Writing Stations From Class

My schedule for the next 2 weeks:
Water my mangroves every other day in the afternoon. Every CAS class Felipe and I will meet to plan details for our event and discuss next steps with the nursery since it is currently in poor conditions mainly due to weather. After we start to figure things out and get on the same page since we’re getting back from break, we will communicate with Ernst to let him in on our plans.

Show commitment and perseverance in the CAS experience

What were my principled frustrations? Why? How did I move forward from these? Did it change the way that I work or view others?
My main frustration so far has been working collaboratively because I am usually a closed minded person and I like to be independent so I can do everything myself and assure it will be done well. I don’t like to rely on other people to do work because I worry that they won’t do it right and the project will fall apart. It has been hard for me to incorporate Felipe into the project because I usually just do it myself, and that can stress me out because I pile things on top of myself and feel overwhelmed, but that’s just how harsh I am on myself. I moved forward from these by improving communication with my peers and especially Felipe in order to work harder on our project and try to get more things done efficiently. We clearly accomplished this when we planted 40 mangroves just us two in less than half an hour. This proved how team work is beneficial and how communication and persevering through your frustrations can be really helpful. It changed the way I work because I started incorporating Felipe into the project more.
Another one of my frustrations was the high mortality rate of the mangroves. I know I can’t control the weather but I am still frustrated that my project isn’t going the way I was hoping. There are so many variables that are hard to control and I have to stay motivated and move through that issue and try as hard as I can. I am doing what I can and if the weather and outside variables bring me down, I will continue to try my hardest because I strive to see the mangrove green again in the future. Not only because I want to see it green, but because of the importance of mangroves for the environment; and especially during this period in time where the climate is changing and not necessarily for the better, it is important to try to battle this global warming and pollution by taking conscious actions to restore the planet.

Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

How might my project stir an ethical debate? What about my project could be ethically debated or questioned?
Dealing with the environment can be a delicate topic because there are many things to consider. Simply going into the mangrove, digging holes and planting seedlings, can be a positive impact because mangroves are so beneficial for the environment, but by coming into that ecosystem and tampering with it (even if its for a good cause) might create conflict because that might affect the species living in it such as crabs or other bugs in the mud whose homes might get ruined if we come and step around. This is why a lot of people could disagree and claim that my project is actually harming the environment. Another perspective about my project is that many may argue that we should simply leave Mother Nature to recover on its own and we shouldn’t try to fix something that was caused by nature itself (mangrove dying after earthquake). Some may argue it is part of the mangrove life cycle so there is no need to try to make it come back, if it has to come back on its own.
Not only does all previously mentioned apply to planting, but to maintaining the river mouth open so the mangrove can receive salt water from the ocean and drain fresh water from the rivers as well. This keeps the balance of salt/fresh water called brackish water, which is what mangroves need. To dig open a channel for the river mouth with shovels is still considered tampering with the ecosystem, even if we are only trying to prevent from the entire mishap after the earthquake again. Some may argue that we should leave the mangrove alone, because if it closed up on its own, we should leave nature alone, but that is what killed them last time and we don’t want that again. Overall, there are many aspects about our project that can spark up ethical debate or questions, but at the end of the day we are taking into consideration as much as we can and trying to make our planet healthier.