Florida Gulf Coast University

Since I’ve been at Florida Gulf Coast University, I’ve lived in three different communities. This fall, I moved into West Lake Village, previously known as College Club. I began to question if West Lake Village is environmentally friendly. Since Florida Gulf Coast University just bought College Club, I’ve noticed some small changes. For example, the lights on the buildings and out door hallways seem to be turned off most of the time. I believe that they are trying to conserve money and energy. Another improvement that Florida Gulf Coast University has made is the shuttle service. A shuttle service is offered on every weekday, shuttling students from West Lake Village to campus. Although it is a short drive to campus, every little bit helps. Another thing that I really enjoy about West Lake Village is its recycling service. I’ve heard many complaints about the recycling service on campus. I even heard that someone saw a Florida Gulf Coast University employee throwing the recycling in with the garbage. In West Lake Village there are recycling bins for every type of material. 

I’m very impressed with the changes that Florida Gulf Coast University has done to make this neighborhood a more eco-friendly place to live. The fact that Florida Gulf Coast University is so environmentally savvy is one of the main reasons I loved it so much. You don’t find the type of care and appreciation for the environment at bigger schools. Florida Gulf Coast University has done a great job of being eco-friendly and educating students about our environment. Us, our children, and our grandchildren are the people that must face the consequences of what has happened globally to our environment. We are also the people who need to change our way of life in order for us to keep our natural, beautiful world. 

My Life In Nature

In this blog, I will be discussing my relationship with the environment throughout my life. I was born in New Mexico and lived there for the first ten years of my life. Since we had very warm summers, I spent a lot of my childhood outdoors. Our house backed directly up to an arroyo. My sister and I would build forts and search for gords in the sand. My family also owned a ranch in northern New Mexico, which we would visit on a regular basis. We owned cattle and horses and there were many kinds of other wildlife living on the ranch like coyotes, bears, snakes, and bobcats. We moved to Northern Alabama when I was ten years old and it was a culture and environment shock. I went from one of the most dry states to a city in which it rained everyday. We lived in a neighborhood that was right in the middle of the city so there were not as many opportunities to see wild life and do activities outside. Spending so much time outdoors in New Mexico was a wonderful experience that I’m glad I took advantage of. I babysit a little girl whose world does not revolve around nature. Other than P.E. at school, she doesn’t go outside other than to take the dog out. As soon as she finishes her homework she either watches television, plays the Wii, or plays computer games. She is only thirteen years younger than I am. It truly amazes me to see how much one generation has changed from the previous one. These days, children’s worlds revolve around electronics and entertainment. With the developing technology, it is something that is inevitable. As a future teacher, I know that it is in my hands to balance children’s use of technology and their relationship to the natural world. It is important that kids have some sort of relationship even if it is a small one. Part of me is scared of the future because as technology gets more advanced, I fear that people’s relationships with nature will parish. I’m glad that I was able to have a relationship with nature especially because I got to experience nature in its different forms. From hot to cold, to rainy to dry, my childhood was full of fresh air, wild animals, and fun adventures. 

24 Hours

For this particular blog, I recorded everything I did for twenty-four hours. By recording a typical day, I can see how I'm using the resources around me and how I can use them to an even better ability. 

8:30 AM- Wake up

8:45 AM-Showered, brushed teeth, got ready

9:30 AM-Drove to campus

12:00 PM-Drove to Publix and bought groceries

2:00 PM-Cleaned the apartment

4:00 PM-Worked on homework

7:00 PM-Cooked and ate dinner

9:30 PM-Bed

By looking back at a typical day, I see how I can make simple changes to help our environment. I usually take a twenty minute shower, but if I cut that down to ten or fifteen minutes, I would be saving a lot of water. Even when it comes to brushing my teeth, I can turn the water on and off as opposed to leaving it on. Instead of driving to campus everyday, I could save money and gasoline by riding my bicycle or rollerblading. Instead of using the plastic bags at Publix, I can buy reusable bags or bring my own from home. I noticed that one of my friends requests no bags at all when she goes to the grocery store. She puts as much as she can fit in her purse and carries the rest in her hands because she believes it is a waste. 

When I returned to my apartment, I noticed that one of my roommates had left her bathroom and closet light on even though she wasn't home. I turned the lights off for her and left a friendly reminder that if lights aren't being used, that they should be turned off. I've become more conscious of electronics and leaving things plugged in to electrical sockets. I didn't realize that even if something is off, it still uses electricity even if it is turned off. I used to have the habit of leaving my phone charger plugged into the wall at all times but if something isn't being used, I leave it unplugged. 

When I was cleaning around the house, I turned off the air conditioner and opened the windows so that the fresh air could come in. The first month we lived in our apartment, our electric bill was extremely high due to the fact that we kept it on such low temperatures. Luckily, its been cooling off outside so we will be able to turn the air conditioner off all together. I also got in the bad habit of falling asleep with the television on. Although it is a hard habit to break, I've taught myself to set the television on sleep mode so that it turns off automatically. By doing this experiment, I saw the many small changes that I can make in my daily life to help our planet and the environment we live in.