Final Impressions

This has been one of the busiest semesters of my life. I had so much to do this semester that some of my classes ended up taking the back seat, and not get as much attention as I would want to put in. This Colloquium class, unfortunately, was one of those classes. The class was not exactly what I expected, all the writings I had to do for this class could have made me not even pay attention to the materials being taught. If you have a full time job, and are a full time student, then this class is not one you should throw in your busy schedule. Regardless of how I feel about writing essays, I truly believe the contents of the class were very educative and useful. If I were to change anything, it would probably be the materials, some of them were extremely boring, and definitely not something you would want to do if you are just sitting in your living room on a Saturday morning. The group projects were not too intersting, I did them because I had to. I would definitely keep the field trips, I think they are great opportunities for the students to bond with each other. I would reduce the quantity of the writing assignments that students have to do. People, by nature, hate writing assignments; I would replace them with more in-class assignments. I liked part of the University Colloquium Reader, and A Land Remembered. The State of The World was definitely a waste of my money, I bought the book just for a couple of chapters; since I was not really interested in what the presentstions given by the other students. The meal that we had in class was a wonderful idea, it kind of gave us an idea of what other students eat.

Affluenza

I scored a 19 on the quiz, I am very well aware of my needs, I don't think I have much that I need right now. I would be extremely satisfied with the minimum if that is what I can get. However, if I see the opportunity to get more than what I need, I am more likely to take advantage of the situation and go ahead and get it. I tested positive with all the symptoms of Affluenza. I remember watching the movie and saying, "man are we wasteful!" At the time, I saw it as the group, the entire country, now that I have my own results, I kind of feel different, If I need to make a difference, I could do it, but it would be my choice, and a small portion of the population. I go clubbing at least twice a week, and I eat out at least 4 times a week. Selling my TV, that would be too much, I admit we do spend a lot of time in front of that little black box, but I don't think it is the problem. Television could be very useful in providing informations to the public...Good Luck with convincing any other people to sell their T.V's. Free home supplies. like paper towels, how can I get my hands on some? I definitely could use some of that.

Spirituality, Religion and Sustainability

I recently learned that spirituality has nothing to do with whether or not we believe in God, or have any other religious view in the world. It is about being at peace with yourself. And, after watching the movie "Renewal," I was truly impressed by how much they really care about the earth; no other group has more power over the community than religious groups. The solar power used by the church to generate energy was a great move, and I know they are expensive but we all know that they will pay off for themselves in the long run, besides the government take care of a good portion of the cost. Now, the camp was my favorite part of the movie; they know that if they start early with the children they could really get them to understand that their place in the world is special. They really have a great opportunity to avoid making the same mistakes that their parents made. The way religion and spirituality relate to protecting the environment is that if religion is responsible for the creation of the world, it is their responsibility to protect it. We could all believe that the world is intertwined and protecting nature is our responsibility.

Sense of Place Interview

I interviewed one of my neighbors, she is 78 years old, she has absolutely no interest in sustainability. I sat down with her and explained to her what China and India's situation was, and she told me that long story about how she grew up on a farm, where the only thing they had to worry about was whether or not it would be a dry or wet season, whether or not the locusts will be back to eat all the crops again. The fact that we had different upbringing kind of explains her point of view. Our generation does not even care about where the food comes from, as long as it is obtainable, they are okay with the situation. She told me that they had a say in what they eat everyday, she said that she feels that if she had to think of it, we are moving backwards compare to when she was young. She came over to my house, and I showed her my recycle bins and everything else that I was doing to be more sustainable, and she thought it was hard work. I explained to her that most of the decisions I have made are based on the knowledge that I acquired from my Colloquium class. You know what she said? She said, "Well, keep learning son, you have a long way to go if you are to make a difference in this world." I told her that I had every intention to help make the world a better place.

Canoe Trip

Not bad for the second time that I actually went canoeing! I guess I'm a fast learner. The mangrove estuary was something that as Floridians, we should be very proud to have. The entire time I was looking for something out of the ordinary to happen, an intruder, but nothing happened. LOL. I really took the trip seriously, the whole time I tried to stay as close as I could so I would not miss any part of the lecture. I think we really took time to bond with each other, it really gave us a sense of place, a sense of belonging. The fact that the mangroves help protect coastal areas is very important to the land. They prevent the area from floods, and also provide great habitats for fish and other animals. The estuary constitutes a great asset to the area.

State of the World Impressions

The first issue that made an impact on my was the situation in China. In our in-class discussions we discussed the issue of the country coming into power using coal powered factories, I think the reason why the issue hit home so much for us is because we, the USA, have been there before, that was what we had to do to before we became a super power. Now, that they are doing it, so many are criticizing them. But, I am not the type of person who is concerned with power. I see the earth as my home, and any one who does not respect it. This notion of survival of the fittest has to be eliminated from our minds. A few weeks ago, one of the customers from my job told me about her journey to China, she was telling me about how she was inside of her room, and she could barely see outside her window. Addressing the issue right away seems like a smart decision. For example, Germany is among some of the countries that are very sustainable and still working on improving their level of sustainability. Another issue was electric vehicles, we all know that it is feasible and the technology already exists, the issue now is how long will it take us to actually go forward with it. Another issue that really hit home was India starts to take on climate change. Again, what we have here is a developing country trying to come out of their bad situations, their ethics and common sense may suggest that they go the other way, but when you have the second most populated country in the world, sometimes you make sacrifices. In this case, they are helping themselves; after all we can't blame them since we are living in a survival-of-the-fittest world.

The Earth Charter

I had to read this twice before I could really make an accurate assessment of the charter. At first I thought that it was totally unrealistic to even think of some of the solutions they proposed to the issues at hand. Issues like world peace, hunger, poverty are some broad subjects. The second time I read the charter, some of my childhood memories came rushing to my mind. I don't want to bore you, what the heck! When I was younger in Haiti, I remember there was a coup d'etat against the president; and the United Nations came in to restitute peace in the country. Flying helicopters hovering in the sky, army trucks, and soldiers populated the city of Port-au-Prince. We had hopes that if anyone could save the country from turning into a place from Hell, it would be the United Nations. Years later, I was in my classes telling my classmates that they were not doing anything to help the country. But now, after reading the charter, I understand that maybe we are not supposed to worry about how realistic the charter is; maybe we are only supposed to have something to remind us of how good we could have it. You know that old saying: "Aim for the stars, if you miss, you might land on the moon." The field trip that we took to Corkscrew Sanctuary is a great example of the first principle, 'Respect and care for the community of life.' That trip gave me a whole new understanding and apprciation for earth and life. The second principle "Ecological Integrity," The article Ecological Literacy, by David Orr, really gave me a good sense of what it would take to get to the point where I would know what to do to be sustainable, I have to read, and involve myself in the ecological events organized within the community. The charter is indeed a little too unrealistic, but the idea is to have something there to look at and remember what we are aiming for.

My Trip Downtown Fort Myers

The trip downtown Fort Myers was very instructive, and fun. The ride down McGregor Boulevard, we saw Edison’s vacation home. I learned so much, like the prehistoric beasts that populated the area before mankind, those were some huge beasts, the sea monsters were among some of the most fascinating animals I have ever seen. I never knew there were so many palm trees in the world, saw palmetto, queen palm tree, Mexican fan palm, needle palm, sebal palm, just to name a few. I definitely enjoyed the indoor tour of the museum, it was a great insight on the different people that populated the area over the years, from the Caloosa Indians to the Spanish conquerors. I am proud to say that I know who the town of Fort Myers is named after, Abraham Charles Myers. I have to admit that big history poster we saw outside did a really good job of telling the story of the town. That poster had everything in it, from the Indians, to the Spanish, the African slaves, the cowboys, etc. Back outside, those buildings were amazing, I used to be obsessed with architecture when I was younger. And, seeing those antique buildings really brought me back to those days, the old bank was among some of my favorites. I enjoyed the walk outside, because it was new to me; I have lived in Naples for almost 10 years, and I have never visited downtown Fort Myers. All those projects that they have planned for the area will definitely bring in more visitors, not that they need any help; the town is gorgeous the way it is. If I were to redesign the town, I would probably include more athletic activities to attract more of the young crowd. The town seemed kind of dead, I would try to revive it by organizing events that would attract people from the community and encourage them to participate in preserving the identity and beauty of the town. The pier is one of the most empty parts of the town, there were hardly any people there, that is another area that could be improved to bring community awareness around the town. And, to conclude, the last thing that we saw was the displays of the three great men that made Fort Myers their homes, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone. The display had all kind of animals in it, manatees, dolphins, frogs, turtles, etc. It was a great way to show their plans of preserving the town and the lives in it.