Echo Field Trip Reflection

      My field trip to Echo Farms was very enlightening and educational, as well as fun. Echo Farms is an organization whose main purpose to provide knowledge to those working with the poor in other countries about agriculture. They also teach other helpful things, such as:

·         How to build a sonar dehydrator for crops

·         How to build efficient stoves

·         How to purify water

·         How to make a sonar cooker, otherwise known as a crock pot

·         How to make different kinds of pumps to move water from its source

·         How to plant and nurture tropical and  sub-tropical crops

·         How to make tools for everyday uses

(A clay oven made by some of the members at Echo)

     Our class was provided with a great tour- guide by the name of Vic Estoye. He kept the class entertained and on our feet, providing trivia every single second. Here are some interesting facts I picked up on Echo Farms along the field trip:

•  70-80% of grain is lost in some countries due to poor storage and distribution
• Cooking over an open fire is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day
• The average small- scale farmer only harvests half of the food needed for his/her family
• A child dies from hunger- related causes every 12 seconds
• After wind and water erosion, the left over soil usually only has one- third the nutrients of the eroded topsoil

 (Some of the animals we encountered)

     The most important thing I learned on this field trip was something I was not expecting at all. Seeing what other people have to do to provide for the families is unfathomable in the technologically- dependent world I live in. Echo Farms made me think about all that I would have to give up if I lived in an economically poor country. This field trip made me grateful for what I have and the experience and knowledge I gained from it is priceless.

(Some of the crops at Echo)

Word Count: 327

My Kind of Neighborhood... Is the Best Kind of Neighborhood

     For as long as I can remember I've lived in this house and in this neighborhood. My neighborhood doesn't truly adhere to a regular "neighborhood" definition. My house is not confined in gates or fences, is not in a community, or small lot. I was very blessed to live in a house that is surrounded by 3 acres of land in what would be considered a more remote location of Naples.

      It-being my house- was built in 1995 and was constructed to my Daddy’s standards with trees and plants planted all around. It is crazy to think that they started as small itty bitty seedlings and are now big, green, and gorgeous pine and oak trees that provide lots of shade to anyone that will take it. Also, cypress trees grow like wildfire all around my house especially if there is water lying around.

      It is a safe bet to stay I have encountered many creatures in my twenty years. Here are a few species I can think of on the top of my head that I have seen: deer, bobcats, rattlesnakes, black snakes, water moccasins, raccoons, armadillos, bears, rabbits, and squirrels. Not to mention the millions of our state birds I’ve had the pleasure of meeting (mosquitoes, just joking!) and I am sure you would all agree that you could live without every single one of those suckers! 

     My childhood in my kind of neighborhood was a dream without a doubt. I played all day long outside until I was called in for dinner by my Momma. I was best friends with the girls next door, Amy and Kimberly. Every day was a new adventure, whether it was riding four wheelers, swimming, making our own slip-n-slide, making up our own games, running around the house, or just getting dirty in general and enjoying nature. 

      When I look back on my childhood almost all of my memories include the outdoors and my beautiful neighborhood, its trees, and its wildlife.