Colloquium-- Outside of the States!

This was an unbelievable experience. This colloquium class and its thoughts

on sustainability do not just apply to SW Florida. Being temporarily in

Colombia I am still thinking of what I have learned so far on sustainability

and I am applying it to the environment here. For the this week’s blog I had

to go on a freshwater field trip so I went to a small town outside of Bogota

the capitol called Jenesano. In this town there is a river called El Rio de

Jenesano and it runs right through the town. It’s a beautiful place to be

because it is not like a town in the States, it is small and influenced by

the colonial Spanish times of Colombia. Not much technology is around just

the simple one or two computer café´s. So if you are thinking it you are

right, the town is full of nature. Surrounded by mountains the river and the

town lie in bowl type of location. Shrubs and Eucalyptus trees are

everywhere making the smell in the air refreshing and way more refreshing

then the synthetic glade bottle smell.

Now back to river and its relation with the town, I´d have to say it’s a

grey area, because it is very useful in their everyday needs such as a

source of water for cleaning and farming but as the population grows it is

slowly losing its maintenance and it’s not a direct focus of the town to

preserve it. In some areas it is being polluted you see trash around and

it’s sad because you travel away from the technological city life to an

isolated town and you still find the effects of pollution. However, it is

not on a large enough scale where it is impossible to enjoy the river.

The town does not provide special ecosystem trips to tour the river instead

it is there for the simple enjoyment of the people. Recently water companies

have stepped into the water control of the river because due to strange

fluxauting weather here, water levels have been very high at some points and

extremely low in others. This has caused extreme flooding in some areas and

destruction of homes, bridges, and agriculture as well. Since it is only

recent that a water company stepped in to control the river there aren´t

many regulations and so it is up to the land owners to take the initiative

to not build so close to the river or farm next to it.

I feel that now with government companies steeping in there soon will be

some regulations with water and land control to preserve this beautiful

environment. People with the want to live in a sustainable world and

conserve towns such as this one that have such a beautiful backyard with a

magnificent freshwater river running behind it should focus on the education

of sustainability in small towns. Teach them what it means to conserve this

land, what the effects are, how to continue living with their old customs

and still be green these are all important education strategies that should

be met in order to conserve such land. This land has been isolated for many

years and it is the entrance to more lands that are further away from the

city and provide even more wild land so preserving this land is important to

keep urbanization from reach the next city and so forth. Bulldozing such a

beautiful land would bring urbanization to a land that does not need it.

There are enough condos in the city and building more in a neighboring land

such as this one would eliminate a place where people can escape from their

business life and relax in a peaceful simple one.

An Oasis In The City

Being on the east coast I did not have the privilege to walk through the nature trail and blog about it, instead I visited a local college campus to get a feel for its green friendliness. I visited the campus of the University of Miami. This campus falls in the heart of Miami giving the campus an extreme urban feel to it. Yet, when exploring further through the campus there is a strong connection between the natural environment and the location of the buildings. For example, in one area between the parking garage and the student union there was a walkway over a body of water covered with dense vegetation. For that instant, that location did not feel like a part of urban Miami, it felt very natural and peaceful. This was not the only area on campus that incorporated the green environment many other areas did as well and I think this is an important construction strategy for a college located in such an urban area because it allows the students to momentarily escape from the hectic city college lifestyle and relax in a more rural, peaceful atmosphere. The balance between both the city and earthy atmospheres does create a sense of community. It brings two extreme, opposite elements and creates a balance where students can choose between a fast pace, busy city lifestyle, and then when they are too tired of it they can bounce back into a more peaceful, relaxing pace. The varying types of nature and urban layouts throughout add plenty of diversity to the campus. Ecosystems in the campus range from lakes to Florida wetlands and can all be seen around campus not in huge amounts such as at FGCU but still in various locations allowing for diversity in the atmosphere.

The University of Miami sits in the middle of Urban Miami so it is a region very prone to pollution and environmental measures need to be taken in order to minimize pollution on campus. The university has plenty of recycling cans all throughout campus. Wherever there is a garbage can a recycling can was there to accompany it. The university recently implemented new green programs on campus in order to reduce the student’s carbon footprint. One of the new programs offers a bike rental center with new bike paths, air pumping stations, and service discounts throughout campus. Other departments have also taken a step towards a green campus. The police department recently began patrolling in segways instead of cars to reduce their carbon emissions. These are just two of the many green programs the University of Miami has to offer.

Sustainable campuses are very important, because I believe a college campus is an institution with the power to give a lot back to the community and having positive programs in such a large institutions can quickly rub off on the community. A sustainable campus should be able to provide green alternatives to everyday actions such as modes of transportation, modes of discarding materials and sources of food. If you have a college with a large population coming from the nearby city, or neighborhoods and you implement on a daily basis on campus eco-friendly actions simply through recycling, or modes of transportation and provide the people with the resources and opportunities to participate in these green alternatives then these daily actions can become habits that will stick to the individuals, and since the individuals come from off campus locations their habits can be passed on back to their origin. Though it is not a simple process, it is definitely a plausible one and one that has rubbed off on me. I know that before attending FGCU I did not recycle but being at FGCU and having the recycling center right next to my dorm I have begun to recycle and it has become a habit, and who would have thought but it has now stuck with me and I now do it at home.

Overall my visit to the University of Miami seemed to be very successful. When compared to FGCU it is not too far behind in its green ways but it does have harder obstacles to overcome due to its initial location. I learned a lot about a campus other than my own and though the University of Miami isn’t built in the heart of the everglades and instead in the heart of popular Miami it still has done its part in taking the first step forward towards a greener campus.

Initial Thoughts

Summer is a time where everyone wishes to relax and soak up the sun as much as they can, and during the past few summers I have not been able to, due to work or taking a ton of summer classes. However, this summer is a little different. It is made up of family time and colloquium class. Now you may be thinking I just complained because every summer I work or take classes and all I want to do is soak up the sun, but this summer I have limited my class taking to only Colloquium and I expect to get a combination of knowledge and fun. I feel that taking colloquium over the summer will provide me with plenty of opportunities to go outdoors and explore. Focus on things that usually I would not focus on such as sustainability, eco friendly locations, and green alternatives to everyday habits. While doing all of this since it is outdoors, I’ll still be receiving much of that summer sun that Florida has to offer and not just be in a classroom studying all day.

One of the issues concerning today’s day and age is the topic of sustainability. To me sustainability is the ability to repeat a process and maintain it without creating an imbalance in resources used. To be sustainable in other words you should be able to repeat the process for an unlimited time period because there should always be a balanced amount of resources available for the producer. Sustainability is a very important issue that can be related to everyone. Focusing on my field of study, which is biology, one can say sustainability is very important. Biology is the study of life, and how to maintain life is very critical. If people continue participating in non-sustainable methods to obtain everyday needs such as food we create an imbalance in our environment limiting our resources available and eventually driving our resources into extinction. Human impact on the environment is a very critical. We are leaving marks on the environment through our actions from the participation in non-sustainable methods and eventually this could be the downfall of a healthy human civilization. On a much smaller scale one can see that we are all responsible for participating in non-sustainable actions. For example, not recycling our paper or cardboard, driving our giant gas machines (cars) and not seeking alternative modes of transportation etc. These are simple actions that most of us tend to over look but clearly they are actions that are not part of a sustainable way of life and I am first to say I am guilty of doing such things.

Now I know taking this colloquium class will not change my life completely one day to the next but I think it will offer me the opportunity to appreciate my surrounding environment more and open my eyes to other sustainable alternatives to my everyday actions.