For my service learning project, I assisted the FGCU Food Forest in their Community Fair event by helping out in the set up process, and then assisting with the arts and crafts. We also learned about many fruits and vegetables that are able to grow in our Floridian climate, and how the garden was designed with a permaculture basis that is sustainable in every aspect. My experience with the Food Forest educated me in such a way that motivated me to teach others. I feel like the experience itself opened up my eyes and made me realize that being sustainable isn't all that hard if you do educate yourself correctly.
This project inspired me to create a garden as my community service project for my Civic Engagement class. I wanted to work with kids to teach them about sustainable gardening, and hopefully along the way, plant a seed in them to care about the environment. I partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Lee County, and they allowed my group and I to work with a small group of kids who assisted us in building the garden and planting the fruits and veggies. We chose to work with a specific range of kids, from the ages of 8 through 12 because according to Robertson in Sustainability Principles and Practice (2017), children in this age range are learning how things work. They are processing things in a more intellectual level, and it’s a prime time where they are also building bonds with other living creatures and also learn to care for nature along the way. We also, like the Food Forest, designed the garden with a permaculture basis. We didn’t dig into the earth, we simply got a bunch of cardboard and laid it on the ground. We then put mulch over it, as out first layer, and then on top of the mulch we put top soil. Along the way we made sure to explain to the kids why we were doing everything a specific way, and how that way benefited the ecosystem. The whole ordeal was very easy and definitely something that I can do in my backyard. And that’s what our project at the Food Forest, and our Colloquium class in general, made me realize. When I used to think about sustainability, I imagined it to be this whole complicated ordeal that limited my lifestyle. But there are so many alternatives that can carry out the exact same job, just in a healthier and sustainable way. For the garden we built, there was no need for fertilizer because the mulch we used had all the necessary nutrients that a fertilizer is supposed to provide. The difference being that the mulch doesn’t damage the environment like fertilizers do. In Children’s Learning for a Sustainable Society: Influences from Home and Preschool, the study concluded that when kids actively participate in activities that have to do with sustainability, they are more able to learn and retain information about different local and global issues that have to do with sustainability.
I believe there is a lack of education on sustainability, and if it weren't for classes like University Colloquium that force you to learn about it then people aren't going to be aware nor put importance into it. That is why I built the garden at the Boys and Girls Club, because I believe it is our job now to teach kids at a young age so that it is instilled in them as they grow up. By doing this, we also help them establish a sense of place, even if they don’t fully recognize what the term means yet. I can say that throughout the many environmental courses I’ve taken over my three years, I’ve discovered my sense of place and with the fieldtrips in our Colloquium course that sense of place has just been established more firmly. Our project with the Food Forest sparked a new curiosity in me, and simply opened up my mind to want and try new ways to be sustainable.
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References
Borg, F., Winberg, M., & Vinterek, M. (2017). Children’s Learning for a Sustainable Society:
Influences from Home and Preschool. Education Inquiry, 8(2), 151-172.
doi:10.1080/20004508.2017.1290915
Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
I am not a Fort Myers native, I am originally from Miami, but I will say that the one place Downtown reminded me of was Wynwood, or at least its aesthetic did. Downtown Fort Myers is a place where people of all ages can go and explore. From boutiques, to chain restaurants, to mom and pop shops, theres something for everyone. Downtown serves as a source of income for many people, especially the mom and pop shops that rely on locals and tourists for their revenue. Having the river right next also helps a lot too. The buildings are also an interesting reminder of history, because many of the buildings are actually from the 1900s, much like The Sidney & Bernie Davis Arts Center, which used to be a U.S Post Office. The first place I visited was Centennial Park, where I came upon the Uncommon friends sculpture. The Uncommon Friends is a makeshift water fountain, with a sculpture of Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison, who are said to be the reason why Fort Myers became the birthplace of recreational travel. Next to the Centennial Park is the Caloohasatchee River, but I specifically visited the Basin, where I encountered two ducks fighting over a fish. The basin serves as a place where water from the river can be discharged to, and this is necessary because it prevents from flooding to the near city. 
I did enter the LEED certified regional library, which was also one of the more open spaces in the downtown area. A LEED certified building is a building that is built to encompass sustainability in every aspect, whether it be with LED light bulbs, or solar panels for energy. Downtown was very accessible to walk around, and its development has improved greatly considering back in the day it did not look anything like it does now. It used to be an area only for civic operations, considering the city hall and courthouse are located there, but it has been transformed into an area where both attorney offices can mingle with restaurants and shops.
