May 30th, 2013

Going to Echo was definitely something I never expected. It was a very cool process that they do there.

Learning about the different ways to farm and how plants are harvested was very unique. Some of the different animals we were able to see were goats and rabbits. It was very awesome that we were able to try different plants and fruits. One thing that I thought was very cool was the fact that you are able to plant different things in tires, kiddy pools, and buckets. Which this technique is used for people who live in the city where there isn't much room to grow plants because of limited space. The bamboo is a very useful plant that is used for shelter and even some homes. Coming here we were able to learn a lot of techniques that I would have never known that people do and saves money as well. Helping farmers be more effective at growing food and producing crops under harsh conditions is a great way that Echo does to help out. Echo is very similar to Food Forest that is on our campus.

May 23th, 2013

Last Thursday's class, we were able to learn about the different environments around the world and how they work. Without our ecosystems we would have no life, this is our life systems. Something new  I was able to learn about in Kansas, was the Dust Bull that occurred here that damaged a lot of the land.   Kansas is relevant to SWFL because everything in the Midwest filters into the Mississippi River which from there flows down here and into the Gulf of Mexico, which is polluting the water. From Africa I never knew that there were so many invasive species there and that they were taking away Africa's water supply. As for Canada, I never knew about all the protests that occurred in Canada about cutting down the trees and with the lumbar carving. From watching these videos I was able to take in information that I had never knew about other parts of the world and learn about the different things that take place in it.

May 17th, 2013

Last Thursdays class the field trip to Corkscrew sanctuary we were able to learn much about Florida's environment. Knowing that the Autobun society saved this sanctuary and was able to help preserve this environment is an awesome thing. The Cypress dome that we walked through, we were able to see deer, hawks, black vulture, and alligators. One of the trees that we saw was a native Florida tree called a Sable palm. The deer were eating in a wet prairie. This is better for the deer because its better for bigger mammals to drink and water stays three to four months at a time. It was also very interesting to know that panthers scratch on the trees to sharpen their nails or even to mark their territory. It was very noticeable looking on the trees seeing these markings. Another interesting fern we were able to see was the resurrection. This tree comes back alive when water touches it and can live up to 100 years. The liken tree was a tree we were able to see that had red splotches on it. I did not think going here we would see so many different trees and animals, very cool place.

May 9th, 2013

May 9th, 2013

First day of class today for colloquium. In today's class, the professor pointed out a very good point that happens both in the classroom and in other everyday life situations. He said there will be times in this class, that he will say something that might offend us. Which we would think is rude, but in reality its not. We are able to reflect on this and be able to think of a way to go around the situation or do something about it. Doing this makes us learn more about life and other things. We also were able to go on a tour of the food forest. This was very interesting because I didn't even know FGCU had this. Learning about the different types of foods that are grown there and plants was cool. Especially the fact that we were able to eat some of them.

-Brittany