Week 13

This week for our final classTeam Wolfpack watched a video called Death by Medicine by Gary Null. 

This movie made everyone in the class think twice about taking medication because of all the side affects that were in some of the medication prescribed to people. We learned that many doctors are being paid by drug companies to prescribe their medicine that a person may not necessarily need. 

Cesar: "I was glad to be presented with the information in this film, because I now have a better knowledge on  the way doctors prescribe drugs to patients, and plan to not be as gullible and actually do some research on a drug before I take it"

Katie: "This video showed me that a lot of people trust their doctors and when the doctor prescribes them a serious medication they do not do any research themselves and do not know about all the crazy side affects that can do more harm then good to the person. "

Vanessa:"I believe the patient should seriously consider the cost before taking any medication and it depend on what is being treated. The common cold I believe, should be cured naturally as it does not pose as big of a threat as cancer would. It is also understandable that opinions vary on the subject".

Week 12

This week Team Wolfpack visited the Waste-to-Energy plant in Fort Myers, which is a facility that turns everyday waste and turns it into energy .

Cesar: "I think it is important to have facility that can do this type of stuff, because it makes for a better sustainable future, as oppose to having a landfill where waste just piles up and take a longer time before it is degraded or reused. On the contrast it can be difficult to grasp the idea of having large scale facility without raising carbon emissions and affecting people's health"

Joe: "It is good because it is taking care of two problems at once: reducing waste and creating sustainable energy source. It is cleaner than fossil fuel produced energy, and more reliable than alternatives such as solar. But I could see how it might lull people into assuming it was OK to be wasteful as it would used as fuel. Reducing the amount of waste we create is always better than merely finding new ways to get rid of it."

Vanessa:"This week we went to the Lee county waste to energy facility. This waste facility is different then most because instead of burying all the waste in the ground, they take it and use it for energy. A disadvantage a place like this would have is that the emissions of tar and other chemicals are much higher".

Katie:"An advantage of the Lee County Waste Facility utilizes its own recovered material processing for the convenience for customers, while lowering collection costs. A disadvantage is that it would be far too much of a costly expense and may take time equal to decades for to spread more facilities as this one throughout the country".  

Week 11

This week Team Wolfpack was presented with the last two chapters of the Plan B textbook. Following the presentations, we watched the film. "Journey to Planet Earth", based on the book narrated by the author Lester Brown.

Cesar: "I found the film very informative, It really helped to open people's mind and viewpoints about the crisis that we are experiencing in our nation, and also some ways of solving. I thought Lester Brown did a good job explaining probable causes that will have an effect in our lives due to global warming".

Joe: "Seeing the Plan B film helped put all the pieces of the book together. It was a little long winded at times, but overall I think it helped stress the points from the book. I think movie form is probably better for most people, as not everyone likes to read, so I feel as this might have had a bigger impact on some in the class than the readings."

Katie: "In this documentary Lester delivers the message that we need to confront the fact that we are experiencing climate changes, if not we will suffer the consequences and loose civilizations and continue to have failing states". 

Week 10

This week in Colloquium, we were presented additional information on growing food in SW Florida. Dr. Segal commented on the differences that the mindset people our age had in comparison to when he was our age. Also we watched the film Food Inc. 

Cesar: "I found this film very informative, I was not aware of the amount corn that is used to feed so many cows and chickens and also how many products are made out of corn. After watching this film, I am seriuosly considering cutting back on beef on my diet, and even switching to a full vegetarian diet "

Vanessa: "This week the class watched a film entitled Food Inc., which documented the dominent industries that control the way our food is produced and marketed. The most significant topic covered in my opinion is the amount of unnatural chemicals that are put in our food and given to the public. Another upsetting issue is the cruel way animals are treated in inhumane conditions. Animals are put through unhealthy diets, overcrowding, diseases, abuse, improper access to sunlight, and violently put to death. I believe this film assists in opening the eyes to the public." 

Week 9

This week Team Wolfpack pent on a field trip to ECHO Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization.


Field Trip Questions:
 • Contrast the low technology methods used at ECHO to typical high technology agribusiness methods. Why does ECHO focus on low technology solutions? 
 Low technology methods are used to minimize the release of CO2 gas. The use of many of the new high technology can be harmful to our health. ECHO focuses on the use of low technology to demonstrate ways to do agriculture and be environmentally friendly. 


 • What are some farming methods ECHO demonstrates for third-world urban growers who have no access to land?  
Treadle pumps- Pumps water from lakes or rivers. Less expensive. 
Solar Dehydrators- To preserve fruits and vegetables.
Tippy-tap- Hand washing device; to reduce the spread of disease, such as diarrhea. 
Biogas Digester- Made with drum/barrel units that collect and pressurize methane gas, that can be used as fuel 
Solar Cooker 
Barrel Oven 


 • Compare the long-term sustainability of methods used at ECHO to those used at typical, chemical-based agribusiness operations. 
ECHO uses the agroforestry approach, which integrates trees, plants, and animals in a conservative, long-term, productive system. Some of the benefits from this approach include: Increased efficiency in land use, and short-term food production. The methods used in ECHO are definitely advantageous to one’s health. 


 • Organic agriculture is based on the idea that good soils make strong plants. How does ECHO develop good soils? 
Developing good soils can be difficult, and ECHO demonstrates the different techniques to do this, It is important to understand the removal and replacement of trace nutrients and trace elements.


• What is so special about the moringa tree? How can it solve nutritional problems in third world countries? 
The moringa leafs can be powdered and added to food to have a higher nutritional value. In Senegal, it helps babies of mothers that can’t make milk. The moringa’s seed has a coagulating property that can make it 90% drinkable, and leaving it in the sun for 6 days makes water 99% drinkable. Another use of the moringa would be the oil used to rub arthritic joints to relieve pains for a period of time. 


 • What’s so special about the neem tree? Why is it referred to as the “village pharmacy?” Does it have other purposes other than its use for human consumption? 
The neem twig has antibacterial and antifungal functions. Indians chew on neem twigs as toothbrushes. It can be used as pesticide, and flea control in pets.


• ECHO has a duck pen located above a pond used for aquaculture. Explain why it was placed there - -what is the link between the ducks and the fish in the pond? 
Acquiring protein that can used in a short period of time is very important, There is a symbiotic relation between the duck and the tilapia that live in the pond. The tilapia eat duck dropping.


• Discuss synergies between plants and animals/humans. Why is all life on earth dependent on plants, and therefore soils? 
Animals and Humans living on terrestrial environments need Oxygen to survive, and plants (through photosynthesis) provide us with oxygen, We also benefit from eating different plants for nutritional means. It is important to have good soils to grow these plants so that we can benefit from them.


• Explain how you can become a more thoughtful consumer of agricultural products. 
 ECHO demonstrated the different nutritional value of various plants and trees, I am now more aware of the use of the neem tree and moringa tree. "

Week 8

This week Team Wolfpack presented the class Chapter 7 from the Plan B text; Eradicating Poverty and Stabilizing Population. This chapter informed us about ways to improve the lives of individuals by taking actions as a population, such as education & ways to reduce poverty and hunger. 

Cesar: "I was surprised at the excellent achievements some countries, like China, have done and at the amount of people that they have been able to lift out of poverty. While we still have a large number of nations and societies living in extreme poverty, it can be relieving to know that we have the power, as humans, to take action and make decisions towards a better life".

Joe: "I liked the movie on self-sufficient urban Homestead. I would like to do something like that some day: grow my own food, use alternative energy, basically drop out of modern society"

Katie: "For our final presentation we discussed the world should help reduce poverty and stabilize the population. We learned that through education, HIV protection, school lunch programs, adult education programs, and the WIC program we could help less fortunate countries become stronger and able to stand on their own without so much help from stronger power house countries like the United States". 
Vanessa: "This week our team presented solutions to health issues that can further push us into a smarter, health conscious future. For instance, we must educate the population more about AIDS prevention to drop the percentage of infected individuals below the number of deaths. Thus, there would be less individuals who would be capable of infecting others. We must also cut down smoking by implementing regulations as higher sales tax in more countries so that it will be less appealing to purchase. Small things like this can change the amount of physical health issues humans inflict on themselves."

Week 7

This week we were exposed to a presentation on growing various food and how to do this effectively year round in this area. 

Joe: "Growing my own food is something that I have already been trying. In my last house I planted a mango tree, two avocado trees, papayas, coconut palms, and several pineapples"

Cesar: "I really enjoyed the presentation on food growing. I found it interesting and am definitely going to use these hints and pointers when I grow food in the near future".

  After the presentations, Team Wolfpack watched "A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil".

Katie: "Curitiba is an inspiration for creating a more environmentally city. This started in 1971 when Jaime Lerner became mayor of Curitiba. Their first idea that they took from paper to reality is make the city more people friendly than car friendly by taking their busiest street and turning it into a pedestrian only street. I feel like in cities like New York City where there is a lot of traffic and a huge population, this is something that should be looked into. I think this would help the environment greatly." 

Vanessa: "After the speaker, who gave us some valuable information on how we can personally grow our own natural foods, the class watched "A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil." This helped us broaden our innovations and ideas of how to be environmentally and economically friendly in our industrialized country, using ideas from their country leaders. We can take a large piece of useful advice from other countries who have out in an effort to conserve energy as Japan has in creating the bullet trains, reducing other transportation emissions"