Journal 7

You Learn Something New Every Day

Florida Gulf Coast University has been my home for three years now. I think I spend enough time on campus that there should be a bed labeled for me somewhere between the Student Union and Academic Building Three. There still seems to be so much I do not know about the campus and that deals with all the beautiful plants and animals that inhabit the campus.
Going to FGCU all these years I have always seen the different plants that are all around the campus but had never know that names. The most interesting thing that I think I learned on the walk was about how so many of these plants have extensive root systems that go deep below the surface, and I am sure there is a completely different world under there.
My favorite insect in the world is a butterfly, and I found in the Wild Coffee shrub is host the state butterfly the, Zebra Butterfly, the little berries on this plant also add great color to the wild life. Another plant the I found very interesting was the Coontie plant , this plant produce a toxic that would make people very ill , but the Seminole Indians found a way to neutralize it by boiling it and drying it and they used it to make bread. I think it would be good for us to use the land like the Indians once used and not produce so much waste.
I love the fact the FGCU is trying to be a more sustainable and eco-friendly campus. The rocks that are around the campus provide drainage for the wet times of the year and it just seems like it is there for decoration. The fact that we have to solar compactors on campus is great news as well, this means that the waste that we are producing is compact and it is almost impossible for the animals to get into. A lot of thought went into building such great campus and I hope they continue to build and grow with sustainability in mind.