What are your final Impressions of Colloquium? What changes would you make to the course? What assignments would you keep or discard? What readings did you like or dislike and why? What suggestions for activities or field trips do you have?

Colloquim. Although it was fun, I found it rather pointless. I am not a nature person. I am no interested in it at all. My major has nothing to do with it. What changes would I make? I would make all the field trips to indoor places like Chuck E Cheeses or Cicis pizza. I would make the course not a requirement for all students. I disliked all the readings because they were all depressing and made me want to slit my wrists. The course needs a bright side to it. I always come out of class crying over how we are all screwed. We need more material on how we ARE being sustainable.

Experiences, Questions, Considerations, Observations, etc. This entry allows you to choose what you want to write about or sketch. The only requirement is that it must pertain to the natural world. You can do another entry similar to any of those described above, you can tell me about an experience, you can create a picture, poem, song, or story, and the list goes on. Maybe interview a family member or friend and get their perspective on sustainability, expand on some other ideas. Be creative and express yourself in a way that is meaningful to you.

Now it is nearing the end of class and i am left with one question - what is sense of place? I still do not understand it. I mean I understand, but what is the importance of it? What is the importance of this class? Is it only required in order for FGCU to have a squaky clean image as it bulldozes over various habitats of native species? I am not interested in this at all and this class could have been replaced by a course from my major.

23

The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century. You will be assigned to read this document and participate in an in-class discussion pertaining to how it relates to all that we’ve been learning. After the reading and in-class discussion, I would like you to reflect on your personal thoughts about the document and what it implies for those of us living in the United States. What connections do you recognize between the ideas being proposed in The Earth Charter and what we have learned in this class? Include details about what you’re relating such as specific readings, specific activities, field experiences, specific discussions, etc. Is the earth charter realistic? For individuals? Communities? Cities? Nations?

I think that this article is vital for us to incorporate into our national agenda. It says that the united states must make drastic measures to go green. The idea of preserving the land around you and saving the earth are alike in the earth charter and colliquiem.It says that the united states must make drastic measures to go green. The earth charter is hopeful but not realisic for our nation. It will be realisitc on an individual and community scale, but we can never achieve any bigger goals.

22

Reflect on the movie “Renewal” that we watched in class. What impressed you about these religious groups? How does religion and spirituality relate to protecting the environment for us and future generations? How do your personal beliefs relate? How can religion and spirituality help us connect with nature?



These religious groups are hypocrites. They are all over this green conservationist movement now that it has been thrown into the limelight. The only reason that they are doing it is to gain members and further the income of the church. But, uh, I guess it excites religious fanatics to actually take a look at reality and protect it instead of just living this life as if the one in their next life is going to be so much better.

20

Canoe Trip at FGCU Marine Lab - During the course of the class, we will embark on off-campus field experiences. Provide a reflection of your experience for each field trip. This entry is a personal reflection that should capture how you felt, what you enjoyed, what you may not have enjoyed, etc. What were your impressions of this mangrove estuary? What value does this habitat have? Why is it important to protect coastal areas? Reflect on your experiences.

During this trip, I learned how to get in a canoe. When seating three people in a canoe, the middle person must always step in first, ever so careful not to tip the boat. Only, and ONLY when the middle person is in, then the others may enter.

I saw some mangroves. We learned the differences between them. There are red black and brown ones. Also there are dead oysters in the water. This is very valuable, one of which no man can put a price on. You cant just go buy a Mangrove preserve. So it is important to protect these areas.

19

Take another walking trip around your neighborhood and record/reflect on what you see - has your perspective changed any since beginning this course? Can you add any details to your map, identify species? Is your neighborhood sustainable? What features support wildlife? Any signs of green building or sustainable design?

Upon my second journey around my neighborhood, I was pleasently surprised to see that absolutly nothing has changed. Everything looks exactly the same. But you ask, how has my perspective changed? I realize that the garbage that has just been tossed out of the car passing me will last billions of years. I realise that the way we live can not possibly be sustained. We need to mow down all of these buildings and live in tents. That is the only answer. There have been no changes. NO CHANGES! And I have gone through this entire course to see what has changed. And what, nothing? I do not see things I have not seen before. What is there that lies beyond, and I ask of you, what do you see?

18. Calculate your Ecological Footprint - Take the Quiz

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/ Reflect on the results. What is your score? How many Planet Earths? Reflect on what this means to you and your family. Evaluate your lifestyle and your family's lifestyle? What changes are you/they willing to make in your/their lifestyle to promote a sustainable planet? What do you think about these results? Will you change the way you live? How?

My score was 5. It took 25 Planet Earths to sustain my all-american habits. What does this mean? It means we need to stay on top! America can not become so low life chum bucket that makes up most of the third world country. If we take all the energy, then we can live any way we want! Once we use up all the energy on Earth, We can then focus on creating the space vessel that will caryy mankind into the great beyond. We should sail right into the sun, sacraficing ourselves for mother earth, for that is the only way that we can save her.

But today we can make changes. I am willing to wipe my feet before I enter the house. I am willing to shut the door, to conserve my crisp A/C. The resusts? Psh, some crazy website cant scare me. Im not goingto do anything to change the way I live. No one else is going to either. No matter how many people decide to go "green", they will always be outnumbered by the amount of people who dont care.

17. Fuel:

Record your total mileage for the day, where you went and the mileage to get there. Record the number of people in the car with you. DETERMINE YOUR GAS MILEAGE. ESTIMATE your total miles driven per year (you can take the current odometer reading and divide by the age of your car). DETERMINE THE TOTAL CARBON OUTPUT OF YOUR CAR for the day and for the year (Go to www.fueleconomy.gov for this number). Reflect on your fuel usage. Do you make sustainable choices? Do you try and conserve fuel usage when possible?

Today I went to Naples and it is about 25 miles to my friends house. My gas mileage was about 25 mpg. Per Year, I probably drive over 9,000 miles back and forth in between Naples and Ft. Myers. For the day, my car out puts about 10 metric units of carbon sulfer into the atmosphere according to the Thesinburg method of computing carbon output in motor vehicles. Equally, my car outputs about 3,600 tons of carbon into the atmosphere per year.

Upon reflecting on my usage of the planet's last remaining fossil fuels, I take a moment of silence and quietly shed a tear, for this planet is dying. We are raping it of its riches and throwing it back in our mothers face. No, No I do not make sustainable choices. No, I do not try and conserve fuel usage when possible. Why is this? Because in my vacuum of a planet I like to call America, there will always be more gas. USA!

16 Power

For 24 hours, list each time you use electricity. Include the alarm clock, ceiling fans, A/C, heater, hot water heater for showers, dishwasher, laundry, microwave, computer, cell phone or other electronic device chargers, etc. Indicate the time you used the item, including 24 hours (for the clocks, etc.). RECORD THE METER READING of your electric meter, if you have access to it, 24 hours apart, to find out how much total electricity you use in a day. RECORD THE POWER COMPANY’S NAME. ASK THEM HOW THEY GENERATE THE ELECTRICITY AND RECORD IT (this may involve making a phone call or doing research online). Reflect on your energy usage. Do you make sustainable choices? Do you try to conserve energy when possible?
100 wats of electricty used
Alarm Clock.1pm
Fan. 1:12pm
Faucet. 1:13pm
Toilet. 1:16pm
Computer. 2:40pm
Toilet. 2:44pm
Computer. 3:30pm
Toilet. 3:33pm
Computer. 4:00pm
Time Machine.4:05pm
Toilet.1:00pm
Computer.1:05pm
Microwave.3:00pm
Faucet.3:05pm
Computer.10pm

after.... 100000 wats of electricity used.

Comcast power company.They told me that ways to save on power is to not use the computer... ever. As well, they also said that I should shut off the lights more often, and make sure to leave my doors closed. I always forget to leave my doors closed. I guess that it saves money to close doors. AC or something.

15. Packaging:

List all portable items you purchase or otherwise handle each day, and the packaging they came in. This will take some imagination. For example, you handle textbooks each day – they came to you in a bag with advertising cards; you get your mail, some useful, some junk – count the useful vs. junk; you listen to your MP3 player, you call on your cell phone – did you get it in a box, or in a clear plastic package with cardboard/Styrofoam insert? Did your lunch come in a Styrene or Styrofoam box? Or wrapped in paper that was then put in a bag? Reflect on your list. How much energy and water went into producing this packaging? Is it sustainable? Do you make sustainable choices when shopping for your products?

Phone.
Mp3 Player.
Xbox.
Computer.
Books.
Action Figures.
Gun.
Swords.
Cool shoes.
Guitar.

Upon research into the packaging used on these products, they use about 100000 watts of energy to produce, and about 200 lbs of water. The packaging of my Mp3 player is actually made out of a newly discovered element, Detoxomine Theobromide. It has been discovered that at least 90% of the global production industrial complex use Detoxomine Theobromide in their products, and even worse, they burn 700 tons of the chemical every day in order to produce more of the element.


Upon further research I found out that this miracle element's atomic variance has the slowest half life of any known element. Wow! Once disposed of, this element will be left to decay for over 9,000 years. This element is extremely hard to get rid of. It can only be burned when ones lasers are fully charged and blasted into the nucleous of the element, yet upon combustion it releases toxic gasses into the thermal layer of the stratosphere. In effect, these toxic gasses then go on to calcify into acid rain. Worst of all, this acid rain has the chemical structure to turn baby duck nests into burning rubber tires.


These are not energy efficient. I tend to be lured towards products that are as least energy efficient as possible, and that is the way i like it. I mean it would take up far too much of my free time to figure out the costs of the packaging that my item comes in, I really dont think we can get Americans to think of these things. I dont want to be formulating algebraic equations in walmart to figure out which mp3 player is the most sustainable.

14. Conservation 20/20 -

Visit http://www.conservation2020.org/index.cfm and learn about this program. In your own words, provide an overview of this program and its purpose. Is this the first time you have heard of the program? Besides Matanzas Pass Preserve which you visited during this class, have you been to any of the preserves acquired through this program? Do you think you will visit any of these preserves in the future? Do you know of similar programs existing elsewhere? What are your thoughts on using tax dollars for land preservation?

This is a program that was put togeather in order to protect the natural surroundings in Lee County from being over developed. Yes this is the first time that i have ever heard of this program. I have never been to any other of the preserves aquired by this program. Yes the preserves sound like a rootin tootin time and I will make sure to visit them in the future. I know that in collier county there are activists trying to save plants and things from being developed. I think its a good idea to used tax dollars to preserve land. I think we should build our buildings closer togeather and more like a city to save space as well.

Urban Fort Myers and Southwest Florida Historical Museum During the course of the class, we will embark on off-campus field experiences. Provide a reflection of your experience for each field trip. This entry is a personal reflection that should capture how you felt, what you enjoyed, what you may not have enjoyed, etc. What were your impressions of the downtown area and the museum? What impacted you the most during the field experience? How would you redesign Fort Myers and encourage more community engagement? Reflect on your experiences.


The Film day of the dead was filmed in downtown Ft Myers. When we went on the field trip, I got to see all of the money shots where the film was made. The downtown area was great. I loved the museum, I loved learning about giant sloths that ones roamed the great Fort Myers. The Shark was cool. I liked the alien exhibit. Also we learned that there are way too many palm trees in Ft Myers. Why do people go to this length to collect palm trees? I would make Ft Myers one HUGe building that reaches to the heavens. And then surround it with fire and sharks. Then I am sure people would come to visit. Also I would hold cool events there and make it not so lame.

Field Trip#4 Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve

During the course of the class, we will embark on off-campus field experiences. Provide a reflection of your experience for each field trip. This entry is a personal reflection that should capture how you felt, what you enjoyed, what you may not have enjoyed, etc. What were your impressions of this field trip? What did you think of the history lecture? What did you think of the boardwalk?

This was a great field trip. I learned so much history on Ft Myers, and it is really interesting to learn the past behind the areas taht we see everyday. I enjoyed every part of the speech that the lady gave us in the historic cottage. It was very interesting to hear about the different people that lived here in the past and to see pictures such as the construction of the bridge. The board walk was great as well, and gave us an upclose look at the mangroves. I can finally distinguish between the different types.

Genetically Altered Food

12. Other: Experiences, Questions, Considerations, Observations, etc. This entry allows you to choose what you want to write about or sketch. The only requirement is that it must pertain to the natural world. You can do another entry similar to any of those described above, you can tell me about an experience, you can create a picture, poem, song, or story, and the list goes on. Be creative and express yourself in a way that is meaningful to you.



Today in class, we watched a film on the genetic alteration of our food sources. These alterations promise many postive outcomes, such as faster growing crops and other positive aspects, but there are also many negative aspects as well. Corporations are taking over the farming industry, and the patenting of seed is destroying small farming as we know it. If a seed accidently winds up on a farm, they can be held accountable under law to pay the corporation that owns that seed.

I found this video on youtube that provides further information on the subject.



The video mentions that about 70% of the food that we eat today contains genetically altered ingredients. So how do we know which foods contain these altered ingredients? The thing is, we dont. They do not label altered foods. This industry is trying to convince us that the technology is our only hope, but is having a dominoe effect on the food industry.

11. Field Trip #3 Corkscrew Swamp - During the course of the class, we will embark on off-campus field experiences. Provide a reflection of your experience for each field trip. This entry is a personal reflection that should capture how you felt, what you enjoyed, what you may not have enjoyed, etc. Impressions, feelings, ideas, what did you like about it? Would you visit Corkscrew again?

On our field trip today we visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida. This protected wetlend was originally established in order to protect the slowly depleting supply of Bald Cypress trees in the area, as well Pond Cypress, that were being logged from the area during the 1940 and 50's. The National Audubon Society stepped in in order to protect the area, and created a boardwalk that would take visitors on a tour of the natural surroundings of the area.

When we arrived at the area, there were reporters on site from the Audubon Society to discuss how we think taking the bus to the site as an alternative to us all driving there is positively affecting the students and the environment. As some students were beign interviewed, we moved on to the first stop on the tour, which was a place called "The living Machine".

As seen in this diagram, the living machine is a self sustainable sewage system. When one uses the restrooms, the waste is sent to the aerobic tanks in order to fertalize the plants. The waste is eventually recycled and the water can be used again after being treated with cholorine.

From there, we went onto the boardwalk to explore the various enviroments that Corkscrew had to offer. We wandered throughout pine flatwoods, wet prairies, pond cypress areas, bald cypress areas, and marshy ecosystems. We saw many types of plant species, as well as animals that were native to the area such as alligators, frogs, and various types of birds. I think the most important thing that I learned from this trip was just how fragile nature really is. This whole area would not have been here if it had not been for the efforts of the Audubon Society to protect the area. This preservation could have been a Walmart. We need to make sure that we protect our environment and help the surrounding ecosystems in our areas, and not let them go to waste.

10. State of the World Impressions – You will be presenting a chapter in State of the World to the class. We will cover the book during the presentations from your classmates. What three issues presented made an impact on you and why?

The chapter that we discussed was on different types of ways to build a low carbon economy. One of the things I learned from this chapter is that coal powered plants are horrible for the environment. Nearly 121 coal plants have been proposed to be built within the next few years, and these could produce nearly 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide over the next 60 years. Another thing I learned was even more shocking. Over in China, they are building just as many coal plants EVERY YEAR. This is absolutly shocking. If we are going to change the way we do things, this is a very important place to start. We can not be out putting this much carbon into our atmosphere. As well, we learned about the benefits of wind power. I believe that this is a much better alternative to solar panels, and should be incorporated into society every where. Before seeing this presentation, I was not sold on the idea, but I really think we should start taking down our old plants and replacing them with wind turbines.

Food Intake: For 24 hours, list each item of food and drink and how much of it that you consume, including water. Indicate whether it is purchased, pre-made (eg, from the cafeteria, McDonalds, Subway, etc.) or whether you “put it together” yourself. USING THE INTERNET OR OTHER SOURCE, ESTIMATE YOUR TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE FOR THE DAY. Indicate which source you used. Reflect on this amount. Where does your food come from? How much energy and water was used to produce your food? Are your food choices sustainable?

1. Mcdonalds. Small fry, snack wrap, drink.
total calories: 700
2. Twix candy bar
total calories: 300
3. Coke
total calories: 110

Total Calorie Intake : 1110

All the food I consumed today came from an outside source. Most of it was manufactured within a factory, and I imagine used a great deal of energy and water to produce each of these products. My food choices certainly are not sustainable. If I were to eat sustainable food, I would probably goto a local farmers market and buy some fresh vegtables to make a salad with, and some fruit to go on the side.

8. Water Rights Reflection Practically every aspect of our lives is influenced in one way or another by fresh water. It’s a precious resource that can be abundant in certain places and at certain times, but one that can also be fatally scarce. Certain plants and animals have evolved over time to be able to withstand periods of prolonged drought. Humans, however, have not developed these adaptations and require fresh water on a daily basis for survival. Demands on local and global water supplies continue to increase in the face of excessive consumption and population growth resulting in water shortages and difficulty in accessing fresh, clean, water to meet human needs. The legendary oilman, T. Boon Pickens, whose name you might recognize from the recent announcement of his plan to install wind turbines throughout the Great Plains in an effort to make America less dependent on foreign oil, thinks he has a solution. His plan is to pipe water from an ancient aquifer beneath Texas to thirsty cities such as Dallas, a plan that is not without controversy. Learn more about his proposal and the controversy surrounding it by reading the article from BuisnessWeek entitled There Will Be Water (posted on ANGEL). For your reflection, consider the following: Should a single person or entity have rights to water that flows beneath common ground such that they are able to capture and divert the water to sell for a profit? Why or why not? In what ways might a project such as this impact the local residents? In what ways might a project like this impact the local wildlife? If his plan is rejected, what are some alternative solutions to the water shortages for residents in cities such as Dallas? Is there potential for a situation like this to arise in Florida? Explain.

On a moral scale, no certain person owns that land, or the water that flows beneath it. It belongs to the Earth, and it is there for us to use. Now, in todays society, that would not fly. In reality, that long belongs to an individual, and that individual can dictate what they want to do with the resources that are on that land. I do not believe it is morally right for one to claim the water as theirs, and claim it as profit, but in the grand scheme of things today, it is not wrong to do so if one owns the land. The local residents could not benefit from that aquifer. What if the local area started running dry? would they pipe water in from a different area? This could create a dominoe effect crippling various areas until there is nothign left. Water restrictions are not nearly as strict as they should be. Possibly imposing stricter rules on water usage, and increasing the penalties for breaking them would convince some people to actually follow them. As well, there are always opportunities to cut back on usage. There certainly is potential for this to happen in florida. What if we damage the flow of the aquifers, and an area would no longer be recieveing fresh water? they would have to do the same thing as this person is imposing.

List your daily Water Usage: For 24 hours, list each time you use water and estimate the volume (number of cups, quarts, gallons or liters) for each usage. BEFORE YOU BEGIN, take a measuring cup or container of known volume (eg. A 2-liter or 2 quart bottle), fill it up and empty it several times so you can learn to estimate small volumes. Use a bucket of known volume in the shower and time how long it takes to fill, then time your shower to get the volume you use in the shower. Check the manufacturer’s book to see how much water the washing machine uses and the dishwasher. Measure a sink-full if you wash dishes by hand. Include toilet flushes and car washing and lawn/garden watering. RECORD THE TOTAL VOLUME FOR THE DAY and reflect on this amount. Do you take steps to conserve water already?

Today I used nearly 12 gallons of water. 9 of those gallons went towards a shower, and the rest went to toilet flushes and using the sink to get ready in the morning. This amount really inst substantially high. I believe that I goto great length to conserve water. I only run the dishwasher when absolutely necessary, and I only run the washer only when I need to. Water is becoming a precious recourse, and it is becoming very important for us to conserve it. I believe people should all become more concious of the amount of water we use. Maybe if we could put a PSA on tv about water use and how little we have left, it could get it into peoples heads.

6. Environment in the News - This is an opportunity for you to get caught up on current issues relating to the environment. You are to choose an article or news story that pertains to the environment, provide a short summary, share your thoughts and/or opinions, and provide a citation for your source. Some recommended sources include: the New York Times which is available for free in various location on campus, local papers including the News Press and the Naples Daily News (you may reference their web site for the day’s news and archived articles), and National Public Radio (www.npr.org) which also has on-line versions of their stories.

On Marco Island, they were going to install solar panels on this area of land called Track K, which would offset school electricity bills, saving the School District about $100,000 per year in electricity and saving Marco Island Charter Middle School about half their electric bill or $45,000 each year in electricity. The Project was shot down due to funding. Although this would help improve their carbon foot print, many disliked the idea in the first place because they did not believe that the area should be developed at all. As well, the area also belongs to an American bald Eagle nesting area. Enviromentalist Nancy Richie marked off the area around the tree, about 350 feet in circumference, and no one is allowed to develop there.

I think that they made the right choice, although the decision should not have been based upon funding. If they are going to install solar panels, they should put them on top of buildings, or in an area that has already been developed. There is no need to go destroying the remaining wild life on the island.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/23/energy-commission-turns-out-lights-tract-k-solar-p/

5. Field Trip #2 – ECHO During the course of the class, we will embark on off-campus field experiences. Provide a reflection of your experience for each field trip. This entry is a personal reflection that should capture how you felt, what you enjoyed, what you may not have enjoyed, etc. What are your impressions of ECHO field trip? What is your experience growing plants or gardening? Could you grow any of your own food and many people around the world have to do?

I was surprised to find an organization such as ECHO in Ft Myers Florida. I grew up in this area, and I have never heard of this place, yet they are such a big organization and make such a change in this world. I thought ECHO was awesome. It was so cool to see how they mimicked other ecosystems on their property. It was like visiting a whole other country. I also Liked to see all of the different types of plants that they grew there. Personally I have never had any luck whatsoever growing any type of plant, so i admire what these people do. It must take a lot of hard work and effort to make their whole operation function. If I could learn how to grow plants better, It would be interesting to see what it would be like to grow my own food for once instead of going to the store and buying it. I am sure that I would be able to survive off of it, but I would seriously miss taco bell.

4. Sense of Place - "You can't know who you are until you know where you are." - Wendell Berry. Draw or write about an area where you have a feeling of Sense of Place. Sense of place is understanding the environment around you, your comfort zone, where you feel most at home.





Growing up in the vacation town of Naples Florida, you quickly tired of the local areas of entertainment, and had to often find things to do on your own. I have always felt a sense of place at the beach, but only at night. There is this one spot right at the end of 5th ave. in downtown naples, and no one ever visits it. It is so relaxing just to go out there late at night and lay down to watch the stars and listen to the waves crashing on the beach. This is where I feel most at home in nature. Whenever I go to this spot, I feel completely at ease, and I often find myself here when I am in a bad mood. I understand the local environment because I have always been around coastal areas, and It just seems so natural to me.

Your Neighborhood - Take a walking trip around your neighborhood and draw a map of your area, noting special environmental features, green design, sustainable aspects, species, wildlife etc. Include photos or video clips.





I live in the college community of Coastal village, which is made up by many different apartment buildings. This area seems to have been planned to be very eco friendly. I can see many different designs in the building that promote a better carbon footprint, such as metal roofs, which help conserve electricity for air conditioning costs. As well, the area has integrated itself within the surrounding area, preserving as much of the natural surroundings as possible. Another aspect that is incorporated is that the buildings are very close togeather, and try to occupy as little space as possible to maximize the efficiency of the land, and to preserve the natural surroundings.

1/13 fgcu nature trails

Field Trip #1 - Campus Trail During the course of the class, we will embark on off-campus field experiences. Provide a reflection of your experience for each field trip. This entry is a personal reflection that should capture how you felt, what you enjoyed, what you may not have enjoyed, etc. What are your impressions of the Campus? Compare your impressions before attending colloquium and now.

In our first set of field experiences, we walked the nature trails at FGCU. I honestly never knew these trails existed till this year, and I was excited when I heard that we would be exploring them. Before taking colliquiem, I knew that FGCU was an eco friendly school, but I didnt know that we were to this extent. It was really cool to see how dedicated to keeping nature preserved our school is, as well as the ways we get air conditioning for the school. It was also really cool to see how we created canals so that the natural water flow could still exist. I learned that the landscape design is created to preserve nature, and the buildings are hidden by the nature surrounding the campus

Our school is surrounded mostly by pine flatwoods, as seen in this picture.

Incoming Reflection - What are your initial expectations of Colloquium, feelings? Consider the following: Briefly describe any experience you have with exploring wilderness areas here or in other regions. Describe your relationship with the natural world. Describe any anxieties or reservations you have about this class. What are your personal goals for this class? Describe how this class might be an important component to your education, major or life experiences.

As a student who attends Florida Gulf Coast University, I have to take the required course entitled University Colliquim. In this course, we will study the environment, and how as a campus we function within our ecosystem. As well, we also examine other ecosystems, and how they can effect peoples lives.

Some of the goals for this course include:

• to provide a "sense of place" and an understanding of the unique ecological features of the environment of which you are a part

• to assist in achieving the Florida Gulf Coast University learning goal of developing "an ecological perspective" and in teaching the related outcomes that the student will
  "...know the issues related to economic, social, and ecological sustainability, analyze and evaluate ecological issues locally and globally, participate in projects requiring awareness and/or analysis of ecological and environmental issues;"

• to provide experiences to assist in moving toward achieving the eight other FGCU learning goals and their related outcomes.
  to enable a working understanding of sustainability, of environmental education, and of ecological literacy.

As part of this course, we are required to keep an online journal documenting our activity in the class, and things we learned/found interesting.

The only experience that I have with exploring nature in the area is just wandering off aimlessly into the woods with friends and getting lost in nature. Growing up in Florida, all of this wildnerness seems very familiar to me and almost like home. The only Anxities that I have about this class is that I heard it is alot of work, which I am honestly not looking forward to. My personall goal for this class is to learn something, and take it with me on my life journey to make better of this world. I believe that this will help me in the future.