Journal 3 Field Trip #1 - Campus Trail

The first, what I like to call “mini” field trip was both educational and inspirational. I learned a good deal about our school that I likely would never know if I hadn’t taken this course. The most interesting thing on the walk had to be the cooling system for the campus. I couldn’t put in plain words how it works but our tour guide did a good job of explaining it. The green design around campus was also quite interesting. I also came to know that everything planted on the campus is native to Florida. However, there is an exotic tree taking over the area but they are doing their best to eliminate it. After the tour, I developed a greater appreciation for FGCU and our environmental goals and ideas.

Journal 2 Sense of Place - Your Neighborhood

I can honestly say that I feel most at home when I am at home in my bed watching the television. Nature is all around me but most of the time I have no motivation to “experience” it. Here in Fort Myers, I live at the College Club Apartments. Although this area is filled with wildlife including native animals and plants, my “neighborhood” is about the least environmental place there is. Aside from the recycling cans that no one seems to use and the small dirty lake that is nothing to brag about, there is no nature to be found. I do suppose that a sustainable feature that is displayed in my neighborhood is our fountain which does provide oxygen for the fish in the lake (whatever type of fist they may be). Although there really isn’t any nature where my home is, there are numerous places nearby including FGCU, which provide many experiences with the natural world.

Journal 1 Incoming Reflection

“Colloquium?! What does that even mean!?” That was my initial reaction before taking this class. I knew the class would speak of nature and experiencing it firsthand but I never understood why it is a required class to graduate. When it comes to my personal experiences with nature, there isn’t much to say. I grew up living in a rather large city with no “nature” to speak of so one might imagine that my experience with nature is, I guess you could say, fictional.
As I came to understand why this class was created and how it is supposed to make us a more well rounded person, my appreciation for the class became much greater. My goal at first was honestly just to get through the course and pass in order to graduate but now, through our field trips and discussions, I hope to leave with as much knowledge as possible about the living world around me.