Blog Entry 12

What is “sustainable consumerism”? Are globalization and capitalism positive or negative drivers in this phenomenon? What is greenwashing? Would you be willing to pay a premium for foods labeled “organic”, “local”, or “fair-trade”? Do you prefer to frequent mom and pop stores in downtown Ft. Myers or patronize chain stores at the Gulf Coast Town Center? What are the ramifications of your behaviors either way? Think holistically.

By being a sustainable consumer, it means that he or she is fully aware of what they are purchasing, and only purchase things that have a minimal carbon footprint and are more ecologically and socially sound. Greenwashing is where the marketing companies deceive the consumers into thinking their products are environmentally friendly. Alot of times companies would spend more money on advertising the "green" than actually spending money and resources on "green" practices. For me personally I dont even know where the closest mom and pop store is for groceries so by default I have to be shopping at the larger Gulf Coast Town Center type stores. Even if i did know where a mom and pop store is for groceries, im not sure i would want to go there and purchase products that will be higher priced. My mom and dad own a furniture store and i know how dificult it can be to run those so for things that focus on higher quality stuff I would rather get my moneys worth knowing the people will put time and effort in making a good quality product rather than just manufacturing one cheaply and make a lot of them and get their profit from bulk sales.

The term downtown makes me picture a place that is older and close together where everything requires parallel parking, meter tickets and tourists walking up and down the sidewalks. Over time it seems as if people have moved away from the city life and prefer to live on lots of their own acreage or in a gated community. In fort myers everything now is either a tourist shop or a lawyers office rather than where people used to live. As we walked around to observe what was around fort myers we came across this sign saying the first concrete sidewalks were constructed in 1906. We learned that the roads used to me made of brick as well. We also had to visit the Southwest Florida Museum of History which did a great job encasing the timeline of what went on in Fort Myers all the way from paleolithic times to present day. As for the change in economy, it is now very heavily reliant on tourism but back in the day it was surrounded by farms and cattle that supported a lot of the local people. 

Ecological Footprint

This week we had to go to this website to find out our ecological footprint. http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/.
The reason behind this website was to find out how our lifestyle impacts earth if everyone in the world lived like we did. After I took the quiz the website told be it would take 5.4 total earths to support everyone if they all lived the way i do. Afterwards it gives some options that we could do in order to change our lifestyle and even if I checked off all the options given, it still says it would take 4.6 earths. Some options included changing my diet because the foods i buy are from far away farms and is high in animal products. Another is to pledge to buy products that require less packaging and use 100% post consumer recycled products. It seems to me that according to the quiz, the thing that influences the outcome the most is the electrical land used. That doesn't seem like something i can control to much. I have no control on how the electrical company makes the energy I can only control how much I use. I do my part in driving an ultra low emmisions vehicles however because I live over 25 miles away from school I am forced to drive over 300 miles a week. I could say I need to car pool but in my situation it is unlikely that it would happen enough to make a difference.  

Is energy too cheap? Is conservation a dirty word? What would you say to “Jimmy Cardigan”? With regards to alternative energy sources (renewables) are you a "free-marketeer" or proponent of government intervention to steer us away from fossil fuels? In your opinion, what type of renewable energy has the most upside potential? What steps can you take 1) tomorrow and 2) within the next five years to reduce your energy footprint?

I have no doubt that if we continue to use the amount of gas that we consume each year we will run out within a time that will be sooner than expected. We may have an estimated amount of oil still available but the reserves will only last so long. In order to slow down the rate in which we consume fuel we need to come up with a cheap and reusable way to produce energy. Electric cars and hybrid cars are great inventions but they need to be marketed better and constructed in more stylish cars for them to be bought enough to make a difference. Now I complain just as much as the next person about gas prices but if you think about it, where would we be if gas prices were much lower? We would have no incentive to research about hybrid and electric vehicles if people didnt complain about rising gas prices. Right now I try to drive as less as possible but i will admit its not to save the planet i just cant afford it. Within the next five years, i can reduce my energy footprint by buying a ecofriendly car but thats only if it is more advanced and more stylish in five years.

Climate Change

In your view, is climate change anthropogenic (manmade), "natural", or some combination of the two? What (or who) would you consider reputable sources for climate change information? How is climate change portrayed in the media? Does this portrayal make you more or less likely to alter your lifestyle? What do you think the effects of climate change will be on your children and grandchildren?

Everyone knows the whole debate on climate change. My view is that it is a mix between man and nature and I dont think I would be able to trust any kind of data since statistics can be manipulated to make a point. I do believe that the earth has been warming and cooling for centuries before human populations could even be large enough to make a difference. Yes i believe that now we have a larger role in creating holes in the ozone creating a warmer climate than what would be if we didnt exist but i dont think it is as big of a deal as scientists are making it out to be. The climate will change and it will probably get warmer but it will also become cooler too but i dont think any significant changes will occur in my time or even my grandchildrens time. In the next 100 years the ocean may rise but it wont be a significant amount to do any damage to the shores. I think its just a big deal to get people aware of the situation to create a healthier change because the smoke from cars and industrial plants will do more damage to our lungs than it will the climate.

Hypothetical scenario – ArborGen (a biotech company) has expressed a desire to plant test plots of genetically modified eucalyptus here at FGCU! This GM eucalyptus has been engineered with enhanced cold tolerance. This allows it to grow not only in Southwest Florida, but potentially as far north as South Carolina. As an eco-aware citizen, the USDA has subpoenaed you to testify on the merits and pitfalls of this plan. Do some research on the web and prepare a brief statement to the USDA addressing the following questions:

   What is known about the ecology of the eucalyptus tree in general? What are the benefits of this technology? What are some of the potential intrinsic concerns? What are some of the potential extrinsic concerns? Can reasonable and cost-effective steps be taken to mitigate these risks? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Eucalyptus trees grow around bodies of water or underground water sources and because they require a lot of water they will monopolize the water source and increase the possibility of drought. They are also an invasive species which would be a problem in any ecosystem. Not all wildlife can utilize the eucalyptus leaves which would deter the wildlife away from campus and anywhere else the trees invade. If the company believes that the growth of this tree is an economic success they will attempt to sell the genetically altered trees to other locations. Once the sales of eucalyptus trees are released it would be too difficult to regulate where the trees grow and hundreds of acres of land will be infested with eucalyptus.

Trip to ECHO

ECHO stands for Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization and they are located in Fort Myers, Florida. Thier main focus is creating new and inovative ways to help third world contries learn to sustain their own agriculture. They take a look into the climate that these countries live in and find an easier and more successful way to grow crops. Feeding someone is good but to teach them to feed themselves is even better so they have people that travel to these countries and live there a whole year learning about the ways that the native people live and then they try their best to make changes when needed. The field trip that we took was a tour of some of the demos that are going on in different countries. For example, the first thing our tour guide showed us was a duck pen located above a tilapia lake so that there is a cycle that supports both the ducks and the tilapia making them coexist. There were several other neat things that he showed us that seemed very simple to change but makes perfect sense if you live in a harsh climate that makes harvesting difficult such as living in a city where there are hundreds of rooftops. They have ways to grow crops using recycled materials to plant plants on rooftops. All of their work is extremely relevant to countries that need it. Their system are designed for specific climates so not all of the displays that we saw work everywhere. It takes alot of research and testing to see if their designs will succeed or fail when a new countries comes to them for help. Even though it is very interesting to learn about I would not however want to work with this type of work. Planting and harvesting crops is not the work that I would like to do for my service learning in this class. I would much rather work with animals such as the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Naples. I have a soft heart for animals so for me, animals is where I would rather focus my energy on helping rather than people in far away countries.