Name: Alina Shen

Issue 1: Energy Crisis Project 1
Details: I would like to visit restaurants in my community and convince managers to work with biodiesel companies and recycle their used vegetable oil for biodiesel production. There are several iffy details about the production of biodiesel (waste products, purity of processed materials), but I think biodiesel production is doing more good than harm. Tristate Biodiesel is a company that has shown interest in working with youth. Their PR person (it is a small company) came and spoke to us. She was basically going door to door in restaurants hoping their managers would meet with her. She handed out flyers and tried to speak in their language (Asian fast food restaurants do produce a lot of oil).
Also, chain restaurants such as McDonald's have their own company oil collector or something, so the PR person was trying to get in with local restaurants. It is illegal and dangerous to dispose of used cooking oil by pouring it down the drain but Tristate Biodiesel will drive by for free in most areas. I have a lot more information on biodiesel (powerpoints, factsheets).

Research Links:
http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/greenhouse_gas.cfm
http://www.tristatebiodiesel.com/basics.htm
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/biodiesel_benefits.html
http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/fuelfactsheets/Myths_Facts.pdf

Issue 2: Energy Crisis Project 2
Details: I'd like to go around to schools and show children a simplified version of a biodiesel powerpoint. I think that many kids (especially in the Flushing area) have parents who are restaurant owners (see above issue). Even if their parents are not restaurant owners, kids who are more aware of greenhouse gases and recycling will help put these issues on the map and hopefully educate the younger generation.

Research Links:
http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/fuelfactsheets/kids_sheet.pdf

Issue 3: Body Image (the Dirty Dirty Media)
Details: I was watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCjOl4gkwpw&feature=related and I completely believe in the power of cartoons now. I would like to find a way to animate a PSA to promote healthy body image. Dove's "campaign for real beauty" seems like a good source to follow.

Research Links:
http://psucomm473.blogspot.com/2009/03/dove-campaign-for-real-beauty.html

Issue 4: World Hunger
Details: Not only world hunger, but national hunger. It makes me angry that there are more obese people than malnourished people in the world. I want to work with an organization that brings food to areas where starvation is an issue.

Research Links:
http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/what-food-desert
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/sponsor-a-child-search?open?open&campaign=11935136&cmp=KNC-11935136&ttcode=hunger&rd=1&ver=soft
http://www.squidoo.com/world-hunger
http://www.freerice.com

Issue 1:
I think this applies mostly to restaurants, but you can try to gather up a group of restaurants that you are targetting (best if they are in the same area), and hold an event that promotes their restaurant. For example, my mom used to organize "Taste of Chinatown" each year, which involves street(s) of restaurants displaying samples of their food and selling them for $1, so they could advertise their own restaurant, while showing others the culture of Chinatown. You can do a something similar to let each restaurant adverstise themselves. Except while "Taste of Chinatown" was to promote Chinatown, your incentive will be to require all participating restaurants to work with biodiesel companies for one year. But this requires a lot of time and organizing.

Issue 3:
I love the idea of cartoons as a way to send a message, but I think it will only be so effective until the media kicks in again. For adults, I'm pretty sure, they will like the cartoon and think it as cute, but will not really give a second thought to it. For children, I think body image is important for the start of their education. I also think they will like the cartoon, but only until they get full access to the media, through movies, tv, magazines, etc. I'm not saying that we should limit children's access to the media so they are not affected by such images, but what I mean to say is that, media is more "appealing" and kids are more curious about it. So I guess a somewhat bizarre idea would be to work with the fashion industry. I think they play a really important role on body image, not because they are about physical appearances, but because they have the money and power for change.

Issue 1:
Energy Crisis: This looks great! It is clear that you have done a lot of research on this topic and that you understand most of the inner workings of this project. I would say that this project would require a lot of manpower in terms of going to restaurants and contacting them to donate. This project does however require a little more research in terms of where does the oil go if restaurants do not donate? Perhaps you might need tighter regulation if restaurants are just dumping the oil into the sinks. I like Anna's idea about promoting a fair although that would require establishing contacts first. Definitely could be a good action plan.

Issue 2:
Energy Crisis Part II: The educational side of this would be a little more difficult. Going into schools teaching about only one method of alternative energy may not be the best option nor do I trust that schools will let you go in with such a limited scope. This part would be a little more difficult alone but if you paired up with another institution then it would be a little easier.

Issue 3:
Cartoons: Great idea! Cartoons can be used a powerful medium to get kids at a young age. This can be a feasible plan but definitely requires a lot of research and contacting persons. You would have to get a lot of people to persuade big corporations that this cartoon could be "marketable."

Issue 4:
Starvation: World Hunger is a large and vast social issue that can hardly be tackled all at once. I would say that you need a more specific location and mechanisms to transfer food to other nations. You definitely need to do much more research in order to begin. This could be a great research topic.

I am tentatively working on the biodiesel project.

Topic 3:
I totally totally agree! Not only is it just with the cartoons and Disney movies, the ads from popular clothing brands affect a child's perspective to beauty as well. Abercrombie and Fitch's shopping bags with the shirtless guys and skimpy models are seen everywhere around NYC and it disgusts me to hear that they have marketed a push-up bikini for YOUNG CHILDREN. These ads give the children a wrong mindset where they think that they would need big breasts or short skirts at a young age in order to increase their sex appeal. I mean their CHILDREN. They need to understand that they can only look like that when the time comes. Some even develop eating disorders from trying to lose weight to look like those overly skinny models. Sigh.

I'm not too sure how I should organize them...but I'll try my best

Organizations (to work with)

Tristate Biodiesel -> CEO Brent
They have shown interest in working with small activist groups and their biodiesel production worksite is in Brooklyn, NY. They drive around NYC in large trucks collecting used vegetable oil. They are a for-profit organization, however, and a growing business. So far, their goal is to target restaurants that do not have an official oil collector (ethnic mom n pop restaurants). Just keeping in mind that if my project is to help this company, I are ultimately helping a small business grow and earn money.

http://www.tristatebiodiesel.com/basics.htm

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
They make laws and officiate policies (involving tax reductions) on biodiesel use or production.

http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=2&tax_level=2&tax_subject=281&level3_id=0&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&topic_id=1365&&placement_default=0
http://www.eere.energy.gov/

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
It appears that their goal is to bring awareness to environmental issues, although they have a broad scope of concerns and may not want to center in on biodiesel.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/42148.html

NEED Project
This is a USDA sponsered program by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. They have a lot of information on biodiesel and appear to be a source of fact sheets and lesson plans for elementary and high schools.


http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/fuelfactsheets/Biodiesel_transporation_fuels_curriculum.pdf\

Department of Environmental Protection
They regularly check in on restaurants to make sure their oil is disposed or properly.

NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
A huge portion of biodiesel is produced using soybeans or maize from agricultural crops. I don't THINK using used oil would affect the large scale biodiesel producers using these bulk crops, but I could be wrong.

Restaurant Small Businesses
(target audience, mostly small newly-immigrant restaurants that are not aware that it is illegal to