Colloquium Jack

  At the beginning of this course, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be taking University Colloquium. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I thought it was just another general education requirement. I figured I’d check the box, go on some field trips, and maybe hear a bit about nature. Coming from a Construction Management background, I had already taken a sustainable construction class and assumed I had covered everything I needed to know about protecting the environment. But after going through this course, I realize I was only seeing a small piece of a much bigger picture. One of the biggest shifts in my perspective came from seeing how students from other majors think about environmental issues. In construction, we focus on materials, energy usage, and building codes. But when I heard from students in environmental studies, marine biology, or even business majors, I started to understand how different fields approach the same issues in completely different ways. That kind of cro...

Journal 7: Downtown Fort Myers 1. Learning from the Field Trip (25 points) Our field trip through downtown Fort Myers was an insightful journey into the intersection of sustainability, urban planning, environmental awareness, and cultural preservation. We visited ten key stations, each providing unique lessons about the city’s history, community planning, and sustainable development. Stop #1 - Alternative History Mural At the mural, I learned about the importance of inclusive storytelling. The artwork highlighted underrepresented communities and challenged us to rethink the narratives we often see in public spaces. It reminded me that sustainability isn't just about the environment—it's also about social equity and historical truth. Stop #2 - First Street Redesign Here we saw how the city redesigned First Street to encourage walkability and community interaction. The wider sidewalks, shade trees, and pedestrian-friendly areas show an investment in human-centered urban design....

Pachamama Alliance - Awakening the Dreamer Project 1. Summarize here your detailed reflection of each of the four stages of  Awakening the Dreamer Course This stage lays the foundation by examining the current state of the world—social, environmental, and spiritual. It highlights pressing global issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, and economic inequality. The course explores how these challenges stem from a worldview rooted in separation, consumerism, and short-term thinking. This stage is a wake-up call. It forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about how human actions are impacting the planet and people. It challenges the idea that technological progress alone will save us and instead calls for a fundamental shift in our mindset. Here, the focus is on the historical and cultural factors that led to our current global crisis. It examines the dominant "dream" of the modern world—one based on materialism, economic growth at any cost, and a d...