IDS 3920

Our most recent field trip saw the class take a trip through Six Mile Cypress Slough, a beautiful preservation reserve not too far from Florida Gulf Coast University. A slough is generally referred to as a swamp, but it acts as a natural water drainage system that sustains life and beauty within it. The slough itself is divided into five main sections: The Amphitheater, Gator Lake, Wood Duck Pond, Otter Pond, and Pop Ash Pond. The amphitheater was a generally small area that overlooks gator lake. Six Mile Cypress  Amphitheater At the front of the amphitheater is a quote from someone I have become quite familiar with in the class, Chief Seattle. The quote reads, "We don't inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." This quote echos the message conveyed by Chief Seattle in his letter to the people who tried to buy his land years ago. We do not own the land we live on, we are interconnected with it, and it is not to be mistaken with ownershi...

  Florida Gulf Coast University is a treasure trove of self sustaining biomes and environments. There are many beautiful places around campus, but my favorite would have to be the boardwalk connecting parking garage two and the main campus, by Whitaker Hall. There are a number of different reasons why this sticks out with me the most, one being that it is the path I have walked every day for the past four years on my morning commutes. Each morning I take in the fresh air and peek out over the railings to see what kind of secrets I can find that day. Sometimes you can hear a woodpecker going at a tree, other mornings birds can be seen on the banks of the lake drying out their wings. Night time brings the sounds of crickets and other loud night crawlers, and no matter what time of day it is there is always something unique to be found. This helps me understand and appreciate my sense of place, it puts things in perspective.                 ...

     Over the past two weeks, we have been discussing the teachings of Richard Louv and David Orr. These two individuals are ideologists and big procurers of biophilia and staying in touch with our environmental surroundings. A total of six groups in the class were assigned some readings, and presented the material in those readings to the class. Each reading was a little different, but the overall umbrella of the information was how humanity seems to be slowly losing touch with the environment. In his writing, Orr says "We will not enter this new kind of sustainability until we allow our children the kind of childhood in which biophilia can put down roots." This quote resonates with me for a number of reasons. It is of the utmost importance that we allow our children to see the outside world and all of the wonders it has to offer, for themselves. Biophilia is something rooted within us all, but also a choice one must make for themselves. Orr stresses the importance of a ...