April 26, 2019
Dear Car Companies and Factories:
Did you know that vehicles are a major pollution contributor? For example, According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “In 2013, transportation contributed more than half of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons emitted into our air” (Union of Concerned Scientists). This is important to keep in mind because if some car companies don’t find a way to make vehicles that don’t cause pollution that can really affect the world in the long run. So we need you to listen and create a change!
The issue we are writing about is air pollution and how it can cause a serious problem in the community. People are diagnosed with asthma and can have trouble breathing. Asthma can increase because air pollution includes Smoke from tobacco products and fires. Also, chemicals and smoke from factories and dust, mold and pollen (March of dimes). All of these chemicals are in our air and this can affect people because it is absurd to breathe this polluted air. We wonder what you are making/doing in the factories that makes companies pollute the air? Another issue that we saw in an article titled, “How Air Pollution is Destroying Our Health”. The article was talking about how pollution can affect people’s health. The article stated, “As the world gets hotter and more crowded, our engines continue to pump out dirty emissions, and half the world has no access to clean fuels or technologies (e.g. stoves, lamps), the very air we breathe is
growing dangerously polluted: nine out of ten people now breathe polluted air, which kills 7 million people every year” (World Health Organization). This is absurd nine out of ten people breathe polluted air that is outrageous we need to make a change because the article also stated that 7 million people die every year because of the causes of air pollution. Also, is time for a change because it is unhealthy to be breathing all of these chemicals that are in the air in.
Many actions have been done in the past for this issue. For example, The Clean Air Act has been passed to stop air pollution and make oxygen more clean (“Overview of the Clean Air Act and Air Pollution”). This is an example of political organizing. Another example of a Tactic of Social Change to end air pollution is bike to work day. Bike to work day is a government strategy that helps reduce air pollution and keep the earth clean. It is also a strategy to save money and stay healthy. This year bike to work day is May 9, 2019 (“Bike To Work Day”). This is an example of community organizing because it allows bikers to meet up with each other who share similar values. Also, it is economic pressure because the car companies lose money when people are biking and not driving. These tactics are effective because both are helping the environment and helping to keep the earth clean.
Our plan is to write a poem about air pollution and how it can affect people and we are going to post the poem on youth voices. We are doing this because we know that youth voices can help support our claim about stopping pollution. It is also a place where
People can help do something about their arguments. Also we are going to hand out flyers for the event “Bike to work day”. We are doing this to get many teachers to bike to work so they won’t have to use their car and pollute the air.
In conclusion, to raise awareness about air pollution, we will make a poem and post it on youth voices so we can have an audience. We will also make an instagram account to show the actions we are doing to create a change. Also, we will use our hashtag #stopairpollution. So if you want to support us in this movement please use our hashtag #stopairpollution.
Sincerely, Bryan, Jai’kari, and Latrell
Annotated Bibliography
“Air Pollution.” March of Dimes, March of Dimes,
www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/air-pollution.aspx.
This article gave some key points about air pollution and it defined what air pollution is. Also, there was a section answering the question if air pollution can affect pregnancy and your baby. The article didn’t have the date it was published and there was no author. But the date I accessed this article was on April 22nd 2019.
“Bike To Work Day.” City of Oakland, 22 Mar. 2019,
www.oaklandca.gov/resources/bike-to-work-day.
This website is about the different tactics of social change that helps keep the earth clean and It helps keep people alive. It helps keep other people healthy and promote biking. It saves money and car companies lose money. This website is a government website anyone that is researching can find resources.
“How Air Pollution Is Destroying Our Health.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization,
www.who.int/air-pollution/news-and-events/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health.
This article talks about how air pollution is destroying our health. There is also a video on how air pollution impacts your body. Also, this article was giving some statistics about air pollution. This article did not show when it was published.
“Overview of the Clean Air Act and Air Pollution.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 14 Mar. 2019,
www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview.
This website is about the ways to stop air pollution with the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act has found different tactics to stop pollution but there is still problems going on with Air Pollution. This website is credible because it has links and The reader can contact the website if The reader has questions. This website was created by the government.
“Vehicles, Air Pollution, and Human Health.” Union of Concerned Scientists, Union of Concerned Scientists, 23 Apr. 2019,
www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/vehicles-air-pollution-and-human-health.
This article was about how cars cause air pollution in our world. Also, the article left some links if you wanted to learn more about air pollution. The article also gives some solutions on how we can decrease the rates of pollution. Also I noticed that this article did not have no authors. This is relevant to my topic because my topic is about air pollution and this whole article was about air pollution.
Dear Bryan, Jai’kari, and Latrell,
You guys did an amazing job on your post. You gave amazing evidence that was both relevant and well cited. I appreciate what you are doing to contribute to an issue that many choose to brush under the carpet. For those who are determined to make a better world, they thank you for your commitment. And also I LOVE your idea of a poem! Poems for sure give the audience the most emotional effect and really bring insight to them on what the poem is about. Good idea! The part that really ties the bow for me is having the mentality of the younger generations, which are the ones that would be most affected by this issue. Good work showing those who can make a difference that they CAN make a difference. I am a student working in a group touching on this issue and are planning on either contacting a major polluter in Chicago, Illinois directly, or making a public social media post that will contain context on the issue and evidence to support it. It would be much appreciated if you can give me feedback or advice- perhaps some issues that you had and how you handled them- thank you!
Good Job on your post, very impressive!
-Steven
Dear Bryan, Jai’kari, and Latrell,
I really enjoyed reading your post, it was written well with supporting evidence. I like how you are advocating for our future world and addressing a topic that affects everyone. I wasn’t aware of the statistics you presented about how many people suffer each year from poor air quality. Also, I like how you are using social media platforms to raise awareness, keep up the great work, and thank you for addressing this topic.
Bryan, Jai’kari, and Latrell,
It’s great to read about the research you have done and the clear passion you have about this topic. You have listed a number of very strong sources to back up your argument. In terms of your proposed solutions, the Youth Voices platform does provide you with a great audience of young people. Also using social media, such as Instagram, to share your poem is a great avenue to raise awareness too. I do wonder though what you hope people will do a result of reading your poem. What is it you’d like your readers to consider or do as a result? How can you convey some clear action steps that people can take via your poem? Your second solution is a great one too. Talking to teachers about biking to work is a great way to start with an audience you know well and giving them a concrete way to get involved and help out. Best of luck in your efforts!
I love this idea. Writing a poem is very sentimental and may hit people’s emotions towards the topic. Also, with the rise in technology, creating a social media account is a great idea! I do recognize that much of society knows there is poor air pollution, but taking this topic to a new levels what you did. I feel you guys researched this well and using the minds of younger people into account was genius
Thank you for your comment we really appreciate it. I like how you said you love this idea it means a lot because it gives us motivation knowing there is people out in the world that actually like our ideas. If you’re interested in the poem about air pollution we posted on here youth voices. It is titled “Stop bullying the air” as you probably know it’s a poem about air pollution. Also, if you want to stay updated to what we are doing to be upstanders you can follow our instagram @air.pollution_45 and bike to work day is on May 9th 2019.