Colloquium Reflection

This Colloquium class was a very interesting course for me from different aspects. In the personal part it made me more sensitive about what is happening around me, regarding the damages that we have caused to the different ecosystems on earth. I worry about what is going to be left of our environment for my children to enjoy. I see things in a different way. I appreciate more everything I see, the air I breathe and what I have. It made me realize that even the little things I change in my daily life can help our environment in a big way. In the academic aspect, it helped me understand the different options, and the urge that we have to do something about the situation we are living. It opened my eyes regarding the role of the government. My Major is Resort Hospitality, my career has to do with tourism and it depends on the environment. Every section in this course had something to do with my major. It is important to educate the future professionals of our country about what is happening because the future is on their hands.
English is my second language. I have to admit that some of the readings were difficult for me. I liked the way the course was given with videos and that we had the chance to post our thoughts. I do think it is a lot of work and that most of the time we are just repeating the same subject. I do not consider that this course is about learning as much as it is about realizing and become more sensitive. Like I said I enjoyed it, I see myself more receptive about the subject and it helped me understand the consequences of the actions of many years.

A school day thirty years from now.....

A school day thirty years from now........ I will be sleeping in this aerobed, it is a kind of floating bed. I have a robot maid that wakes me up, at that time we will pick my outfit for the day. She will show me on her bellyscreen my wardrobe, so I can make a selection. She takes in to consideration the weather and where I am going. While I am taking a shower my robot maid will prepare breakfast for me, most of the foods are just pills and powders. I will get ready and unplug my little robot assistant, he is awesome and he is so organized. He is a phone, on the monitor that happens to be his face, I can see the person that I am talking to. He takes care of my datebook, takes notes and records for me. I can use the internet through him, print and the best he actually walks and talks. He is my little pet too. By this time I would get in my personal vehicle that will transport me to my destination automatically without me having to drive, I just tell it where I am going and it will take me to the place, now I can put my makeup on! I get to school, my class today is International Business, so we have on the wall different screens with teachers from different countries. During the class we have discussions, my assistant takes notes for me that way I can listen and participate in the discussion. The whole world is connected as one but that does not change the idea of the economy, the advancement in technology and the luxuries.
When I get home my little assitant and my robot maid have communicated so I have my dinner, bath and pijamas ready. Before that, I have my small gym and spa room where I have these awesome gym machines! When I am finished these robots give me massages on the muscles that I worked out and my feet!!!! Oh it feels great!! I put my pijamas on and lay down, I can control the temperature of my bed, the humidity in my house, the lights, television and everything else through my little assistant. I plug him in to charge and everybody and everything, goes to sleep!

Service Learning Reflection

This is the first time that I did community hours, for me it was a great experience. Being able to lend a hand to my community and environment, made me feel like a link in the chain of this community, it is strong. My service learning hours were done in different places. The first one was with Estero Aquatic Preserve. It was a very unique and exciting experience, not only was I helping but I also had the opportunity to experience wildlife that I would not usually be able to see. We went out on a boat, launched at Lovers Key and we went to small islands around the coast line to count bird nests. It amazed me that the director was able to identify the species of bird by only looking at the nests. I was not really familiar with the different types of birds but once you have seen the birds it makes it easier to identify them. It was my first time using binoculars and while I was looking through them because of the motion of the boat from the waves it made me seasick. My second experience was done at The Naples Botanical Garden. This was also new for me I hardly pull my own weeds and here I am clearing out a whole section of weeds from a bed of cypress palms. Even though it was hot and a lot of bugs it was still an enlightening experience. I got to see beauty at its early stage when I had the opportunity to plant small birds of paradise plants. I felt that I had left my seed in this place, once they grow I can go back and show my children what I helped create. I have used pruners before but not as much as I got to use them on this day. I now realized that it takes a lot of time and effort to maintain gardens as beautiful as this one in the Naples Botanical Garden. What I took from this experience was the harmony of humans and nature working together to make natural beauty. After I had finished this activity I realized the importance of students doing this volunteer work because it brings them closer to the environment, gives them a hands-on experience and the most important - appreciation of their surroundings. Even after my degree I am sure I would like to volunteer my time again.

Endgame

Once more we see how politics and economy tries to trump over conservation of the environment. While some politicians were looking in developing an airport in Homestead and the monetary benefits that it would bring to the economy, some people thought that the construction of the airport would be the destruction of the everglades. They thought that it would block the recharge of the regions water by cutting the natural flow of the watershed as well as the natural filtration process that the water needs. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was created because the Everglades is dying, despite that Florida conservationists had helped stop plume hunts, preserve millions of acres of wetlands and secure the largest nutrient clean up in history. Even though it looked like the politicians were going to get their way and the airport was going to be built, conservation of the Everglades prevailed and the project was rejected. It was very heartfelt to know that even though the conservationists had no money to start a campaign, the wealthy residents of the Ocean Reef Club ( which happens to be directly under the flight plans for the new airport) decided to provide them with a 2 million dollar war chest. That was enough money to start a campaign complete with lobbyists, economic consultants and a slick ad depicting a flock of jets flying over Biscayne bay under the caption: Somehow, it’s not quite the same. If the outcome had been different we may have regreted it tomorrow, considering that the Everglades is the most beloved wetland on the planet and it is one of the most important and richest ecosystems in Florida.

The Nature of The Everglades

It is amazing the history that The Everglades has. Reading this article makes you see how the whole ecosystem of The Everglades is formed and maintained, and that the whole system works together perfectly. Since the beginning it has always been considered a “mysterious and beautiful” place. It starts near Lake Okeechobee and spreads over to the Gulf of Mexico, being that this is an estuary, the fresh water meets with the saltiness of the ocean. It is very unique because of the richness that it has and because of the water and the grass together. One characteristic of this place is its grass that looks like a great thick arc, considered the greatest concentration of saw grass in the world. The water comes from the rain and after several journeys through streams and creeks moves down into Lake Okeechobee. Water from the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river, flowing to the southern end of the state. The Everglades experience frequent flooding in the rainy season and droughts in the dry season. The underlying bedrock or limestone of the Everglades basin affects the hydroperiod, or how long an area within the region stays flooded throughout the year as well as the plant life, and the wildlife above it. The rock is especially porous and stores water during the dry season and its chemical composition determines the vegetation prevalent in the region. The varieties of plants offer habitats for different animals. Once more we can see the connection between organisms for survival. It is very sad that we as humans do not relate to this perfect connection that the ecosystem has.

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Reflection on: As the World Burns

The main point I took from this article was how hard it seems to be to get a major law written about climate change. "The Three Amigos" or Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham, had spent 7 long months writing a bill that was supposed to transform the approach on energy and climate change. They had come farther than any other climate-change legislation had come before. They had come so close to making it a reality, President Obama had pulled a couple rugs out from under them when he gave away the $54 billion in new nuclear loan guarantees and also when he promised to open up areas in the Atlantic East coast, the Arctic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling. Those were going to be used as leverage for those three against the Rebuplicans to get them on board with the bill. There were also other forces against them too like the media spinning their words and calling it a "carbon tax". One of the largest blows the bill took was when the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid made the announcement that he wanted to pass immigration reform before the climate-change bill. The entire Senate knew there was no immigration bill, it was a cynical ploy and it hurt. I believe that these three were the closest to getting it done and if they had a chance to do it all over they would maybe change their attack strategy to have a better outcome.