Downtown

Downtown typically invokes thoughts of commerce. In Fort Myers, it's one of the oldest continuously colonized areas.

It features some of the most historical areas including roads, buildings, and even plants. It's a walking area where most of the shops, restaurants, activities and parks are within a walk or bike ride.

As things and areas age they often become decrepit and ghetto. Downtown Fort Myers was no exception. It was and is and interesting mix of upscale tourism and slightly slummy neighborhoods. There are homeless people in the parks and drunks meandering home from the bar at 2am. It's a hodgepodge of good and bad.

The good has had a recent resurgence. The county and city have made a concentrated effort to revitalize the area. Adding cultural pieces and increasing tourism while cutting down on vagrants.

During the trip we stopped at the Art of the Olympians museum. There were some great stories and interesting pieces of art.

For me it was telling that the city leased a fantastic space on the river for $1 a year for 20 years. Pretty incredible. 

Climate

Climate: the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity,precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, through out the year, averaged over a series of years.


Climate change has been a topic for years. Initially the reports were of "global warming". Now a more general and probably more accurate term of "climate change" is being bandied about.


You have many people who associate the debate as a political issue. They act like the Miser brothers, red vs blue, republican vs democrat.

The truth is that it isn't really a political issue. I'm not sure if humans are the cause, a contributing factor or if the earth is simply going through its phases of heating and cooling.

What I do know is I don't really care whose fault it is. I think that we should work on coping scenarios instead of doom. 

The portrayal of doom in the media doesn't make me alter my daily activity. The truth is I have yet to be presented with a valid alternative. An alternative that doesn't handicap me economically, fits in with societal norms, and is environmentally sound. Hmmm maybe a "sustainable" alternative. I've heard lots of doom and gloom. I've heard a ton of extreme solutions that aren't reasonable for your average person, but I've seen very few sustainable practices gain the publicity of the climate apocalypse.

Agriculture and Sustainability

Sustainable farming will vary from place to place. What is sustainable for one country, climate, and culture will not be sustainable for others.

There are concerns over health with the use of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in farming. The concerns also stretch to the impacts on other species such as amphibians or avian populations.

5 key elements have been established.

Water Quality and Supply
Depending on the location of the farm it is imperative to plant according to the water available and to protect the supply from chemicals that cause health concerns.

Land Use
Which land is dedicated to agriculture and which to preservation is a large concern. How much is too much on either side?

Energy Consumption vs Production
How much energy is used vs food produced? Is it a renewable source or are we further damaging the environment and not receiving a net return?

Plant and Animal Production Practices
This is a concern on how animals are treated, what they're fed, how they're housed, what exercise they have, ect.


Labor and Socioeconomic Practices
What is the companies/ farms labor practices? Do they offer a living wage? Ideally yes, but sadly the agricultural industry is often plagued with unethical labor practices.

Many of these questions are answered individually and taken care of the niche farming. Niches such as organics or "naturally" labeled food. I don't personally buy organic or go out of my way to buy "naturally" labeled food. I think the most important part of "sustainable" food practices would be purchasing locally grown products.

Food miles stand out to me as a huge issue. Even as such I'm still going to purchase pineapple at the grocery store and enjoy whichever bizarre fruits and vegetables show up on the shelves. I guess you'd call me disconnected from the entire process.

I like the concept of a campus garden. I think FGCU's food forest is a great idea. I'm not sure I'd want to work in it....

For more info check out this website.

EduationalConcerns(for)HungerOrganization

I actually enjoyed the trip to ECHO. I was actually pretty sick this day and when I got home I spent the next 24 hours sleeping (I don't blame the trip).

What stood out most to me was the above sign. "Use what you have to make what you need". I sometimes feel that organizations go in and try to solve societies problems by means that aren't maintainable. 

ECHO seems to respect most cultures and tries to use tools that are appropriate for the countries and cultures involved.

As for the connection to "american agriculture", its like comparing apples to kumquats. The majority of ECHO's practices are to help villages, meanwhile the majority of American agriculture is done by a minority of people. 

There were some interesting examples of roof top gardens, but over all it wouldn't fit with the american system. I don't feel qualified to make a definitive statement that the practices aren't for the "developing world"... they might be based on culture and tradition of societies... all I can say is they don't appear to be for America as it currently stands.

I think the cause is worthwhile and the organization seems well run. A desire to work with them for service learning would be entirely dependent on the capacity. I wouldn't be interested in working in the fields... petting the bunnies and talking to the goats yes, digging in the dirt, not so much.

H20

Water, thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses. -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

Water is an essential part of life. Without it we and other creatures simply die. It's a basic and essential part of living. As such the impending global water shortage is an issue I feel needs immediate address.

100 billion dollars... but complex issues require complex solutions and typically that means alot of money. The difficulties are also far reaching. You can't just by everyone an Evian and solve the water issues...

With water scarcity there are...

• Agricultural problems
• Hygiene and health concerns
• Social/ governmental strife
• ect

http://www.fao.org/nr/water/issues/scarcity.html

Corkscrew Sanctuary

The trip to Corkscrew Swamp preserve happened on a very warm day. I enjoyed the trip mostly when I walked ahead of the group. Something about the atmosphere begged for quiet and I just didn't have the tolerance for large crowds. 


As to be expected I got bitten by a deer fly. If it bites, it usually finds me.

There were some cool moments... an alligator and babies (though you can't really distinguish them. Ugh cell phone cameras).

The two main types of ecosystems present at Corkscrew preserve are pine uplands and cypress preserves. There was a ton of different plant life....


The sanctuary was created to preserve the area for birds. There is a difference between conservation and stewardship. Corkscrew Sanctuary manages to do both. It conserves the land and habitat, but also instills stewardship in those who visit through education.


The preserve now serves to highlight the local habitat and preserve the land for a variety of species.

One of the unique aspects of the Corkscrew is its "living machine". According to the sanctuary website, the living machine is a waste treatment center that "used sunlight, bacteria, green plants, and animals to restore water to pure conditions".

History: The sanctuary was created by the Audubon society. At the time the area was being harvested in mass for its timber. The society purchased the land for a per tree price. While the goal was to create a safe habitat for wading birds and the like, the end result was the perseverance of the human spirit

The society was not one large corporation or an individual donor, it was a group of people with a common purpose that decided to make a difference.

Finding where you belong and how you can help is an essential part of making a difference and finding a place to belong. Hence the term civic engagement.

As for the role of ecology and why it's good... I think you could state "Nature Deficit Disorder" or "Biophobia" as two reasons to not just "build condos"... if you believe that sort of thing.

Personally, I like the way nature looks. I appreciate what it does for humanity and the importance of it to having a future. I just don't like to be submersed in it.

and a walking we will go....

We spent an afternoon walking the campus trail. It wasn't too bad... for some reason it reminded of the song "Waltzing Matilda". The song is Australian and there is little reason for it to remind me, but it does so....

FGCU was built on what many consider endangered habitat. I'm inclined to believe that a lot of its sustainability efforts are a type of penance for the destruction its creation caused. However, you could almost say building anywhere comes with its dangers.

Constructing buildings is a violent process, but a part of how we relate to the world. FGCU does what they can to minimize the impact. Sustainability isn't about zero impact. It's about impacts that allow for a future and with my limited knowledge it seems like we do okay.

The trail was okay until the end. As I was walking to my car, I brushed my arm along my purse. It was at this point that the inspiration for the blogs name occurred. A mutant ant had decided to hitch hike on my purse. It bit me. Not a small, annoying, this will itch kind of a bite. No it made me bleed. Yeah MUTANT ant.

I tweeted about the mutant ant and my followers came up with there own version of spider man, but with ants....