Namapreet Kaur, Christopher Chang, Nicole Montilla, and Anthonio Roye
High Energy Consumption
Although we need the energy to live the lifestyle we want, there are some drawbacks. The environment is one of the effects of excessive energy use. The environment can harm in a variety of areas, including a rise in carbon footprint. As which, one of the primary causes of energy overuse is the carbon footprint—the volume of carbon dioxide emitted by the use of fossil fuels (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Transportation accounts for the contribution of the carbon footprint. Since we spend the rest of our days traveling, whether to the nearest grocery store or by train, fossil fuels are still burned, leading to climate change (“Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” n.d.). To clarify, an increase in climate change is also probable. That is an attribute to the coal and gas that are emitted regularly. As a result, air pollution occurs. Furthermore, high energy usage may affect residential housing. The more energy people consume, the greater the rate of their utility bills (Making Nuclear History Media (MNH), 2018). Not only that, but excessive energy consumption may result in power outages. The power plants generate enough electricity to power the whole area. However, if electricity is excessively used, a blackout can occur (Taylor, n.d.).
Additionally, energy consumption is an important topic to discuss since the general public uses a lot of energy without considering the consequences. Energy consumption has been rising year after year, causing climate change. A prime example is the February 2021 snowstorm in Texas. Nobody predicted a snowstorm in Texas, which is mainly a warm-weather state. For this to occur, climate change was a contributing factor to this snowstorm. Climate change happens as a result of excessive energy consumption. Extreme weather then occurs, resulting in unexpected winds, increased evaporation, and snow. That can be harmful to the public because power outages can take place, following in no heat or water (The Climate Reality Project, 2018). Numerous people in Texas were struggling to live in their houses without proper heat, water, or power (Narvekar, 2021). So, to reduce this from happening again, lowering energy usage will aid in a cleaner environment.
Rhetorical Analysis (Nicole Montilla)
We are spreading the awareness of the importance of depleting the number of carbon emissions that infiltrate the environment and producing a higher quality of life by energy conservation. We are using pamphlets to give us enough space to explain the urgency and how the community can contribute to energy saving. We will divide it into five segments. The first section will provide certified sources if they desire more information about the importance of energy-saving. The use of energy is such an important topic we do not apply every detail in a pamphlet, only what seems more relevant to the community. The second section will introduce why we need to save energy and the impact on our environment. The third section will be the cons of not saving energy and its impact on our future and the community. For example, if a community member does not save energy, their bills will rise. This fact is important to them personally because New Yorkers do not want higher bills but try to minimize them. Later on, our fourth will apply the pros of energy saving. These results will be positive and motivate others to save energy to influence those results in their lives. Lastly, we provide the community means they can save energy. The campaign will consist within the neighborhood of Washington Heights. The Heights is an active community; therefore, spreading the pamphlets would be the best and quickest way to distribute information to multiple families.
Purpose of Campaign
The purpose of this campaign is to inform the public of the impact of increased energy consumption on the environment. When people view this campaign we want them to be more aware of how simple actions such as leaving in an unused charger plugged in the wall, can contribute to the depletion of non-renewable resources which are very important in supplying us with the energy we use daily. It will also persuade them to put more efforts into conserving energy as the effects are detrimental to both terrestrial and aquatic lives. This will be achieved by informing them of ways and things they can implement to contribute to more energy saving options. In some regards, it will also be portrayed in a way to motivate each citizen to conserve and to influence others to do the same. Finally, it will highlight key ways in which each member of the society can benefit by following the energy saving campaign, such as lower utility bills, decreased pollution including air water etc., lower abrupt climate changes and a more healthy environment for us to live, work, do businesses, and protect the plant and animal kingdom.
About our Campaign
Our campaign relies on efficiently delivering a lot of information in a form that is easily accessible by many people. As mentioned above, our outreach efforts will primarily utilize distributable pamphlets. Pamphlets are great for organizing and presenting information because they can be aesthetically chic and simple, while providing enough space to contain all the information a person may need.
The greatest challenge lies in distribution. The prevalence of Covid in many of New York City’s neighborhoods makes person-to-person interactions undesirable. At the same time, many community and public centers are closed or at a limited capacity, these areas are inaccessible to many New Yorkers. Furthermore, anti-solicitation laws prevent us from blanket dropping pamphlets into mailboxes in a neighborhood. Given the circumstances, the most effective way of distributing our pamphlets would be to post in shops or community bulletin boards. Public spaces such as parks generally have kiosks for public distribution and flyer advertising. While distributing pamphlets in public spaces should be sufficient, in the case that we need to distribute more pamphlets, certain local businesses can also be viable alternatives. For example, laundromats and hospitals are great places to leave pamphlets for customers to read. The only requirement is to get permission from the owner.
Media (Nicole Montilla)
Today news travels around in a matter of seconds through social media. Yet since our campaign is about saving energy, our public announcements should be energy friendly. Since spreading the awareness of energy is urgent, we will have multiple ways to spread the news. Therefore, in our target audience, we would tend to be close to the areas. The most significant impact of change is by many small changes, and the best is trying to improve a small neighborhood. For example, since our target audience is Hispanic minorities. We will reach the little Dominican Republic, Washington Heights. One crucial aspect of energy in poor communities is how energy significantly impacts these families’ rent. Other parts of Manhattan have project buildings in which the government pays for the use of gas and light. Therefore, people are very careless about how much energy they consume.
To create a more considerable influence, we must reach people who can see how saving energy can also benefit other aspects of their lives. Our media would consist of reaching out to community organizations by promoting it as an upcoming town event. This campaign would be successful due to the close-tied community. In where we could present ways to save energy at home and energy saving giveaways. Giveaways such as power-saving strips, power-saving light bulbs, and portable chargers.
Most importantly, after presenting the problem to the public, giving away pamphlets explaining the impact of energy, how to involve people, and tips. Since our media will take in a public space, we could have multiple audiences such as community newsletters, TV reporters, and most importantly, the community. The next step will be to see the impact of change and spread this awareness to the next neighborhood.
References
Making Nuclear History Media. (2017, May 28). The adverse effects of energy
overconsumption.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Carbon footprint.
Narvekar, T. (2021, March 6). How did climate change cause the Texas snowstorm? The John
Hopkins News-Letter.
Taylor, G. (n.d.). Reasons Why Wasting Energy in Homes Is Bad. SFGATE.
The Climate Reality Project. (2018, March 9). WAIT, WHY IS CLIMATE CHANGE A BAD
THING? https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/wait-why-climate-change-bad-thing
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Sources of
Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
