Cottage/Fort Myers Beach

What was your overall opinion of Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass? What sights, sounds, and/or experiences stood out? Give concrete examples of how the local quality of life is being enhanced. How has your hometown changed since you were a child? Do you still feel a sense of community? If a developer offered you 300% the market value of your childhood home to develop into condos, would you take it? What if the county approached you about purchasing the land under the 20/20 program, for 80% of its market value?
 
Personally I thought it was an interesting cottage, needs to have a better layout though, kind of hard to get the real "flow" of the changes.  I really liked the aerial shots of the beach through the years, it shows how fast the development happened.   My daughter loved the large alligator head and the sea shells!  How they paint the sea shells for the Christmas tree was very pretty and gave us some ideas of some things we could do.  In regards to the Pass I HATED IT!!  It was smelly and lots of creepy bugs in the mud.  It was not clearly marked we got lost (not fun with 2 small children).  It was extremely muddy and there were snakes (I despise snakes!!!).  




I really see no advantages to the very small piece of land that they have there.  Yes it is a nice place to "get away from the real world" but honestly not that great for long term usage.  I am not advocating to develope it, but it is just not large enough to provide enough of an ecosystem to provide long-term benefits.


My hometown has developed a lot with more apartment building, businesses and subdivisions.  It has not changed so much that I do not feel apart of it, but that could be because the rest of my family still lives there and I visit quite frequently  Now if I could go back and live there, that is an entirely another story.  If they wanted to offer me 300% or 80% for my childhood home they can have it!  The old neighborhood has gone downhill, with gangs and drug dealers.  I don't even want to show my children that I used to live there it has gotten so bad!!

Ecofootprint!

Calculate your ecofootprint at http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/. How did you fare? Print out your final report and bring to class. Click the explore scenarios button. What behaviors could you modify (be reasonable now!) to reduce your footprint? What is the resulting value? Assume the average American ecofootprint is 4.6 (earths). If everyone lived like you do, what is the maximum population that earth could sustain (according to this calculator)? 

I would consume 4.1 planet earths!  According to this I should reduce my energy consumption.  I can try, but probably not going to happen, I already think I am pretty conscientious.  I could eat less meat, drive less, have more energy efficient appliances.  If everyone lives like me we could only support about a quarter of the current population (according to this calculator)  I do find this to be extremely flawed though.  I only drive once or twice a week.  I am never in the car by myself.  I use very little electricity, except for the air conditioner.  I have a very fuel efficient vehicle and my husband does not have to commute to work.     

Sustainable Consumerism

What is “sustainable consumerism”? Are globalization and capitalism positive or negative drivers in this phenomenon? What is greenwashing? Would you be willing to pay a premium for foods labeled “organic”, “local”, or “fair-trade”? Do you prefer to frequent mom and pop stores in downtown Ft. Myers or patronize chain stores at the Gulf Coast Town Center? What are the ramifications of your behaviors either way? Think holistically
 
The definition of sustainable consumer proposed by the 1994 Oslo Symposium on Sustainable Consumption defines it as "the use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations." Wikipedia 
 I do think that globalization and capitalism are negative drivers for sustainable consumerism.  The products have to be transported farther and more packaging is used for more stores.  Also the disruption of the land and the energy costs.  



The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green, rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. This is often portrayed by changing the name or label of a product to evoke the natural environment for example, putting an image of a forest on a bottle containing harmful chemicals. Environmentalists often use greenwashing to describe the actions of energy companies, which are traditionally the largest polluters.Wikipedia

 

^{I will not pay more for all this fair trade, local, food.  I know the farming industry pretty well and most of it is just a scam to get more of your money from these larger corporations.  I frequently shop at the Gulf Coast Town Center.  The mom and pop shops seems to have gone by the wayside due to stiff competion.  There is just no way they can compete with the prices and selection.}

Downtown

What kinds of emotions does the word “downtown” evoke? How has their stature in communities changed over time? Why is downtown Ft. Myers experiencing something of a renaissance? What are some of the prominent architectural features? How (and why) are they designed to rekindle the “pedestrian” spirit? Discuss some other “nods to history” that we saw on our tour. How has the economy of Ft. Myers evolved from past to present? How does all of this relate to sustainability?
 
Downtown evokes busy offices, courthouses, government entities, shopping and dining options and in some fabulous locations residential opportunity.  With the increase of the "information super highway" that is the internet I honestly think downtown is becoming less needed.  You are able to access much of the information you used to have to go in person to look at online.  I honestly did not see a "renaissance" when I was downtown.  I went on a Saturday right before lunch time and I was hard pressed to find places to shop or eat at.  I really don't think it is very pedestrian friendly with the lack of pedestrian crosswalks and the crazy drivers.  The major architectural features would be the courthouse, harborside, churches and some bank buildings.  I understand they are trying to make it more "family friendly" but I was terrified being downtown by myself with 2 children.  There is just really not enough to draw younger families in.

Jimmy Cardigan

Is energy too cheap? Is conservation a dirty word? What would you say to “Jimmy Cardigan” (Google this!)? With regards to alternative energy sources (renewables) are you a "free-marketeer" or proponent of government intervention to steer us away from fossil fuels? In your opinion, what type of renewable energy has the most upside potential? What steps can you take 1) tomorrow and 2) within the next five years to reduce your energy footprint?

I honestly don't think energy is too cheap, but it does depend on where you live.  I for one have never had to pay an electric bill so I have no real grasp on this subject.  I would have to say I agree with "Jimmy Cardigan", we can help alleviate some of our energy usage with proper attire and some common sense.  When it is cold, I put my children in long sleeve/heavier clothing to help them stay warm at night.  We only turn the heater on if it gets below a certain temperature.  We use room heaters more than the whole house heaters.  During the summer we use lighter blankets at night and thinner clothing/less clothing.  When it is hot try to use the stove less during the hottest times, same for the clothes dryer.  During colder times use the stove as a heat source, try to keep everyone in that area so you don't have to use other heaters.  

In regards to alternative energy sources, I believe that it should be a free enterprise with government incentives.  I do think that solar energy and wind energy have the most potential for long term usage.  Many companies and homeowners are already turning to solar power to help with energy costs.