Consumption... Is There Any Limits

One of our videos in class the semester had to do with the state of consumption in our nation. Until the beginning of the movie, I had no clue that pretty much 51 percent of our country was ran by corporations and the remaining 49 percent our GOVERNMENT! After hearing it though and seeing what has gone on in this country that past 10 years, it almost does not surprise me. I also learned that our consumption level has doubled in the last 50 years! And, 99 percent of the things we purchase is thrown away in 6 months? Hard to believe. If we keep increasing at the speed we are now, there is no telling how much trouble we will be in such a short manner. Sustainability is key, and it needs to be!

Turtles Freed Near Marco

Recently seven turtles were treated, for injuries related to fishing lines and hooks, at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Mississippi. After being treated, animals are usually release back to where the were originally found. This being impossible due to the carnage in the Gulf, they were brought to Ten Thousand Islands near Marco Island. With the turtles being Kemp Ridley's sea turtles the brackish waters and the ample food supply near the mangroves make it much easier for the turtles to adapt. Whether they stay and live a new life or find themselves drawn away, no one knows for certain.

Another New Idea on Helping Oil Spill - July 13, 2010

The latest idea on choking off the spillage has come to public. A new "tighter-fitting cap" was lowered over the blown out well on Monday. The idea is to slowly start closing the valves on the geyser of oil. The plan is to methodically slow the pressure of the oil pumping in hopes the the cap will hold on long enough to build the reserve tank that is said to be done in late August. The hope is that the oil with travel through the machinery which acts as a stopper, or it will travel through pipes and be taken to collection ships. Who knows if this will work? This is another attempt that will be proven right or wrong in a short time. With 180 million gallons pumped into the Gulf thus far, let's hope that this will be better than the previous attempts.

Oiled Birds Released On Sanibel

Just before noon on Monday, July 12th, 32 birds were released oil free onto Sanibel Beach. There were 21 brown pelicans and 11 gannets that got to enter the oil free water. The birds had been rescued from the waters of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi where the oil is way worse. They were rehabbed at the Fort Jackson Wildlife Center in Buras, Louisiana, and the Tri-State Bird Rescue Center in Theodore, Alabama. They were then brought to Sanibel and where they are safe from the the disaster. There has no sightings of returning birds and lets hope they stay out of that danger.

Field Trip to Fort Myers River District

As a born and raised citizen of Fort Myers I was embarrassed that I did not know things that were brought to conversation the other day. I knew things like Thomas Edison's want for bamboo and that Firestone was looking for rubber trees, but i was unaware of the type of Indians that were there and that the city was actually part of the union (Civil War). The trip turned out to be the most knowledgeable of all of are trips because it was my home. The entire trip was very educational and I loved learning about the past. It could not have ended any better than with the mural we saw. I was amazed by the artwork, and was in disbelief that I had not know about it. Great Trip!

Reducing Work Time As A Path To Sustainability

My topic for our class presentation from State of The world book was "Reducing Work Time As a Path To Sustainability" It talked about the idea of reducing peoples work hours to help them focus on things other then just money. Wanting money just leads to wanting of more and more consumption. Consumption is one of the leading causes of the deterioration of our world. The author also talked about by working more, that we limit our time to enjoy the environment. We constantly rush through it like it will always be there. I agree with much that I presented and think that with certain ideas brought up, that a better plan could be implemented.

Field trip to Lover's key

Our field trip to Love's Key turned out to be a good one. We were lucky enough to have perfect weather. I was ashamed with myself that I had not been there in years and that i was not aware of everything the beach had to offer. I new of different kind of mangroves, but actually did not know that there were different purposes and jobs that they each had. There were many different things that go unnoticed with beaches and we were all able to give examples depending on out majors. I enjoyed the relaxing few hours of time and will make sure that I will be there sooner than my layoff last time.