Echo Field Trip

Lauren Jump -

The derivation of water from the banana plant intrigued me the most. That will be a very useful tidbit if I ever get stranded on an island.  I thought I would have to find rocks or bamboo to make plates to eat off of on a deserted island but now I know banana plants are great for that.  Banana plants not being trees but instead the largest herbaceous flowering plant was mind boggling.  The field trip was very enriching.  It was a very nice change of pace to have a wonderfully knowledgeable field guide like Vic.






Kapok Ingrove - used to float boats

Alexandra MacLean -

The cranberry hibiscus and the root beer  plant are my favorite i think. The scent that they give off is amazing. The leaves of the root beer plant are used for the spicy scent and flavor that the drink has. the cranberry hibiscus was interesting because it really tasted like cranberry. i really liked learning about the water and how we can sterilize it by putting the water in plastic bottles and letting them sit in the sun for six hours.

Cranberry Hibiscus

Ishadeen Abreu -

I had a good time during my visit to ECHO ( Educational Concerns for Hunger Organizations). I learned how easy it is to grow a garden in a tire.  All you need is to lay down some plastic in a tire and place a cut out tire rim upside down on the plastic to keep it in place.  Place bottles and empty soda cans in the empty tire then place soil on top.  Now there is no excuse if you may not have enough garden space you can make one. Here is a picture of the example shown on the trip below.

Anna Dyson - 

The field trip to ECHO has been my favorite school trip yet! We were greeted with smiling faces and fresh fruits ( grown on site of course) as soon as we got off the bus. I indulged in a few pieces of strawberry and many pieces of prickly pear! I never knew how amazing prickly pear cactus was, that is why it is important to try everything. ECHO gave us all lots of opportunities to try many different plants. The cranberry hibiscus tasted more like raspberries to me, but it was so delicious i thought about it the whole day. I never knew that leaves could taste like a tangy dessert. I like how ECHO was protecting its soil with cypress needles and pine cones. ECHO also taught us how to reuse old tires and kiddie swimming pools (well almost anything actually ) and turn them into potted plants. It felt the garden of Eden out there and i would love to go back again to get a closer look at the plants, animals, machines, and growing techniques.