Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Crokscrew Sanctuary

The Living Machine mimics nature because it is a natural water restoration system instead of an artificial water treatment plant. Its innovative aquatic treatment system restores waste water to near-drinkable quality using native, nutrient-absorbing wetland plants and animals. The water that passes through the system is typically more pure than water that comes from municipal water treatment plants.

Stewardship is responsible management of natural resource. Conservation is to educate to preserve land, water and energy for the future.The role of private  non-profits is to manage the natural resource of the Crokscrew Sanctuary and to educate the public with their tours on how to help protect the natural life.

We will have a greater impact on our community by raising awarness about environmental sustainability.We need to preserve and conserve our land for are future generation.

Estero Island/Matanzas

I was interest and surprise to learn that the Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass was on Fort Myers Beach.We meet a older women that educate us about the history of Estero and the Cottage. The Cottage was built in and 1920s, and survived the great 1926 hurricane, and is still standing strong today. On our walk on the boardwalk we learn and taste each type of mangrove.

The quality of life is being enhanced with more shopping mall and more roads construction. We designing energy saving building

My hometown has change due to the economy and safety.  We have less young adult, there are more childrens playing indoor than outdoor, there camera on every traffic light and less stop sign

If a developer offered me 300% the market value of my childhood home to develop into condo I would have to decline. Living in a condo don't give you the sense of a community. Condo are usually a 1 or 2 bedroom. There were made for single and partners. Not for familys.


Yes I would sell the land to the county under the 20/20 program have four main objectives:
  • Protect and preserve natural wildlife habitat
  • Protect and preserve water quality and supply
  • Protect developed lands from flooding
  • Provide resource-based recreation

Globalization and Sustainable Consumerism

A "sustainable consumerism" is buying orgain food, green products , and energy saver appliance or electronic.Capitalism and Globalization can both be positve or negative.  Negative, because anything with a organic or natural label are more expensive. Positive, because it could educate us about how are wastefulness is effecting are environment. Greenwash is the practice of companies making product appear to be environmentally friendly by putting them in green package, claiming they are sustainable. For example:
Tyson Chicken, for promoting its products as "all natural," even though the company treats its chickens with antibiotics. Cereal boxes are tattooed with claims of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. But those Vitamin C-packed berries may also contain pesticide residue. Cereal maker Kraft, for example, produces a Natural Advantage line of cereal that includes “antioxidants” and “natural fiber.” Yet the company uses genetically modified corn, potatoes, and soy in its morning treats, as well as milk products from rBGH (growth hormone)-treated cows. Clorox, for example, is using common greenwashing images of a leafy forest to cash in on the green revolution and to promote their Green Works Cleaning Wipes. They advertise the wipes as being biodegradable, but what about the chemicals in the wipes, how well do they break down in the environment? And the plastic container that these wipes are packaged in is definitely not biodegradable.
I would prefer buying food local because it cheaper, use less chemical, and packaging.Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.

I usually shop at the mom and pop stores rather than a chain store. I eat more haitian-culture food than non-culture food. The mom and pop store have more of the ingredient I need to make a haitian meal. The chain store are usually more expensive and are not sustainable. Most of the product at the mom and pops store are locally grown or purchase

My social trap is driving more than walking. I live in a small town. By car it take 5minute to get to your desination, by foot 15minute to one hour.

ECHO


I enjoy the ECHO field trip and I learn uniques gardening technigues. Turken Chicken and turning cow manure into gas for cooking and lighting was the particular thing that stand out for me. I feel their work is relevant to the developing world it help them become more productive in farming. They use less chemical and more resource compare to the "American" agriculture. I learn about the Moringa. Moringa has a variety of uses.  Its leaves, flowers, and pods are food source for humans and animals. The flowers are a googd nectar source for honey, and the seeds are rich oil source for cooking and lubricant uses. The roots are a source of a spice and many parts of the plant have been used in medicinal preparations. Even very muddy water can be cleared when crushed seeds are added.  I performing my service learning hours with ECHO and I will continued throughtout my college years at FGCU.

Downtown Fort Myers

The word "downtown" make you think a secrete place where the adults goes to be free. A place where everybody with different background and with one common goal is to relax and let loose. A place where you are not judge by the color of your skin, gender, and sexual preference.

Some of the “nods to history” that I saw in the tour was the homage to the Olympians, the only museum in the world that displays the artworks of past Olympians.  Several monuments dedicated to Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone, the great inventors, who all once resided in Fort Myers.  There are even several historical plaques, which mark a certain time in history involving the Calusa natives, amongst other significant moments in time, placed throughout the downtown area. One of my favorite art work was the tile mosaic depicting the history of Southwest Florida. The images included, the Seminole Indians, frontiersmen, and the World War II infantries positioned in this area.
A lot of the building built in WWII is being used today.  This is sustainable when thinking about the cost and environmental effects of new construction.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sustainable meal-orgainc cornbread










 8 tablespoons unsalted organic butter (1 stick), divided
 1 1/4 cups finely ground stone ground organic yellow cornmeal
 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1 teaspoon fine salt
 2 large eggs
 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, shaken before using
 Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
 Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (10-inch) cast iron skillet; set aside. In a small saucepan or using the microwave, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter; set aside.
 Place cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
 Whisk eggs in a medium bowl until frothy, then whisk in buttermilk until incorporated. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until dry streaks are just   incorporated. (Do not overmix.) Fold in the melted butter until just combined, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
 Meanwhile, place the skillet in the oven until hot, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and swirl the melted butter around to coat the bottom of the pan.
 Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Place the skillet on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before   serving. To serve, cut wedges directly from the skillet or let the cornbread cool for another 15 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

Genetically modified eucalyptus

1. Ecology of the Eucalyptus tree.
  • EucalyptusAustralian trees are good for making paper. They are terrible for just about everything else – soil, insects, plants, and waterthe trees from down under support fewer insects, birds and other animals endemic to the United States. Worse, they create toxic conditions in the soil and their canopies block out sunlight for underlying plants. They hog water and yet easily catch fire, relying on fire to spread their seeds.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/genetically-modified-eucalyptus-trees-ignite-controversy.html

2. Benefit of this technology
3. Intrinsic Concern
  • Eucalyptus are internationally known for their devastating impacts–from invasiveness to wildfires to their ability to worsen droughts.  Massive wildfires in Australia earlier this year were fueled by eucalyptus, which contains a highly volatile oil. Additionally, eucalyptus grandis, one of the species in the GE eucalyptus hybrid, is also a known host to Cryptococcus gattii, a fungus that can cause fatal fungal meningitis in people and animals that inhale its spores. 
http://bigteaparty.com/genetically-modified-eucalyptus-trees-threaten-southern-us/

4. Extrinsic Concern
  • ArborGen would likely revolutionize the timber industry and the Southern landscape by becoming the first company to roll out bioengineered trees on a massive scale.By adopting eucalyptus as a tree stock, the United States would simply be catching up with countries like Brazil, which has leveraged vast tree plantations in recent decades to pivot from a net wood importer to an exporter.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eucalyptus-genetically-modified-pine-tree-southwest-forest