What can I do to help the problem?

Something that is simple but is often overlooked is using less electricity. If everyone in America used less electricity, less coal would be needed to produce electricity. This doesn’t mean that you can never use electricity. If people turned the lights off when a room was unoccupied, this would drastically reduce the amount of electricity that was used. Other simple things like energy efficient fixtures would also decrease the amount of electricity that we need.

Why are alternative energy sources so expensive?

Alternative energy hasn’t been used much because this technology is fairly new. New technology is usually expensive for a while after it is produced. As these technologies are used more, the cost to use them will decrease. This should cause an even more widespread use of alternative energy.

Why aren’t people worried about this problem?

I think that many people are unaware of the problems that could arise from the depletion of coal. There haven’t been too many warnings published to inform people of this problem. I think that more forms of risk communication need to be published in order to inform the public. This problem could arise much sooner than we think, so something needs to be done before its too late. Informing the public of this problem could help to save our coal resources.

Al Gore used visual aides in many ways to emphasize points in his presentation. Some of these visuals were humorous while others were very serious. Overall, I thought that these visuals were used very appropriately and were a good way to keep the audiences attention. They were also a good way to make points clear for people who didn’t know much about global warming.

One of the visuals that I remembered was the graph where Gore used the mechanical lift to reach the top of the chart. This graph was used to show carbon dioxide concentrations versus time. Gore said that many people believe that the earth goes through cycles of increasing carbon dioxide and then it decreases again. These people also say that we are simply in a time of increasing CO2. Gore used this graph to show that the present carbon dioxide concentrations are higher than they’ve ever been. He doesn’t believe that we are just in a cycle of increasing CO2. He thinks that this insanely high amount of carbon dioxide is enhancing global warming.

Another set of visuals that were used were the pictures of various landmarks around the world. He showed pictures of what these landmarks looked like in years past, and what they look like today. These pictures showed drastic changes, whether it was a melting glacier or a dried up lake or river. One of these pictures showed a picture of a lake that was almost dried up. This lake was previously used for drinking water for the areas around it.

Gore also used another set of visuals to show what could possibly happen to our planet if global warming continues at the current rate. These pictures showed how much ocean levels would rise if glaciers continue to melt. If all of this ice melts, ocean levels are going to rise drastically. This could possibly put part of Florida and New York City under water. This could drive people out of their homes all around the coastlines. One of the most affected areas would be Western Asia. Rising water levels would force millions of people to find a new home. Consequently, areas that aren’t under water would be even more populated, causing even more problems.

All of these visual aides were used to better emphasize a point. For me, they made the problem, of global warming, more clear. I never realized how widespread this problem is. I think that this presentation was much better by using visuals than using words. Using words can sometimes lose people’s attention, but these pictures kept my attention during the whole movie.

(Google Images)

This image shows all of the environmental effects of coal mining. Nearly everything in the environment is affected by mining, whether it be underground or surface mining. This image could be used to show people all of the negative effects of coal mining and another reason that we need to start using alternative energy sources. I think this image would be more powerful if it showed homes that were destroyed by coal mining. People would pay more attention if this problem directly affected them. I think it would also be better if it showed all of the animals that are harmed or killed by coal mining.

(Google Images)

This image shows all of the different steps that are needed for coal to form. The only variable that isn’t on this picture, although a very important one, is time. It can take thousands of years for to form. This picture could be used to emphasize the amount of time that it takes for coal to form, and that once it runs out, it will take a very long time for coal to be used again. I think that this image would be more effective if it showed the amount of time that it takes for coal to form. People do not realize that if this resource is depleted, we probably will never see it again.

(U.S Department of Energy)

This graphic shows the components of a windmill. This is a very simple concept. A windmill is made of a few gears and shafts, a generator, blades, and a metal structure. This could be used to show the public that wind energy is a very cheap form of electricity. Since wind energy is so cheap, it should be used much more than it is currently being used. If it was used more, we could save money and also reduce the amount of pollution that is emitted each year from coal fired power plants. I think that this image would be good to use to show the simplicity of wind energy.

After watching the movie, An Inconvenient Truth, I have a much better understanding of global warming and its effects. Before watching this, I had heard everything that everyone else has heard. I never realized how big this problem is until now. Global warming isn’t just affecting the United States, but the whole world.

One thing that I noticed in this movie was the use of visual aides. Al Gore used these in many ways to get his point across, that global warming is a problem, to many different audiences. Even if you weren’t an expert on global warming, you could still get his point about the problem. One of the visuals that I liked was the one with the frog in boiling water. This was used to show that many people do not recognize the problem of global warming because it has been gradually increasing. If the temperature of the earth would have suddenly jumped up five degrees, people would notice the problem. The temperature of the earth has been gradually increasing over the years because we have been gradually putting more carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere.

I thought that Gore also did a good job of establishing credibility. There were many instances where he talked about going places all over the world and talking to experts on global warming. He also showed various scenes of himself walking through an airport or sitting at home, trying to show the audience that he is just like us.

Overall, I thought this was a very effective piece of risk communication. The facts were presented in a manner so that anybody could understand the problem with global warming, not just the experts. Gore also gave many different ways for everyday people to help alleviate this problem before it jeopardizes our future.

One method used in my press release would be to inform the public of the dangers of depleting the coal supply. This would include the amount of coal that is left and the amount that is produced each year. I would also inform the public of how the depletion of the coal supply would affect their everyday lives. People would have to find an alternative source of electricity. Since the coal industry employs many people, these Americans would have to find another job.

Another method used in my press release would be to tell the public of a new technology that is being used to generate electricity. This press release would include the cost of this method to generate electricity. It would also include the amount of new jobs that were created and the effects on the environment. Since most of the public does not know very much about alternative energy sources, this press release would hopefully tell the public that there is other ways to generate electricity other than burning coal. It would also tell the public about the advantages and disadvantages of using other sources to produce electricity.

Another press release could include telling the public how fast the coal supply is depleting. Most of our electricity comes from burning coal. If we keep producing coal at the current rate, the coal supply will not last for future generations. This could be prevented by using less electricity of using alternative sources of electricity. If we deplete the coal supply, future generations will be forced to spend millions of dollars to generate electricity by alternative sources.

The book Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security can teach us many ways to prepare for a unexpected event. The chapter that we read gave us many examples of how the government tried to inform the people of New Orleans how to prepare themselves for Hurricane Katrina. The problem that many people have with communicating a problem is the proper method or the authority to inform people how to prepare themselves for the undesirable event. For example, the mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, didn’t even know that he had the authority to issue a mandatory evacuation of the city. Not knowing your authority can cause serious problems for the public. It is important for the public to know when something is about to happen that could have adverse effects on them.

The main problem with Hurricane Katrina was that the authorities had already issued an evacuation plan for a previous hurricane. This delayed them from mandating the evacuation of New Orleans for this hurricane. People are constantly hearing about problems that could affect them. After a while, they get tired of preparing themselves for a problem that never happens. This same concept applies with coal use. The public is always hearing about how burning coal is harming the environment. Rarely do we ever hear that the coal supply will be depleted in the future. The United States is unaware of the adverse effects that the depletion of coal would have on our country.

The government did some things right in warning the people of New Orleans about the harmful effects of Hurricane Katrina. There was also some things that should have been done better. Many of the shelters were under supplied. We can use these methods of informing the public to make our methods better for future disasters. By using better methods, we could save lives and money for our country during future times of crisis.

Bridge Inspections

By now, everyone has heard about the bridge collapse in Minnesota. This was due to a mistake in the design process. After the collapse, the government decided to spend a lot more money to inspect our bridges to prevent another collapse. More attention should be given to bridges to prevent a collapse. Many times the public complains that a construction project is a waste of money. Instead of wasting money on these projects I think the Department of Transportation should be using this money to make sure our infrastructure is safe. I worked for PennDOT for the past two summers. This past summer I was able to work on several small bridges. Many of these bridges didn’t appear safe to me. Some of them had large holes in the bottom that the public will never see. Other bridges just looked worn out and old.

When the Department of Transportation inspects bridges, how do they decide which bridges get inspected? Some poorly maintained bridges are overlooked year after year. Why does this happen? I think the proper funds should be made available each year to inspect all of the major bridges. Our tax dollars are being spent elsewhere. What else is the government spending our money on?

Green Construction

The construction industry is now as big as it ever was. New buildings are being built every day. Unfortunately this new construction uses many resources that are not renewable. Many of the materials are made from natural resources. These resources will not last forever.

Another type of construction is beginning to gain popularity. The green construction movement is getting bigger each year. Green buildings are buildings that are extreme helpful to the environment. These buildings are mainly made from recycled materials. They also save a lot of energy and water each year. Saving energy also means saving money. These buildings are also designed so the waste from the building is used to help the environment. The only drawback to these buildings is that the initial cost is much more than conventional construction. Even with the added cost of green construction, the savings are very great over the life of the building. If we keep using the resources at the current rate, future generations will have nothing left to build with. We need to start thinking outside of the box when it comes to construction. Conventional construction is using too many of our valuable natural resources. Green construction however, seems to be making strides in the construction industry.

Rockslides on Route 28

Many people have been affected by the rock slides that have occurred on Pennsylvania Route 28. Thousands of people use this road to get to work every day. These rock slides have caused delays and even accidents. Any time this happens, traffic has to be rerouted so the mess can be cleaned up. Route 28 has been closed down at times as well as down to single lanes in each direction. This is causing many people a lot of headaches.

I think that the Department of Transportation needs to do something to solve this problem. A report said that to remove the hillside where the rock slides have been occurring would cost upwards of $100 million. There is currently a project along this section of road. Part of this project is to remove some of the hillside and place a protective fence to prevent rocks from reaching the roadway. There have already been accidents due to this hillside, and luckily no one has been hurt yet. I think that PennDOT needs to fix this problem before someone does get hurt or killed.

This week’s reading talked about a goal that people want to reach but there is something preventing that goal from being reached. It gave three different ways to present an A but B problem statement. This clash often states a goal to help eliminate a problem and then something that is impeding this goal. The following problem statements deal with my risk communication project.

The United States needs to start using alternative methods to produce electricity in order to preserve coal for future generations, but alternative methods such as wind energy and photovoltaic cells can be costly and not as efficient as coal generated power plants.

Constructing new power plants could create numerous new jobs for Americans and reduce the effect of pollution from coal fired power plants, however this would also cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Reducing the use of electricity would lessen the amount of coal that is used, but would be an inconvenience to people who need electricity for their jobs and homes.

The problem defined in this article is an outbreak of West Nile Virus in New York City. This article talked about how to effectively inform the public about the problem and how to deal with it. The general public is not an expert on West Nile Virus. There needs to be an effective method to inform these people about the possible risks associated with this virus. There were many different ways to communicate the risks involved in this epidemic. They included television, radio, Mayoral press conferences, 24 hour phone lines, and a web site. On the web site, people were encouraged to report standing water and dead birds. By getting the mayor involved with this problem, this showed a lot of authority to the public. This gave the public a person whom they could believe in a time of crisis. The city also had the Department of Health working on a response plan for the problem.

The response action taken by New York City was somewhat effective. The material that was provided to the public could have been easier to understand. The article said that the materials given to the public were several levels higher than what was suggested. By not having effective material for the public could have caused some people to not read it or fail to take action. Other people can look at the mistakes that New York City made and learn from them. They could decide on a better method of risk communication to inform the general public. Since mishaps occur all the time, an effective method needs to be determined in order to better communicate to the public about the problem. This could prevent a minor problem from turning into a tragedy.

After I read these articles, it was pretty neat to see how big the blogging network is and the many uses that is has. Before this, I barely even knew what a blog was. I now know that blogs can be used for pretty much anything. I always thought that when people wanted to express their feelings, they wrote them down in a journal. Now people are using blogs to gain information on how to deal with an illness or just to gain knowledge about a particular subject. The one article talked about how many people use their blog to find ways to deal with their disease or illness. A blog would make this much easier to talk to someone about your problems than actually talking person to person. I never knew that so many people would rather get help with their problem via the internet than go to an actual doctor. It was interesting to see how the government could get involved in something as simple as a personal blog. Once a few people saw Jack’s blog, it didn’t take long for it to become widespread. I think that blogs are also a way for people to release their bottled up feelings that no one else will listen to or that they’re embarrassed to tell anyone else.

I hope to use this blog to help the public gain a better understanding of the situation with coal use in America. Hopefully other bloggers will see this information and have a link for my blog. The blogosphere is so big because most people have what is called a blog roll on their blog. This allows many other blogs to be linked to their personal blog. By getting this information on a blog, hopefully other users will be able to use the information and make it more widespread.