Downtown Fort Myers

      Today I visited Downtown Fort Myers for the first time in my life.  Needless to say, I was surprised at how small the city was.  I guess growing up in Cleveland, Ohio might have something to do with it, but I definitely expected it to be bigger and more crowded.  I enjoyed the urban landscape because it reminded me of some of the city streets in Cleveland.  I would have to say that the most energizing part of this city seems to be the River District.  I loved how the shops and cafes were set up along the streets.  I believe this could be a large tourist attraction for the city.  In contrast to the River District, I thought Centennial Park was a beautiful display of nature.  The park was full of open green spaces, with benches to sit, relax, and reflect.  I especially liked how it was located next to the river.  Something about Centennial Park made me feel peaceful and like a little kid again.

      As I was walking around the city streets, I noticed how much space was devoted to parking.  I am not sure who owns more parking spaces, the government centers or retailing businesses, but I thought the amount of parking spaces was a little unreasonable compared to the size of the city.  I did not see how much a parking garage would cost, but there were also parking meters and free parking spots scattered along the road for two hours maximum (known as a zip zone).  One plan that will soon go into action that I find to be interesting is Trinity Village.  This plan involves the congregation of three downtown churches which hope to share one family life center, administrative offices, Sunday school facilities and fellowship hall, but keep separate sanctuaries.  I find this plan to be very unique and feel that it will show a sense of city pride.  I did not notice any mass transit while I was on my tour of the city, but I did observe sidewalks on every street and many bicyclists utilizing them. 

    

Edison House

      I personally think the lifeblood for Fort Myers is the tourism industry.  So much of southern Florida is invaded with snowbirds during the winter months that industries have actually learned to market their business more during the “busy season.”  I have even noticed that more construction and rebuilding occur out of season to get ready for the next year’s busy season.  I think the Edison house and downtown activities have the best chance to increase tourism in downtown Fort Myers.   The development of shopping malls and strip developments along non-core city highways is actually hurting the downtown city.  These malls take the business away from the city shops and allow people easier access to groceries or other goods that may be a closer distance to their residence.  Although this may be hurting the city, I saw many residential living spaces in the city.  Many apartments were above diners and stores which allow for an interesting usage of space.  I also noticed a large Publix near the center of town, which I would assume to be the main grocery store.  Because the city is small and old, I suppose that most of the city’s tax base is used to maintain the city buildings, streets, and shops.  I believe the city is trying to grow with the urban renewal approach.  The city is trying to make people and tourists flock to its attractions.  The River District has many new and exciting events to pull in guests from all over the town.  

      While walking around downtown Fort Myers, I did not notice any graffiti or homelessness.  The city streets were surprisingly clean.  I felt very safe walking around this city.  I would probably not travel here or in any other city alone at night because I am a female and that might not be safe!  I believe tourists would feel safe in this city as well.  Personally, I would not live in this city because I would want to reside in a large, bustling city.    

While walking around, I did not notice many sustainable actions in place.  I did see one recycling can, but that was about it.  I would recommend to the city council to make recycling a priority in the city and advertise it to the people as best as possible.  By visiting downtown Fort Myers, I learned that I do enjoy the urban landscape.    I like to be in the middle of action with a lot of people around, so the River District was my favorite part.  I also enjoyed Centennial Park because I found it to be so open and free.  I think these two places represent the differences between living in a loud, rambunctious urban city and a quiet, green rural area.  It is funny to reflect on the fact that they are located so close together.  I think this shows that one cannot exist without the other.

Picture Perfect

 

This is an original picture from Fort Myers Beach.  I was inspired by the beautiful nature that looked untouched by humans.  I added the quote because I think it is something everyone should live by.

Hope for the future...

     Today while I was eating a new brand of granola, I noticed something on the package that really caught my eye.  The product is called Bear Naked and they have implemented a sustainable packaging project.  Bear Naked is partnered with TerraCycle to help develop a new way in packaging products.  Their goal is to reduce the number of bags that end up in landfills.  They plan on doing this by collecting the bags from customers (after they eat the yummy content, of course) and repurposing them into accessories like umbrella, shower curtains and tote bags.  

     All this information is explained on the back of the package and a website link is also available. Whenever you are done with the product, you can go online, get a form and return it to the manufacturers.  You even get points that can be used towards their recycled products for sending in the bags.  I think this project is really cool!  It actually shows how people are trying to make a difference in the environment.  I believe this project is sustainable and has the ability to start a great trend in the manufacturing business.

Check it out ...  http://bearnaked.com/sustainable.asp

A Land Remembered

      I recently finished reading the book A land Remembered.  At first, I was not very excited about reading a 400 page book, but I stayed optimistic as I picked it up from the library.  As I began the book, I was instantly intrigued.  I actually found myself having a hard time putting the book down.  I think my favorite part about this book was the strong connection between the MacIvey family and nature.  Call me naïve, but I never truly realized how much people in the 1800s relied on the environment to survive.  The MacIveys were a family who basically had nothing when they moved to Florida.  The MacIveys built their house from the trees surrounding their land, they depended solely on hunting to eat every day, and traveled everywhere by foot (until horses came their way later in the story).  I think I enjoyed the book so much because I was able to put myself in the family’s shoes and see how hard they worked to stay alive.  The MacIveys always respected nature and believed that it was a gift given by God for all to use.  The book truly uses great imagery.  The scenes that are described by the author really make you realize how much humans have destroyed the beautiful land in Florida.  I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if you live in Florida.  I do not want to give away any more information about the book, but let me tell you it will be the shortest 400 pages you ever read!

Service Learning Project

      Today I completed my service hours at Lovers Key State Park.  I was unsure of the type of work I would be performing.  I assumed I would be picking up trash along the beach, but boy was I wrong!  When I arrived at Lovers Key, the park ranger handed me wire cutters and steel chicken fencing.  He then showed me what I would be making the entire day.  For my service learning project I made five turtle cages.  Now these cages are not meant to catch turtles, but actually to protect the turtle’s nest.  Every morning the rangers walk the beach and look for fresh mother turtle tracks.  If they find tracks, they then look for a nest.  If a turtle nest is found, they place the turtle cage on top of the nest to protect it from predators.  The cage will allow the baby turtles to sneak out once they hatch, but will keep out predators, like raccoons, that will try and eat the eggs.

      It took me a LONG time to make 5 turtle cages, but I felt so happy when I completed them and saw all the baby turtles I would be saving.  It was a very rewarding feeling to think that I had actually made a difference in the environment.  After completing the cages, I drove along the trails at the park and picked up any garbage that was along the way.  It was a very calming feeling to be in the park and doing something for nature.  I plan on going back to Lovers Key State Park next week to work on more projects, so stay tuned!

ECHO Farm

ECHO farm is unlike any other place I have ever visited before.  I actually never knew a place like ECHO actually existed.  I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to tour and learn about everything that goes in at ECHO. 

ECHO does not technically produce new plants or seeds, but they experiment with new ways in which plants can grow.  Workers at ECHO try to mimic the harsh environments found around the world where world hunger is prevalent and find plants that can grow here.  Once a plant is found to be successful in an environment, volunteers/workers from ECHO send sample seeds to the country to try it out.  ECHO workers actually go on mission trips to these countries and teach the native people how to garden the seeds.  The seeds are well researched by interns who work at ECHO.  Research papers are actually posted online for anyone to download and read.  ECHO is becoming well known around the world for its ground-breaking research and positive effect on other countries.  It is actually the third most popular tourist attraction in Lee County.  These seeds are distributed to over 180 different countries around the world.  ECHO believes that by teaching people how to farm the seeds, they will be instilling in them a new lifestyle that is more nutritious and efficient for their communities.         

Roof-top gardening

I found it extremely interesting how ECHO tries to shape the six different sections of their farm into different harsh environments found around the world.  These environments involve some type of difficult soil, water, and/or climate that inhibit commonly found crops to grow.  ECHO works to teach people new techniques to farm in things other than soil.  I witnessed this in the roof-top garden sections during my tour.  ECHO also has innovative ways to irrigate and cleanse water, and ways to deal with harsh climates.   This is the main reason why ECHO is located in Fort Myers, Florida.  The climate is somewhat comparable to the environments found in countries like Africa and Haiti where hunger is an issue.  ECHO is trying its best to make a large impact on the nation, and even the world.  They hope that by teaching people around the world ways to better their lives, they can change the problem of world hunger.  ECHO is a religious group and strongly believes that God has given us all the resources we need, and that it is up to people to learn how to use them.

ECHO is not a government based program.  This means that they money they receive to run the farm is mostly from giving tours, their store, and donations.  They do get a sum of money from grants, but money is always an issue as they try and find new advancements in farming.  ECHO is also trying to fight the environmental issue of pesticides on their farm.  They are trying to find natural ways, which are not harmful to humans, to keep the crops healthy.

Goat on ECHO Farm

 My tour guide was Bill Hooth, and he has been with ECHO farm for seven years.  He strongly believes that the work ECHO is doing will help decrease the problem of world hunger.  He is very proud of the mission groups that go out around the world and teach people how to improve their lifestyles.  He believes that teaching is better than just giving, and will last a longer time too!  ECHO is constantly looking for volunteers to help run the farm.  They also hold many conferences where people are taught all about coping mechanisms with harsh farming climates in other countries, seeds, farming, using manure, and training others.  I think it would be interesting to attend one of these conferences to help find solutions to world hunger.

Nutritional value of Moringa Leaves

I believe ECHO is the definition of sustainable.  Everything on the farm is natural.  The plants and farms are all thriving in exotic environments.  I enjoyed how many of the plants were not well known, but had a nutritional value that was higher than anything we eat here in the USA.  It seems to me that more information needs to be distributed on these plants to make them better known.  I was especially fascinated in how manure was compressed into gas and used to run a stove.  I also found it interesting how the animal droppings on the farm were used as fertilizer on the crops.  Everything that ECHO is doing is sustainable.  I truly believe the farm has implemented ideas that could help alleviate world hunger.  The fact that ECHO has found sustainable ways to farm and feed villages around the world shows there is a hope to stop world hunger.  Along with all this, ECHO is invested in educating others about seeds and farming.  This means the mission statement of ECHO will live on around the world forever.