Earth Charter

"Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life."

The forces around us make living a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has given us the conditions we need in life's evolution. The sustainability of the community of life and the well-being of humanity depends on making sure we preserve a healthy biosphere with all of its ecological system like: plants, animals, fertile soils, waters, and air. The protection of Earth is a vital essential to our survival. Our demanding desires of production and consumption is causing serious environmental destruction, decrease of resources, and a huge extinction of species. Injustice, poverty, violent conflict, and ignorance are causing great suffering and a rise in human population has overburdened our ecological and social systems.

Photo Concept by: Joe Carter

"The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one another or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life." 

Fundamental changes are necessary in our institutions and way of living. We need to see that when it comes to basic needs, human development is about being more, not having more. We have the technology and knowledge to provide and reduce our impacts on the environment and the emergence of a global civil society is starting new opportunities that will build a democratic and humane world. We must make a decision to live in a sense of universal responsibility and everyone shares this for the present and future of the well-being of our living world. We need a shared vision of basic values that will provide us with a good foundation for the emerging world community and together we can start a sustainable way of life for us all. 

Photo Concept by: cleanuptheworld.org

"To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter." 

This is going to require a change of mind and heart, as well as, a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility. We have to develop a plan of a sustainable way of life locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. We have to come together and harmonize diversity with unity; every individual, family, organization, and community plays a vital role. In order to build a sustainable global community, the world must renew their commitment to the United Nations, and support the Earth Charter principles of international environment and development. 

Photo Concept by: Pat Bertram

Healing Earth's Scars

"Thirty years ago, the Hudson River and its surrounding waterways were so polluted that its population of short-nosed sturgeon became the first fish species to be listed (in 1972) as endangered". (Goodall 166).

This caused a huge effort to clean up the river and over the past 15 years, the population of these fish in the Hudson River has grow by more than 400%. The Manhattan area has become way more urbanized, so the cleaning of the waters is a huge conservation success story; there are even plans to bring oyster reefs and shoreline wetlands in Harlem. I think it is a great idea to introduce more of this type of environment in an area where most people have never seen wetlands or exotic marine life; with them being exposed to this they will be more likely to help protect it.

Photo by: Avery Collin

"The aquatic ecosystems have been destroyed-the Yangtze River dolphin became extinct." (Goodall 168)

There has been so much destruction of habitats worldwide and having harmed so much of their own environment, China is desperate to get the materials like timber and minerals to help with economic growth, that is plundering the natural resources of other countries. Especially in Africa where many people in politics are willing to sell of their children's future just to make some quick money; it is getting worse because of the country's staggering number of people in need and a failing government that refuses to admit that there is anything wrong in their country. 

Photo by: Jasmine Waltz

"It would be irresponsible to introduce ways of growing more food and saving the lives of more babies, without, at the same time, talking about the need for small families." (Goodall 171)

It has been shown that as a woman's education improves, the size of families decrease. Having information about family planning, access to health care for their children, helps women to really plan for their families. If women also receive education things will also start to get better; so many people have started scholarship programs for girls because a poor family is likely to educate the boys instead of the girls. I think this idea is great in the sense that woman will be looked at as more as just homemakers and child bearers but as a people that have something to offer to the world. 

Photo by: Ellie Woods

The Obligation to Endure

"The most alarming of all man's assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials." (Carson 153)

Throughout the history of living on earth there has always been am interaction between the living and their surroundings. The earth's vegetation and animal life has been formed by the environment around them and only one species, man has had the significant power to change the nature of their world. The increase in change and the speed of which new situations are made based of the pace of man rather than the pace of nature is destructive. To change or better the environment from what man has done will take generations to fix if even possible at all.

Photo Concept by: Seppo.net

"Much of the necessary knowledge is now available but we do not use it." (Carson 159)

We teach and train ecologists in our universities and we even give them jobs in governmental agencies but we rarely use them or take their advice. We allow things like chemical death rain to fall as though there is nothing we can do to prevent it from harming our environment. Have we become a mesmerized state of mind that sees the world and what is happening to it as something that we really can not change? This is a scary thought because to accept the destruction that is happening and will continue to happen to our world is not the way to go about it. We as a people have changed society and the way the world operates on many occasions so I know we can better the way we treat our world if we all come together to make this change happen. 

Photo Concept by: thebigrocks.com

"There is still very limited awareness of the nature of the threat." (Carson 160)

This is the era that is dominated by industry, in which making a dollar at whatever cost is priority. When the public protest because of some evidence of damaging results of pesticide applications, they are fed half truths. We need to stop false assurance and sugar coating facts because the public has the right to know the truth; they are the ones being asked to assume the risks that the insect controllers predict. The public must decide what they want to do and that can only happen if the are presented with all the right facts.

Photo Concept by: fourletterword.com

Biodiversity

"Biodiversity means the diversity of life - the rich diversity of life forms on our beautiful planet." (Shiva 38)

Biodiversity gives the conditions for life's maintenance, as well as, different ways in which that life is shown. This is the embodiment of centuries of cultural growth, because humans have evolved with other species in the diverse ecosystems that is the world. With biodiversity shaping the world's diverse cultures; the erosion of biodiversity and cultural diversity go hand in hand. However, both have been threatened by the globalization of an industrialized culture based of off technology and the growing want of resources. We are all looking for different ways that will conserve our being and provide sustainable solutions for our health and nutrition. 

Photos by: George Carter

"Biodiversity is not just a conservation issue, it is an issue affecting economic survival." (Shiva 50)

Biodiversity can be viewed as the means of production for the poor who have no access to other means of production. For food, medicine, crafts, etc. the poor depend on the wealth of biological resources and skills that go with biodiversity. As this goes away, the poor are pushed further into impoverishment and deprived of the health care and nutrition that biodiversity gives. The way the consumption of the rich and powerful can determine the consumption of the poor by contributing to the erosion of biodiversity. 

 Photo Concept By: Wiley-Blackwell

"It is estimated that 100 million of the world's poorest people depend on fishing for all or part of their livelihoods." (Shiva 53)

Most of the large fishing boats are under transnational corporations and use all the latest technology in fish-detection, catching and processing, making them great hunting machines, and leading to the problem of overfishing. The decrease of the commerical value results in the development of technologies and large catches are made possible because of the destruction of livelihood and diverse species. For example, shrimp in India was an export commodity through fisher development; and little by little there become less shrimp to catch and eat. Also landings of the major sea bottom-dwelling fish began to decrease due to the excess fishing and the destruction of the seabed. 

Photos by: Marine Conservation

A Tale of Two Farms

"The monumental ruins left behind by those past societies hold a romantic fascination for all of us." (Diamond 20).

We often are amazed as children when we first learn of these interesting ruins through pictures and when we grow up we plan many vacations just so we can experience seeing them up close. We gain this attachment to the spectacular beauty of it all and you can tell that the ruins tell an incredible story. When you look at all these huge and mighty buildings you begin to wonder how can a society who created such power in their buildings not still be around today. This makes me think about America and how we are seen as such a powerful country but how long will that power last? Rome may not have been built in a day but it is now just a monument of a once great people the Romans; the rate America is going it might not be long until America falls as well.

Photos by: pixelkuss.com

"It has long been suspected that many of those mysterious abandonments were at least partly triggered by ecological problems: people inadvertently destroying the environmental resources on which their societies depended." (Diamond 20).

This suspicion has been confirmed by discoveries found in recent decades by archaeologists, historians, climatologists, etc. Past societies have brought their own downfall on themselves by damaging their environment with deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems, water management problems, overhunting, overfishing, human population growth, etc. Population growth made people adopt increased means for agricultural production so they could supply food to the growing number of people who needed it. Consequences of this was food shortage, starvation, and wars between the people fighting over the little resources available. In the end population decreased and the society lost their political, economic, and cultural edge that it once had. 

 

Photos Concept by: Jason Reid

"Environmental problems that are hard to manage today were surely even harder to manage in the past." (Diamond 25).

In the past societies we were not able to read about ecological damage and other things like we can today. The societies that ended up collapsing were just like us and they were prone to either fail or succeed. Yes, there may be be some differences between the situations the past faced and what we face today but there are still enough similarities that we can learn from thanks to what happened in the past. We are lucky that now we have the technology and knowledge to help us out so that we will not become a collapsed society but actually flourish for generations to come. 

Photo Concept by: Lisa Crew

Plan B 4.0

"The evolution of modern cities was tied to advances in transport." (Brown, 145)

Transportation in our society is a big contributor to pollution in our environment; everyone seems to want to drive some of the most non-environmental vehicles out there, regardless of the destruction it is causing in our air. I think if we focus transport systems based on rail/bus lines and bicycle/pedestrian paths it will have the best effect in providing mobility, low-cost transportation, and a better healthy environment. The rail system gives a city the foundation it needs, providing of a secure way of mobility that people can rely on. Also with the bikeways and walkways highlighted in the transport systems it makes a decrease in automobile use; which causes pollution and congestion to go down – makes the people and the environment healthier.

Photos Concept by: Jose Villa

"Water enters a city, becomes contaminated with human and industrial wastes, and leaves the city dangerously polluted." (Brown, 155)

For cities, the best way to increase water productivity is to use a water treatment/recycling system that reuses the water continuously. This concept reminded me of the toilets here at FGCU and how they are dual-flush. I have never been in a bathroom that implemented this concept of pushing the handle up or down depending on what you did in the bathroom – based on what way you flushed determined how much water was used. I think this idea is such a good way to conserve how much water we are using, especially when it comes to how we get rid of our waste. Reusing or decreasing the amount of water we use will decrease the amount of waste that is getting dumped constantly into our rivers, lakes, and water supply. 

Photo Concept by: Jasmin Chua

"A growing body of evidence indicates there is an innate human need for contact with nature." (Brown, 162)

Creating eco-friendly cities takes getting people out of their vehicles and out into nature. There are some signs of changes like public transportation has increased as more people take the bus, as well as, more people riding bikes or buses because of high gas prices. Car companies are actually putting effort to make eco-friendly cars that are better for the environment and better on people's pocket because they are not constantly spending money on gas. I think getting better acquainted with your surroundings and environment will help people's understanding of it and make them want to make a change. 

Photos Concept by: Alex Davis 

A Land Remembered

Solomon MacIvey (Sol) was the son of Zech MacIvey and Glenda. Sol was just like his father and grandfather in the sense that he wanted to always be around the action and help out even at a young age. Throughout the book I noticed that Sol was different from Tobias and Zech in the fact that he wanted to be more independent and do more things on his own; like owning land and making money. These two things were not that important to Tobias and Zech but Sol made a point to put this as a priority in his life. He was very supportive to his family and was always willing to help out whether it was around the house or out herding cattle, but he always remembered how people treated his family especially when they went to Palm Beach. After that visit to Palm Beach Sol was definitely determined to out due the rich that treated his family like they were nothing; I think this was the defining moment when Sol realized he deserved more.

Photo Concept by: Rick Powers

Sol unlike everyone else in his family grows up in the time were development is really starting to pick up. He does live off the land and gets supplies from trading posts with the money they earned from herding cattle, but he also sees the environment that he once knew changing and actually capitalises on these changes. In one section of the book that I found really funny is when Sol, Zech, and Glenda go to Palm Beach and Sol notices all the beautiful birds in a bird shop; he then goes inside and after asking prices for different birds he decides to just buy 24 bird cages. The next day after climbing a tree and catching buzzards Sol goes into the market and people swarm him to buy the birds thinking they are actually exotic birds; he ends up earning $600 and winded up buying his first piece of land with it. This really made me see how smart Sol was and that he was definitely aware of the changing times and knew exactly how to change with it.

Photo Concept by: Paul Stafford

In the story Sol feels a real attachment to his Kissimmee home in the hammock with the rest of his family, because this is the home that he has always know and everyone he loves is here. However, as Tobias, Emma, Zech, Frog, and Glenda die Sol becomes less and less attached to this place because of all the memories that remind him of them. He eventually, leaves and makes his home in Okeechobee and later receives two letters urging him to come back to Kissimmee; when he gets there he realizes that the house his grandfather built is now gone and in his place orange trees. It is at that moment I saw how devastated Sol was that the house he had known and loved for so long was gone, and how much he regretted leaving a place he called home. 

 Photo Concept by: Rick Powers

Unlike the other characters Sol was the one who left behind the biggest legacy. He benefited from selling lands that he and his dad both owned, as well as, buying land when the market went under. He built hotels, houses, condominiums, bank, and growing his MacIvey empire more and more. So many buildings and parks in Miami had his name on it as a way to honor such a great man and all the development and growth that was made possible because of the man Sol MacIvey. No matter what happened to Sol what he left behind would be continuously used for generations to come. 

Photo Concept by: Morris Carter

I chose Sol MacIvey because I think he is the best representation of people in our society today. I know we have grown a lot since Sol's time but we all still have that mentality of growth and expanding not realizing the destruction that we are causing. I know for me I enjoy the malls, buildings, and other developments that are around now, but not if it cost the destruction of the environment around us. In the end Sol realized the mistakes he had made of destroying land that his family worked so hard on just for a profit and I think that is the same with us now; we are realizes we need to save the environment and the land around us or there will be no future for us. 

Photo Concept by: Adrian Helleman

Everglades Politics

"Action taken to restore the Everglades in the next year will set the course for the next several decades." (Grunwald 78)

 Many more people are becoming aware about the issues the Everglades face and Florida conservationists have helped stop many plume hunts, preserved acres of wetlands, regulated flows to Everglades National Park, and have done the largest nutrient cleanup so far; but unfortunately the Everglades is still dying. The ecosystem natural balance is so badly damaged that tree islands are disappearing, development has hindered the recharge of the region's groundwater, and so much more. This actually is scary because it really makes you wonder if the damage already done to the Everglades is so great that it can't ever go back to what it once was; but we have to continue to try one step at a time.

Photos by: Kevin Spears

"Ocean Reef's residents ultimately decided to tax themselves to provide Fargo with a $2 million war chest." (Grunwald 83)

This act was enough to launch a campaign with lobbyists, community organizer, economic consultants, and ads showing a flock of jets over Biscayne Bay; basically presenting the message that it was not fair for the federal government to say yes to a major airport being put at the edge of the Everglades at the same time they wanted taxpayers to spend $8 billion to restore the Everglades. I think this happens a lot when it comes to the government and politics, they have so many ideas to develop and see growth that they forget about the land and environment they are destroying; and the people are the ones who pay the price by being forced to pay for this destruction. 

Photos Concept by: One Reef 

"Would it be a true restoration project, revamping man's approach to the Everglades, or just another dirt-moving Corps water project, "environmental infrastructure' with better press?" (Grunwald 101)  

This statement really made me think will this concept really start a new relationship between the human and natural environment in South Florida; encouraging men to really limit their footprints and live in a nice balance with the ecosystem, or will it fail? Also would politicians and engineers begin to really think about the needs of the birds, bears, and bays, as well as, the needs of man; or will they continue to only think about the money they can make? These are really tough questions to answer because at the end of the day we will never see a change unless we chose to make the world we live in better, and many people are only concerned about themselves and what they can gain which is why we are in this predicament in the first place. There has been a lot done to start to restore the Everglades and hopefully this will encourage others to join in as well. 

Photo Concept by: Red Cardinal

Everglades

"There are no other Everglades in the world." (Douglas 104)

The Everglades is a very unique region that we have in this world and many do not appreciate nor understand it. It is a whole ecosystem that supports many of Florida's endangered animals like: alligators, panthers, birds, etc. The Everglades also serves as a big filter with Mangroves and River grass acting as a filtration system; which gets rid of all the harmful stuff in the water and leaves it clean. Even though the Everglades does so many things for the environment, people take it for granted and have destroyed so much of it by building on it or just not giving it the proper care and attention it needs or deserves. If we do not change and realize that the Everglades is an essential part of our ecosystem we could lose a very unique region in our world.

 Photo by: Andy Reid

"To understand the Everglades one must first understand the rock." (Douglas 122)

The rock holds the surrounding sea water of the Everglades and their borders together. This rock holds the fresh water, grass, etc. a little bit away from the salt water. The rock is made out of limestone and is grayish white and not formed; in the sun it hardens and forms clumps that is sometimes filled with sand, shells, or humus. The outline of Florida, within the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream, looks like a long pointed spoon which is the visible shape of the rock. This was something new that I learned and I think a lot of people do not really know about the rock; which is such a huge factor related to the Everglades - it basically holds the Everglades all together. 

Photo Concept by: Jesse Allen

"Here in the cypress pools - but for that matter, everywhere in the watery Glades, from lake to sea - lives the Glades' first citizen, the otter." (Douglas 144)

The otter because of his oily fur is ready for the heat and cold as long as it keeps its fur wet. The otter also has the quickness that enables them to out swim a crowd of alligators or other predators out to kill them. This statement actually surprised me because at of all the animals I never would have guessed that an otter  was one of the first citizen to inhabit the Everglades. It was interesting to see how the otter made sure they protected themselves and their family whether it was from predators or simply making sure their family had a home to live in. It was nice to see that they were a happy animal who really enjoyed all the enmities that the Everglades had to offer. 

Photos by: Wayne Willison

The Land Ethic

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." (Leopold 62)

This statement is a nice thought that we can finally reach a place where people and the environment around us can come to some sort of common ground; sadly this is not the case. With society getting more and more advance with technology, people are paying more attention to building more buildings and getting more industrialized than actually seeing the damage they are doing to the land and environment around them. I think just taking the time to stop and look around and see how much land has decreased to exist because we are to busy building, we would realize that there needs to be a change and with a balance of growth as well as conserving some land; we will see a drastic change for the better in our world.

Photos by: Clark Schoettle

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land." (Leopold 60)

This idea seems so simply, especially when our country is based of the land of the free and home of the brave; but what exactly do we love? We definitely do not care about the soil, water, plants, and animals in a way that we should. For instance, when it comes to soil we are so quick to dispose of it, when it comes to water we assume its only function is to carry off waste or turn turbines, when it comes to plants we can destroy a whole community and not even care, and we are quick to kill off animals species just for sport and the fun of it. To live in this world and not take into account ever aspect that goes along with that is not only destroying elements but us as well. We need to open our eyes to the fact that everything in this world that exists has a purpose and should be treated with care and with a sense of importance.

Concept of Photos by: NRCS

"It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value." (Leopold 75)

I agree completely with this statement. There is going to be no change unless we as a people realize that this is an issue and we decide to help change it. It is one thing to say it but to actually put in the time and energy; you need to know and understand just exactly you are doing. To make our environment a better place you have to actually want to make this change happen and the more you understand and realize that your environment is essential to your survival; the stronger your dedication will be to make this change happen. We are in this predicament because we have taken our environment for granted for so long and we have a long way to go to make it better but the more people that are willing to stand up to make this world a better place, the better off we are going to be. 

Concept of Photos by: David Brown

Nature-Deficit Disorder

"Being close to nature, in general, helps boost a child's attention span." (Louv 7)


I agree with this statement completely. I was always the child who loved being outside and being active, even today I much rather be outside having hands on experiences than sitting in a classroom where I am constantly not paying attention. I think a lot of kids have this mentality as well and having outdoors activities definitely helps to get kids to pay better attention, because they are taking part in something and not even realizing all the knowledge they are learning form it. This is the best way I believe to learn, actually doing something helps me to focus and grasp concepts much easier than having a teacher talk for an hour or so; being active stimulates your mind and gets you to pay attention to the world around you.

Getting back to nature.

Photos by: Lakshmi Singh

"Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle maintains that each hour of TV watched per day by preschoolers increases by 10 percent the likelihood that they will develop concentration problems and other symptoms of attention-deficit disorders by age seven." (Louv 4)

I really dislike how so many parents just put their children in front of the TV for hours instead of being active with them. I love kids and every time I am babysitting I make sure to spend a lot of time doing outdoor activities with them. Many of these kids seem extremely hyper and their parents constantly complain, but I have found that after taking these same kids outside where they can run and play and are not just in the house staring at a TV all day; turn into really calm kids. The parents are always amazed when they come back and see how calm and well-behaved their child is and I just tell them that I let their child enjoy the outdoors where they roamed around and explored; they enjoyed it and it made them happy. 

Nature is your playground.

Photos by: Gregory Wrona

"Getting kids out in nature can make a difference." (Louv 5)

There are so many people in this world who have never really experienced nature based on where they live, especially kids. Yes, I know there are many parks and backyards to play in but I mean the true nature experience like being in the Everglades or anything that really makes you open your eyes to the environment around you. I think this aspect is very crucial to someone's experience; like for me I thought I experienced the outdoors and then I came to FGCU and was amazed at all the environmental things I was never really exposed too back home. Experiencing something for yourself definitely opens your eyes and really helps you learn about the environment around you; there is still so much to see. 

Nature is  absolutely beautiful.

Photos by: Doug Perrine