. I definitely plan on going back sometime in the near future, not to do a scavenger hunt, but to go for pure enjoyment.

Untold stories (15)

The two untold stories clips were really interesting. As a native Floridian myself I am pleasantly surprised at the historic value Fort Myers holds. When I was growing up, I heard all about the Edison and Ford estates and even went on field trips to see them, but I never really understood the importance those two men had to Southwest Florida.

I didn’t know that Fort Myers used to be named Fort Harvey and was named after a man with the last name of Myers who was in love with a Generals daughter. Also, I had no idea that Fort Myers was actually a function fort until after World War II and was home to the United States Colored troops.

There have been some terrific people that have resided in this area. Fort Myers is a tourist destination, not only for the Edison and Ford estates, but also for the Barbara B. Mann performing arts studio. I have never really been one to enjoy theater, but I have so much respect for Barbara B. Mann’s dedication to her passion. It is almost unheard of to have a building that sizeable named after a living person.

I am really looking forward to going on the field trip to downtown Fort Myers. I’m excited to see the culture and history that is preserved there. This is going to be my second field trip and I have a feeling it may be favorite of the four. As long as the scavenger hunt isn’t too difficult, it should be a great day!

Nah, that's not on my agenda - Journal #13 (14)

I was excited at first to read Endgame. I thought it was going to be about the intricate features of the diverse ecosystems in the Everglades. I have always been fascinated by the humongous swamp ever since I was a young boy growing up in Venice. Unfortunately I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that the twenty five page reading was ALL ABOUT POLITICS! I thought we had struggled through that portion of this class in the previous unit. It was somewhat interesting to see how the results of the Bush v. Gore presidential race were tied to a political and environmental battle over an airport. Other than that interesting piece of information that I will most likely never again need to know, I wasn’t fond of the reading.

I am glad that the bill was finally passed and that action is being taken to protect one of our last truly pure and beautiful areas in the country. As long as this current trend continues and the promises that have been made by policymakers and lobbyists are being kept, I believe the Everglades have a fighting chance for survival. There needs to be a balance between natural preservation and the consumption demanded by humans as a means of survival. This shows that politicians do have the means, even if it is still done to benefit themselves, to make polices and changes that are beneficial to the environment and the people who cherish it most. My hope is that the trend for environmental conservation continues into the future and our world continues to exist as it does today.

A path to biophilia - Journal #12 (13)

In his excerpt in the University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future David W. Orr talks about two things biophobia and biophilia. Biophobia is the fear of nature. Biophobiacs spend there days indoor and usually reside in big “concrete jungles” such as New York City or Los Angeles. Biophilia is the love of all things living, including nature, plants, and animals. Orr talks about our society’s recent move from biophilia to biophobia as we continue to try and dominate our surroundings. Orr goes on to talk about the downfall of our society if we do not begin to develop our sense of biophilia once again. He proposes five things that need to be done in order to each this. First he discusses the necessity of “the recovery of childhood” and how in order to achieve this we need to allow our children to be children, allot more time during school hours for contact with nature, and allow children to play in natural areas that have been preserved and protected. Secondly, Orr tells us we need to develop a positive sense of place and love the places around us. He suggests more “family farms, rural villages, communities, and urban neighborhoods” that will rebuild our ties with nature. His third proposal once again touches on our children and urges us to change the education system to teach more about living sustainably and less on competing in the global “rat race.” David Orr says, in his fourth point, “The biophilia revolution would be incomplete without our creating a new relationship with animals.” His fifth proposal talks about the economics behind the biophilia revolution. Orr believes in an environment that limits human enterprise relative to the biosphere. David W. Orr in his excerpt is essentially encouraging we take a step backwards and begin living much like they did in the stone ages, no economy, no roads, no skyscrapers.

Incentives, Incentives, Incentives - Journal #11 (12)

In the excerpt from A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, Aldo talks about the possible future environment if we do not develop a “land ethic.” I agree that certain things have been done that have negatively affected the land we live on, but disagree with some of his points. He spoke briefly on living in harmony with the land and not living off of the land. I believe that plants and animals were put on the planet to be used by us to live comfortable lives. I am not saying that we do not have a responsibility to conserve the “biota” but I don’t think we should have to tippy toe around to avoid stepping on small insects or weeds coming up through the sidewalks.

Why should a farmer who makes a living for his family by raising crops and cattle perform “unprofitable acts for the good for the community”? If he is put forth his time, effort, and resources he absolutely should be compensated. Nobody asks restaurant owner to open up his business, his means of survival, to provide for the community without compensation. There is a difference between arguing for more sustainable practices and complaining because a land owner is doing what is most profitable for him. Incentives are what drive the economies of the world today. If you want something done about over farming, erosion, pollution, or any other type of environmental issue, then make it worthwhile for people to change their current habits and live more sustainably.

Editing the truth - Journal #10 (11)

The 60 minutes video was really interesting and again shows why politicians cannot be trusted. In the video a NASA scientist named James Hansen, one of the world’s leading researchers on global climate change, is being interviewed. He spends the majority of his time talking about how our politicians are going out of their way to cover up the accelerating global warming. His research shows that both the melting in the arctic and Antarctic has increased and is accelerating as we continue to burn fossil fuels that pump out greenhouse gases. He says we have a maximum of ten years until we reach the tipping point, a point at which irrevocable damage will be done and global warming becomes unstoppable. As Hansen began trying to alert the public, the White House began censoring all climate related research. The White House acknowledges that climate change is happening, but will not allow the full extent of the damage done to be exposed to the public. After being hushed by the White House Hansen made a public announcement criticizing the Bush administration, since his public criticism, NASA has been keeping an eye on Hansen and hardly allowing him to speak on the subject. The main villain behind the censorship of global warming is Phil Coonet, the man responsible for editing all documents sent to congress. On all of the edited documents concerning the accelerating global warming handwritten notes, such as “there is too much uncertainty on the subject” or “further research is required” would be added in and the facts erased from the bill.

Global Dimming vs. Global Warming - An atmospheric tug of war - Journal #9 (10)

After 9/11 the entire U.S. air fleet was grounded for three days. During those three days the weather across the U.S. was unusually clear and sunny. This was caused by a lack of vapor trails usually left by airplanes. These vapor trails affect the temperature around the globe significantly. Usually the temperature range (the change from the highest recorded temperature to the lowest recorded temperature in a 24 hour period) is somewhat consistent. During the three days following 9/11 the change in temperature range was just over one degree Celsius, a dramatic change from a climate perspective. This is the first example of Global Dimming.

The second example given is based in Israel. In the 1980’s a British scientists used light meters to collect sunlight to determine the amount of water needed to successfully grow crops,  twenty years later the tests were updated and showed a staggering 22% drop in solar energy over the 20 year period. Unfortunately these findings were ignored by the scientific community. After looking more in depth at the numbers, it was determined from the 1950s to the early 1990s there was a 9% decrease in sunlight in the Antarctic, a 10% decline in areas of the U.S., a  30% decline in regions of Russia, and a 16% decrease in parts of the British isles. Evidence once again pointed to Global Dimming and was once again ignored.

Further evidence, dating back more than 100 years, was evident in the declining Pan Evaporation Rate.  

One of the keys to Global Dimming is the amount of pollution in the air. If there is a layer of pollution three km thick, it will cut down sunlight more than 10! This pollution will turn the clouds into giant mirrors and reflect more sunlight than normal back into space. These reflective clouds could alter the pattern of the world’s rainfall

As we continue to strive to clean the earth’s atmosphere, we are creating a tug of war between the cooling gases and the warming gases. If we remove too many cooling gases, while continuing to pump ridiculous amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, we will create the most devastating situation for our World.

Politicians sit and watch the world burn - Journal #8 (9)

Wow. This was by far one of the most frustrating articles I have ever had to read. The title “As the world burns” is perfect the perfect title for this piece and goes to show that politics will negotiate, lie, cheat, and steal to get their way, even as the world burns. I am appalled by the lack of concern that the white House has for this issue and the lack of action they have taken to combat it. It is disheartening to see such a diverse group of men and women try so hard to make a necessary change for the health of the environment and fail so miserably. This is the reason I can’t stand politics, politicians, policymakers, or anything of the like.  

It is a known fact that global warming is one of the fastest growing threats to our world and that almost nothing is being done about it. The few who are attempting to initiate change are quickly being hushed, bought, blackmailed, or threatened. Before we know it the world will be overpopulated, there will not be enough food to feed us, let alone sustain us, and species will be lack diversification to the extent that our remaining food sources will be taken to the point of extinction by disease.

We need to elect strong, intelligent politicians who are willing to stand up for the environment and bring our planet’s resources back to a sustainable level. Although you and I both know this will most likely not be the case, we can hope.

Reviving Ecosystems: One Predator at a time! - Journal #2 (2)

After watching the National Geographic Strange Days on Planet Earth I am in somewhat of a state of awe. Before watching these two movies, I had known that predators were crucial to the prosperity of ecosystems, but I had no idea the extensive role they played. The impact of human expansion on ecosystems is often much more destructive than anyone could ever imagine. As with everything else in life, moderation is the key.

Each ecosystem is a delicate balance of predators and prey. It was mind blowing to see the contrast between Guri before the flood and Lake Guri shortly after. The flood following the damming of the Caroni River drove the majority of the large predators normally occupying the valley to higher ground. As the waters continued to rise, species such as the iguana and the howler monkey found refugee on the small island now surrounded by Lake Guri. Without the predatory animals to keep the species ecosystem in balance, the island became over populated creating a scarcity of food.

In the 1930s, wolves across the United States were hunted to near extinction. These top predators not only created a meal for an array of different species, but also allowed the vegetation in the surrounding areas to flourish. Without the wolves to maintain the amount of Elk in Yellowstone, the willows and aspen trees were overgrazed and nearly destroyed. Although wolves can be a nuisance to farmers and ranchers, they are crucial to the success of ecosystems like that of Yellowstone National Park.

One of the most shocking things this video showed me was the connection between the seafood consumed in 1^st world countries, such as Europe, and the destruction of plains predators in 3^rd world countries. There is so much that is effected by overfishing or overhunting that is nearly impossible to account for all of the damage, but with increasing technology and research efforts, we may be able to salvage our planet from its downward spiral!

Ding Darling (8)

I just got home from Ding Darling and I had a blast. The tram tour was educational, relaxing, and surprisingly quite fun. My tour guide was Lewis Irvine from Tarpon Bay Explorers and was very knowledgeable. One of the first things we talked about was how quickly the habitats can change in areas like this. Within two-hundred feet of the start of the tram tour we passed through three different habitats: Pine Flatwoods, Salt Marsh, and finally into the estuary where the majority of the tour took place. After the changing environment, we learned that the road we were on was actually called a spoil road and was created using the mud and dirt taken from the man-made “barrow ditches” on either side of the road. After the man-made road, the only other man made thing we saw on the preserves were designed to control mosquito populations (shown below). These were developed to control the amount of water in the shallow parts of the estuaries and keep the flats flooded at all times, which in turn would destroy the mosquitos breeding habitat.

I grew up here in Southwest Florida so I knew or had seen most of the different plants and birds we saw/talked about on the tour. We saw everything from Red, White and Black mangroves to Sable palms and Spanish Bayonets (Spanish Bayonet shown below).

My favorite part of the tour was seeing the young osprey cleaning has talons after eating a fish. I have seen many osprey growing up, but I had never seen one dip down barely above the water and clean his talons before returning to his spot in the trees. It was interesting to see and what made the trip for me was seeing another osprey sitting on the bridge leaving Sanibel, I drove right past him and had never been so close to one in my life.

The inside at Ding Darling was pretty neat too. They had different habitats set up and information about the animals in each. I personally liked the kids cartoon contest and all of Ding’s cartoons they had displayed.

Cognitive Dissonance - Journal #7 (7)

The entire time I was reading about the cognitive dissonance theory I could not help thinking about the environmentally destructive behavior people have developed in the past century and the recent research claiming their behavior is wrong. This must have aroused an extreme amount of dissonance in most people who have been living in environmentally destructive ways. While it is evident that change has started to come about and there is definitely pressure to continue this movement towards a sustainable world, I wonder what kind of cognitive changes people have been making to cope with their past behavior. Are they discrediting the evidence as false? Are they claiming to enjoy destroying the environment that has given them so much? These questions and many more will have to be answered by the numerous numbers of people who are beginning to feel dissonance as we continue to move down the path toward sustainability.

Hopefully as more and more people begin to feel cognitive dissonance about their past behavior they will attempt to eliminate their destructive behavior, but as with smoking and weight loss, this may not be possible. We can only hope for that those who try and succeed outweigh the number of those who try and fail. If that does not turn out to be the case, we will find ourselves in a world full of excuses and justification. This world will not only lack beauty, resources, and other things that contribute to our current quality of life, but will eventually cease to exist.   

The Dangerous Saharan Dust - Journal #6 (6)

The video by National Geographic Strange Days: The one Degree Factor was quite intriguing. It blew my mind to see all the interconnecting of phenomena’s happening around caused by an increase in CO2. It is going to be both interesting and frightening to see the effects of future global change on our planet. After all, we are experiencing faster global change than any other human beings have witnessed.

It is crazy to think that global temperature can have such a negative effect on an animal as large as a caribou. In the bad periods that happen sporadically, longer insect breeding seasons have caused the mosquito population to grow much larger than normal, driving the caribou to poor grazing grounds. It causes increased precipitation which increases snowfall in the winters making it much more difficult for the caribou to graze in the winters as well. Spring blizzards throw off migration patterns and make it much harder for the caribou young which are often birthed during the migration.  

Another troubling occurrence happening due to the warming global temperature is a decrease in the population of zoë plankton and species found in the tidal pools of the pacific. The population has been rising and falling due to the changing of changing water temperatures. If the water temperature continues to rise many of the species in the Pacific Ocean will either migrate or die.

The most interesting parts of the movie was the connection between a drought in Nigeria and an increased number of children with asthma and a startling numbers of coral reef destruction. They believe that the North Atlantic Oscillation has been stuck on an intense cycle for almost 30 years and has been sending increasing amounts of Saharan dust over to the Americas. This dust contains pathogens, malogens, and a fungus called Aspirigilis, a sea fungus known to cause sea fan disease.

Farms and Fragility - Journal #5 (5)

I really enjoyed the perspective Jared Diamond has on why different societies, both past and present, have succeeded or failed. He begins the book by telling a story of two farms, which in my opinion is always a good start, with pretty much identical strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the story he reveals that the two farms are from separate time periods and then analyses why one has succeeded and the other failed.

After the story, analysis, and in my opinion some rambling that had me on the verge of sleep, he arrives at his next interesting point: a five point framework made up of possible factors contributing to an environmental collapse. This was a nice change from the environmentalists views expressed in the other movies and readings we have done thus far. The five points are environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, friendly trade partners, and a society’s response to environmental problems. The most significant of the five points is how a society responds to environmental problems.

The first point refers to human’s effect on the environment. This is determined in part by the damage done to the environment, the fragility, and the resilience. Secondly, Diamond describes climate change, not only as global warming caused by human beings, but as the change in climates as they become hotter, colder, wetter, or drier and the variability involved due to natural forces. He then goes on to talk about relationships with neighboring civilizations and how possible environmental changes can affect these relationships. For instance, if your allies become weakened by an environmental change that decreases the amount of support they can provide you, you could also become weakened. Lastly, he talks about the way different societies respond to environmental problems and relates back to the beginning story with the two farms.   

Recollections of Jane Goodall - Journal #4 (4)

Jane Goodall’s excerpt was a very uplifting and encouraging thing to read, especially after the previous excerpt by Shiva which focused more on the damage we are doing than the recovery efforts being made. Jane believes there is hope for the future of our planet based off of four different reasons. They are the extraordinary intellect of humans, the resilience of nature, the energy and commitment of informed young people who are empowered to act, and the indomitable human spirit. She then begins recalling many of the environmental rehabilitation success stories she has witnessed throughout her career. These stories range from the reviving of an old quarry to the cleansing of the Hudson river and are all extremely uplifting.   

My favorite passage was Jane Goodall’s recollection of the efforts taken, not only protect the Gombe chimpanzee, but to better the lives of countless people living near the chimpanzees. By creating programs to help people living in these desolate areas near endangered species, we can not only better the lives of our fellow human beings, but protect and conserve our planet for future generations. Reading about Goodall’s experiences in Gombe is not only encouraging, it is heartwarming.

After reading many of the short stories about the recovery of desolate landscapes I am beginning to have hope for the future of our planet. Just because we have made mistakes in the past, does not mean our actions today do not adversely affect our home. We need to continue searching for ways to minimize pollution, to conserve and protect our endangered ecosystems, and just live an all-around sustainable lifestyle.

Biodiversity and sustainablity - Journal #3 (3)

Vandana Shiva begins her excerpt by describing bio diversity as “the rich diversity of life” and goes into much detail about the extent to which modernization is destroying the biodiversity of life. She has statistics on how many different species are going extinct every year, the lack of diversity of species found in supermarkets, and array of others. Her view of conservation differs from most. She believes in taking a bottom-up approach to conservation, not trying to protect the species most similar to us, but by protecting the microbes and small organisms that are the basis of life. She then moves from conservation of life of small organisms to conservation of the livelihood of third world countries. Much like in the National Geographic movie Strange Days on Planet Earth she talks about how international commercial fishing is creating a food shortage in fishing villages around the world.    

Shiva believes there are two primary reasons for the rapid destruction of biodiversity in third world countries. The first is the idea of an “empty earth” which needs to be taken over and colonized. The seconded comes from what Shiva refers to as the, “monoculture of the mind.” She describes this as the idea that the world should be uniform and one dimensional.

I agree with Shiva in her concept of beginning to conserve the smaller organisms in the world, but also think we need to continue to protect larger species as well. I think that we as humans have a desire to live comfortably and making money is a means of living your desired lifestyle. However I believe everyone should find a happy medium between living comfortably and sustainably.

A Negative Sense of Place - Journal #1 (1)

Sense of place, to me, is how a certain place makes you feel. This feeling is often created by a combination of two things: the physical features of a place and personal experiences involving that place.

As I am typing this journal, I am sitting in my room, at my desk, staring at the computer screen. In my three years of college I have developed a somewhat negative “sense of place” for the area around me. On numerous occasions I have missed a surf trip, a beach day, or a day on the boat because I have had to sit at my desk and study. I understand that 99 percent of the time studying will benefit me far more than any of the activities I could be doing, but there is something to be said for the firsthand knowledge that can be gained in the out-of-doors. In certain areas of study I have learned an exponentially greater amount by spending time outside, doing the things I love, than I will ever be able to learn in a book. I have learned the physics of casting a lure precisely where I want it to go, not by an exponential equation, but by spending hours perfecting my cast. I have learned when the waves will be good and when they won’t, not by reading a book on oceanography, but by seeing the surf build first hand and the weather patterns that cause the change in the swell. All of these things can be learned in books and classrooms, but the majority are impossible to implement without firsthand experience.

The learning that that takes place outside of my room, away from my desk, is what causes me to have such a negative sense of place whenever I am in my room, studying at my desk.