Week 3- BP Oil Spill Needs to Not be Forgotten

It really bothers me that the oils spill seems to be almost forgotten.  Now since most on the oil is out of sight, it is also now out of most people’s minds.  The National Incident Command put out a report that said only 26% of the originally 205 million gallons of oil is left.  That 26% is bellow the water surface, deep in the sand, or evaporated in the atmosphere.  It hasn’t gone anywhere; it is now just “out of sight.”  One of the main problems with people not caring about the oils spill anymore is the lack of research that come from people giving up on the issue. These isn’t the first oil spill in our history and unfortunately, due to a lack of concern after the initial clean up, I don’t think it is going to be our last.  It also worries me that we don’t know the full multitude of the consequences we are going to face because of this spill.

After reading many articles on the cleanup efforts, I realized that there is not enough government involvement and research on oil spills and their clean up procedures.  I think this is in part due to the amount of government officials being closely affiliated and supported by big oil companies like BP.  I hope the public and media don’t forget about this issue to fast and demand more education on clean up and prevention of oil spills.  Unfortunately, both government officials and big oil companies are not trying to research ways clean up oil, instead they are counting on it not happening again.  That’s where I believe we come in as an environmental university.  I think it is our responsibility to step up where others have fallen flat, and conduct our own research on methods of oil clean up and research on oils consequences on our environment. 

There is still around 50 million gallons of oil left from the spill.  I hope this problem and it’s affect on Florida’s economy is not soon forgotten.  I believe we as a nation, especially Floridians (because of how much it was affected) are the ones responsible to make sure we don’t let oil companies get away with leaving 50 million gallons of oil and cleaning up the initial oil with chemicals.  More research and restrictions need to be implemented immediately.  We need to learn from our mistakes; otherwise they are destined to repeat themselves.

Week 2- Corkscrew Sanctuary

My trip to the Corkscrew Sanctuary was really eye opening.  I got to see a variety of plants that I never even knew existed.  Some of them include the ghost orchid and the red flower that came out of the plant that looked like it had marijuana leaves.  Seeing this sanctuary really brought to my attention two things.  First, it reminded me of a more in depth version of our campus’s bored walks. Second, it reiterated how necessary preserving south west Florida’s land is.  The only disappointment about the trip was not seeing any animals, but that gives me an excuse to go back to the sanctuary for a night trip to see this type of habitat at its most active.  It was nice in a way to not be distracted by animals, because it allowed me to look more at the trees, plants, vines, bugs, and abundance of other wildlife. 

Another interesting part of the trip was seeing the largest amount of Bald Cypress trees in the world. I’m glad that this sanctuary is listed as one of the Wetlands of International Importance and that it is used to educate and inspire the community. Sanctuaries and preserved land, like the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, are a vital start to a much needed demand for more essential preserved land in Florida.  These wetlands are extremely vital.  It not only houses an abundance of birds and wildlife, but it also serve as natural flood protection for us and our homes.  Corkscrew Sanctuary is most commonly known for its preservation of birds, but it is also important land for the Florida Panther, American alligator, Florida Royal Palm and the Ghost Orchid.  Without preserved land and educational programs that support the preservation of land, many people would never be able to see these remarkable parts of nature in their natural habitats. 

I believe more Florida land, especially in and near the everglades, needs to be protected.  Raising money for the increase in protected land and education about the land and its resources might be my choice for volunteer projects for this class.  I believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And this is a perfect example of a case where this saying is true.  Ecosystems run much better when they are left undisturbed or in the right hands of people.  For future generations, preserving land is the greatest gift we can give.

Week 1- Articulating your environmental philosophy

I’m glad that I have grown up in a family where environmental friendliness is a must.  My father is an engineer at a waste to energy facility called Solid Waste Authority.  I believe this has been a huge factor in my environmental philosophy.  My family has always recycled and grown our own fruit in the backyard.  From a young age, my parents also instilled in me “waste not, want not.”  I believe this was due to my grandparents growing up in the great depression.  My family has always saved too much and limited the amount of waste we produce as a house hold.  I have always assumed this to be normal family practice until I got to college.  Living with roommates instead of family helped open my eyes to the way most Americans consume and waste.  Due to lack of time and space, my environmental habits grew worse living in the dorms; but I am currently getting back on track with recycling and saving at my new apartment.

The best way to describe my environmental philosophy is that I try to reduce my ecological footprint.  As a shopper, I try to go for products with less packaging and I often make fun toys for my animals with the left over boxes and other unused materials.  On a daily bases, I also make sure to recycle and reuse materials that I can. Another huge factor that my family practices is sharing and using a product until it can’t be used any more.  For example, every car in my family’s household will be passed on to every family member and be well kept until the car no longer runs.  I believe this has helped to reduce our ecological footprint by simply not wasting unnecessary extra vehicles.  We also do simple daily  habits like shut off the air when we leave the house, turn off lights as we leave the room, and unscrew light bulbs where there are multiple bulbs in one area.  There are all just little steps, but all together they add up to help the environment and lower the bills. 

I like that my family has raised me this way, and it makes me upset that most people have more of the opposite perspective on wasting and our environment. More than anything I hope that our country will work on a better mass transit system. I think it would greatly help our economy and our environment.  I hope there is a lot of change with how people over use our environments resources and work on our sustainability for the future.