Blog Entry #13 - Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass

Historic Cottage & Matanzas Pass Preserve

Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass is a beautiful look back into what Fort Myers Beach "used to be". The cottages, built in 1921, are still standing, and well maintained. The boardwalk leading to Matanzas Pass was also very well maintained. The only part I found strange was the unnaturally yellowed water and the severe mosquitoes. 

Local quality of life is improved in this area because it gives people a 'preserved' area of land, whereas most of Ft. Myers Beach and surrounding areas is relatively developed. Matanzas Pass is a good place to relax and walk the nature trail. 

I grew up in Bradenton, Florida, where there is seemingly constant construction and development. The road that once held only my school and a large field of cows has now turned into several mall plazas and apartment complexes. Five new golf courses have been opened. Several new gated subdivisions have been created. The road outside my house which was once a narrow two lane now spans four to six lanes wide in some places. Quality of life has increased, but at the cost of removing a lot of the trees and natural landscape that covered it when I was younger.


If a developer offered me 300% of market value for my childhood home, I would have to accept it. I'm not personally attached to any of my homes (I moved around a lot as a kid). I'd gladly reinvest the money into a newer, nicer home.


If the county offered me 80% of market value as part of a 20/20 program, I would let them buy my property. As I mentioned before, I'm not sentimental with my property, and it would help the county out, and preserve a piece of history. The 20/20 program is important to create preserves and promote environmental stewardship.

See all field trip pictures here

Conservation 20/20

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Blog Entry #12 - Sustainable Consumerism

see greenwash below

“Sustainable consumerism” is consuming while being aware of the impact that your consumption has on the sustainability of the environment around you. Globalization and capitalism are positive drivers in this phenomenon.Osgood Sustainability Consulting says:

• Fundamentally, sustainable consumerism needs to be about creating opportunities:
• to create and enjoy wealth for more people in more places
• to enable more people to meet their needs
• to foster more satisfaction, connection and wellness for more people
• to relieve and restore our stressed ecosystems.

Globalization helps bring together people from across the globe and enable more people. Capitalism drives competition and lowers costs, but can also drive farmer's markets and smaller "mom-and-pops" out of business. In this respect, capitalism can be a negative driver in sustainable consumption. I personally do not go out of my way to buy at farmer's markets, because they are further away from my house than Target or Publix. I don't generally pay a premium for anything that is labeled as "organic" or "local", unless it looks better to me. I have however purchased a number of gifts from fair-trade stores that were considerably less expensive than similar items in chain stores. I buy fair-trade coffee (sometimes), but it's still packaged by Green Mountain and they make a profit through selling it. Capitalism creates the connection between the fair-trade farmers and myself, and Green Mountain acts as an intermediary.

"Do you prefer to frequent mom and pop stores in downtown Ft. Myers or patronize chain stores at the Gulf Coast Town Center? " 

I had never really even been to any "mom and pop" stores in downtown Ft. Myers until the last field trip to the Southwest Florida Museum of History and Downtown Fort Myers.* I generally frequent the stores in Bell Tower or across the street at Target. I think people tend to use the stores that are most convenient to them. The effects of my behavior are both positive (I save money & gas, which are more sustainable than the alternative) and negative (I'm not supporting local agriculture). If I were to shop locally more often, it could have a slightly positive effect on the income of a local farmer.

"What is greenwashing?"

Greenwashing is a marketing and public relations tactic that is generally deceptive (ie... makes false claims about being green and environmentally friendly). Sometimes companies may make improvements to one area of production while neglecting another, and only advertise the positive changes made to the company. This may be considered greenwashing. More information may be found here.

*See Here For Pictures

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Blog Entry #11 - Downtown Ft. Myers

The word "Downtown" evokes feelings of a big city with lots of cars, lights, and traffic. In the past, downtown was a place that people went to hang out, go shopping, and have dinner. Many downtown areas are being run-down and turned into a crime-ridden, uninviting part of the city. Fort Myers luckily is experiencing what many might call a renaissance. The architecture is clean, yet maintains the spirit of historic downtown Fort Myers. The sidewalks are lined with small cafes, restaurants, shops, and offices. The arts building is a wonderful example of downtown Ft. Myers architecture that has really lasted the tests of time. 

Downtown Ft. Myers is a very pedestrian friendly place. It is organized into neat sections, where you can walk down almost any street, and easily make it back to the center of downtown. There are sidewalks lined with plants and palm trees on both sides of the street. The road is kept clean and inviting. Many parts of Ft. Myers are not kept this way. They are seemingly run-down and forgotten. It's important that historic Ft. Myers, and areas like the River District are well maintained. 

Sustainable architecture is especially important these days. In a world where durable goods are seemingly turned into non-durable "throwaways", we need to focus directly on construction that will last. We need to build structures with the latest architectural technology, but by maintaining the natural landscape as much as possible, and using responsible materials. Many cities in America are restoring their downtown areas to a place where everyone wants to visit again.

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Blog Entry #10 - Ecofootprint

Ecofootprint Calculator

According to the EcoFootprint calculator, my footprint is 5.0 earths, which is above average. If everyone lived like me, we would need 5 planet earths to provide enough resources. My footprint is mostly made up by Services (@ 40%) and Food (@ 30%). It takes 22.2 global acres of the Earth's productive area to support my lifestyle.

Some things that would change my ecofootprint are:

1. Reduce animal-products I eat by half - 4.6 Earths
2. Purchase products with less packaging and/or made out of 100% post-consumer recycled content material - 4.2 Earths
3. Plan a local vacation rather that flying this year -  4.1 Earths


By simply changing three things in my lifestyle, I can lower my footprint by 0.8 Planet Earths!

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Blog Post #9 - Is Energy Too Cheap?

Energy is too cheap. There is an obvious need for the way that we consume energy (ie... gas, fossil fuels, coal, etc...) The unfortunate thing is that as energy prices drop (which, right now they are the lowest that they have been in a while), the incentive to find an alternative energy source is lessened. 


Conservation isn't a dirty word. Some ignorant people who believe that there isn't anything wrong with what we are doing to the environment and the natural world because they don't see the effect their behavior has on it. Without an active effort for conservation of our earth's natural resources, the world will be over-harvested and polluted.


Jimmy Carter's effort to reduce energy consumption while broadcasting to millions of viewers was great. He wore his cardigan during his famous "fireside chat" because he was lowering his consumption by keeping the heat turned down.


I think it is up to private investors to increase the use of alternative energy. The government can regulate consumption and require standards for technology, but the process is just so slow. By the time the government intervenes and passes laws, damage has already been done. If the prices of oil went up drastically enough, it would cause gasoline consumption to fall, and cause people to invest in alternative energy. 


Nuclear energy is our best bet for renewable energy. While the short-term costs are high, the benefits in the long-term (I believe) outweigh them. Nuclear power plants can power huge areas , unlike other popular alternatives like wind and solar energy. Huge solar fields are required to power any substantial area (especially vs. nuclear). 


I can take a lot of steps to reduce my carbon footprint in the upcoming days and years. I can reduce my water consumption by taking shorter showers, and decrease my power consumption by unplugging appliances and lamps and telephone chargers, and decrease my fuel consumption by driving less. In the longer-term, I plan on building an environmentally friendly home, and drive a fuel efficient car. I hope to live relatively close to work so that I can even further decrease my energy use. This will not only save me money, but help takes steps to a better environment.

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Blog Post # 8 - Climate Change

I think that global climate change is both antropogenic AND natural. History shows a cyclic trend of heating and cooling. However, since the onset of the industrial revolution, there has been a MUCH steeper increase in the rate of warming. (See below, it has risen to levels MUCH higher than in the past.)

A few good sources of climate information are NASA Earth Observatory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.


I think that climate change is over-dramatized by some media outlets and under-dramatized by others. There seems to be no "happy medium" when it comes to opinions on climate change.

The effects of climate change on future generations will be a decreasing availability of natural resources and natural beauty. It will also effect the way that they live everyday life. I don't think my children or grandchildren will have the luxury that we (and previous generations) have had with being able to consume at such a high level. They will have to monitor energy consumption much more carefully (fossil fuels WILL be nonexistent someday, it's inevitable). Technology will need to advance at a level as fast or faster than the rate of global climate change, or it will be very difficult for future generations.

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Blog Post #7 - ArborGen

Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia, beside inland bodies of water. The tree is subject to regular flooding in its natural habitat. These trees live hundreds of years. They are not native to Southwest Florida. If genetically modified eucalyptus was to be planted at FGCU, it would encroach on the natural species that currently inhabit the environment. According to The Heartland Institute however, scientists have "inserted a gene that prevents the cold tolerant eucalyptus trees from pollinating." Intrinsic concerns include the alteration of the natural species, causing unknown effects on other aspects of that species (IE... the cold resistant gene may cause a deficiency somewhere else). The life-cycles of surrounding environments will change because of the introduction of this new species. The only benefits of the introduction of this alien plant species are short term. They will have a positive effect on the paper and eucalyptus product industries in colder climates/seasons, but at a much larger cost to the environment, by disrupting the natural ecosystem.

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