link to group website

http://sites.google.com/site/notthesize/

topic

In both these cartoons, the issue of global warming is depicted as something that we may not be dealing with yet, at least on a large scale, but it will become a huge issue if left unaddressed. The tidal wave and the flooded bridge show, humorously, that the problem must be analyzed and a solution found now, before it is too late. Global warming is not a bridge to be crossed later, or a gently sloping line on a graph, it is an issue that requires immediate attention if we want to avoid disastrous consequences. These two cartoons both entertain and signal to the reader in an entertaining manner that things may get much worse if left untreated.

Village Bakery: A Local Sustainability Initiative

The Village Bakery was started in 2002 by Bob O’Neil and Christine Hughes. Both previously worked at Casa Nueva, Bob for 10 years and Christine for 5, and formed close relationships with the local farmers they contacted for Casa (Hughes). During their employment, Bob and Christine were able to take Casa from 20% local food use to 75% through their search for local farmers (Hughes). Bob and Christine opened Village Bakery because they wanted to do something beyond what they were doing at Casa, and they also wanted the freedom to experiment. The goals of the organization were to sustain the community through the use of local, organic food products and to increase demand for wholesome, real food through example and education. (Village Bakery) The Village Bakery consists of a café area and bakery, and the adjoining Undercover Market, which sells a variety of locally grown produce, fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolate, as well as regional cheeses and microbrews (Village Bakery). Other environmentally-friendly gifts such as clothing, bowls, jewelry, and water bottles are offered as well. The Undercover Market opened about a year after Village Bakery, as Bob and Christine wanted to enable their customers to buy and cook locally at home, and to showcase other varieties of local goods (Hughes). They stated that they like to consider themselves “food detectives,” that seek out and find the best “real” local food for their consumers (Hughes).

Village Bakery focuses on achieving its goals of local sustainability by buying locally raised produce and meat from farms such as King Family Farms, Sassafrass Farms, and Shade River Farms (Hughes). They do not, as stated on a sign in the café, “participate in corporate agribusiness that destroys our access to real food.” Bob and Christine define sustainable produce as that which comes from a “small-scale farm and produces food with a positive effect on the environment” (Hughes). They provided an example of the mass amounts of produce grown in California that may be a “local” food to people buying in California, but the farms that grow these goods are by no means sustainable and have a negative impact on the environment (Hughes). In other words, sustainable doesn’t always mean local, and it is important to consider both aspects of food production. Though both Bob and Christine agree that it is much more expensive in the short term to use local food and avoid cheap, mass-produced goods, they feel that in the long run, the choice to use nutritional and sustainable food is less costly. When determining the “true cost of food,” they factor in the environmental damage done by pesticides, the health impacts of homogenized, cheap food, and the cost of shipping, as well as the huge subsidies granted by the government to food conglomerates (Hughes). Considering all of these aspects of mass-produced food, it is easy to understand why Bob and Christine see “cheap” food as costing much more than local, sustainable goods.

One of the major obstacles that Village bakery has to face is a financial one. Because they are a business and not a nonprofit, they need loans from banks. The banks however, are reluctant to finance an organization, such as the Village Bakery, that doesn’t fit the “typical” business profile (Hughes). Christine said that it was important to them that the café wasn’t a nonprofit dependent on grant money, and that they wanted to provide an example to other activists that activism and business can work together. While both Christine and Bob acknowledged that financial support was an issue, they stated that they were “here for the long term,” that Village Bakery was an investment. They stated that “the consciousness is out there and growing, and we want to help build knowledge about what is possible” (Hughes).

Part of their goal of knowledge building is Village Bakery’s focus on community involvement. They started the Green Plate Club in local schools, through which they educate children about the importance of healthy, natural, and local foods, and have managed to expand with a chapter in Columbus as well (Hughes). They also donate to other nonprofits with similar goals, such as Rural Action and community food initiatives. Some of the local farmers that Village Bakery deals with also help out by offering tours of their farms to schoolchildren (Hughes). It is clear that the Village Bakery takes its goal of supporting the community seriously, and in turn the community gives back. Bob and Christine stated that they like the community to feel a “sense of place,” a pride in the Bakery’s originality. Their intent was to make it as much the community’s café as it was theirs, and they said that they have seen a lot of support and loyalty from their consumers as a result.

The owners of Village Bakery feel that working within a framework guided by local sustainability and organic food is very important, both for the health of people and the environment. Their assertion that people can change the world by choosing to eat locally and sustainably is something that they take seriously. The focus on providing accessible, real food for everybody is a mentality that should be seen in many more restaurants and cafés. While they are happy with the progress the Village Bakery has made, in the future their plans include helping other activists go into business, and growing more of their own produce on the premises (Hughes). Village Bakery is a unique, local sustainability initiative that offers both delicious food and a way to help change the world one meal at a time.





Sources

Hughes, Christine and Bob O’Neil. Personal interview. 25 Feb. 2009.
The Village Bakery and Café. 20 Feb. 2009.


Interview Questions

1. How did Village Bakery get started? What specific issues or needs were they hoping to address?
2. Was the Undercover Market started at the same time or did that come later?
3. What is the mission? How do they plan on achieving this?
4. Why is eating locally important?
5. How does their commitment to local, organic, sustainable agriculture benefit the community?
6. Do they interact with the community in other ways?
7. Do they think they are making a difference? Fulfilling the need for local food?
8. Have they made progress? Is this where they expected to be? Future goals?
9. Do they use anything that isn’t local or organic? If so, are they moving towards phasing this out?
10. Has the public/community been supportive?
11. Have they seen other businesses move towards a local, sustainable approach?
12. What is the goal of the Undercover Market?
13. What types of goods are sold?
14. Why is it called the Undercover Market?

Pollan

Michael Pollan made many interesting and persuasive points in his piece on the ethics of eating meat. His discussion really brought to light the question of how far one should go in the defense of animals and their rights. By comparing the excuses that some make defending the mistreatment of animals to the excuses that slaveowners made about keeping slaves, Pollan makes the reader stop and think about what is right and wrong, and makes his audience question some of the ideas they have always had about animals. I thought that his point about how the problem with eating animals lies in the practice, not the principle, was very interesting. His statement that the invisibility of killing operations allows the continued mistreatment of animals is a logical one, and the transparency of operations that he suggests might lead to more public support for humane animal treatment. Overall Pollan presents all sides of the argument clearly and succinctly, and his proposal is interesting. It is important, in my opinion, for people to be more informed about where their food comes from. As long as it continues to come from mysterious factories and impenetrable slaughterhouses, it will be difficult to get humans to empathize with animals' rights and the need for methods of raising and slaughter that enable animals to pursue their "characteristic forms of life."

Dont Cry Over Spilt Milk- Cry Over Spilt Coal Ash

On October 11, 2000 in Martin County, Kentucky a coal waste impoundment broke through into an underground mine. 306 million gallons of sludge rushed down through the breach and flowed into the Wolf Creek and Coldwater Fork rivers, turning the clear waters into gloppy black slop for hundreds of miles. All living organisms in the rivers were killed and the drinking water for 27,000 people was contaminated (NationMaster). On December 22, 2008 in Harriman, Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority's 80 acre coal ash storage pond gave way, spilling what was estimated at that time to be 500 gallons of coal sludge over 300 acres of land up to 5 feet deep and oozing into the Emory and Clinch Rivers (Simone). The amount of sludge that was released in the spill is now being reported as 1.1 billion gallons, almost double the original amount (Mansfield). The flow of waste from the plant was strong enough to damage 15 homes, leaving 3 uninhabitable and displacing all inhabitants indefinitely (Simone). Lives were altered, wildlife endangered, and homes destroyed, all as a result of an entirely preventable incident.

The Martin County spill was claimed to be 30 times worse than the Exxon Valdez disaster, an event that incited national uproar and action to protect the environment. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) spill was more than three times larger than the Martin County spill. We need the same calls for action, the same support for change from coal-based power and the waste it generates; an environmental disaster of this magnitude is a clear indicator that something is wrong with the way we handle the vast amounts of ash we produce. This dangerous substance is piling up in storage sites all over the country, and if steps are not taken to address this issue, future spills could be even more damaging than the TVA and Martin County incidents. If we cannot wean ourselves from coal power entirely, we must ensure that coal ash disposal is a closely regulated process, and the ash itself must be evaluated as an extremely unsafe material and treated accordingly.

Coal ash is the byproduct created when coal is burned for energy or other uses in coal-fired plants. There are three main types of this ash, and these include fly ash, which is light and powder-like; bottom ash, which is coarser and more like sand; and boiler slag, which is also coarse and granular ("What is Coal Ash?"). Once this ash has been created by a plant, it can either be stored in a landfill or a surface impoundment, also known as a storage lagoon or retention pond (Clayton 16). The amount of waste created by coal-fired plants has grown as a result of increased energy demands and more stringent emissions standards: in order to comply with stricter emissions regulations, plants have taken the fly ash that used to be released into the air and they now mix it with water to be placed in storage lagoons (Cappiello). These coal ash lagoons are usually held up by compacted coal ash, which is less stable than earth and reacts poorly with water; it seems like a recipe for disaster to shore up millions of gallons of toxic, wet material with a similarly toxic material that is degraded by water (Clayton 16). These ponds can grow to a size of 1,500 acres, or up to 18 times larger than the TVA storage lagoon (Dewan). Imagine the damage that could be inflicted by the rupture of a storage pond eighteen times larger than the TVA pond. The storage methods for coal ash that are currently in place are unsound, dangerous, and the amounts of waste produced continue to grow every year; it is clear that we cannot continue with these unsafe practices without further environmental disasters.

While the storage sites for coal ash are hazardous and unstable, the real danger lies within the ash itself. According to Mara Hvistendahl in an article for Scientific American, the radioactive trace elements of thorium and uranium present in unburned coal are concentrated up to ten times in the fly ash that results after burning. She quotes a study done for Science in 1978, which concluded that people who were living near coal plants took in radiation from the environment at levels higher or equal to those who lived near nuclear plants. In addition, this study found that fly ash "carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy." Shaila Dewan states on NYTimes.com that coal ash also contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined these materials to be hazardous to "human health and water supplies."

Ironically, however, the EPA decided in both 1988 and 1993 that coal ash was not a hazardous waste and therefore no federal regulations or guidelines apply to its disposal (Cappiello). In 2000, the EPA again approached the issue, but made no decisions as to whether or not coal ash should be reclassified, simply stating that they would “require safeguards for coal ash disposal” (Earthjustice). Seven years later, there were still no federal regulations for coal ash dumps, and in Tennessee a flood of black sludge covered 300 acres of land. The lack of oversight by the EPA has led to poorly managed and environmentally unsound storage practices; most storage ponds and landfills are unlined or inadequately lined with clay, which allows the toxic waste to leach into the groundwater and poison the surrounding environment (Dewan). Among 155 landfill and surface impoundment sites examined by the EPA in 2006, 142 had no liner or only a clay one, and two-thirds of the 155 were located near "key waterways," as storage ponds require vast amounts of water to combine with the ash (Clayton 16). This position near waterways, however, means that storage ponds and landfills are poised to do huge amounts of damage and can spread over large distances as they flow into rivers and streams. Earthjustice, an organization of lawyers committed to environmental preservation, cites a recent EPA report that discovered that "unlined coal ash waste ponds pose a cancer risk 900 times above what is defined as 'acceptable'" to those living around them. If the EPA determined that the metals present in coal ash, such as mercury, arsenic, and lead are toxic, then it stands to reason that coal ash, as a carrier of these elements, should be classified as hazardous.

While the best solution would be to find an alternate source of energy that does not depend on coal, for the time being it appears that coal ash is here to stay. If we cannot get rid of the ash altogether, the most important step is for the EPA to reclassify coal-ash as a hazardous waste material; the concentrations of toxic heavy metals and radiation contained in the ash are reason enough to take this step. Once coal ash is established as a hazardous waste, its handling and disposal will be guided by federal regulation and not left up to the individual states with little oversight or monitoring. Reuse of coal ash is another option, but one that needs to be carefully researched to determine the toxicity of the recycled ash. It has been used successfully in place of cement to make concrete, and has been formed into a base for roadways, both of which are viable options for recycling as long as the ash is safely contained and leaching is prevented (Dewan). However, it is a priority for the EPA to first establish clear rules for the storage of coal ash and the maintenance of these storage facilities, ensuring that retention ponds are phased out, as they are the most unstable and dangerous form of storage, and existing retention ponds are moved to dumps. Switching most of the storage to dry dumps lined with impermeable plastic as opposed to clay will reduce the dangers of lagoon spills and groundwater contamination for the time being. While transferring the coal ash to landfills is an expensive option, according to Mark Clayton the cleanup of the TVA spill will cost ten times what it would have cost to put the waste in a landfill (16). Preventing disasters before they occur is key to saving the environment and avoiding extremely costly cleanups.

In 2003, TVA could have transferred the coal ash stored in the retention pond to a dry dump at a cost of $25 million, but decided that it was too expensive of an undertaking (Dewan). TVA is now spending an estimated $1 million dollars a day on cleanup, and the company has reported that it intends to have these cleanup costs borne by increases in the electric rates of its consumers (Mansfield). Unless citizens want to continue paying for the mistakes of poorly regulated, dirty coal companies, action needs to be taken. If firmer regulations were enforced, companies could face fines for their lack of compliance, making safe storage an economic and environmentally-based incentive. Phasing out coal use altogether is ultimately the best option, but it is integral that we first determine what to do with all the toxic waste we have already created, instead of continuing to ignore its existence, or waiting for another wall to burst.

Out of sight should not mean out of mind, and although these ponds or landfills may not be in your backyard, their effects on the environment are far reaching. The toxins they leak could infiltrate your groundwater, or a spill could find its way down a river to your neighborhood. While there is not much that individuals can do to with regard to the handling and actual storage of coal ash besides using less energy, it is important to know that these ponds exist and to support increased regulation and recycling. Coal dumps are filling up all over the country, and new methods need to be implemented to handle the volume of hazardous waste they contain without further damage to the environment. Of all the states in the country, Ohio has the highest number of coal ash disposal sites, with 48, including lagoons and landfills (Clayton 16). The next time one breaks it could very well be a little closer to home.

Cappiello, Dina. “Coal Ash Piling Up Most in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.” The Huffington Post.com. 9 January 2009. 29 January 2009. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/coal-ash-piling-up-most-i_n_156505.html>

Clayton, Mark. “Coal-Ash Danger Rises.” Christian Science Monitor. 14 January 2009: 16.

Mansfield, Duncan. "Tenn. Presses for details of ash spill cleanup." The Associated Press. 13 January 2009. 2 February 2009.

“Coal Ash Pollution Contaminates Groundwater, Increases Cancer Risks.” Earthjustice.com. 4 September 2007. 29 January 2009. <http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/007/coal-ash-pollution-contaminates-groundwater-increases-cancer-risks.html>

Dewan, Shaila. “Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Regulation.” New York Times.com. 6 january 2009. 29 January 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/us/07sludge.html?_r=2>

Hvistendahl, Mara. “Coal Ash is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste.” Scientific American. 13 December 2007. 27 January 2009. <http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste&page=2>

“Martin County Sludge Spill.” NationMaster Encyclopedia. 27 January 2009.

Simone, Samira J. “Tennessee sludge spill runs over homes, water.” CNN.com. 24 December 2009. 29 January 2009. <http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/23/tennessee.sludge.spill/?iref=mpstoryview>

“What is Coal Ash?” University of North Dakota Coal Ash Research Center. 27 January 2009. <http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/html/whatiscoalash.html>

paraphrase

Original

“At issue is coal's content of uranium and thorium, both radioactive elements. They occur in such trace amounts in natural, or "whole," coal that they aren't a problem. But when coal is burned into fly ash, uranium and thorium are concentrated at up to 10 times their original levels.

In a 1978 paper for Science, J. P. McBride at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and his colleagues looked at the uranium and thorium content of fly ash from coal-fired power plants in Tennessee and Alabama. To answer the question of just how harmful leaching could be, the scientists estimated radiation exposure around the coal plants and compared it with exposure levels around boiling-water reactor and pressurized-water nuclear power plants.

The result: estimated radiation doses ingested by people living near the coal plants were equal to or higher than doses for people living around the nuclear facilities.”

Paraphrase

According to Mara Hvistendahl in an article for Scientific American, the radioactive trace elements of thorium and uranium present in unburned coal are concentrated up to ten times in the fly ash that results after burning. She quotes a study done for Science in 1978, which concluded that people who were living near coal plants took in radiation from the environment at levels that were similar to or higher than those who lived near nuclear plants.

coal ash draft

On October 11, 2000 in Martin County, Kentucky a coal waste impoundment broke through into an underground mine. 306 million gallons of sludge rushed down through the breach and flowed into the Wolf Creek and Coldwater Fork rivers, turning the clear waters into gloppy black slop for hundreds of miles. All living organisms in the rivers were killed and the drinking water for 27,000 people was contaminated. (Wikipedia.com) On December 22, 2008 in Harriman, Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority's 80 acre coal ash storage pond gave way, spilling over 500 million gallons of coal sludge over 300 acres of land up to 5 feet deep and oozing into the Emory and Clinch Rivers. (Simone) The Martin County spill was claimed to be 30 times worse than the Exxon Valdez disaster, which incited national uproar and action. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) spill was one and a half times larger than the Martin County spill. (Wikipedia.com) Dangerous coal ash is piling up in storage sites all over the country, and if steps are not taken to address this issue, future spills could be even deadlier than the TVA and Martin County incidents.

Coal ash is the waste created when coal is burned for energy or other uses in coal-fired plants. There are three main types, and these include fly ash, which is light and powder-like; bottom ash, which is coarser and more like sand; and boiler slag, which is also coarse and granular. ("What is Coal Ash?") Once this ash has been created by a plant, it can either be stored in a landfill or a surface impoundment, also known as a storage lagoon or retention pond. (Clayton) The amount of waste created by coal-fired plants has grown as a result of increased energy demands and more stringent emissions standards: in order to comply with stricter emissions regulations, plants have taken the fly ash that used to be released into the air and they now mix it with water to be placed in storage lagoons. (Cappiello) These ponds can While the storage sites for coal ash are hazardous and unstable, the real danger lies within the ash itself. According to Mara Hvistendahl in an article for Scientific American, the radioactive trace elements of thorium and uranium present in unburned coal are concentrated up to ten times in the fly ash that results after burning. She quotes a study done in 1978, which concluded that people who were living near coal plants ingested radiation at levels higher or equal to those who lived near nuclear plants. In addition, this study found that fly ash "carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy." (1) Shaila Dewan states that coal ash also contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium; the EPA has determined these material to be hazardous to "human health and water supplies." ("Hundreds Lack Regulation")

Ironically, however, the EPA decided in both 1988 and 1993 that coal ash was not a hazardous waste and therefore no federal regulations or guidelines apply to its disposal. (Cappiello) This lack of oversight has led to poorly managed and environmentally unsound storage practices; most storage ponds and landfills are unlined or inadequately lined with clay, which allows the toxic waste to leach into the groundwater and poison the surrounding environment. Earthjustice, an organization of lawyers committed to environmental preservation, cites a recent EPA report that discovered that "unlined coal ash waste ponds pose a cancer risk 900 times above what is defined as 'acceptable'." These coal ash lagoons are usually held up by compacted coal ash, which is less stable than earth and reacts poorly with water; it seems like a recipe for disaster to shore up millions of gallons of toxic, wet material with a similarly toxic material that is degraded by water. Among 155 landfill and surface impoundment sites examined by the EPA in 2006, 142 had no liner or a clay one, and 2/3 of the 155 were located near "key waterways." (Clayton)

It is clear that something needs to be done to remedy this situation. First of all, the EPA needs to reclassify coal-ash as a hazardous waste material; the concentrations of toxic heavy metals and radiation contained in the ash are reason enough to take this step. Once coal ash is established as a hazardous waste, federal regulations can then be put in place to better monitor the disposal of this material. Retention ponds must be phased out, as it they are the most unstable and dangerous form of storage- their need for water necessitates their placement near waterways and if they break they are poised to do the most damage as they flow into rivers and tributaries. Dry dumps are safer only if lined with an impermeable barrier, for example plastic as opposed to clay. Switching most of the storage to lined dry dumps will reduce the dangers of lagoon spills and groundwater contamination for the time being, but ultimately the debate comes down to coal power itself and the need for alternate sources of energy. While transferring the coal ash to landfills is an expensive option, according to Mark Clayton, the cleanup of the TVA spill will cost ten times what it would have cost to put the waste in a landfill. Ohio is the number one state with coal ash disposal sites, at 48: 26 lagoons and 22 landfills. (Clayton) The next time one breaks it could very well be a little closer to home.

Sources:

Cappiello, Dina. “Coal Ash Piling Up Most in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.” The Huffington Post.com. 9 January 2009. 29 January 2009. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/coal-ash-piling-up-most-i_n_156505.html

Clayton, Mark. “Coal-Ash Danger Rises.” Christian Science Monitor. 14 January 2009: 16.

“Coal Ash Pollution Contaminates Groundwater, Increases Cancer Risks.” Earthjustice.com. 4 September 2007. 29 January 2009. http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/007/coal-ash-pollution-contaminates-groundwater-increases-cancer-risks.html

Dewan, Shaila. “Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Regulation.” New York Times.com. 6 january 2009. 29 January 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/us/07sludge.html?_r=2

Hvistendahl, Mara. “Coal Ash is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste.” Scientific American. 13 December 2007. 27 January 2009. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste&page=2

“Martin County Sludge Spill.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 17 January 2008. 27 January 2009.

Simone, Samira J. “Tennessee sludge spill runs over homes, water.” CNN.com. 24 December 2009. 29 January 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/23/tennessee.sludge.spill/?iref=mpstoryview

“What is Coal Ash?” University of North Dakota Coal Ash Research Center. 27 January 2009. http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/html/whatiscoalash.html

argumentation examples

Effective Rhetoric Examples

Prose Text

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste

This article from the Scientific American is an example of good rhetorical strategy. First of all, the ethos of the author is established right away by the title of the publication- Scientific American. To the reader this indicates that the information contained in the article will be science-based and relatively accurate, as opposed to some editorial articles. Although the article is in a scientific journal, the author also starts out with a story from "The Simpsons" to enable the reader to better identify them. By mentioning a common t.v. show, the author shows that the article is not "too" scientific for everyday readers. Additionally, the author appeals to the emotions of the audience through their fear of radiation and radioactive particles. Comparing coal ash to nuclear radiation, a common fear for many people, is an effective way for the author to convince them of the dangers of coal ash. Finally, by using scientific terms like "millirems" and including quotes from an associate lab director, the author establishes the logos of the argument. Overall this piece uses rhetoric in an effective manner.

Visual

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ats3dClc0No

This video, though short, has a few good examples of effective argumentation. The narrator identifies the participants right away as people who have credibility and expertise on the subject: the National Field Coordinator for Appalachian Voices, the Hurricane Creekeeper, and the Watauga Riverkeeper. The audience recognizes these people as those who care about the environment and the river, and who have experience in this area. The visual images shown are designed to incite the emotions of the viewer. Dead fish, sludgy black water, and a complete lack of activity arouse anger in the audience. As to the utilization of logos, the narrator cites statements from the TVA website indicating that cleanup is underway, but the video provides clear evidence that none is underway, giving the audience good reason to believe that there is little being done. This video does a good job of arguing that the idea of clean coal is not working, at least in its present state.

Ineffective Rhetoric

Prose

http://www.ecologicalhope.org/featured/the-scandal-of-coal-ash-dumps/

This article is not the best example of good use of rhetorical strategies. The author does not really give the audience any reason to listen to her, establishing her credibility only by the fact that she lives near an area where water contamination poses a health risk. However, this does not necessarily make her a trustworthy or an expert. The author also does not inspire the pathos of her audience in a good way; for most of the article it seems like she is complaining about the state of the environment, but not offering any real solutions. She clamors for the reader to be involved, but does not offer concrete reasons or emotional appeals. While she does include some logistical information to back up her argument, most of it is vague; she provides little explanation of her statement that coal ash has claimed the lives of more than 104,000 miners in the past century. This argument attempts to engage the audience, but falls short through a lack of logos and ethos.

Visual
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcUzdUtD7Dw&feature=related

This piece employs almost all of the strategies of rhetoric very poorly. The author gives no indication as to why the audience should listen to or believe what she has to say, and does almost nothing to establish her ethos. In addition, the facts, or logos of her argument are relatively weak. She gets the name of the town wrong, calling it Harrison instead of Harriman, which damages the believability of her argument. Her statements are vague and sometimes unclear; she uses "like" a lot and she does not present her facts very professionally or scientifically. Other than stating the dangers of the fly ash in order to make people fear the effects of the disaster, she does not do a good job of presenting her argument in a clear, factual, and believable way. The viewer sees no reason to listen to her argument, and she basically states that other people should care about this event because she cares, without really giving them good facts or using strategies to appeal to their values.

cradle to cradle

McDonough and Braungart approach their argument for cradle to cradle, eco-effective buildings and products in a different way than Monbiot. First they establish pathos with the reader by adopting a conversational style, drawing their audience in. They ask questions of the reader, making them curious and engaging them in a discussion of possible answers. Their hopeful tone also makes the reader pay attention: they focus not on the problems but the solutions, saying that environmental effectiveness doesn't have to be boring and minimalist.

The authors introduce logos to their argument by explaining the tests they performed during their research, and by using scientific terms like "off-gassed" and "halogenated hydrocarbons." They also discuss retention rates and the testable effectiveness of their ideas, which convinces the reader of the feasibility of their solutions.

Finally, McDonough and Braungart identify themselves as believable sources of information by eplaining their direct involvement in the designing and testing of buildings and products. For example, on page 75 they state that William McDonough's firm designed successful "cradle to cradle" based factories and office buildings. By engaging the reader in a conversation based in personal stories concerning their argument, they establish their trustworthiness and knowledge of the subject, emphasizing their experience and credibility.

Monbiot rhetoric

George Monbiot does an excellent job of incorporating numerous aspects of rhetoric in his argument for fighting climate change. Monbiot's audience is the general population, and like Carson, he has to walk a fine line between being too technical and making his audience understand what he is talking about. As an environmental activist, Monbiot is probably used to speaking in ways that the general population can comprehend, and he does a good job of establishing himself as someone they should listen to.

Monbiot uses ethos in the first paragraph to demonstrate his credibiility; by mentioning that he had previously spoken on climate change, he illustrates to the reader that he is someone whose statements can be trusted and that others have deemed him credible enough to give a lecture on the subject of the environment. He also associates himself with his audience instead of villifying them; by using "we" repeatedly on page xvi he establishes his credibility as someone who understands and empathizes with his audience. He admits that what he says may disturb or offend the reader, which makes him seem trustworthy, in that he will not try to sugarcoat his message or as he says on page xxi, "confirm what you believe to be true." In addition, by conceding the problem, saying that it will be difficult to abandon the comforts of the modern world and that many of the advances we have made are beneficial, he accomodates the fact that the reader may have a dissenting veiwpoint, giving him more credibility.

Monbiot also utilizes pathos in his appeal to the audience in order to generate interest in his argument. He uses various predictions based on scientific studies to incite a sort of fear in the reader. The reader fears that what he predicts may come to pass, and they can become more emotionally invested in what Monbiot has to say. For example, on page 6 Monbio discusses the spread of disease, water shortages, and droughts that could come about as a result of climate change in every part of the world. The audience understands that these changes could affect them and their families.

Ultimately, much of Monbiot's argument rests on the strategy of logos, and he uses a multitude of logical evidence to support his claims. On page xxiii he lists the various organizations, scientific and governmental alike, from which he gathered information. His statements are well-supported by footnotes explaining his statements more fully, especially those that are more scientific or math based. He also cites various scientific studies and papers published on the topic of climate change; for example on page 12 he quotes from researchers at the National Oceanography Centre. Interspersed throughout the article are scientific and technical terms that reinforce the logic of his argument.

Overall, Monbiot uses each of the three concepts of rhetoric skillfully and successfully in order to gain the reader's trust and enable them to fully understand the topic that he is trying to present. He illustrates not only the problems, but also the possible solutions to these problems. By stressing "feasibility" he assures the reader that industrial civilization can still be possible with massive reductions in pollution and energy-saving solutions.

The Earth is Worth It

In considering my stance on the subject of environmental ethics, I tend to place myself at the more ecocentric end of the spectrum of beliefs. My experiences and influences have all geared me toward an appreciation and respect for natural life and its preservation; one of my most firmly held beliefs is that humankind can no longer continue to exploit the Earth’s resources without facing disastrous consequences. I believe that a richer, more fulfilling experience can be gained through a new, environmentally-conscious relationship with nature, and that humans can only stand to benefit spiritually and physically through less exploitative practices. Processes that destroy and pollute the landscape destroy and pollute mankind in return.

I have come to this particular viewpoint through a wide variety of influential experiences and people. Growing up, I was surrounded by nature; my house backed up to an abandoned orchard, behind which sprawled the Patapsco State Park. My father was always throwing me and my brother outside, and left to our own devices we would wander the park, soaking ourselves catching crawfish in the river, or hanging from the apple and pear trees that spotted the field. We once found a dead grey mouse curled up by an old shed by the orchard and held an elaborate burial ceremony, heaping wildflowers and planting a tree at the head of the grave, over which we erected a headstone consisting of a piece of bark upon which we tenderly inscribed “here lies the mouse.” That grave is gone now, as are the pear trees, and the apple trees, and the fields of tall waving grasses dotted with goldenrod, all plowed over by the developer who planted a grove of beige houses in their stead. The places where I used to play as a child are now somebody’s driveway, somebody’s kitchen. The neighborhood grows a little more each year, eroding the wall of green that used to surround it, grasping with asphalt tentacles at what little remains. Having seen places in nature that I treasure succumb to development, I know the value of protecting what we have left.

Later, long after the disappearance of the orchard, I traveled to Costa Rica where I worked on an organic banana farm that focused on sustainability. I saw how the sustainable initiatives of El Yue enriched the community and limited the amount of waste and pollution that the farm produced. Though I was without any sort of technology, I did not miss it, and in fact welcomed the change. The abundance of plant and animal life I encountered everywhere only served to reiterate to me what we have lost in the United States as a result of our relentless pursuit of industrialization and ecologically insensitive development. We traveled around the entire country. First we roamed the hot grey sand beaches where tiny blue crabs scuttled over the rocks and waves crashed and swirled, spitting out surfers. Then to the misty, cool mountains of Monteverde, where you could see the clouds billowing out of the cloudforest at sunset, looking as though you could walk away across the treetops. Being in a place where nature was so close at hand, so unrestrained, cemented my attachment to the environment. I held a baby toucan in my hands, saw a coral reef out of which fish of every color exploded if you got too close. It is hard to understand the importance of conserving these things if they are already gone, lost to a shopping mall parking lot or a McDonalds.

My mother is essentially the backbone of my ethic; her beliefs have transmitted to me an environmental consciousness and a realization of the impacts we all have on our surroundings. As a holistic health counselor, my mother has oriented my family toward an appreciation and understanding of the relationship between the human body and the healing that can come from nature. And while my father likes to joke about her “witchcraft” and gobbledegook mumbo-jumbo crackpot theories, I have taken a lot of the more practical applications of her beliefs to heart. Eat locally. Eat organic. Use natural remedies in place of pharmaceutical medication. Believe in your body’s power to heal itself. Positive thinking yields positive results. I know that it all sounds very “new-agey”, and in high school I was constantly mortified by my mother’s bizarre behavior, but now it seems to make more sense.

I suppose that my environmental ethic centers around a respect and appreciation for those things that nature has to offer us. I believe in a future where sustainable development is widespread, and the places we have left to us are preserved. I believe in the power of individual effort, but I also know that policy changes must occur in order to promote a general reorientation towards ecocentric and environmentally responsible practices.

ethics draft

In considering my stance on the subject of environmental ethics, I tend to place myself at the more ecocentric end of the spectrum of beliefs. My experiences and influences have all geared me toward an appreciation and respect for natural life and its preservation; one of my most firmly held beliefs is that humankind can no longer continue to exploit the Earth’s resources without facing disastrous consequences. I believe that a richer, more fulfilling experience can be gained through a new, environmentally-conscious relationship with nature, and that humans can only stand to benefit spiritually and physically through less exploitative practices. Processes that destroy and pollute the landscape destroy and pollute mankind in return.

I have come to this particular viewpoint through a wide variety of influential experiences and people. Growing up, I was surrounded by nature- my house backed up to an abandoned orchard, behind which sprawled the Patapsco State Park. My father was always throwing me and my brother outside, and left to our own devices we would wander the park, soaking ourselves catching crawfish in the river or hanging from the apple and pear trees that spotted the field. We once found a dead grey mouse curled up by an old shed by the orchard and held an elaborate burial ceremony, heaping wildflowers and planting a tree at the head of the grave, over which we erected a headstone consisting of a piece of bark upon which we tenderly inscribed “here lies the mouse.” That grave is gone now, as are the pear trees, and the apple trees, and the fields of tall waving grasses dotted with goldenrod, all plowed over by the developer who planted a grove of beige houses in their stead. The places where I used to play as a child are now somebody’s driveway, somebody’s kitchen. The neighborhood grows a little more each year, eroding the wall of green that used to surround it, grasping with asphalt tentacles at what little remains. Having seen places in nature that I treasure succumb to development, I know the value of protecting what we have left.

Later, long after the disappearance of the orchard, I traveled to Costa Rica, where I worked on an organic banana farm that focused on sustainability. I saw how the sustainable initiatives of El Yue enriched the community and limited the amount of waste and pollution that the farm produced. Though I was without any sort of technology, I did not miss it, and in fact welcomed the change- the abundance of plant and animal life I encountered everywhere only served to reiterate to me what we have lost in the United States as a result of our relentless pursuit of industrialization and ecologically insensitive development. We traveled around the entire country, first roaming the hot grey sand beaches where tiny blue crabs scuttled over the rocks and waves crashed and swirled, spitting out surfers. Then to the misty, cool mountains of Monteverde, where you could see the clouds billowing out of the cloudforest at sunset, looking as though you could walk away across the treetops. Being in a place where nature was so close at hand, so unrestrained cemented my attachment to the environment. I held a baby toucan in my hands, saw a coral reef out of which fish exploded if you got too close. It is hard to understand the importance of conserving these things if they are already gone, lost to a shopping mall parking lot or a McDonalds.

My mother is essentially the backbone of my ethic; her beliefs have transmitted to me an environmental consciousness and a realization of the impacts we all have on our surroundings. As a holistic health counselor, my mother has oriented my family toward an appreciation and understanding of the relationship between the human body and the healing that can come from nature. And while my father likes to joke about her “witchcraft” and gobbledegook mumbo-jumbo crackpot theories, I have taken a lot of the more practical applications of her beliefs to heart. Eat locally. Eat organic. Use natural remedies in place of pharmaceutical medication. Believe in your body’s power to heal itself. Positive thinking yields positive results. I know that it all sounds very new-agey, and in high school I was constantly mortified by my mother’s bizarre behavior, but now, it seems to make more sense.

I suppose that my environmental ethic centers around a respect and appreciation for those things that nature has to offer us. I believe in a future where sustainable development is widespread, and the places we have left to us are preserved. I believe in the power of individual effort, but I also know that policy changes must occur in order to promote a general reorientation towards environmentally responsible practices.

Williams

In the excerpts selected from "An Unspoken Hunger," Terry Tempest Williams employs a number of different rhetorical and expressive strategies in order to engage the reader. In the piece on Yellowstone, Williams' repetition of verbs and short phrases emphasizes the constant activity and change occuring in nature, particularly in Yellowstone, and enables the reader to visualize the park as a dynamic, living force - it brings the area to life in the very first paragraph. By repeating in consecutive paragraphs on page 84 that the Yellowstone Ecosystem/ Echo System is "Pansexual," and listing all the natural entities that are loved by this landscape, Williams personifies the relationship between the landscape and its occupants, as well as between the people who come into contact with it. She demonstrates to the reader the importance of engaging in a loving relationship with the land, and the vocabulary that she employs reinforces this point, using words like "passion," "love," "sensual," and "erotic." Overall the effect is one that brings the landscape to life and makes the reader realize that a closer relationship with nature is possible.
Conversely, in "Redemption," the tone is darker, more violent. Images of crucifixion, tearing and cutting, and the "ragged" edges of the hide illustrate the less loving side of humans' relationship with nature. In such a short passage, the theme of religion dominates, with references to prayer, sacredness, and crucifixion; the reader can see the effects of the warring religions of man and nature.
"Winter Solstice at the Moab Slough" is also imbued with references to religion and spirituality, relationships, love and renewal. Essentially, Williams uses these themes to illustrate to the reader that it is important to form loving relationships with the landscape as a path to renewal for both man and nature. Religious images reinforce the idea of forming a "connection" to the land and having faith in its ability to nourish and love mankind in return.

Place

Although I was only there for one summer, I consider the small town of Limon in Costa Rica to be a place I know very well. I went to Costa Rica on a volunteer trip in the summer of 2007, and was assigned to a banana farm in a remote area of Limon called El Yue. I had never been to Costa Rica before, let alone out of the country, so I had little idea of what to expect. Stepping off the plane onto the runway I was smothered by the intense humidity; everything was vibrantly green and the airport seemed as if it was rapidly losing a battle to keep its place against the surrounding wilderness. I rode a bus through the mountains to El Yue, through heavy blankets of mist and creeping vegetation that overran the potholed roads, switching to the back of a pickup for the last leg of the ride. As we bounced along dirt paths through the jungle, howler monkeys clambered through the trees overhead, screeching and hurling nuts and whatever else they could get their hands on. We finally arrived at El Yue, a small farm in the jungle backed by a wide, muddy river. Trees heavy with vines drooped over the small dirt paths that crisscrossed the farm, and running parallel to each was a smaller path worn down by the hordes of leafcutter ants that ran along it each night. The banana grove was accessible by the “Puente Mono Loco,” or Crazy Monkey Bridge, which was essentially two logs in a relative state of decay. When night fell, the blackness was so complete you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. It was the farthest I’d been from home, but over that summer it became one of my favorite places.