My score is 3.2 Earths. I don’t agree with the results. I had a low score of 0.7 Earths until one of the last sections, about shopping. I shop maybe twice a year, and that is always if something is necessary (other than grocery shopping and junk of that sort). I guess I must have lost points because I don’t shop for “organic” clothes. But the problem I have with that argument is that clothes that may have an “organic” label, may not truly be “organic,” and clothes that may not have a specialty label may be “organic.” It also depends on your definition of organic. I believe organic materials are naturally made materials, and anything like cotton is organic, but not labeled as such. I don’t believe I need to change my lifestyle. I don’t agree with the results.
I have read about some of the people who are fighting for changing lifestyles, and they are mostly hypocrites. For example, Barbara Streisand has been quoted as saying “We must make concrete changes in our lifestyles to help solve this energy crisis and now is the time to do it…” She said that after she required the following for a tour; 13 53-foot semi tractor-trailer’s, 4 rental vans, 14 crew buses, and 1 limo for herself. Speaking of solar farms, Jim Harvey (cofounder of Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy) said, “Our position is that none of this is needed.”
If these people, among others, truly cared, they would change their overly excessive lifestyles, instead of being hypocritical. I feel that I don’t need to change my lifestyle because I have no reason to, I do not believe in “climate change” as a true issue.
Blog 7: List your daily water usage
I use approximately 11.5 gallons of water per day. I don’t go way out of my way to conserve water, but I consider what I do sustainable. I don’t use excess water. I shut the water off while brushing my teeth, take only 5-10 minute showers, depending on what needs to be done on a particular day. I don’t do dishes if there is only one dish. We have a toilet that has low water flushes. We water our plants with water from the sink, we don’t get extra water just for the plants.
Blog 8: Water Rights Reflection
Our capitalistic society allows people to sell something for profit, as long as it does not belong to anyone else (which includes communities). Like it or not, we are capitalists, and that is the idea behind capitalism. If you can find something that works and people will pay for it, it is your right to go ahead and do what you do. A project like this could impact the local residents in Texas because it will most likely be in a place the touches other peoples lives. If it could be in the middle of nowhere, it wouldn’t impact the Texans that live in the area. It would positively affect the people in cities that can’t get as much water due to their urban development. The local wildlife may or may not be affected by a project like this. I do not know the situation of the wildlife in the area. If something like this were to happen in Florida, it probably wouldn’t be possible. Under the state of Florida, there is mostly swamp and it would be very difficult to route an underground water pipe through many areas.
Blog 9: Field Trip #2 Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass
The field trip to Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve was kind of fun. I enjoyed learning about Fort Myers Beach and the history of the island. I hated the mosquitoes. I enjoy taking walks through nature, but I did not enjoy the high heat or stop and go for a whole lot of nothing. Many of the times we stopped, it was to point out the same things that were already pointed out, which got old fast. The history lecture was my favorite part. I enjoy learning history, especially from people who actually lived it. The boardwalk was nice. It is great that the area was able to be preserved because people could be missing out on the beauty of Estero Bay.
The picture on the above left is of Estero Bay. What a beautiful picture. The one above right is of the sign at the entrance of the preserve.
This picture is of a sign that says that the area was restored to its original condition, which I find amazing that it is even possible. But it is great that they were able to take out all of the exotic plants and leave only native ones.
(All above photos taken by Kimberly Legendre ©2009)
Blog 10: Conservation 20/20
Conservation 20/20 is a group dedicated to preserving and protecting land in Lee County. It is a group of concerned citizens who didn’t want to see extreme development take over the land and natural resources of the county. The first time I heard about this program was on our field trip to Matanzas Pass Preserve, but I didn’t know what it was until I read their background on their website. I have never been to any of the preserves, except Matanzas Pass Preserve. I am not from Lee County, so I rarely visit such places around here. Since I enjoy visiting nature trails and such, it is possible that I will visit one of the preserved areas. I do not know of any existing programs similar to Conservation 20/20. I am on the side of the argument where I disagree with spending taxpayers dollars to preserve areas. It is not the job of the hard working citizens to pay for special interests, which is exactly what this project is.
Blog 11: Food Intake
I did not eat breakfast before heading out to class. While in class, I had a 16.9 oz bottle of water. I reused the bottle from a previous day and poured in water from the Brita filter. For dinner, I had “tuna noodle salad,” which is elbow noodles, mayonnaise, and tuna, served cold. I made this when I got home for class and ate it several hours later. I am not sure where my elbow noodles came from as I purchased a 10lb bag and dumped it all in a plastic container. I threw the bag away several months ago. The tuna is Bumble Bee brand Solid White Albacore. I learned from the Bumble Bee website (http://bumblebee.com/Sustainability/) that Bumble Bee helped found the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). That means that they are always searching for more sustainable ways to catch Tuna and reduce waste. The mayonnaise in my dinner is Hellman’s brand. After unsuccessfully trying to research it online, I attempted to call the 800 listed on the jar. I tried for an hour, receiving a busy signal, before giving up.
Blog 12: Field Trip #1 Campus Trails
I did not attend the Campus Trail field trip. I am frustrated that this course is required and that we must go on all kinds of field trips that I do not want to go on. Most of the field trips I can just grin and bear it, just to get through, but the Slough Slogging was something that I was not going to do. I paid $440 for this class, and was not about to ruin a brand new pair of sneakers or a good pair of pants. I am not really an outdoors person, and really do not do well in areas with water. I am glad that this university is taking steps (however hypocritical they are) to preserve the natural areas on campus, but that doesn’t mean I want to go sloshing through dirty water, with God knows what in it. Up to this point, my views of Colloquium have not changed.
Blog 13: Energy Usage
(Recording for Monday October 5, 2009)
I do not have access to the meters at my apartment. The power company is Florida Power and Light. According to their website (http://www.fplgroup.com/about/contents/fpl.shtml), the electricity is generated through a “diverse mix of fuels at its power plants…” It claims to be a clean-energy company, which means it has low emissions, under the national average. Fifty-three percent of the electricity comes from clean-burning natural gas and 22 percent from nuclear power.
To
day, I was stuck inside waiting for Comcast to come fix my internet connection, so I did not travel anywhere. I cannot estimate how many miles I drive in a year because the car was used when I bought it 3 months ago, so it would not be an accurate reading of how much I drive. I believe, however, that in the car I owned before this one I drove approximately 7,000 miles per year. I also know that I got 19 MPG in that car. The total carbon output for this car is 8.00 tons (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/noframes/19516.shtml {which is where I got the photo}). I feel that I make sustainable choices. I conserve energy and fuel when possible. I carpool when schedules coincide, I make only weekly trips to the store, no more, I shut off lights and other things when they are not in use, and I try my hardest to keep energy costs low.Blog 14: Packaging
Cell phone- the cell phone (when it was new) came in a cardboard box.
Brush- There was no packaging; it was on the shelf as is.
Toothbrush- in packaging (part cardboard, part plastic)
Computer- packaging was a recycled cardboard box, that I then recycled.
Remote- came with the TV. It is a used TV so when I bought it, it was as is.
Book-bag- Came as is, with paper stuffing inside
Textbooks- I purchase used textbooks on Amazon.com. Most of my books were shipped to my home in a cardboard box with a packing slip (just a piece of computer paper) inside. The ones that weren’t shipped in a cardboard box were sent in a bubble envelope.
Pen- Packaged in plastic with a cardboard insert
Binder- no packaging when I purchased it.
iPod- packaged in a plastic case, that I still use as a holder for my ear buds.
I feel that I make sustainable choices when shopping because I try my hardest to avoid the plastic stuff that’s not good for the environment.
Blog 15: Field Trip #4 Corkscrew Swamp
Corkscr
ew Swamp was a fun field trip. Unfortunately, I was ill throughout the walks, so I was unable to enjoy the full experience. What I was able to enjoy was breathtaking. The flowers on the left, Black Eyed Susan’s, are beautiful, and the field of yellow was amazing.
I honestly don’t remember exactly what this picture was of, but it was a pretty cool looking plant.
To the right is a picture of the grasshopper that we saw on theboardwalk. There were very few examples of wildlife and this was neat to see something.
(Photos taken by Kimberly Legendre ©2009)
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