Emma Bartone

Last Friday my colloquium class took a trip to an agricultural area in North Fort Myers known as ECHO. Echo exists to reduce hunger and improve the lives of small-scale farmers. I really enjoyed visiting this place and getting to learn about all the efficient ways someone can filter water, cook food, build a house out of bamboo, etc. It gave me a clear idea of how people who didn't have all of the fancy appliances we do nowadays got through the day. It made me feel like I should be more aware of how much electricity, water and money I use on senseless things when I could easily find a better way to accomplish what I want without harming the environment. This area sends a powerful message to everyone who goes to see it and it can truly make a difference in a lot of people's lives from just one visit. ECHO's legacy is "following with agricultural resources and skills." They fulfill this mission by inviting us to tour their farm and give us a vivid understanding of

The Lee County Waste to Energy Facility operating as Covanta is located in Fort Myers and serves the needs of both Hendry and Lee counties. We saw lots of how the plant operated on our tour from the control room, to the boilers, to the smelly garbage dumping. It was really interesting to see the giant claw lifting thousands of pounds of garbage at a time. All of the household garbage collected in Lee and Hendry counties eventually ends up there where it is sorted for reusable and recyclable materials. The lowest value waste is brought to the waste-to-energy plant where it is converted to electricity through combustion. Waste is combusted at temperatures above 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. The energy created during the combustion process is turned into electricity. Our tour guide told us how all aspects of the plant are monitored from the central control room 24/7. The facility processes 1,836 tons of solid waste a day. This field trip was very interesting because coming from C

02/22/2019 On Friday, our colloquium class had the opportunity to go canoeing at the Vester Marine Station. I felt prepared for it because I own a kayak back home in Connecticut, so I have some experience. I paired up with Josh and Carla and I was in the back steering the boat. I helped them out because Josh had never been canoeing before and he was in the front. Luckily, we did a good job and did not tip over or hit into anything (besides the oyster bay). We were able to canoe down the estuary and see some really interesting things that I have never seen. We identified some mangroves and I learned there were three different types in Florida; red, black, and white mangroves. Each of these mangroves plays an important role in Florida’s ecosystem. I did not bring my phone so unfortunately could not take any photos however I found some from the internet. They provide nurseries for fish and shellfish. I also learned that they protect shorelines from damaging s

Six Mile Cypress Slough is a beautiful area located in Fort Myers. It is a calm and peaceful place despite all of the other visitors walking through the trail. As soon as we arrived we did an exercise where we felt our surroundings and the grass around us. We were told a little about the Six Mile Cypress Slough. I also learned that a slough is a slow moving river. After a little introduction we began to walk the boardwalk. As we walked along the trail we were informed about different aspects of Six Mile Cypress Slough. I learned that one of the lakes was man-made. We were able to see an anhinga grab a branch with leaves to bring back to his partner. I felt more connected to nature after walking the path. We saw a lot of blood lichens on the trees and cypress knees which are large root systems. We saw a banded water snake, turtles, many types of birds and cypress trees. The slough was a very fun and interesting trip and I learned a lot about Florida wildlife which is extremely differen