Pollution and Ecosystems

Pollution and Ecosystems

Pollution is the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects. Among the planet is a natural habitat which is the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism. Local pollution and habitat affects the planet and its ecosystem. Ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

In class we talked about the earth's ecosystem and habitat, and pollution that we experience. An interesting point that was made was that extinction is not a bad thing in every case (helps with diversity). This is similar to how controlled burns help with invasive species and sort of "resetting" a natural habitat. When talking about pollution, the presenting group handed out common household products that create pollution and used these as examples. The group covered bioaccumulation of pollutants which was interesting. That is when cells and therefore entire food chains slowly build up pollutants in their biological systems, eventually moving all the way up the food chain affecting everything. 

The presentations on pollution were really eye-opening.  I knew that pollution was a big deal, but I was unaware that practically everything in my daily life causes some form of pollution.  I think that pollution is tied directly to what the first group presented on: population.  There are simply too many people who produce too much waste for there to be an efficient and convenient way to dispose of it all.  I have learned in my short life so far that humans especially Americans are lazy.  As a species we always try to find the easy way out and that goes for waste disposal too.  We need a cultural change that will help promote that the little extra work it takes to safely dispose of waste and byproducts will have a vast difference on whether or not our species will continue to be able to survive on this planet.

I really enjoyed learning about population and ecosystems in this weeks class. Each presentation approached the differences and affects on the different ecosystems and how everyday  items and habits affect it. Understanding pollution and its affect on our planet helps me understand what I can do to thrive and sustain the future.

Being able to notice what small changes we can do as a whole with household items, habits and lifestyle changes can make a huge difference over time. I have begun to use a wash rag instead of paper towels to clean my sink as well as shower with my significant other to conserve water as well as the water bill. Also being able to start using healthy household items such as DIY sprays/scents and cleaners to protect my furniture as well as what I have been inhaling on my own. I will not be protecting the environment from pollution but my body some inhaling toxins.

The Earth Charter

The Earth Charter

The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values and principles considered useful by its supporters for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century.

The Earth Charter talked about how we should be thankful we have such a great planet to live on and that it is our responsibility to take care of it.  Instead of taking care of it we are destroying it.  The way I look at it is, nearly every neighborhood has that one maybe two houses that their owners just do not take care of at all.  They look horrible and the other neighbors cannot understand how the owners wouldn’t take care of the house they live in, but humanity as a whole is doing exactly that to our home, the Earth.  We constantly pollute and tear up our home, neglecting to take care of it.

The Earth Charter acknowledges principles, ecological integrity, social and economic justice, democracy, nonviolence and peace as well as the way forward. Being able to protect and restore the world one day and one community at a time is the way to sustain and protect the planet. One principle I related to generation values, traditions and long term flourishing to continue generation upon generation. I use at home values and traditions especially along the lines of medicine. Once I would develop cold like symptoms, the doctor was the last resort, so I would keep on family and health traditions such as hot teas, home made honey syrup and chicken soup. Keeping life healthy as well as a healthy lifestyle can protect your body and planet.

The Earth Charter is a set of principles and guidelines that aims to preserve not only our planet's well-being and resources, but our species as well. The Charter lays out a clear set of steps necessary to make everything talked about possible.

I was very surprised that this class period when discussing about Earth Charter because we were able to discussion our earth footprint. My earth footprint was very high, over 4 earths to maintain my current lifestyle since everything I do on a daily basis is an effect on earth. I learned how much I have to change my habits in order for the earth to thrive and improve.

ECHO

ECHO

ECHO is an information hub for development practitioners around the world. We gather solutions from around the world that are solving hunger problems and disseminate them to our active network. These solutions promote sustainable farming techniques, nutritional plants, and appropriate technologies. They are well tested and proven to be successful over and over again.

Hill Gardening

We really enjoyed learning about how to maintain and grow our own garden, no matter what kind of environment we have or what supplies we have in hand. One particular place we liked was the mountain side and it is possible to grow on a hill. It was brilliant to teach our regions and countries that are developing and lack resources such as water and food, to help take advantage of every square inch they have around them. It also informed us that something like this is possible to have a sustainable living environment no matter how big or how small.

Making Oil

One sustainable way to help developing countries, not only with gardening but making their own resources such as nut butters(such as almond, peanut and cashew) as well as oils(such as sunflower, canola and grapeseed). With ECHO's ability to help local environments become sustainable no matter the resources on hand, they become efficient and eco-friendly. Being able to trade seeds with other countries, especially developing countries, they are also able to exchange methods of living and developing other healthy products to help them with their diet and feed the rest of their families, all in a safe, healthy and locally grown way.

ECHO's Impact

The ECHO field trip was an interesting one.  I think it’s great that an organization like this exist to help people in less fortunate situations be able to provide food and clean water for their community.  It was interesting learning all the different techniques that ECHO teaches these people.  All the tools and pumps are made from basic materials that these poor areas would have at their disposal.  The techniques they used were very efficient and environmentally friendly such as when they used the fish to produce a food source for the algae which would then clean the water.  Also it is very important that they are creating the largest seed bank since most seeds in the world are now genetically modified hybrids that will not last as long as the original seeds.

Sustainability

ECHO was a pretty interesting field trip; Interesting due to the fact that there is nothing else like it (that I know of), and it acts as a collective knowledge base for farming techniques. ECHO makes an attempt to see what works and what doesn't when it comes to (mostly low income) farming, and they forward their best techniques to their other locations. ECHO is apparently also the largest seed repository in the world. I honestly had no idea anything like ECHO even existed, but it seems like a great idea. The most interesting part was seeing what kind of food they were able to generate using their shared principles and techniques. 

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve 

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is over 3,500 acres of intermingled wetland and upland ecosystems. The appearance of the Slough changes with the seasons from dry (October-May) to wet (June-September). During the rainy time of year, the cypress slough catches and slowly filters rainwater on its way towards Estero Bay. Animals adapted to life in wetlands, like alligators, turtles, otters, and wading birds, live at the Slough year-round. Additionally, many types of migratory birds use the Slough as a rest stop and feeding area.

Ben Griffin Walk

Although this field trip wasn’t my favorite, I still found it very interesting that we have a wildlife preserve so close to our school that people from all different places would come to see different species of birds.  It was nice to be out in nature, but I found it pretty sad that the peace and quiet was constantly disturbed by the highway nearby.  It reminded me of how much nature has been destroyed for development.  Just on the side of Ben Hill Griffin across from the town center, a huge plot of land is being torn down so that more human development can take its place.  I did like how most of the preserve didn’t have boardwalks going through it to give the animals some space away from humans watching them.  On the other hand, it was really neat to see the vast amount of different organisms all living in the same environment.

Nature Walk

During the nature walk, we were very surprised  by the diverse landscapes here in Southwest, Florida we well as being so close to campus. On one hand there was one large lake, as well and multiple smaller lakes surrounded by birds, fish and natural trees. On the second hand, there were many dry, old, fungus filled and what looked to be "dead" trees along the boardwalk. Many of the local trees looked like their branches were about ready to fall over and easy to snap. At the end, the overall trip was very different to learn what one ecosystem habitats locally with its multiple landscapes preserved within.

Local Birds and Alligator Trails

As a group, after observing the large lake then heading onto the boardwalk, we noticed alligator trails. For several minutes we observed where the alligator was actually going, whether in the water, or out. From the looks of it ,the trail was heading out to the water and it was pretty fresh since only the trail area was soaked. From the looks of his claws digging into the mud, he heading towards the water to hunt and observe. We looked around for several minutes to try and see one but there was no luck. We did however she multiple turtles from the size of your palm to the size of your torso all lined up against the land.

Also, after splitting up and heading on separate paths of the boardwalk, there were multiple birds spotted such as mocking birds, wood pecker and owls. We were able to chase a few of the wood peckers around and observe their different patterns, behaviors and sizes. The last one we spotted was very large for its size, close to the size of an adolescent pigeon just knocking away the wood on the tree trunks. Lastly, we spotted an owl, just minding its own business on the one the larger trees. It noticed we were around and I'm sure glad I was able to get a decent look at him in person and in the photograph.

Preserve

Six mile cypress slough was interesting because it's preserved right in the middle of Fort Myers. The main focus of the tour was to pay attention to all of your senses and take everything in on the boardwalk. A point was made about having a lack of natural environment in our daily lives, and the slough provided a way to unwind and relax. Our group didn't end up seeing much wildlife on the tour. The only notable species we saw was a soft shell turtle and a black crown night heron. Overall the trip was relaxing, but not very exciting. 

Koreshan State Park

Koreshan State Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipWFCMuR7UY&feature=youtu.be

We as a group had mixed feelings about coming to explore Koreshan State Park. Many of us were worried we would fall into the Estero River, get dirty and wet but luckily none of us did! However, we were able to use team building strategies with our canoeing partners to explore, row the boat safely and still be able to have fun! Koreshan State Park just being 6 miles away from our campus was not only a very close encounter with Southwest Florida's nature but it gave us to option to go on our own time as well. With three phases of our trip including canoeing, natural walk and tour by the park ranger, our trip had a lot of fun events in store for us!

Koreshan State Historic Site

What was enjoyed by most of us was canoeing through the Estero River. We all had our doubts about getting dirty, wet and in the water, but all in all it was part of our nature trip. Listening to Estero, Florida historic national park and its history of its founder was fascinating and new to most of us, since we never really knew where the Estero River crossed as well as who lived in the Koreshan State Historic site. One comment the park ranger mentioned was "this piece of land was thought to be the next Jerusalem" which got us all at a surprise because of how large, unique and natural Koreshan State Park really is and what it still has to offer.

Canoeing Tour

 

Getting to go out on the Estero River and actually get to see what we are learning about was a great change from just reading and talking about it in a classroom.  It makes everything more interesting leading me to want to learn more, especially if it meant getting hands on, going outdoors and exploring.  I enjoyed walking through the nature trails and seeing all the different species of plants that grow in the area, as well as those who we seem are foreign to us such as the Chinese native Bamboo. 

The way the history of the Koreshen State Park and the cult type of community that resided there ties into everything we were learning about our local residence here in Southwest Florida, which was also very interesting.  It explained why there are so many nonnative plants in the area, as well as ones we have grown and preserved in the recent years.  I’ve been going to FGCU for 3 years now and had no idea about the history of the local area, especially an area so close to campus.

Nature Walk

Koreshan was an interesting experience for me. I grew up in Cape Coral so canoeing was nothing new to me, however it had been years since I last stepped foot in one. We took canoes in groups of two down the Estero river and got to experience the peaceful surroundings first-hand. We learned about the brackish water and lower tides that were caused by the development to the North and East of Koreshan. 

After the canoe trip we hiked into the park and learned about the different invasive species that were present. The park Ranger gave a brief history of the cult background of Koreshan, as well as their downfall and what led to it becoming a state park. We were finally given a tour of what was left of the older buildings still standing in the park. I had always known about Koreshan Park but never knew the history behind it. 

Mangoes and Manatees

As we were canoeing through the Estero River, we came across a lot of locals on their canoes and kayaks and them directing us to watch the manatees which stayed under the bridge on our mile long ride. In order to get to the little bridge closer to the end of our mile ride, we encountered some bumps in the road, such as giant braches, local tourists on our path and traffic of our class in the water. After getting through those obstacles we got under a small yet narrow bridge where the manatees are usually found hiding. Once most of us got there in the mid afternoon with our canoes, we were unable to see the manatees in the water or along the water line. It was also very dark under the path so we must of just missed them as we were riding by.

One fun fact we learned was why there was a mango tree living, developing and preserving on salt water land. Usually mango trees are grown in subtropical areas throughout the world and Southwest Florida happens to be one of those places. If grown correctly and in the right season, you would be able to harvest fresh mangoes for 8-10 months out of the year and enjoy fresh, local and organic fruit of your own. During our canoeing trip, the mango tree did not have any mangos growing on it since it is located in salt water land, but in future months to come, there will be times for mangoes to harvest!