Blog Entry #6

  

As a child I had a very fortune experience with nature. I could say almost that I had an experience like someone from an older generation. At first I lived in a somewhat gated community but there was still a good amount of land in the backyard where I could play and come up with pretend adventures that my sister and I would go on. Then when I got to middle school I moved to an area where everyone lives on a couple of acres of land. This is where nature came into play a lot. I would be outdoors every single day after school and play with my next door neighbors until the street light came on. Then on the weekends I would be outside playing all day long. Whether it was swinging on the swing set or playing hide and go seek in the yard. Nature was my playing ground.

I do not know what type of person I would be if I was not outdoors and not in sync with nature. My life as a child was for the most part outdoors and it was very rare if I spent time indoors unless I was playing a board game or it was night time and I watched television before I went to bed. I guess I was very blessed to have parents who wanted their children to be outdoors and enjoy what nature has to give to them. I was also fortunate to have a sibling and next door neighbors that were interested in being outdoors as well. It is nice to look back at the days when I was a kid who played in the yard until the sun went down and even sometimes played when it was pitch black outside because the thought of danger lurking around was even more exciting.

Blog Entry #5

ECHO I would certainly say was a unique and knowledge filled field trip. Our tour guide definitely had a knack for people who agreed or said “yes” to what he was telling us. Every part or mostly every section of ECHO’s land was edible. Some of the other plants could be used for other necessities as well such as the Neem tree. The Neem tree is traditionally called the “toothbrush tree”. Neem bark helps to brighten teeth and maintain good oral health as well as provide aid for skin, nails, and hair. We also learned about ways to filter water by using the moringa seeds. Just one moringa seed filters bacteria out one water bottle, all you have to do in put the seed in a plastic water bottle (do not use glass) and let it sit under the sun to filter through and the bacteria will clump together.  Moringa has a lot of nutritional benefits; it has a significant source of beta carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron, and potassium.

      There was so much to learn about living a sustainable life, we learned about using blessing or “poopies” from animals and other green manures to fertilize the land. Something interesting that I learned is that the banana plant is technically considered an herb. The banana plant does not have a wooden trunk and grows back from scratch over and over again at the end of the season. We also learned techniques on how to build water pumps that could be efficient for different cultures. All you really need is a PVC pipe which comes in handy a lot.  There was so much information and details that went into this field trip that really was truly amazing.  Even if you do not have land, there is a way to garden such as urban gardening. There are many ways you can get out there and live a sustainable life, you just need to ask questions and do research. 

Blog Entry #4

FGCU Food Forest, Who knew?

            One of the best field trips so far in the university colloquium course was the Florida Gulf Coast University food forest. We learned so much about growing vegetables, fruit, and other native and non-native plants. The FGCU food forest was created by students to show them how to live a sustainable life as well as learning where food comes from and how long it takes for food to grow. The food forest was so impressive, they were growing all sorts of vegetables from carrots, eggplants, green peppers to radishes.

            I never knew that you could use natural pesticides such as onions and grits to get rid of ants and other unwanted guests. Knowing that you can have fresh vegetables and fruit without harsh pesticides that are not good for you and the environment is pretty neat. The food forest really opened my eyes and made me care for the environment a lot more. I’m actually really interested in growing my own vegetables and fruit trees, it would be nice to look in the backyard and see all my hard work bloom.

            Being in the university colloquium course, we read stories all the time about how to live a sustainable life. But for the first time I got to experience what it actually looks like to be living a sustainable life. Kelly Walsh who is one of the directors of the food forest was really passionate about growing food and she often makes meals from the food forest and from her home since she grows food there. She made star-fruit salsa the other day with her own star-fruit and even made tasty sandwiches with the different types of lettuce growing in the forest. I never really knew how influential one visit could make on a person to change their mind about sustainability.