In at least two or three paragraphs, describe Southwest Florida to someone who has never been to your area. If you live outside this area, write about your own area. What was this area like in the past? How has the area changed over the years? Include specific examples of both good and bad impacts of environmental change and development.
I am not completely knowledgable about Southwest Florida. To be honest, the location that I lived from age 5-16 is probably the area that I understand the best, so I will focus on this region. I grew up around Columbus, Ohio. Just being there for one minute and you can easily tell that it is completely different from Southwest Florida. In the past, there were corn fields everywhere. We had corn fields right next to our schools. The winters are harsh, and the summers are humid. I grew up in a typical midwest neighborhood. Small trees and plants are common. Unlike Florida, palm trees are non existent. Wild life is not as tropical or diverse.
Over the years, when going back for visits, I have noticed many changes. Many of the corn and open fields have turned into housing or apartment developments. On the outside, it makes the city look like a more modern, put together town. New stores have opened up, along with new roads. However, It is kind of disheartening to see the wildlife and agriculture fields diminish over time. This is one of the more negative affects I have seen recently. It’s a shame that these agriculture fields are disappearing in favor of more homes, businesses, and the like.
Reflect on these changes and make connections between what is happening in Southwest Florida and how this impacts you personally. Write about your own area if you live outside Southwest Florida. Copy your response and paste it into a word document.
Just like Southwest Florida, my small town in central Ohio has grown so much. From when we moved there around 1996 to what it is today, I believe much would be unrecognizable. There has been new schools, new roads, roundabouts, and shopping centers that have been built. Condos and small homes are replacing corn fields. Although the corn fields weren’t the most exciting things to look at, it is a shame that many are gone now.
Using insight from your readings, discussions, and field trips, focus attention on the future of Southwest Florida. Focus on your own area if you live outside Southwest Florida. Envision how place might look in years to come if no change is made. Compare this with how place might be if its people were to make decisions through an ecological perspective. Support your argument with references from the literature. Copy your response into a WORD document.
I really wish that Columbus could go back to it’s times in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In the past 5-10 years are so, much has changed. It saddens me that nearly all changes have been taking away nature and landscape and adding buildings all over. Although it wasn’t the most exciting city to live in, it is important for them to keep at least some of their agriculture. I don’t think that we appreciate what we have. We, as people, always want more. We want the newest clothes, the newest electronics, the newest stores, and the newest houses. The family in A Land Remembered didn’t have such luxury. The McIvey’s did what they could. They did what they needed to do to make ends meet.
Back in older times, people were simpler. People appreciated what they had. They didn’t feel like they always needed bigger and better things. In a way, people had a better understanding of the environment. Similarly like the novel, the famous movie Pocahontas also taught us to appreciate the world and what we’ve been given. Native Americans were the ones that understood the entire concept of nature and the world. The world can only give so much. We can not just take and take and take. We must give back and replenish our earth. Eliminating agriculture and environment resources will not work long term.
Conclude with what might happen if you as an individual were to make a few changes. What would these changes be? How would they impact the area and why? How likely are you to make these changes? What would prevent you from making changes and why? Reflect on this and conclude. There are no right or wrong answers - be authentic and truthful with yourself. This is a reflection, not a dictate. Copy your response into a word document.
I think I would try to just reuse and recycle everything to its full potential. Rather than using water bottles, I think making a better effort to using a reusable container would be better. I recycle as much as possible, but sometimes find myself slipping a little in certain circumstances. Recycling is extremely important. I would also like to continue to volunteer to places in the environment. It seems as if I will be into something, but then after the class has ended I make excuses to somehow stop volunteering. I would like to continue, not just because it is a class requirement. Hopefully I can continue to find the motivation to keep going, and remembering that everything makes a difference.
Citation:
Smith, Patrick D. (1984). The Land Remembered. Sarasota, FLA: Pineapple Press.
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