READING #6 - Moving Ecoagriculture into the Mainstream.

Chapter 2 was an interesting chapter about ecoagriculture. I have heard about ecoagriculture before but I never really knew what it entailed.  I found that this chapter helped solidified  what I learn during my visit to ECHO. It also helped me understand some of the practices that ECHO was utilizing in order to make farmers in developing countries more productive.  I also found it refreshing to know that environmentally sustainable practices are being implemented in developing countries not only out of necessity but also because it produced larger yields in crops. It interesting that the more sustainable methods are actually the more productive ones. This poses the question of why did we use the other methods in the first place? Either way the push to be more sustainable is becoming a more prevalent issue each day and if we can adapt ecoagriculture practices not only in our country but around the world, then we will be one step closer to being a sustainable ecosystem.

READING #5 - Charting a New Path to Eliminating Hunger

Chapter 1 of State of The World was an interesting read. Many of us take for granted the availability of food in this country. Most Americans are unaware or have just never thought about the food situation in other countries.  I was surprised at some of the statistics in this chapter.  It is refreshing to see that the number of undernourished people in the world dropped from 1020 million in 2009 to 925 million in 2010. However, there is still much more that can be done. The chapter covered some innovative ways that hunger is being combated in these countries such as urban gardening. Urban gardening seems like a promising method to produce crops for the poor in highly urbanized areas where poor families cannot afford food. Probably the most important contribution we can make to these developing countries is educating them on agricultural practices so they can sustain themselves.  Methods such as urban gardening and educating the poor on agricultural practices are the some of the first steps in combating world hunger, but there is still much that can be done.

Sand Live Oak (Quercus geminata)

Habitat - Scrub, Coastal Hammocks & Dunes, Sandhills
Description - Growth habit may be as a large shrub to a medium sized tree, usually with contorted, twisted trunks. Open canopy, somewhat sparsely branched. Leaves are alternate, thick and leathery with rolled under, entire margins. (information from http://www.floridasnature.com/florida%20trees1.htm)

Pinus elliottii (Slash Pine)

Pinus elliottii, commonly known as the Slash Pine, is a pine native to the southeastern United States, from southern South Carolina west to southeastern Louisiana, and south to the Florida Keys.^[2] It is fast-growing, but not very long-lived by pine standards (to 200 years), and prefers humid climates and moist soil. Slash Pine is named after the "slashes" – swampy ground overgrown with trees and bushes – that constitute its habitat. This tree reaches heights of 18–30 m (59–98 ft) with a trunk diameter of 0.6–0.8 m (2.0–2.6 ft). The leaves are needle-like, very slender, in clusters of two or three, and are 18–24 cm (7.1–9.4 in) long.
(information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_elliottii)

Serenoa repens (saw palmetto)

Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is the sole species currently classified in the genus Serenoa. It has been known by a number of synonyms, including Sabal serrulatum, under which name it still often appears in alternative medicine. It is a small palm, normally reaching a height of around 2–4 m (3–6 ft).^[2] Its trunk is sprawling, and it grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal lands or as undergrowth in pine woods or hardwood hammocks. (Infromation from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_palmetto)

Wax Myrtle

Cabbage Palm

Reading # 4 Creative & Expreiences

After watching the documentaries on John Dewy and issues with today's education system I realized how blessed I am to have had an untraditional education. John Dewy's views on education are similar to my own. From my personal experience and what I have observed in others I believe that education is best instituted by experiences that relate to the subject. It has been said that words are nice but a picture is worth 1000 words. So what does that make an experience worth? The answer to this question is priceless. Through experiences we learn. You can teach facts but true knowledge is only obtained by experience. I have found in my own life that whatever I learn from a book or class is not quite the same as real world application. In my opinion learning would be most effective if classroom teaching was accompanied by experiences that reinforced what was learned such as field trips. It is a shame that creativity is being beaten out of children. I agree with much of what Sir Ken Robinson said. In today's society we label children instead of focusing on the child's behavior and directing it to make them successful. ADHD is a term that we label children with in order to drug them so that they conform to the system. The truth of the matter is that it is our fault for creating a system that is undesirable and unsuccessful at truly educating children. It is not the child who should conform but rather the system. We have taken so much of the creativity out of education which makes our children suffer. While mathematics and science is very important it does not have to govern the entire education system. Creativity is what drives mathematics and sciences. If creativity had not existed then no breakthroughs in technology would exist either. It is in fact creativity that is responsible for  innovation.  This past year I had the privilege of having  a student by the name of Rotson Kho-Yute as my lab partner in Geotechnical Engineering 1. On one occasion i asked him what he thought of the education here as opposed to the Philippines. What he said was that in the Philippines they did not teach art or give students the chance to be creative and that he wished they were more like America in that sense. This left an impression on me; the one subject Americans are slowly doing away with is the one subject he desired more than the others.  With this new  perspective I will no longer take art or the ability to be creative for granted and I will make sure my children always have the opportunity to be creative.

Reading #3 - John Dewey

I have learned that experiences are very valuable in one's education and that different experiences have different educational value.  I have also learned that traditional forms of education may not be as effective as learning through experiences. This can be applied to my life and the life of others as we are all lifelong learners and our experiences are what influence us the most.

Personal Journal #1 -5/21/11

For journal entry #1 i decided to talk a walk around my neighborhood. This was a pleasant experience as i enjoyed relaxing from my busy life and just taking in the beauty around me. As i was walking i realized how i take the area in which i live for granted. I thought about how many people who live in major cities miss out on the natural beauty of our earth. As i breathed the fresh air i also thought about how lucky i am to live in a place with little air pollution. I really enjoyed my time outside and hopefully i will get to again in the near future.

Neighborhood Walk-About

I really enjoyed my walk around my neighborhood. Usually i do not pay attention to my surroundings because i am jogging. Every now and then i do see some interesting animals such as deer or raccoons but none this time.
I live with my parents currently in North Port estates. There are not many people who live in my neighborhood. For this reason much of the nature is undisturbed by humans. While i was walking around and taking in nature i asked myself the following questions.

Questions:
1. What kinds of plants and trees are present in this ecosystem?
2. Are all of the plants and trees native to Florida?
3. How many different kinds of animals live in this ecosystem?
4. Are all of the animals native to Florida?
5. Which plants and animals are an invasive species?
6. What are the effects that the local infrastructure has on the ecosystem?
7. What are the effects of drought on the ecosystem?
8. What are the effects of heavy rains on the ecosystem?
9. How does pesticides and fertilizers used by people effect the ecosystem?
10. How does new construction and development effect the ecosystem?

Reading #2 - Quality Enhancement

The key terms discussed in reading #2 apply to many aspects of our lives. Most people would like to consider themselves as a good member of their community and society in general. The key terms discussed lay the basis for which an individual can obtain the status  of  "good member of society." This status cannot be obtained without Civic Engagement. Civic Engagement is the starting point as one cannot be beneficial to their community if they are not working to make a difference in that community. Other terms such as Land Ethic extend the perspective of civic engagement to include resources and not just the betterment of the community in general. Civic engagement coupled with land ethic leads to Environmental Sustainability. This is because if an individual is trying to make a difference for the betterment of the community while keeping in mind the land, then they will strive to be sustainable as it benefits the land and the community. This applies to our class as we are consider a community and I am sure we all would live to be considered good members of society.

Reading #1 - Orientation

I would like to gain an understanding of how sustainability impacts the community and those who are not perceiving it from an engineering point of view. I understand what sustainability means in terms of design and implementation of engineering practices.  However, this approach only see sustainability from a technical aspects which differs from how many others view sustainability. This insight would better help me understand the larger picture of sustainability and how it impacts the world and I believe Colloquium is the perfect place to gain this understanding.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Steve Suggs i am an engineering student at FGCU with hopes of graduating in May 2012.  Upon graduation i plan to obtain a masters degree in environmental engineering. I have an identical twin brother who also attends FGCU. In what little spare time I have I like to water ski and play paintball but i do not get to do that very often because school has been consuming my life.