Douglas

1. "The rock is not by any means the oldest in the world." -Pg. 123
             This quote compares a rock to the perdurable granite of the ancient Appalachian's. However, I took this quote to a deeper meaning. I tried to research the true meaning but I was not able to find anything. Therefore, I found this quote memorable for many reasons. At first when I read this I thought, well rocks have been here longer than we have. However, how would we know if many other substances could have been here way before that. Of course our world was not a ball of water or a ball of air. Yet, it would be cool to think that. I think of this as it is old but it may not be the only thing that is old. There are different substances that have the ability to form rocks such as mud or sand. It's amazing to know that different tests can be performed to know how long an object has been on this earth. Thanks to archeologists we have the ability to learn and know the length of an object. The fossils of different objects or species have allowed us to learn how long they were on this earth. It is amazing to know that we have this ability and hopefully with this knowledge we are able to understand that we should take care of our species before they reach extinction.

                                                   http://sugarmtnfarm.com/round-rock/

2. " The water is timeless, forever new and eternal." -Pg. 129
             This quote has so much description imbedded within itself. The beauty of water is that it is always around us whether in liquid, gas or solid form. It's ability to be an essential of life has great power. When thinking of water a river comes to mind. The flow of the river gives nutrients to different species and gives us the ability to transport substances from one location to another. A river is endless because it can flow into a large body of water. Therefore, forming into a new shape and constantly changing it's form. Water's eternal life is the greatest quality of all. Due to it's high boiling point and freezing point it is able to last eternally. Even though it's form does change it is still water. Water is needed for all life. We would not be able to survive without water. Therefore, water shall always be eternal.

                                             http://www.thetahoetrader.com/2013/07/water/

3. "These trees seem centuries old, and they are very old indeed, in spite of fire and hurricane." -Pg. 145
            This quote opened my eyes to the beauty of trees. It's amazing what they go through and they still have the ability to grow. Regardless of the weather it still has the ability to grow and reproduce as before. For instance, when a hurricane hits an area and it is damaged by being pulled out of the ground with the force of the winds. If one replants the tree then it will continue to grow as it did before. Or even to know a small seed can grow to be a large tree that will shade and provide nutrients for other species. It is amazing to know that it has this ability to do so much from a simple thing. Also, with regards to the fire some trees do need this to occur in order to receive more nutrients. The nutrients of the debris provide nutrients for better growth for itself and other surrounding plant species.

http://www.pearltrees.com/#/N-fa=3066546&N-u=1_299886&N-reveal=-3&N-play=0&N-f=1_3066546&N-s=1_3066546&N-p=37638370&N-pw=1

Leopold

1. "The ordinary citizen today assumes that science knows what makes the community clock tick; the scientist is equally sure that he does not." -Pg. 60.

I found this quote quite interesting since I am a science major. Throughout scientific history many scientist have tried solving or constructing formulas in regards with environmental sustainability and the population. Some have actually figured a way to see how much a certain resource will last until it is completely depleted. However, knowing that life undergoes many evolutionary changes, would there be a way for a certain resource to take the position of a depleted resource? Another thought comes to mind about scientific discoveries is that many are performing research to find ways of utilizing resources in an effective way. Therefore, they can teach others how to utilize certain resources in order to have a great sustainability without having to deplete a large quantity of environmental species. It puts scientist to the test about whether or not they know what is actually happening to our ecosystem. Even though they are performing research with regards to resource depletion, it seems like not many are focusing on what can we do in order to stop depleting them. They think too much on finding an alternative, when we should focus on changing our ways of not depleting the resource as quickly. For instance, changing the amount of resource we use by changing certain habits.


http://www.zoomstart.com/blog-action-day-2007-the-environment/


2. "The usual answer to this dilemma is 'more conservation education'." -Pg. 63.

This quote struck me when I read it, because it is true about us thinking that we should educate more on conservation. It is a good idea to do so, but if we are not following what we are teaching then others will ultimately do the same. In order to conserve our ecosystem, it comes down to whether you change your lifestyle or not. Yes educating is a good start. Educating is a way to inform others on why they should try to conserve ecosystem but it doesn't really prove much unless they actually see the change. Even though, it is known that in order to see change it will take some time until it happens but it is a start in order to imagine what will happen if we do not do something about it. As mentioned before, it ultimately comes down to changing certain habits. For instance, use cloth shopping bags when grocery shopping, instead of wasting plastic bags that will eventually end up the street or such. The other change is going back to some old lifestyles, such as gardening or farming. This ultimately allows the food chains to have a greater strength and also allows less pesticides to effect the environment. Therefore, changing lifestyles could result in a greater impact compared to simply educating others about the dilemma.


 http://10qdetective.blogspot.com/2010/04/denbury-resources-profiting-from.html


3. "One basic weakness in a conservation system based wholly on economic motives is that most members of the land community have no economic value." Pg. 65.

No economic value should not even be considered for any type of matter. This is absurd to believe that something does not have economic value just because it may seem like it does not contribute anything to society. It seems like everything now a days has to have a high cost and if it does not than it is worthless. That is like saying lets deplete rocks since they are not shiny or do not play a high roll in our society. This does occur and then when we realize something is going wrong we notice that, that substance was important and there we go trying to place a law so we can still save it and hope that it will not be extinct. Sometimes it even just comes down to fulfilling our high class requests. For instance, when one goes to the store and is planning to purchase a warm coat. The first thing one does is look at the material and then look at the pricing. They look at the material to make sure that it is the best material to keep them warm. Then they look at the pricing to make sure that it fits with their budget or if the price is high enough to be shown off. Again, this comes down to materialism. Some people just want to have the best of the best in order to be better than someone else. When at the end of the day, people do not care about what one has. Therefore, why should there be an economic value of materials or even yet on our land community.

4. "If the act costs him cash, this is fair and proper, but when it costs only fore-thought, open-mindedness, or time, the issue is at lease debatable." -Pg. 67.

It is sad to think that any one would think in this matter. Even though we would want to cover the thought or idea of this, it tends to be true majority of the time. When one asks us for help, many start asking questions like, what do I have to do and how much time will it take. As if trying to figure out whether is it worth wasting your time to help someone else. Or even yet, when offering volunteer hours many are attracted to those that offer free food or free objects. So it makes one think, are you really volunteering because you want to help or are you volunteering just to gain free stuff or a meal. Yet I am not saying everyone does this, but it opens your eyes to see who has and the number of people who have done so. Also, another reason why this quote struck out to me is because of the younger crowd. I have witnessed many incidents with younger adults and when they are asked to help they ask what are they going to get out of it. For instance, they ask for pay or something related to that. I was in disbelief, because at that age I did it because I loved to help people. I would never even ask what I had to do or what I would gain out of it. I would simply say yes and just show up to help with whatever they needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flyiGMNGQyA

Louv

1.     “Some states now allow students to earn P.E. credits online.” –Pg 2.

a.     When I read this quote the first thought that came to mind was my high school career. I realized that students were able to excuse themselves from P.E. by taking the online version of this course. I find this scenario absurd because the point of physical education class is for the student to be physically active. Unlike an online class that may involve activities but how can the teacher confirm whether the student was active? Therefore, I feel like this defeats the purpose of the P.E. class. Not only that, but it is frightening to think that America’s obesity rates of children have sky rocketed. I believe obesity rates have increased because children are not as active in school or outside of school. Therefore, students should be required to take a live physical activity of their choice. For instance, of a sport they like or weight training, yoga, etc.

2.     “After this period, those who had walked in the nature preserve performed better than the other participants on a standard proofreading task. They also reported more positive emotions and less anger.” –Pg. 7.

a.     This quote reminds me so much of myself. The reason is that I love to be outdoors. I have noticed that every time I am outdoors I do better on exams. For instance, when I study outside in the soothing nature sounds calm me and allow my body to completely relax. When the body relaxes it is able to understand better and does not feel overwhelmed. I have noticed that when my mind or body feels overwhelmed it undergoes a minor shut down. My body is too busy concentrating on trying to focus that it does not focus on what is being taught. Also, the mind starts to feel happy emotions because I am outdoors. Also, being outside allows me to realize and appreciate the simple things in life. This is because when I was younger my grandmother would always take me cattle grazing and she would teach me so much about life. See, when I am outside I recall these memories and they make me feel happy.

3.     “But he returned determined to become an attorney specializing in environmental law.” –Pg. 13.

a.     This quote hit me when I read the story. To simply know that a person can change their ways with a simple environmental experience. This quote allowed me to recall someone who was in need of help. My best friend, Alejandro, was a troubled child who had always been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Not until recently, did he change his way towards others. How you may ask? One day, he and I walked through a nature trail and I allowed him to express himself. We ran through the trees and fell to the ground due to laughter of reminiscing memories. Not until then that he opened his eyes to his surroundings and took a deep breath of the silence around him. As we walked back home, we both turned our separate ways. He called me shortly after and told me he was going to change his ways. Since then, he has and is doing extremely well. The silence of nature allowed him to take a step back and realize all of his faults. He began, to admire nature that he too wanted to make a difference in others lives. Therefore, he started advising others to not follow his same footsteps. Both my best friend and the young man gave me the hope that one can change for the better. Also, the calming nature can allow someone to realize a lot of things and want to change these actions towards better ones.

Louv, Richard (2011). Nature-Defecit Disorder and the Restorative Environment.  In, Copley (Ed.), University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future (pp. 2, 7, 13). Acton, MA: An imprint of XanEdu Publishing

 This photo was taken at the Florida Aquarium, located in Tampa, FL. This photo was taken by me, Brianda Martinez.  Martinez, Brianda. (2012). January 14, 2014.

 This photo was taken at Gulf Coast High School before my high school, Lely High School, soccer game. This photo was taken by me, Brianda Martinez. Martinez, Brianda (2009). January 14, 2014.

This photo was taken at a beach in California near Los Angeles. This photo was taken by me, Brianda Martinez, when I went on vacation in 2008. Martinez, Brianda (2008). January 14, 2014.