Orr

"More than ever we do well in and among our own creations and are increasingly uncomfortable with nature lying beyond our direct control."

Biophobia is real. I have it, most people I know have it. But we don't call it biophobia on a day-to-day basis. We call it "cleanliness." We call it order. We call it "sanitation."

In some cases that's necessary. I'd rather my doctor not perform surgery after getting back from the golf course with his golfing gloves instead of his latex ones. But biophobia does cause significant medical impacts on children. Allergic reactions are caused by the body not knowing how to handle a foreign substance. And it's been empirically proven that people with dogs when they're babies, and the Amish, whom spend most of their lives in the presence of nature, have significantly lower levels of allergies and allergic reactions to foods. My girlfriend was told at a young age that she will have to live in a sterile environment for the rest of her life. But then she visited some family in Argentina, played in the dirt, and poof. Problem solved. Biophobia is causing direct, measurable harm toward our children.

http://www.whittakermountaineering.com

"Biophobia is not okay because it is the foundation for a politics of domination and exploitation."

Boy is it.
The desensitization of nature caused by biophobia leads to a populous who sees nature as a problem requiring a solution. Don't protect the everglades. Mow it down and build an airport.

"Ours is a time of unparalleled human violence and unparalleled violence toward nature."
Whoa you lost me there buddy. I understand the violence toward nature. But this is statistically the most peaceful time in human history.

Earth Charter

I fully support the message of the earth charter. The message sent out is pragmatic and reasonable, but not overly demanding. It can help us realize the importance of stewardship that comes with our knowledge and power. "Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations that make environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all development initiatives." The irony of this, FGCU signing of on the earth charter, is that FGCU's very existence has caused great damage to the local ecosystem. If it weren't for FGCU being built, the urban sprawl around the area would have never happened. Every time we promote anything regarding environmentalism, we're trying to heal the wounds we ourselves inflicted. Then again, we will never know what sort of world would exist if FGCU was never founded. It would be a world without 100,000+ hours of service learning for local organizations, and without college students requiring to take a course on sustainability. Perhaps FGCU will have a net-carbon-negative affect on the planet. But that's impossible to know...

Where was I?

Ah. Earth Charter. Right.

It's hard for me to say anything about this that I haven't already said in class. I like it. I support it. "Empower every human being with the education and resources to secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves." It not only mentions the importance of environmentalism, but also societal sustainability. This nation does not have a sustainable society. It's been recently reported that the US is not, in fact, a democracy,  but an oligarchy. I recently just learned what that was. It means that a certain few have all of the power. I think that' correct, given the massive control corporations and certain wealthy doners have over US politicians. They find viable ones, pump them full of money, and parade them around like puppets in front of the people who only voted for them because they saw their commercial on tv in between episodes of NCIS: New Brunswick. The corporate puppeteers sit there like parents staring at a baby and say "awe isn't that cute. They think their vote matters. How adorable."

I'm not bitter or cynical....

"Require multinational corporations and international financial organizations to act transparently in the public good, and hold them accountable for the consequences of their activities."

Yeah. Like the Koch brothers would ever let that happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u5NTA7TGqI

But the Earth Charter is just words. The only way for these words to truly matter if they are followed by legitimate action. FGCU, if you look past its hypocritical existence, is making great strides to spit out environmentally aware students. What I would love to see is a comparison of the carbon footprint of graduated students from FGCU vs UF, keeping all other factors the same. If such a study came about, and it actually showed that FGCU was spitting out environmentalists. then it would be a grand day for all...

I'm gonna go call Pew...

Field Trip Reflection

"During the course of the semester, we have been on a number of field trips to many environments - natural and built - around SW Florida.  For this journal entry, reflect on the field trip(s) that made the biggest impression on you.  Did this field trip connect with or expand your sense of place?  What did you experience or learn for the first time?  How did this impact you for both the present and the future?  Connect the experience to the readings and discussion from class.  This reflection can be either positive or negative."


The field trip that had the biggest impact on me has to be ECHO. Most of the things that I've learned in my environmental engineering classes at FGCU were actually used in real-world sustainable applications that can be used in 3rd-world nations. It made me realize that I really did make the right decision in choosing my major, because my knowledge can be used to make significant positive impacts in this world. It also made me appreciate what I have and how certain parts of the world really need these innovative sustainable methods of water cleaning & food growth because they don't have the structure system to support what we have in the US. The most recent reading also reminded me of the field trip because both gave real tangible examples of environmental solutions for environmental problems