Lee County Solid Waste

Lauren Jump -

I thoroughly enjoyed the very last field trip of my educational career.  I was quite surprised by the efficiency of Lee County’s waste removal system.  Being the most sustainable system in all of North America is pretty impressive.  Before the visit I thought burning trash was bad- I can’t believe how wrong I was.  I hope more counties implement our type of system.  Curiosity was raised as to how the funds are all allocated.  It seems like with a system like that taxes shouldn’t have to be spent on its’ existence.

Calvin Thornton -

I was impressed by the overall efficiency that the plant seemed to provide. I like how they seem to burn everything with minimal emissions and how the trash is sorted through by magnets and other means to separate things of value. The only thing I regret is not asking how the fire is initiated or maintained. I understand that fire burns the trash, but it just doesn’t seem to make sense to me that it continues to burn of its own accord without needing additional fuel with a lower ignition point than garbage. I’ve never tried to catch banana peels or miscellaneous plastics on fire, but it seems to me that it would require a lot of energy to initiate the burning process with any sustainability.

Alexandra MacLean -

This last field trip was impressive, i learned so much. i really thought that we were going to a dump but we were not. The way that they burn everything with almost no emissions is impressive. I also like how they run most of their equipment with there own fuel, i have been looking at the trucks this past week and have noticed the print that tell people what kind of gas the truck runs on.

Ishadeen Abreu -

Our last trip was very informative.  I was very surprised and happy to know that there aren’t any landfills in Lee County.  I also didn’t know about that there is a location on metro parkway where you could throw away hazardous waste.  On the bus trip up I definitely didn’t picture that it would look as it did, can’t say the same about the smell unfortunately.

Anna Dyson -

This field trip was highly informative and eye opening. I never knew how efficient Lee county is at managing their solid wastes. We learned about the FOUR Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover. I did not realize how inefficient Collier county is with handling their solid waste. Apparently most everything just goes in a land fill and will remain there for hundreds of years....or it could be RECOVERED and converted into electricity. I am so happy to know there are counties and groups of people out there that are taking large steps in making this planet a better place for our children and our children's children. Sustainability in action!

Bugs, Soil, Sun, Yoga, & Sleep.

Calvin Thornton -

This week I learned (because I presented it) that slugs will kill themselves over a glass of beer. Kinda cruel, but incredibly effective way to get rid of them if they’re disrupting your garden. Also, I learned that saw palmetto berries can (possibly) decrease symptoms of BPH and may, just may increase breast size. May have to run that by my significant other. Also, I didn’t even know there was a such thing as coconut oil. I’ll have to try that; sounds like it would be very good to cook fish in.


Alex MacLean -

I like learning about the different bugs and how they interact with plants, some good and some bad.Also knowing what plants to put in your garden to get good bugs like the ladybugs is nice to know,ladybugs like Fennel, dill and other plants, it is also important not use insecticides if you want the good bugs to come around.




Ishadeen Abreu -

I am so glad that I ended up skipping my work meeting to stay for the second part of class because I learned so much about ways to be healthy. I learned that there is a natural remedy for every disease and that changing to an all-natural food diet you can cure type-2 diabetes. I was also very sad to find out that dairy in the single worst type of food for you, being that I absolutely love cereal. I have a new perspective on diet and now I am taking baby steps in the process of changing my diet. Giving up milk will take longer for me to give up but now I am no longer eating any type of meat. I also have been shopping at Food and Thought ( an organic food market) to get a lot of my organic goodies for about 2 months now. Since organic is the only way to go! I also just bought some coconut oil since it is the healthiest oil to cook with. I have yet to try it but definitely looking forward to trying it out. I learned so much more just in that last hour but I will take up too much space.




Lauren Jump -

I also was captivated by the last hour and a half of class. All the students that left early have no idea what they missed. Even though my Mom has been preaching all those topics to me since I was a wee thing, it really hit me hard hearing it coming from Dr. Segal.

I wish I could give up dairy- all I can do is keep trying. Big cups of straight whole organic milk have got to stop- but it’s not easy. I’ve cut back on my cereal intake during the last few months so that’s helped reduce my milk intake.

The main thing that slapped me in the face on Tuesday was that I shouldn’t be cooking with olive oil. Coconut oil is not an option for me even though I’ve tried but I can’t believe I could be cooking with grapeseed oil. Here I’ve had a gallon container of grapeseed oil in my refrigerator at all times since I was a kid and never have we cooked with it. My mom and I use grapeseed oil as a massage oil since it’s hypoallergenic.

According to Wikipedia grapeseed oil has a moderately high smoke point of approximately 216C degrees (or 421 degrees F). It can be used for stir-frying, sauteing, or even deep-frying. I don’t deep-fry every year but I surely am going to try it with my eggs, tofu and vegetables this week to see if I like the taste. I hope that my brain doesn’t register the smell and think- work time. Even if it does, that’s not a bad association in my head. There’s so many other things I learned about living a balanced lifestyle but I’ll just have to start living them and save the writing for future social media posts. < http://www.ifood.tv/blog/what-are-the-advantages-disadvantages-of-grapeseed-oil>



Anna Dyson -

My favorite part of this weeks class was Dr. Segal's lecture. He gave great insight on how the body knows what time it is and how important it is to get as much sleep before midnight as possible. The lecture also touched base on some yoga practices and how important exercise is to the body and mind. I started yoga three months ago and enjoy it very much. Doing yoga three to four times a week helps me sleep, enhances my flexibility,and allows me to ground down into the earth. I was also surprised to hear that olive oil is not good for cooking, just used for raw foods like salads. I plan on trying flax seed oil for cooking, rather than coconut because i do not like the flavor.

Group Presentations & Dr. Segal's Garden

Lauren Jump -

I previously thought eight hours sunlight was just a rule of thumb for everything in the garden; now I know that root vegetables like six hours of sunlight.  

My garden’s been poisoned- by me.  I didn't know that the chlorine out of the spigot was so bad that I've been hurting my poor, innocent garden.  I don’t drink the water, why should my plants?  From now on I will fill buckets with water and let it sit for five hours to let the chlorine dissipate before watering in the morning.  Most likely I will fill the buckets at night and then water in the morning. Aerobic worm tea sounds like a great idea.  I don’t think I’ll ever advance to the bucket system but I think I may try making some trays.  I wish I knew how far apart to should put the layers.....

<http://site.cleanairgardening.com/info/worm-tea-as-fertilizer-2.html>

<http://ajesuschick.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/worms-vermicomposting-as-a-science-project/>

Calvin Thornton - 

I learned that I’m literally two steps away from having my own bucket system, but I created it before this week’s class. Pretty proud of that. Also, I learned that you can use the sandy soil here to grow things just as well as as regular “dirt”. Glad I found this out because I’m starting my garden this week and it means I don’t have to buy massive quantities of soil from elsewhere. Just need to find some compost since mine isn't finished yet and I can pick up mulch from the local park for free. Pretty excited.

Alexandra MacLean -

I liked learning more about all the fruits that we can have here in SW Florida. Also knowing the different diseases that can attack the plant and what to do about it and what to do to prevent some of the diseases. i learned that if the plant is not able to dry then fungus could develop.

Ishadeen Abreu -

I definitely learned a lot during the last class period about gardening and when to pick certain fruit.  I feel pretty fortunate living out here in Florida because we all have the opportunity to grow food all year round.  You just have to know which fruits and vegetables are best for each season and plant accordingly.  The key to having a successful garden is to have good soil.  Using organic fertilizer nourishes and improves the soil.  I am taking a lot of notes so I can apply what I learned on my up and coming garden.

Anna Dyson - 

Dr. Segal's presentation,on how he transformed his own backyard into a usable sustainable area for growing food, was inspiring and informative. We should all be taking advantage of the fact that our Florida growing seasons are unique and allow for us to be constantly growing something. There is no need to have a giant yard of crab grass. I plan on starting off my own growing project with a potted herb garden on my lanai. Dr. Segal purchases his seeds from Johnny's Seeds and i plan to do the same. I would like to start off with Mint, Sage, Thyme, Lavender, and Echinacea. At first i will start small and eventually i will begin growing leafy greens and vegetables. I would also like to start experimenting with growing and making my own tea.