Journal Entry #6

From a personal stand point, University Colloquium helped me open up to nature and what it offers. Doing my service learning hours for this class at the Shell Factory Nature Park also helped me realize how interesting nature can be, especially all of the animals and creatures! I learned how to prepare for the sun correctly when going on field trips. Water is an important key! From an academic stand point, I learned that we all impact this world, even if we don't think about it or realize it. Solar energy is a very important tool. Decreasing driving will also help our world when it comes to fossil fuels. My chosen major is Legal Studies. This course has made me realize how important these concepts are if I want a world to prosecute! What I have found most difficult during this course is finding the right way to understand some of the key terms and concepts that scientists and all the vidoes we watched, were trying to make us understand. All in all, this course put a huge impact on me and the way I will think for the future!

Journal Entry # 5

First I will reflect on the artice entitled Squeezing More Oil Out of the Ground. I think that it is interesting, the different numbers that are thrown out there. One person says there are 54 million barrels of oil and then another says there are 736 millions barrels. So which one is it? We depend on oil so much that knowing an exact figure is very important. However, maybe realizing that is lower than we all think will help reduce the use of oil as well as the dependance on it.
Now I will reflect on the 60 minutes video. A pro pertaining to the shale gas is that it will produce money and jobs. Jobs will be needed to build the wells for the shale gas system. A con to shale gas is that it is something that is expensive to exstract. Water is pumped under the ground with a very high pressure. The question pertaining to this is whether or not it is safe. Videos of oozing and gushing caused the company to be billed a fine because of the unsafe results. In 2009 in Louisana, cows died from drinking water that contained chemicals from shale gas. Do we want this? This sound like something we don't have enough knowledge about for anyone to be trying to carry out such projects.

Journal Entry # 4

Fort Harvey in the Untold Stories video was very interesting to learn about as well as our history. What's even more interesting is this story all is from history that took place in Fort Myers, Florida! The only towns at the time were Key West and Fort Myers. We had our first school in the 1880's, what a significant fact, of which was burned down. Robert E. Lee of the South is where we get our county name "Lee County"! First Street was a popular place to shop. Fishing was popular! Reverend Waldo Farabee whom is a local religious leader talks about religion. Religion was important many to people as it is to this day. He also mentions that people were closer to nature who were religious. This is significant to our class University Colloquium! Thomas Edison's winter home is used now as a tourist attraction, which many of us know from going there personally whether it be for a field trip or another outside interest. I do remember all the times I have been there and each and every time it is special and such a great experience. Not only is it the home that people go to see but it is also the gardens on the Edison home property. Spring training for baseball has been in Fort Myers since the 1920's. The pictures they show of the beach here in Fort Myers is absolutely beautiful. Our lovely palm trees are in the pictures as well as downtown Fort Myers, of which we will be this Friday for class! Segregation is talked about in the video and how everything was clearly segregated including bathrooms, waiting rooms, schools, and many more things. It is interesting how they show the start of education and schools with Edison Park Elementary, Edison Community College, and Florida Gulf Cost University (Go Eagles)!

What is so significant altogether is how amazing it is to hear and see, as well as learn even more about our history, of which tie to so many things in the present!!!!!

Journal Entry # 3- Reflection on Louv's Article

Well first and foremost, the information given to us about ADHD is very disturbing, as Louv states. I was shocked to read that Ritalin can cause the same effects as cocaine! And we are giving this to children!? That is disgusting. If children are more productive, especially the children with ADHD, because of a recess, then the children deserve a recess. As our book tells us, parents see a tremendous change in the actions of their children when they spend time outside. Since recess takes place outside and parents know what is best for their children, recess sounds like a great thing to do in every elementary school! In the section entitled "Nature's Ritalin", there is even research showing how well children performed when they played in an outside atmosphere compared to the opposite. What happened to all natural!?

Journal Entry # 2- Sense of Place

My current sense of place today was very interesting! I actually started my volunteering for our Colloquium class! I am volunteering with the Shell Factory Nature Park. I spent 5 hours there today. I had a blast. There are so many different kinds of animals. There are reptiles, birds, butterflies, cat breeds, gators, and so much more! It is interesting just walking around looking at all the amazing animals. However, what was even more amazing was getting up close and personal with some of the animals, petting them, feeding them, and most of all being in their type of environment. You get a good feel of what it is like to live outside all day after being out there for five hours! The experience was amazing. I connected with the wild, the environment, and some great people. I had a great sense of place today, as you can see in my picture! That is me at the Shell Factory today!

Journal Entry #1- Reflection on Shiva and Goodall

"What is Biodiversity and Why is it so Important?" (Vandana Shiva)

The words "beautiful planet" couldn't have been chosen better! Shiva starts off with her section in our University Colloquium book in such a positive manner. I really admire the introduction. It is great that she makes points in the area of destruction and biodiversity, so our planet is aware of the areas and people that are affected by the destruction. An example is on page 39 when Shiva states that destruction has an affect on farmers, fishermen, etc. As she also states on page 44, balance is of utmost importance, without it the threat starts!

Excerpt from Hope for Animals and Their World "Healing Earth's Scars: It's Never Too Late"
(Jane Goodall, Gail Hudson, and Thane Maynard)

I absolutely love "The Man Who Restored Forests to a Mountain"!!! This story of Paul Rokich is amazing, on an inspirational level! A quick recap: Paul, all by himself started going to the Oquirrh Mountains in Utah and would plant seeds. Well one day, his work came to life and there was once again green grass and trees on these mountains. "The Importance of Women" section is also very inspirational! Need I say more about this section of our textbook!? What's more important than planning a family to us women!? (Besides our education of course!)

University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future. (2011). Acton, MA: Copley Custom Textbooks.
(Pages 38-57 and 161-185)