Alternative Fuels Changing the World: One Car at a Time

Everyday people hear about different ways in which they can better the environment. Whether it is recycling, taking public transportation, attempting not to litter, turning off lights or unplugging appliances when they are not in use, Americans have many options in which they can attempt to reduce the effects of global warming. Even though effective, those little things hardly add up when looking at the big picture. The one way to ensure that global warming is being reduced is by making a drastic change in something most people use everyday: transportation. Whether it be by cars or through any other major form of transportation, changing to alternative fuels is the most effective way to reduce global warming because carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels are the main root of climate change.

In order to understand why the CO₂ emissions need to be reduced, first, it must be recognized how CO₂ emissions are affecting the planet. According to “The Science of Climate Change,” the biosphere naturally emits approximately 800 billion tons of CO₂ a year (Hansen 200). But the earth absorbs these gases, which is why the global climate has been relatively stable over the past 10,000 years because scientists explained, “the amount of CO₂ generated by natural processes is about equal to the amounts absorbed and sequestered by natural processes” (Hansen 200). This is suggesting that CO₂ emissions are natural parts of the environment and therefore cannot be completely stopped, but the earth has its own way of absorbing these gases. However, Hansen claims “human activity since the Industrial Revolution, and primarily in the form of burning fossil fuels, is now generating an additional 24 billion tons of CO₂ each year” (201). The natural processes on land or in the ocean cannot absorb the additional 24 billion tons of CO₂ produced by humans each year (Hansen 201). Before the Industrial Revolution, the gases were being absorbed and therefore were not endangering the earth; now that humans have a much bigger reliance on fossil fuels, the amount of CO₂ created is much bigger than the amount the earth can naturally process. This causes a problem, because when the earth is unable to absorb the CO₂, it leads to what we know now as global warming.

However, there are ways we can reduce CO₂ emissions- the most important one is making the switch to alternative fuels. By using alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, drivers would be creating an easy solution to a large problem. According to an article in BioCycle, “to dramatically reduce global warming emissions, there needs to be improvement on vehicle fuel efficiency, miles traveled, and shifts to lower carbon fuels” (12). This is what needs to be done in the sense of making the switch to alternative fuels, such as hydrogen.

Certain car manufacturers have already done this by creating Hybrid cars, which use less gasoline and receive higher miles per gallon, which decreases driver’s use of fossil fuel. That fossil fuel is also one of the main causes of global warming, so therefore Hybrid manufacturers and drivers are doing what is currently possible to help save the environment. As a citizen of the United States, I believe that I have the responsibility to take care of the environment. Therefore, I drive a Hybrid car; Hybrids receive much better gas mileage, tax reductions, and most importantly, are less harmful to the environment. I am a strong believer in balancing out the environment, and I try to do that by not only driving a Hybrid, but by informing my friends and family of the benefits of Hybrids, so that one day they may feel compelled to drive one as well.

Over the past years, Hybrid cars have been increasing in their popularity around the United States and around the world. Car manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda have been successful in their production and marketing their Hybrid models, which has lead to an increase in their models being bought. According to authors Frank and Romm of “Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction,” the most important quality about Hybrids is that “their more efficient use of gasoline results in lower emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas.” Since people who drive Hybrids are consciously making an effort to decrease emissions of CO₂, they are also helping in the process of reducing the effects of global warming. Another plus about Hybrids is that the average U.S. car will travel around 23 miles on one gallon of gas, while a Hybrid car will travel double that amount (Frank). This states that Hybrid cars travel noticeably farther on one tank of gas, compared to the average car. So even though using alternative fuels is very important and essential to the growth of this economy, Hybrid cars are doing their part in reducing the use of our current main source of fuel- gasoline. But there is still much more that can be done in terms of finding other ways to keep the environment clean and in the areas of using alternative fuels to do so; that is where hydrogen comes in to play.

In an article called “Hydrogen Cars: Fad or the Future?” author Louis Schlapbach goes into detail about why hydrogen acts as a good transport fuel. Schlapbach reports that “hydrogen is carbon-free, non-toxic, and its thermal or electrochemical combustion with oxygen yields nothing but energy and water… Another advantage is that the main source of hydrogen is water, which is essentially an unlimited source” (809). This form of alternative fuel is easily accessible because as pointed out by Schlapbach, hydrogen is made of water, which is unlimited. Since hydrogen is carbon free, using it as an alternative fueling for vehicles would greatly reduce the CO₂ emissions that are put into the air by the vehicles that are most commonly driven today.

The qualities that hydrogen possesses are very unique and are not harmful to the environment. However, some have suggested many problems that come across when using hydrogen as a fuel source. “The Hydrogen Car Fights Back” is an article in which the author Michael Copeland discusses some of these problems. The first thing Copeland points out is that producing hydrogen is not a very clean process, therefore scientists have to figure out a way of extracting it that will not offset the environmental benefits of the car itself. Even though there are some greenhouse gases produced while extracting hydrogen, there are less amounts of CO₂ being produced when creating the hydrogen than when actually driving a car that uses fossil fuels to run. There is no full-proof way to completely eliminate greenhouse gases from our world, but being able to reduce the amount actually emitted is a step in the right direction.

According to Copeland, another problem with using hydrogen as a main transport fuel is that making the switch would be very costly and because of the recent economic depression, the United States can’t afford to make the switch. Copeland says “none of this will be cheap: A study commissioned by the National Academy of Science concluded that the U.S. would need to spend $3 billion to $4 billion a year for 15 years to subsidize the cost of the cars and get a national infrastructure in place to make the transition to hydrogen.” Even though switching would cost money, is it really necessary to put a price on what it would cost to save the environment? Mostly everything in today’s society is expensive and with the recent economic slump, some may say that the U.S. cannot afford to switch to hydrogen. But it is also important to not only focus on the costs, but also remember how hydrogen would be beneficial to the earth as a transportation fuel. It is part of the United States’ job as a whole to protect its citizens, but also to protect the area they live on, because the cleaner the earth is, the better the living conditions will be for the people living on it.

There are many other aspects of hydrogen that should be taken into consideration as well. Hydrogen does not only need to be used for small vehicles; it can be used for larger forms of transportation. In fact, in the article “Hydrogen as a Transportation Fuel,” authors Alex Farrell and David Keith point out:

Vehicles for which size and speed are less important constraints thus will be more easily adapted to hydrogen. The extra expense of hydrogen technologies will be less important in vehicles that are used more intensively and have longer lifetimes. And learning-by-doing will be maximized where the vehicles are manufactured in small number of near-custom designs, not through mass production. (Farrell 43)

Farrell and Keith are claiming that in order to make hydrogen a more common source of fuel, first hydrogen must be used in larger vehicles instead of small vehicles to observe hydrogen as a transportation fuel. This is important because even though small vehicles are used daily and frequently, so are major forms of transportation such as trains and buses. By switching to alternative fuels in these larger vehicles, it might have already paved a path in the areas of being more comfortable with using hydrogen as a transportation fuel. Whether hydrogen is used as a fuel for small vehicles or for larger vehicles, either way hydrogen is being recognized as an efficient source of transportation fuel.

If the United States chooses to take a different route instead of focusing on alternative fueling to save our environment, there is no denying the fact that the United States needs to take some form of action. According to a presentation put on by The Beehive Collective’s called “The True Cost of Coal,” the United States Department of Defense’s carbon footprint (total set of greenhouse gases produced by an organization, object or person) is bigger than most third world countries. This means that the United States Department of Defense alone is producing and emitting more CO₂ than many third world countries; imagine what the whole United States’ carbon footprint would be. In the article “Global Warming: The Hard Road Ahead,” authors Robert Hahn and Peter Passell make a point by saying “the world’s largest, richest economy, which is also the world’s second-largest carbon emitter, can’t afford to stay aloof from efforts to limit climate change.” It is essential that the United States make the change to alternative fuel in order to reduce the effects of global warming, since we are arguably the most technologically advanced and richest country. Because of these qualities, it only makes sense that the United States do everything in their power to make the world environmentally cleaner, therefore by switching to alternative fuels, it would be doing this.

There have been many developments in the areas of making this earth cleaner and to stopping global warming; however there is still a long way to go. Hybrid cars have made their impact on our nation and around the world, but they do not act as a complete end to the CO2 emissions that are being pumped into our atmosphere. Using hydrogen is one of the ways to dramatically continue decreasing CO2 emissions, and it proves that the benefits much outweigh the costs. The United States needs to take action and be proactive; climate change will not end on its own, we all need to take a part in helping our environment, whether it is by driving Hybrid cars, or by supporting the idea of using hydrogen as a main source of alternative fuel.

Works Cited

Copeland, Michael. “The Hydrogen Car Fights Back.” Fortune 160.8 (2009): n. pag. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.

Farrell, Alex and Keith, David. “Hydrogen as a Transportation Fuel.” Environment 43.3 (2001): 43-44. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.

Frank, Andrew, and Romm, Joseph. “Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction.” Scientific American 294.4 (2006): n. pag. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.

Hahn, Robert and Passel, Peter. “Global Warming: The Hard Road Ahead.” Issues in Science & Technology. 25.3 (2009): 31-32. Web. 20 November 2010.

Hansen, James. “The Science of Climate Change Global Warming Causes and Trends.” International Database 3.7 (2005): 198-223. Web. 20 November 2010.

Schlapbach, Louis. “Technology: Hydrogen Fuelled Vehicles.” Nature 460.7537 (2009): 809-811. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.

The Beehive Collective. The True Cost of Coal. Ohio University. Baker Center, Athens, OH. 15 November 2010. Guest Lecture.

“Low-Carbon Biofuels Can Significantly Reduce Global Warming.” BioCycle 49.5 (2008): 12-12. Web. 20 November 2010.

Let's Not Get Heated

Over the past years, the issue of global warming has becoming increasingly more prominent in the news and in the minds of millions of people over the world. Since there are more immediate problems with our society, such as war and the economy slump, climate change does not get as much of the media’s attention as some argue it should. As Al Gore said in the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, “it takes time to connect the dots, I know that. But I also know that there can be a day of reckoning when you wish you had connected the dots more quickly.” By saying this, Gore is making it clear that climate change is an ever-growing problem that we are facing and one day, potentially in the near future, we may all look back and wish we had done something to stop it when we had the chance.

Throughout An Inconvenient Truth, Gore reiterates his main point in many different ways; that climate change is occurring whether we acknowledge it or not, and the quicker we act upon it, the more likely it will be that we can do something to help. The more that we contribute to stopping climate change, the more efficient it will be in creating a healthier planet and environment. An Inconvenient Truth won the category of “Best Film, Documentary, or Website Focusing on Global Warming” in the 2007 Global Warming Globie Awards with 82% of the vote, which would give the illusion that it is a credible source of information. However, that may not be the case. I do think that the information Gore provides in An Inconvenient Truth is factual, however I question whether it would have won all the awards it had if someone else other than Gore had been the main character. I definitely think it helped boost the documentary’s morale that Gore was the one who produced it and spoke in it, because he is such a well-known name. But that makes me wonder whether or not people voted for the movie based on the facts it provided or based on who made it.

To support his main point, Gore uses many different forms of information. He provides information in the source of graphs, pictures, statistics, and quotes from scientists about climate change. By using a various number of resources to support his point, I believe it makes the information he is providing more convincing because he is not just using one type of information; he is using a broad spectrum to convey his position. Gore also uses certain stories of his childhood to clarify how global warming can affect our lives, whether or not we see it as such.

His childhood stories appeal to pathos because he is trying to obtain some type of emotional sentiment from the audience. For example, he talks about how his family grew tobacco, but that his sister died of lung cancer from smoking her entire life. Even though Gore tries to connect this to global warming, it could also be said that he is just trying to gain understanding for his character. If a character can extract some sort of empathy from the audience, I believe that makes the audience more likely to agree with whatever that certain character is saying, regardless of the audience’s initial feelings. I do not think that it is necessarily a bad thing to feel empathy for Gore, but it could just be used as a persuasive tactic.

Even if we do not recognize climate change as a problem that needs immediate attention, we cannot ignore the fact that the human race is affecting climate change. In an article in The New York Times, the author states “scientists learned long ago that the earth's climate has powerfully shaped the history of the human species — biologically, culturally and geographically. But only in the last few decades has research revealed that humans can be a powerful influence on the climate as well.” Gore also said that by stating humans were a cause of global warming in An Inconvenient Truth. I thought this was a powerful statement to make because he is attempting to make people who watch the movie think about how they as an individual have affected the environment in some way.

Around the time An Inconvenient Truth was released in 2006, there were other videos and articles being released about global warming as well. One in particular has really stuck with me, and that is the band 30 Seconds To Mars’ video for their song “A Beautiful Lie.” For their music video, the band traveled to the Arctic Circle and filmed on location for it. Given that both of these were released around the time period, it leads me to believe that global warming was becoming a more prominent problem even back then. Since then, I think that global warming/climate change has become a more common topic of discussion because of all the different types of media that has focused on it.

And even though we hear many facts about global warming on a weekly basis, there are still many people in the world who are refusing to act on this information. In the article “Why the IPCC Bomb Was a Dud,” author David Roberts states “knowing and understanding is not a passive process of absorbing facts. It's an active process.” This is also an idea that Gore stresses in An Inconvenient Truth. I have also heard this statement over and over again, but Gore did something different in the film that provided new insight (for me at least) into being proactive about making a difference.

He gave examples of easy steps citizens could take to reduce carbon emissions, and actually showed on a graph how it quickly it could be reduced. Gore said “each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each of us can make choices to change that with the things we buy, with the electricity we use, the cars we drive.” He also stated that by changing the way we live our everyday lives to become more eco-friendly, eventually the carbon emission would be below the level it was in 1970. I considered this an influential idea because it allowed me to see that by changing certain things, I would actually be making a difference in the long run.

However, in a rebuttal article by The Washington Post, it is said “the trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral crusade when it's really an engineering problem. The inconvenient truth is that if we don't solve the engineering problem, we're helpless” (Samuelson). This is stating that it necessarily is not a problem that has to deal with people, but with engineering, and is the opposite of what Gore said. I am not quite sure which to believe, but in An Inconvenient Truth, the facts that were provided in a logical and easy way to understand, while the concept in this article is hard to grasp. Because of this, it makes me more prone to believe Gore’s point, which could possibly be what Gore wants. Maybe he presented the information in a way that would be easy to grasp, but also in a way that would be easily believable.

Overall, I thought that An Inconvenient Truth was an effective documentary. Whether or not it was because of the main character being an old “next president of the United States” who presented the information in a way that was designed to have everyone believe him is still up for debate. There were many helpful points that Gore made, but in the end I am not sure whether or not I believed him based on the factual evidence given, or because of whom he is as a powerful person in our society.

Works Cited

An Inconvenient Truth: Transcript. Forum Politics, 2007. Web. 27 October 2010.

“Global Warming.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 6 October 2010. Web. 24 October 2010.

Roberts, David. “Why The IPCC Bomb Was A Dud.” The Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 6 February 2007. Web. 24 October 2010.

Samuelson, Robert J. “Global Warming’s Real Inconvenient Truth.” The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company, 5 July 2006. Web. 26 October 2010.

“The 2007 Global Warming Globie Awards.” Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 2007. Web. 26 October 2010.

An Inconvenient Truth

Kelsey Williams

Ms. Mudd

Eng 151

19 October 2010

Formal Response

In Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, the issues of global warming are discussed throughout the documentary. This documentary, which was released in 2006, won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. An Inconvenient Truth focuses on global warming and how the smallest lifestyle adjustments can eventually add up to reducing their effects. Gore claims that the speech he is giving, he has also given over 1000 times all over the world, which would make him knowledgeable about the topic. The facts given throughout An Inconvenient Truth can make the audience realize what an immense problem global warming really is.

In the beginning of An Inconvenient Truth, the idea of climate change is first presented. Gore talks about what is happening to the ozone layer, the arctic, the icecaps, and other main aspects of global warming. Then as the documentary progresses, Gore presents specific facts in the form of graphs and statistics. He does this almost as to prove to the audience that global warming/climate change is not just something that is being made up- that it is a real problem in which the world is currently facing. Finally, Gore ends the documentary with talking about how everyone is capable of doing something to help and reduce the effect of climate change. He insists on the fact that we need to help maintain stability on our planet because if it gets too out of hand, no one is quite sure what will come of it.

The main theme of An Inconvenient Truth is that global warming is an epidemic that is occurring and needs to be dealt with and taken seriously. Throughout the film, Gore comments on the fact that there are some groups of people that do not believe climate change is an issue that needs to be immediately dealt with. He brings to attention the arguments that these groups of people are making and refutes them with his own statistics and facts.

Gore uses many different aspects of his story to appeal to pathos by using certain personal stories of his and relating those back to global warming. For example, in one story he related the near death experience of his son to how one definitive act can make a person view the way they perceive the world around them. I think that this type of pathos works because it allows people to relate it to their lives as well. For me, I thought that this message was very powerful because it is true. And also, I really enjoyed how Gore would position himself and was able to relate global warming to his life; this made me look at my life and consider how the climate change has inadvertently affected my life as well. I think that this is what Gore was trying to do with all of his personal stories- I think he was trying to get the audience to look at their life and see how global warming has had an affect on it.

During An Inconvenient Truth, the audience gets to see a different side of Gore that most of the public has not seen before. He explains why he became so intrigued by the problems of global warming and how he has always been trying to make people understand its importance. I think this made me want to pay attention and listen to Gore as a speaker because he was so passionate about what he was talking about. Along with that, he uses a lot of personal stories to relate to the topic, which builds up his character because it shows how he is personally related to what he is speaking about.

An Inconvenient Truth gives the audience many ideas to think about concerning how to help the reduction of global warming. Gore’s character helps to do this because it shows how one person is trying to help, which can inspire other people to want to do the same. I thought the documentary was very effective in persuading the audience to recognize global warming as a problem and in wanting to help.

Rhetorical Defense

Kelsey Williams

Ms. Mudd

English 151

2 October 2010

Rhetorical Defense

For my promotional piece, I made a video explaining a brief history of Alden Library. I explored many aspects of Alden’s history and looked through many pictures in the archives before I decided to research more in depth. Once I researched the history more in depth, I decided to just put the initial basics of Alden’s history into my video to make it much more simple for the viewer to understand. Instead of adding a lot of meaningless facts just to fill up space and time, I decided to put the most important information into the video, that way the viewers would get a simple feel for the library. Therefore, I chose to make a video to represent the history of Alden library and to highlight some key points in the library’s past.

My audience is mainly to students, however any age could watch and understand the piece. I think that the video I made has a young feel to it but however still acts as an informative and effective promotional piece. I also tried to use bold words and fonts with a neutral background to make the text stand out and to increase the readability of the text. The music added to the video, “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane, was chosen for this piece because I think it adds a somewhat calming and mellow tone to the video however still can captivate and maintain the viewer’s attention.

Rather than doing a brochure or a flyer, I felt as though a video would be more rewarding to the viewers in the end because a video presents the audience with information in a way that a flyer or brochure cannot always do. It engages the viewer in something that is more unique than a normal flyer in the fact that a video can really draw the viewer in while a flyer cannot always grab someone’s attention. Flyers and brochures can sometimes be presented in an aesthetic way, but in my opinion a video is a more pleasing and appealing way to present information.

The purpose of the video was to inform viewers on the history of Alden library. Intentionally, I did not add every single detail of the construction or every piece of history of the library because I feel as though that would start to bore the audience. Instead, I added the beginning history of the library and then fast-forwarded 40 years to the 40^th anniversary celebration of the library, called “The Passport to Hidden Treasures” and talked about what happened at that ceremony, such as Alden himself revealing a picture of the library at the ceremony. I thought that those recent aspects were important too because it shows how the library was not just relevant back when it was first built, but that it is also relevant in today’s society. I also thought it was important to address some specifics of the library, such as the specific amount of books and movies that are available in Alden, because it shows how big and diverse the library is.

To appeal to logos I used words that were easy for everyone to understand and that also presented my historical information in a logical way; for example, I told the history of Alden chronologically instead of picking random years and starting from that point in time. To appeal to pathos, I used pictures that were appealing to the human eye and that were easy to look at. I also included some type of background music to make it more interesting to watch/listen to. To appeal to ethos, I only used information and pictures that were from the Ohio University Archives or Website, that way I wasn’t distributing any false information.

I chose to do my promotional piece on Alden library because I feel as though it is a very important feature of campus. It allows students a place to escape from the hectic world and step into a quiet place where they can study or just spend a moment alone to think. The atmosphere is a very welcoming and friendly place, where anyone can go to get help if they are desperately in need. The history of Alden definitely adds to its character and I thought it was important to look into that history and gain an understanding of the library, not just as an academic resource, but also as a historical part of Ohio University.

Overall, I think that the promotional piece I created is interesting and engaging. It allows the reader to have something somewhat entertaining to watch, while at the same time being informed on the history of an important place at Ohio University. I wanted to create something unique that most people wouldn’t be able to duplicate. I think I accomplished what I originally had in mind for my promotional piece and I am quite pleased with all of the choices I made considering it.

Alden Library

Madeira, Ohio

What makes a small town unique from all the rest? To an outsider, the city of Madeira, Ohio may appear to be just another suburb of the Greater Cincinnati area. However to Steven Kirby, a former resident of the town, it is not just another suburb. Voted #1 suburb by Cincy Magazine in 2010, Madeira can be described as it’s own “bubble,” where there are no strangers, no McDonalds, and where the worst thing that happens is someone breaking into a car. The local atmosphere, the award winning school system, and the close location to a big city makes Madeira a wonderful place to live.

Madeira is located 10 miles northeast of the city of Cincinnati, which gives about a 15-20 minute drive to and from it. According to Kirby, a lot of the adults living in Madeira work at the Procter & Gamble (P&G) headquarters in downtown Cincinnati. P&G manufactures a large amount of consumer goods and serves over 180 countries worldwide; this company provides many job openings for people in need. Living in such close proximity to the city allows for many job opportunities and also an easy escape from the small town life.

This year, Madeira celebrated their 100-year birthday; the town was formed as a village in 1910, and since then it has progressed into one of the better suburbs of the Cincinnati area. Along with that, the fact that there are no McDonalds in this town sets it apart from most other places to grow up in general. Madeira is only home to a Starbucks and a Subway restaurant; the rest of the downtown area is filled with local businesses and diners, which gives the town a more welcoming atmosphere. Along with the local scene, Madeira is filled with many parks and attractions, such as a fountain right across the street from Starbucks, where Kirby says most teenagers spend their time.

The Madeira City School District is constantly voted in the top 10 public high schools in Ohio. In Kirby’s graduating class, there were only approximately 120 kids. This allows students attending the school to be able to interact with every student on a personal level, not only in their class but also in the entire school. Considering that no one is a stranger in this town, most would agree that it is easier for kids to make friends in such a place. However, Kirby stated that knowing everyone made it a little harder for him to break free of what he was used to and make new friends when the time came to do so. But even so, Madeira’s small but highly rated school district makes it a great place to raise kids.

Madeira is filled with many unique places and people, which make it a great place to live. The unique setting allows for people to step out of the usual city atmosphere and into something more secluded and personal, where people can actually get to know each other and interact with everyone living in the town. Even though Kirby is unsure if he will be returning after completing his college education at Ohio University, he definitely recommends Madeira for anyone trying to raise a family.

Connection with a Place

A place that I have a connection with would be a little town called Door County, Wisconsin. Old family friends of mine live there during the summer and every year my family and I would take a trip and spend a little more than a week there. Door County is located near one of the great lakes, which allows for a lot of swimming and boating. In Door County there are only local shops and restaurants which makes it unique in that sense; however a very hidden treasures of this town would be it's chocolate store where they sell "chocolate chickens," which are literally just little delicious chicken figurines molded from chocolate. Another interesting place in Door County is a restaurant that, at various parts during the day, has cows eating from the grass-covered roof. Since these treasures are one of a kind, I really value the fact that I even got to experience such rarities, like seeing cows graze on top of a roof. I connect with this place because I've spent so much time there that I think of it as another home. It is special to me, not only because of the people who live there, but because it is one of a kind and reminds me of important childhood memories.