Wasted Energy
- Posted by Bernhard Debatin in Dr. D’s HTC blog on 07/25/2010
- tags: environment, HTC, magazine, news editing, online journalism, science
A Series of Video Showings with Discussions
Time: Every Wednesday in May, 8-10 PM -- Location: Bentley 306
Our society is energy addicted. The way we live-- how we produce, consume, and trash goods-- is extraordinarily wasteful. It is built on the faulty assumption that we can infinitely continue doing this, although we are using finite, non-renewable resources.
This video series showcases a variety of energy-related issues to gain a broader picture of our situation. It looks at the hidden costs of our energy consumption and at the myth of abundant and unlimited energy sources. It will foster discussion on why we are using so much energy, where the problems lie, and how to develop alternatives for the future. Finally, it will examine media coverage of this issue and why we are ill informed.
Schedule [download the schedule as a PDF file]
Week 1--May 5:
Burning the Future: Coal in America (2008, 89 minutes)
>> The documentary looks at the real costs of coal. Coal provides about 50% of our electricity and is relatively inexpensive. However, its hidden costs are not only environmental devastation through mountaintop removal mining and significant air pollution from burning the coal. Hidden costs also include low wages for miners, poor working conditions (e.g. 12-hour shifts), and the lack of proper safety measures, as became tragically clear again in the most recent mining disaster at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia that killed 29 miners.
Week 2--May 12:
Crude Impact (2006, 97 minutes)
>> What happens when our oil resources no longer produce sufficient supply for an ever-growing, insatiable demand? Peak-oil is the point when an oil well (or a country’s oil reserves) reaches half of its capacity. After that, production drops and becomes increasingly unprofitable. The video shows how all aspects of our society from transportation and agriculture to throw-away production and over-consumption directly depend on cheap oil. It discusses the economic, socio-political, military, and environmental consequences of this dependency.
Week 3--May 19:
Everything Nuclear (2008, 42 minutes)
>> Contrary to popular belief, nuclear energy is neither inexpensive nor environmentally friendly. The production of nuclear fuel has a huge carbon footprint. The “low” costs of nuclear power only include operating costs but do not reflect expenses for construction, maintenance and dismantling, radioactive waste management, and the environmental and health costs of radioactive contamination. Other side effects are excluded, too, such as thermal pollution of water and air, and potential dangers to democracy due to safety risks and terrorist threats.
Week 4--May 26:
Trashed (2007, 60 minutes)
>> Waste management is at the invisible end of our throw-away society. Storing garbage in landfills is a wasteful, unthrifty approach. Regulatory differences among countries and within the U.S. lead to waste trafficking, with the result that waste ends up in the states with the cheapest landfills (such as Michigan) or in developing countries (e.g. electronic waste in China, India, or Nigeria). The lack of a large-scale recycling system amounts to mortgaging our environmental future. It is also plainly uneconomical because waste is a valuable, neglected resource.
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Public Presentation of JOUR 492 Course Work at the Eclipse Company Store
- Posted by Bernhard Debatin in Dr. D’s HTC blog on 06/8/2009
- tags: advertising, broadcast, editorial, etc, htc, local, magazine, online, PR, scripps notes
Localizing Environmental and Science Journalism in Southeast Ohio
On Thursday, June 11, from 1:00 to 5:00, the class "Environmental and Science Journalism" will present articles that were produced as final projects during this quarter, focusing on the effects of coal industry in Southeast Ohio. This public event, to which OU members and residents from the local communities are invited, will take place at the newly renovated Eclipse Company Store in The Plains (view map here). For an overview of the program, see here.
The event will kick off at 1:00 PM with an introduction and overview by Bernhard Debatin, on the abyss of time and the beauty of algae, followed by Ann Alquist and Susie Shutts, who will talk about abandoned Mines and various acid mine drainage abatement programs. Then, Amy Nordrum and Joe Brehm will present their work on clean coal and the controverial planned coal power plants in Meigs County. The first part will be concluded with Josh Spiert’s and Megan Moseley’s project on coal mine subsidences and relocation of residents.
The coffee break from 2:45 to 3:15 will provide an opportunity for informal conversations and for trying some fruits and local pastry. The second part will then start with a walk through the Dysart Woods by Michelle Shaw and Meredith Barnett. Air pollution in Southeast Ohio and the effects of mercury is the topic Sarah Watson and Emily Hanlon are presenting. Jessica Blakely and Katherine Bercik will then talk about the use of bottom coal ash for skid control in winter and whether the toxins in coal ash pose a health risk. The second part will be concluded with Mary Nally’s and Leah Crone-Magyar’s contribution on agriculture in Southeast Ohio: "You Can’t Eat a Lump of Coal."
A New Course Model
This course on Environmental and Science Journalism is a new, experimental class that combines elements of learning communities with traditional approaches to teaching. The class was a mix of conventional seminar meetings, three workshops with experts, and four field trips to various locations related to our coal mining history. The course was supported by an Ohio University 1804 grant, which made the expert workshops and field trips possible.
Another remarkable element of this class was also the website, a combination of a blog and of static pages with background information. In addition to response papers on their own blogs, students contributed frequently to the course blog at http://esj09.wordpress.com. These contributions were partly course assignments, such as seminar minutes or reports from field trips, and partly voluntary contributions, motivated by the interest in sharing important information on environmental or science issues.
Program for the Presentations
Location: Eclipse Company Store
Time: June 11, 1:00-5:00 PM
1:00 - 2:45 Part I
- 1. Bernhard Debatin (Introduction: The Abyss of Time and the Beauty of Algae)
- 2. Ann Alquist/Susie Shutts (Abandoned Mines and Acid Mine Drainage Abatement Programs)
- 3. Amy Nordrum/Joe Brehm (Clean Coal and the New Coal Power Plants in Meigs County)
- 4. Josh Spiert/Megan Moseley (Mine Subsidences and Relocation of Residents)
3:15 - 5:00 Part II
- 5. Michelle Shaw/Meredith Barnett (The Dysart Woods: A Walk Among Giants)
- 6. Sarah Watson/Emily Hanlon (Air Pollution in Southeast Ohio: Mercury and Other Problems)
- 7. Jessica Blakely/Katherine Bercik (Bottom Coal Ash for Skid Control: Cheap and Risky?)
- 8. Mary Nally/Leah Crone-Magyary (You Can’t Eat a Lump of Coal: Agriculture in SE Ohio)
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College Green -- A New Online Magazine Is Taking Off
- Posted by Bernhard Debatin in Dr. D’s HTC blog on 03/11/2009
- tags: editing, htc, magazine, online
Looking for an opportunity to write about the environment?
College Green is an exciting new online publication that will cover the scientific, economic, and cultural aspects of environmentalism in southeastern Ohio.
If you are interested in becoming involved with this student organization, there will be an information session at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, at Scripps 111.
Leadership and editing opportunities are also available. For additional information and for application information, please contact Katherine Bercik at collegegreen.editor@gmail.com
