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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Blog Post #6 - ECHO Nursery

ECHO was an eye opening experience. It's hard to think that there are that many people in the world that have as much trouble finding clean water or enough food to eat. It's great that there is an organization like ECHO to be able to teach people in developing nations how to grow their own food and care for their own goats and rabbits and ducks. They were able to raise ducks over the top of the lake, and their waste creates an algae which the Tillapia can...

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