Energy From Waste

Hello Bloggin Ligers

So today we went to the Waste From Energy Plant. I like all the usefullness it brings to the community and also how it is recognized worldwide for its efforts in converting trash into usefl energy.

Mueller, our host, mentioned how the Plant has generated enough power to supply energy to Lee County but however; FPL has negated them to do so which makes me very upset and dissapointed in the system.Profit is the "P" word.

I guess a clean planet is not PROFITABLE enough. We should do our own research and contribute to the efforts to help our planet because it is profitable to us.

Next Mueller spoke about the concept of

Reduce--> Reuse--> Recycle.

He also told us how there is more to it that we dont know and that is Recovery.

I enjoyed this trip and realized eventhough our country is not as "earth" motivated at least Europe is adapting this Plant system and hopefully we hop onboard soon.

SOIL... not dirt

Hey Ligers

I really enjoyed the movie "Dirt". I was not aware that Dirt was so essential and referring it to a different name changes the context of it. Soil sounds more like a necessity while dirt sounds like a nuisance. Presonally, the fact that those whom appreciate soil refers to it as such reinforces that idea.

The different cultural views were a novel idea that I was absent minded of prior to watching this movie. For example the houses in India that were cleaned with soil and the fact that soil kept it cooler during the summer seemed as a great benefit as a building tool compared to concrete. The cartoons were also a good addition to the movie because it added a perspective they would have, if they had a basic reaction when we build on it, burn trees on it and place asphalt on it as well.

This is definitely a movie that colloquium classes should get to see as well, whatever thier ideas are on the importance of soil, this movie will bring it to the forefront of their thoughts.

Eating

The movie "Eating" was a real eye opener. We are essentially making our selves unhealthy by eating the so called "healthy" food that is regulated by the government. Until watching the movie, I had no idea how unhealthy it was to consume dairy. They mentioned dairy as a liquid meat and even referred to instead of having milk and cookies, but meat and cookies. Gross! I found the interviews to be the most interesting part of the movie. The first doctor they interviewed had a great diet, exercised and had no health problems, but suffered a heart attack at 44 years of age. One of his arteries was clogged 100% and he nearly died. Later he found out that his cholesterol was sky high. He ate only fruits, vegetables, grains for one month and his cholesterol dropped from 160 to 89. The next doctor, like the first, had high cholesterol and prostate cancer. He refused treatment because of his religion but, like the first doctor he took a similar diet and three months later he was cured of cancer and his cholesterol dropped immensely. I had no idea how fruits and vegetables could turn your health around that dramatically. The movie has even inspired me to eat healthier now, at least for a while. Though after watching "Eating" I will always look at food from a different perspective.

DIRT

Class discussed the basis of how are homes and food are made, from dirt... lots and lots of dirt. Dirt is a living organism which homes many types of bacteria and small organisms, vital to keep dirt full of nutrients from our homes. However, everyday due to industry we are destroying dirt by taking other minerals from dirt that we find more valuable. In the long run we will lose all of the important things that we need from dirt. If we continue on the rate of destruction of dirt that we are on right now, we will eventually lose any value from dirt within this century, ensuring it will be very difficult if not impossible to grow dirt. We must continue to help the Earth by using the organic methods to grow food in the best way, the organic way.

Dirt the Movie

I thought Dirt was a very informative movie for our colloquium class. It shows us where everything that we eat comes from and how we should appreciate the land that we're given. So often, we misuse soil and dirt as a part of our living, breathing atmosphere. I like the fact that the researchers went into different countries to see what other people's opinions were about dirt and all of the different ways they tried to encourage the people to farm for themselves. Composting is also a cool mechanism that uses trash to make soil. I think that that method could be used greatly among Americans since we are so wasteful. Overall great class!

EarthShips

The idea of an "earthship" was thought up in the 1970's as a way to live more in harmony with the environment without sacrificing modern delicacies. It's basically a home that is off the grid and made of materials that would otherwise be burried in a landfill...a.k.a.; trash. The walls of an earthship are made of dirt-packed tires, bottles, and cans. Pretty neat way to recycle, huh? After the walls are set, they are then covered with an outside covering of siding for uniformity, but the internal structure is dirt and trash that will end up regulating it's own temperature, making A.C. and Heating a thing of the past. The rooftop of a 3,000 sq.ft. ceiling will collect 2,000 gallons of water in a one-inch rainfall. This water will be filtered with specialized plants and used for drinking, bathing, washing and eventually toilets until finally being returned back the earth. The earthship also supports its own garden, so grocery shopping wont be as necessary as before. Solar pannals are used to energize all of the household appliances, including lighting, refridgerator, washer, T.V., computers (etc.).
The cost of building an earthship is comparable to a normal home, it just takes a little longer to build and gather the building materials. However, once living in it, the electric, water, and grocery bill are almost eliminated. This is a fascinating idea, and one that I will definitely look into in the future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9jdIm7grCY

ECHO...

Our trip to ECHO this past week was fun-filled and very informative. Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization (ECHO) has a plant here in South West Florida where they store many of their seeds and plants and farm healthy foods. We were fortunate to actually try some of their freshly picked broccoli while on our tour of the farm. (picture below) I was surprised to find out that the stem of the broccoli was very tasty, although the leaves got kind of sickening after about four bites.
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We were shown the different types of stoves and water pumps that ECHO uses to plant in third world countries, according to their culture. The evolution of the stove was fascinating and educational in the sense of learning about thermal dynamics and heat loss.

There were many types of bamboo growing at ECHO, including black bamboo pictured below. Bamboo is very sturdy and fast growing. There are thousands of different varieties in the world and can be used as many different types of building materials.

We saw several different types of fruits and vegetables including the miracle fruit, strawberries, avocado, oranges, pumpkin and many more. There were quite a few animals as well for fertilizer, filtration of the ponds, milk, muscle, meat, and even a source of money. ECHO is a Christian based organization, which I think is awesome. I can see the power of God working through this place to make a difference in the world by feeding His people in need.