Pajer- Journal #7- October 27

Journal 7: Keep a journal of how many times you use anything that requires electricity in a 24 hour period and reflect on any insights you gain.

Word count: 302

            Ok this very much varies on a day to day basic because some days I am not even home and the only thing I use is: a few lights, my car, and maybe a microwave. The stove we have is gas and I grill a lot on a gas grill. But some days I am at home: and I have one of two lights in my room on, my fan, my computer, the computer screen/TV, a TV, a wii, a ps3, an xbox, my record player, electric guitar, and I think that is it. But I could run a dishwasher, a vacuum, you know appliances and no I am not shocked about what I use I know what I use and I do that to make life easier, cleaner, and more enjoyable. I mean my grandparents use to have a clothes line to hang their clothes but it is not like I usually have time to let the sun dry my clothes and then put them away. Some weeks I am not even up for that many hours of sunlight because my sleeping goes out of sync with the days.

            Really I do not have many insights I do not really think I use too much electricity when I start paying the bills we will see but I am more worried about living on a day to day basic then to how much energy I use. I am not just keeping things on to keep them on but I use things daily.

I am really not sure how you wanted me to answer this question I really just tried my best to get 300 words.

Pajer- Journal #6 - October 27

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• Journal # 6: Reflections on your Fort Myers Beach Field trip
• Word count : 331

The field trip to Fort Myers beach was honestly not the most interesting one being that we did not really go to the beach. We only got a view of it from the bus, but we did see the water from the mangroves. The mangroves are probably the least interesting of all the landscapes we have visited only because being a native here I always see them. I am not a fan of crabs and mosquitoes so going on this field trip put me outside of my comfort zone just a little. Fortunately the crabs were all on the mangroves and at least I could enjoy them from afar unlike all the mosquitoes swarming around the group. Thinking about all those mosquitoes just makes me itch.

      The guest speaker who was at the house was an old lady who was very nice. It was interesting to learn about Ponce de-Leon a little bit more. I know how to spell his name now so I am mildly happy! Disney latest Pirate movie was about the fountain of youth and it is nice to see history living on. The island was a barrier island and I wonder if the reason the Spanish stopped on the island was that they saw the Indians there in the first place. However I like history of the America’s more during the revolution and beyond. Like knowing that the Germans came to the United States to sabotage American manufacturing and moral, but I do know my share of prehistory and early history of the America’s.

      Fun facts that I learned was that Shrimp was known as “Pink Gold” and that one oyster in one hour filter nine gallons of water. My Spanish is not so good so Matanzas meaning massacre is interesting to know. Also that the Miami Hurricanes are named after the 1926 hurricane, is interesting, but I’ll forget that soon.

Pajer- Journal #5 - October 27

Journal 5: Your carbon footprint. Take the quiz at http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences and discuss what you have learned

Word count 324

            Clicking on this link then hitting play it says the game is retired so I just did another option it gave me.

Really I do not feel bad or really even care about the result I bet for most of us it says you have a big foot print. It is a little strange to read this result from “Plantgreen.com” but it basically says if everyone lived like me we would need 4.6 planets to support us. So I guess I should just start my own space program and start sending people far off into space to escape me and my terribleness of consumption. (This is how I thought before you said not to do the first option and yes the first option was very critical and ridicule other people for being successful.  

             This time I did the Energyville by Chevron and it was a lot more interactive and user friendly. It let showed you using a wide variety of energies keep prices low. Also it showed how energies have an environmental impact and a security impact. Which now of days everyone sees and despises energy companies for their environmental impact but if we did have these companies we would be worse off in our national security as a nation.

            This program said it is expected in like 2030 that Nuclear energy will be cheaper than wind energy. Like many people say with solar with harvesting the power of the sun. Well that’s true with Nuclear it is fusion energy the same energy our sun gives off. But I am not saying we should not be safe with Nuclear. The American Nuclear power plants are a lot more stable of reactors and highly secured than those in Russia. Well if anything I wish politicians would stop using clean coal in their speeches because coal is far from clean.

Pajer- Journal #4 - October 27

Journal 4: Reflect on your Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Field trip

Word count 335

            The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Field trip was very relaxing Field trip. It also had its high points in my view being exciting seeing all the big cypress trees. The water there had very interesting tint to it from the cypress and was neat to see. There was a noticeable difference in how many birds were out in the swamp. I saw a wide variety but I do not know all their names. My girl friend is into birds so it balances out my lack of knowledge of birds it is not that I do not care it just does not stick in my brain what kind of birds they are.

            It was nice knowing that my dad worked on the Living Machine. I think he only got permits and had to deal with the government for this project. It was a while ago when he worked for Hole Montes. I guess his career helps me realize how important water is but it is obvious to me being that so many historical events evolve water. For example the Egyptians three most important things in life were the Sun, the Pharaoh, and the Nile River. Water is everywhere even in the River Styx which is in the underworld.

I had been to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary many years ago and really all I remember was an open field and seeing a deer there. So it was nice to I guess revisit my childhood and see what gaps my memory missed, but a lot of it seemed familiar so I do not know. The overall experience was positive and really I just like the big cypress it kind of looks like time stood still back there and you could experience life how it should be experienced. But really and gratefully we don’t have to experience life like that. I would rather be safe on a board walk than waist high in a swamp full of alligators any day.