My Environmental Philosophy…CALLING ALL AMERICANS!!!

The United States of America is last in line on the competitive search for alternative energy. Our country’s economic and most importantly, political ties to the oil industry have proven not only environmentally destructive but socially and progressively stunting. Our country has allowed lobbyists and elected officials to protect this multi billion dollar industry and the laws which these officials help to enact or prohibit have provided a place of refuge beneath the skirt of a “mindless America”. Americans must first begin to address the issue of the use of and search of (mining, drilling ect.) the destructive fossil fuels that are ultimately responsible for the majority of damage and consequences we have already begun to suffer today and will continue to endure for centuries yet to come. Yes, recycling is great, cleaning a beach is commendable but the core issues at hand far supersedes the minuscule details that stem from it, we are a new generation, one that cannot allow our future to be manipulated by a few companies that have profited for decades off the irreversible damage they have inflicted on our oceans and environment. We should not stop there; there are millions of dollars of profit being gained off the annihilation of rainforest throughout the world, mining companies that are fully aware of the health issues posed to their workers related to the mining of coal but do nothing to address it. I hope that my generation will finally end this ignorant tolerance of industries that profit from the loss, devastation and eradication of so many valuable resources.

We have the opportunity to stop it, we now have the education, the knowledge the know how but without a choice, without leadership or commitment, all the progress we have attained thus far would have been worked towards in vain. We can take this opportunity and employ so many left without homes, produce new technology with international demand, improve upon current equipment and follow the rest of the world into the future. America use to be the standard to which all other countries strived to achieve, America use to be the “power house” of the world so WHY is it that we have allowed these industries and greedy politicians to run our country into the ground ?!?!? I make a proposition…CALLING ALL AMERICANS…the time has come to prove yourselves again, we need all scientists, teachers, students, doctors, lawyers, mothers, fathers, daughters and sons to fix the mess we have made and begin to rebuild “America the Great”.

Ft. Myers: A Stroll through History

The bus ride to the Historic Ft. Myers area was beautiful; we drove through neighborhoods with old homes and giant Royal Palms. The area was green and the trees towered over the roadway. We soon arrived at the Ft. Myers Historic Museum, the institute was full of diagrams, artifact replications and informative postings describing the Native Americans indigenous to the Florida area and other relevant historic aspects of the area including; fishing, industrialization and the many scientific contributions the area benefited from Edison. The museum included pictures and details about the coast and the many inhabitants it received throughout the centuries, it concluded with an array of military artifacts from WWII and Vietnam, the glass cases included uniforms, helmets, diaries and other physical artifacts. The museum also owned the home next door; it was a replica of what a home in the area would have looked like and measured, about the size of a large living room and housing a family of four or more. It was built of wood and raised from the ground, the roof was made of tin and extremely high, this helps to keep the heat of Florida Summers high in the infrastructure and cooler where people spend most their day.

We then walked through the historic district of Ft. Myers, the road was lined in small shops, boutiques, restaurants and bars. The architecture was impressive, a glimpse into how the town must have looked centuries ago. It’s an amazing thought to know that you’re walking on the same land where so many before you have also walked. I visualized what the streets would look like covered in buggy carriages and how people would have dressed; women with their exaggerated feathered hats, hooped ruffled skirts and men with big mustaches and top hats. We walked the coast of the area and observed the Marina, taking note of the different types of trees and the many years it takes for a tree of that size to grow.

It was a unique experience, everyday we drive through our city and never pay much attention to the historical significance of the land, its resources, people or national importance. Much like many other cities within the nation Ft. Myers is a city drenched in historical importance and will stand as such for generations to come. The area includes some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and water as well as the summer home of one of the most famous men in the world, Thomas Edison. I look forward to the day when I can walk with my grandchildren, pointing out trees as old as I am, architecture three times as old as myself and teach them the importance of one day doing the same with their own grandchildren.