Sabrina- Colloquium Journal 3

I was pleasantly surprised this week on our field trip at Six Mile Cypress. I actually plan on going back sometime and exploring some more. I really liked that I got to see an alligator and a hog! That was the best part for me to see them up close and in nature was great because the only time I’ve seen them is locked up in a zoo. We also got to see a snake, which was gross, but also very cool to see on this field trip. The importance of the preservation of the six mile cypress is to preserve such a large area and make sure that these animals, trees, and different aspects of nature that are so important to Southwest Florida are protected. I also really enjoyed all the quotes that were seen along the sides of the boardwalk. They really made great statements about the environment, nature, and where we were at that moment in time. We also got to stop and see a lot of bird sitting together by the water just living life. The picture below shows them:

This trip helped me in my understanding of sense of place because it showed me that animals have found their sense of place at the six-mile cypress. For example, I got to see an alligator in his natural home, a hog walking around where he lives in nature, and even a snake just sitting in a bunch of leaves doing nothing. It was also great for me because they weren’t in a zoo, they weren’t being watched, and they were just living in nature and not being bothered. It made me feel like they know their sense of place, and they are good examples of how everyone on this planet has a place here and belongs here. We should all be able to have a sense of place and figure out where exactly we belong on this planet.  This trip also really helped be understand the ecological imprint. The hogs, as our tour guide was telling us, have destroyed much of the six-mile cypress by de-rooting some of the ground and pulling up trees and roots looking for food etc. It’s crazy that even creatures that live in nature are destroying some of their home without realizing it. I feel like sometimes humans do that as well. We destroy the environment in little ways and in big ways and I feel like sometimes we don’t notice how much were destroying our environment when we do little things like neglect to recycle a water bottle or drive our cars around too much. This trip taught us all about sustainability in many different ways. The six-mile cypress is being preserved and protected. It’s also a way for our community to be sustainable and a trip to the six-mile cypress makes you want to become a more sustainable community because you get to see the beauty of nature and our wonderful environment all around you. Simply reading the quotes on the walkway made me want to lead a more sustainable life.

Below is a picture of me by the water when we first arrived and picture of the baby alligator I got to see during the trip which was my favorite part!!!

Sabrina Bracken- Colloquium Journal #2

During the campus walked I learned a lot! The most interesting thing I learned was that there was a forest fire in the nature trail in 2004 that was actually beneficial to the trees. I never thought that fires could be a good thing in nature. It was very interesting to learn about all the different kinds of trees, dead and alive. I also really enjoyed talking about the frogs because it’s crazy how a tiny little frog can actually be deadly to humans and other animals. Everything we learned on the nature walk was pretty much new knowledge to me. I’ve never really been the outdoorsy type, so hearing this information was pretty new to me. The walk helped me develop my sense of place because it gave me new places to consider. Like I said previously I’m not very outdoorsy so this opportunity to see such a beautiful place in nature really made me think about my sense of place in nature. This walk reminded me about FGCU’s impact on the environment. Our campus is very environmentally conscious which is one of the reasons I love this university. It’s so great to see how much time and effort our university has put in to preserve and protect the nature and wildlife on campus. I connect with the ecological footprint of FGCU because I’m a student who loves this university and by loving the university I love everything it stands for. FGCU’s mission is to be sustainable and I believe we, as an entire university, become more sustainable every day. I learned a lot about sustainability on this walk and how important it is to be a sustainable university. The walk made me proud to say I’m a student at Florida Gulf Coast University.

““The children and nature movement is fueled by this fundamental idea: the child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable.” (Richard Louv).

My favorite place on campus is Sugden Hall, the Resort and Hospitality Building.  The building is my second home and I feel great when I’m there. My major is my passion so I like to be in Sugden because it feels like I have a genuine purpose when I’m there. My favorite place at home is the creek in my neighborhood. It’s a very peaceful place with a beautiful bridge connecting two sides of land over the water. It has plenty of picnic tables for families to come and relax. It also has a beautiful waterfall. It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been and it’s great to meet up with friends or go read a book and relax on a nice spring day. In my community my favorite place is a town center called Fairfax Town Center in Virginia. It has a lot of outdoor dining options, fun activities, and it’s a place where you can almost be sure that you will run into an old friend. It’s my favorite place to go when I’m home visiting my friends and family. They help with my understanding of my sense of place because they’re the places that molded me into the woman I am today. They’ve been places where good things have happened, where bad things have happened and where my life has taken me. I’m thankful for such amazing places helping me find a sense of place.

Colloquium- Journal 1- May 14th 2015

Before we met for class on May 13^th my expectation was to learn about the environment, nature and how to live in a way that is less harmful to them. It was interesting to learn that was actually not the main focus of the course. The course is designed for a group of people, with many different interests, to come together to have informal discussions about the world, their environment and their sense of place. The learning and outcomes of the class connect to my self and my sense of place by making me realize that everyone has their own sense of place and everyone is different. For example, my sense of place might be somewhere outside and quiet where as some one else’s could be somewhere inside and loud.

            My sense of place is a small place outside where people go to see the planes take off and land at Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington DC. When I was younger my family and I would walk there for picnics with friends, or just to go hang out if it was a beautiful day out. It’s one of my favorite places because it’s the one place where everyone would be excited to go to. I remember being so young and innocent and being amazed by every single plane that flew over my head. When the planes flew over you would feel a huge breeze and sometimes even a slight vibration beneath you. The place was placed right beside the Potomac River with a view of the National Monument. Recently they made this place a cell phone lot and a lot of the character is gone. However, whenever I fly home to see my family my dad always reminds me that he was sitting in the lot watching my plane fly in.

            My sense of place now is in my car. I love being in my car because it’s like being in my own bubble. I can turn the music up as much as I want, not have to listen to anyone talk and just be alone with my thoughts. Sometimes when I’m stressed or annoyed I will get in my car and just go somewhere to escape reality. It works for me every time and makes me more relaxed. I have an hour-long commute to work and I take that time every day to be alone and to relax.

source:https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt

The reading about nature-deficit disorder and the restorative environment by Richard Louv and the coming of Biophilia Revolution connects with my sense of place in a lot of ways. Especially my first sense of place, watching the planes comes in, because they replaced the beautiful and relaxing place with a cell phone lot to adjust to the technology needs that people have. It is the concept that you have to love it or you’re going to lose it. I guess these don’t connect to my second and most current sense of place, my car, because cars are very harmful to the environment. Therefore it makes me feel like I love to lose it. We’re alienating ourselves from nature, which is going to be harmful for our kids and our future grandchildren.  Our children follow us by example. If we’re constantly using technology and not going out and protecting or enjoying the environment and nature then our children will respond by doing the exact same thing.

David Orr said, “It makes far better sense to reshape ourselves to fit a finite planet than to attempt to reshape the planet to fit our infinite wants.” Orr is completely accurate in this quote. Humans have destroyed the earth for years and subsequently we have species, plants, and ‘animals’ that have never been here before. We’ve destroyed the earth by making less and less natural things go on. One thing that David Orr said that I completely relate to is: “When we heal the earth we heal ourselves”. This couldn’t be more accurate, we have destroyed the earth, which makes us ‘bad’ people in a way. It’s time for us to heal the earth so that we can be a better human race as a whole.

Airport and Potomac River. Source: https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;