Journal 20

Overall thoughts of class…

A lot of people complain about having to take Colloquium here at FGCU but I honestly feel that this is what makes our school different. In part, yes we did build on land we shouldn’t have so there is a conscience effort to promote sustainability, however I really feel that as a whole this campus does their part. Everyone from faculty and staff to its students. We all are aware of this eco-friendly campus and I feel that whether the students realize it or not, they have somehow changed their ways and become more environmentally conscience then they realize. I find myself buying reusable bags at publix, carpooling, using less electricity, and buying as much organic as possible, without even thinking about it. Overall this class has been enjoyable, t saying that I’m not happy it’s over because graduating is a little more enjoyable! However I am glad I took this class and I am proud to be a graduate from FGCU.

Journal 19

Final Group Projects

Overall I found the last class an awesome class. Everyone did a great job on their presentations. I especially liked the group with bingo, I never would have thought to incorporate something like that! I also found each groups different presentations interesting and informative. The one about meat and how the animals are treated was eye opening. I find it confusing however that our government would allow this to go on, not only is it horrible for the animals but the way they are treated and grown doesn’t seem like it could produce quality healthy food for its consumers. I also liked the presentation of the service learning places. I didn’t know some of the places that the students talked about existed. I was proud of all the groups and excited that I was able to learn as much as I did in class.

Journal 18

Pelican Bay Naples, FL

I am a regular visitor to Pelican Bay in Naples Florida. I love to visit their beaches because to get to the beach you must walk or take a golf cart trolley on a boardwalk throughout mangroves. It is a relaxing and beautiful experience. On the way through the mangroves I often see alligators, roseate spoonbills, egrets, and herons. The three local mangroves also reside there, black, white, and red. I also see sea grapes when you get closer to the beach area. The area is nicely keep with zero littering and it just makes you feel like you are in another world. However because of construction and over population you can quickly remember where you are when heading back to the mainland.

Journal 17

Trip to Naples Zoo

I am a nanny for a seven year old little girl. She recently had spring break and I took her to the Naples Zoo. I was excited on our way there but was highly disappointed when we got there and started to look around. I know that Naples is not a huge city like Orlando or Tampa and therefore their zoo would not be as big, however the living conditions of these animals upset me greatly. The large animals such as the Lions, Tigers, and Bears were in such small areas. When we went to see the Tigers one poor Tiger was pacing back and forth in his small area probably because he was restless and wanted to be able to be free and run. I just felt bad for these animals and thought that there must be some type of rule they have to have a certain amount of room for these animals. Overall the zoo is a fun experience especially with a seven year old girl, however I couldn’t help but feel sad as well.

Journal 16

State of the World Presentation:

My group had Sustainability and Media.

            Billboards, Facebook Ads, Television and Radio Commercials, Magazine Ads and more. These are just a few aspects of media that we see every day. Media has become such a norm in society due to all the advances in technology we have today. Not only can media be used for consumerism, today media is being used to help promote sustainability. Due to the rise in media because of rapidly growing developments in technology media has skyrocketed. People now spend much of their time interacting with media. Now people have the ability to create everything from their own programming, music, art, news, etc and then distribute them even further then email by using YouTube, Facebook, and more (Assadourian, Starke, Mastny 2010). Now the term “word of mouth” should really be “word of social media/technology”.  The more that people use these aspects of media to change the mindset of consumerism and focus more on sustainability the more of a chance we have to change the world and the destruction that the human race has created.

Journal 15

Downtown Fort Myers Field Trip:

During our Downtown Fort Myers field trip I was in the Media group. We got to go to local restaurants and bars and speak to the people that work there. We found that they were happy with how the media portrays Downtown and that their business is steady even with the condition our economy is in. While walking around however you notice many empty and vacant buildings and stores. It makes you feel overall that the place is maybe not the “best area” or even “safe” when you see buildings like that, that still need a little clean up and construction. Overall there is a steady theme throughout of keeper Downtown as historical as possible. From the quaint buildings, shops, and restaurants to the hand laid paver bricks on the streets you feel as though history is preserved there and I can only imagine what will come of Downtown when and if the economy begins to boom again.

Journal 14

An Inconvenient Truth: Al Gore

This movie was depressing to say the least. I understand the need to connect to an audience emotionally to grab their attention long enough to get your point across but I feel this film dragged on. Gore kept repeated statistics and facts about global warming and the problems we will inevitably face if we do not do anything to stop or prevent it. It is all understandable and truly tragic, however I feel it was to drawn out. You can hit the audience with a few hard and emotional facts and be done. One thing I also noticed was that he talked forever about the problems yet never once told the audience what they can do to help make a difference. If I’m getting depressed about what is happening to the world I want to know how I can help and what I can do to make a difference. You need to educate your audience in all aspects so that we can make a difference. Overall I just feel the video could have been improved quite a bit.