Fall 2020 Environmental Communication

  The effects of the red tide in Florida   September 23 rd , 2020   The effects that the red tide has on both the citizens of Florida and the marine life is often overlooked. Here are some facts about the red tide that impacted Florida in 2018.   - The 2018 red tide was the longest in recorded history.   - Hundreds of marine animals died including dolphins, turtles, and fish.   - Residents that lived near the beach at that time reported having respiratory issues.   - The tourism industry in Florida was greatly impacted.   The main theme of my project was to gain more public awareness about the devastating effects that the red tide has on Florida. I made a detailed brochure to present facts to the public and show them why we should be looking for more solutions to mitigate the effects of the red tide.                    Proximity (Pe...

  Shark conservation is a well talked about topic, but still requires a lot of attention and change. Sharks are an integral part of the ocean's precious ecosystem, with their presence often indicating the healthiness of coral reefs. They are essential for our survival but are disappearing from our oceans at a worryingly rapid pace, mostly because of unethical fishing practices, finning, overfishing, etc.   In this project, I had two main goals. One: Effectively communicate with people around my age, bridging the gap between adult conservationists and those of us from a younger generation who want to make a difference. Two: Communicate lesser-known aspects of shark conservation, providing a more in-depth explanation of how important sharks are to us, and how finning is not the only problem they face.  I created a blog on Tumblr, as part of my effort to connect with a like-minded, younger crowd. Initially, I was going to take a more formal approach to my writing, but t...

https://ourfloridawetlands.wixsite.com/ourfloridawetlands As we are all students in Florida, our group wanted to focus on a state issue. We decided that we wanted to spread awareness of habitat loss in the Everglades. This natural area is extremely important to the health of Florida’s ecosystem. To advocate for this issue effectively we framed our campaign in hopes to become newsworthy from our viewers' emotional investment.   In order to reach some of these goals we had, we decided to create a website in order to display pictures of the everglades, provide information, and give the opportunity for viewers to get involved. On our website numerous pages of information can be accessed, including an endangered species list where viewers can learn about some of the species that inhabit this location, links to donation pages, and volunteer opportunities to really get involved. This represents clicktivism, as people can take action through one link. Ways to Donate!: http://www.everg...

      For my project I created a website to highlight the controversy of the North Dakota Access Pipeline running through the Standing Rock territory which is sacred to the Sioux people. The Construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline threatens the drinking water of the Sioux people and subsequently their health. Environmentalists are concerned that the pipeline will also increase America’s oil infrastructure contributing further to climate change. I wanted to boost the voice of indigenous people and the best way I could do that was make a website with helpful resources. I was very inspired by Shailene Woodley’s article because she used her prominence as an actress to advocate for the Sioux people. I wanted to focus on the idea of clicktivism as it is safest to stay at our homes right now, and even after the pandemic most will not be able to protest in person due to being unable to travel. Clicktivism is the concept of taking action by clicking a link online ...

  Sea Level Rise in Louisiana Throughout the last two decades, the impact of climate change has been at its peak affecting the entire world. Due to the rapid warming of Earth causing ice sheets to melt, the rise of the sea level has been one of the strongest effects we have witnessed due to climate change. This environmental issue has caused damages from which we will never be able to recover. In the United States, Lousiana has been affected the most by rising sea levels, along with Texas. With its south facing the Gulf of Mexico, the sea level around Louisiana is already 24 inches higher than it was in 1950 resulting in the loss of approximtely 25 square miles of land per decade ( SeaLevelRise.org, 2016 ). The main contributor to sea level rise in the state is land sinkage, which prevents protection from storm surges and floods. Many locals depend on the water to make a living, but most importantly it is part of their culture and it is slowly being taken away from them.  Loui...

  Hello! We are a group of three students at Eckerd College and we wanted to tackle some form of environmental policy with our environmental communication project. After deliberation, we settled on trying to kick start an initiative for Florida to join the U.S. Climate Alliance. The U.S. Climate Alliance is a coalition of states that set their own standards for greenhouse gas emissions and use of “clean energy,” in response to the United States dropping out of the Paris Agreement, a global agreement set by the UN increasing action taken that minimizes climate change . Florida is currently not a member o f the alliance, but with our informative website and petition, we hope to gain support to bring this issue to the attention of state politicians.   We thought a website would be the best way to reach the largest number of people, especially now in the COVID era, action taken virtually can be just as powerful as a protest, or demonstration, and allows viewers to show their sup...

Think Sustainable Seafood       Hi, my name is Tara McCracken . I am a college student at Eckerd College, majoring in Environmental Studies. After spending my summer/pandemic lockdown watching and herding cows back into the paddocks they just broke out from, I kept hearing the term “grass-fed beef” and wondered: Are there grass-fed fish? Of course, fish can’t graze on grass as cows can, but that’s how I found out about Sustainable Seafood.      Right now, we have an issue, since “Ninety percent of fish populations are currently fished at, or beyond, their sustainable limits” (Monterey Bay Aquarium, 1999). Sustainable seafood balances the consumption of seafood by people and the production of seafood by fisheries/farms sustainably .       When I analyzed the media on sustainable seafood, this is what I found. First, it focuses on what's good for the ocean and secondly, on what’s good for people, BUT barely mentions the fisheries!...