In our video, we decided to create a parody of the television/web series “Billy On The Street”, where we question people on the spot and see exactly what they know about air pollution, the effects, and causes of air pollution while still having a comedic twist to it. I chose this topic because, as someone who often can’t breathe around smoke and other air pollutants, and someone who is socially aware about how it’s affecting our climate, I think people really need to know that although it doesn’t look like it, our city is very polluted and there needs to be information getting out there.

I felt a bit like the director and editor of the group. I made sure that we got all the footage we needed, that the video looked nice and presentable, and that all the information was contained in the video while still trying to keep it entertaining. I feel like we got what we wanted with our video: to be short, succinct, and funny while still giving out information about air pollution. What I wish I could of done differently is focus more on my group, as when I tried to I had to help other people and got sidetracked often.

Our video addressed  the issues regarding crude oil trains and how Philly can take action to make sure that if one of the trains passing through happens to derail, we have a plan and can take action. Oil trains run through Pittsburg, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota, Washington state, California, and Pennsylvania. We chose to focus on this because the media wasn’t really bringing attention to the issue and also Pennsylvanians don’t have any laws to protect their residents from this issue. This is a major problem because in the past three years there have been three derailments just in Pennsylvania. We need to take a stand and make a law to make sure we can prevent future accidents. Everyone should have access to clean air water and  soil, and to a healthy, safe, livable community. Unfortunately, these rights are often denied to minority and low-income communities, creating a disparate risk and environmental injustice for Pennsylvanians.

We set up our video as a news report. In the video you have news reporter, Governor Tom Wolf, Senator Hillary Clinton, and a random resident from the neighborhood. Governor Tom Wolf and Senator Hillary Clinton are discussing their major concerns who on the crude oil trains and why it’s important that the issue is addressed.

My contributions to this project was help create the script, helping edit the video, and set up recording times. I believe that I did a fair share amount of the work. Things I did well during this project was keeping everything organized and staying on top of the checkpoints and something I could have done differently was maybe thinking thoroughly on the PSA. I think towards the end of the project my group members pulled it together to create a great video. The most meaningful part of the experience of creating the PSA was knowing that I’m getting awareness out there to the world. To be a part of something like that makes me want to take more steps to get other environmentally justice issues out there.

The video below was made to publicize an underrated issue, CSX crude oil trains running through PA. Most people, including myself, are unaware that these oil trains are passing through our state and to most that might not seem like a problem. However, there have been several reports of these trains derailing which leads to dangerous oil spills and could harm a lot of civilians. Pennsylvania is the not the only state where these trains pass through, but the reason it's an issue specifically for citizens of PA is because of the fact that we don't have any laws protecting the trains or the people living near the tracks. The reason I chose to do this topic is because as a citizen of PA I think it is important for not only our health and safety but as a community that we have the resources and capability to immediately take action if a train is at risk of derailing or does derail.

Reflection

This video was created to inform Philadelphians about the CSX Crude Oil Trains that pass through Philadelphia. I chose this topic because many Philadelphians like myself were naive that trains transporting oil pass through our city. There has been no plan for evacuation created in case an explosion happens. These trains go past the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and Center City where many people live. The fumes these trains leave behind makes our environment worse than it already is. I think all residents should be aware of what passes through their neighborhoods that could potentially harm them.

Reflection

Our video was about bringing awareness of the rampant air pollution in one of Philadelphia’s poorest districts, the River Wards. We discovered that the River Wards has a shocking amount of people who have had to go to the hospital due to asthma related symptoms. We believe that the problem really stems from the fact that the River Wards was a very industrialized district back in the day and that the pollution caused from large factories has lingered and has caused many of its' residents ongoing health issues. The video really calls people to action, especially since it features a preview into the River Wards future, which is ultimately not a pretty sight. The fact of the matter is, air pollution has been a pepple in America’s shoe for quite sometime, not only that, but countries all over the world are starting to see the effects of reckless industrialization and air pollution.

I chose this particular topic because while we may not see the signs of the ways in which we currently pollute the earth, air pollution is relatively easy to see the effects of. As I said before, people are having to be hospitalized just for stepping outside. That is just not right in my opinion. If things don’t start to change, than the dystopian future we demonstrated in our PSA will become our very grim reality. The thing about air pollution is that due to the fact that much industrialism in America happened before I or any of my classmates were born. A whole generation would never have experienced a world without air pollution. Imagine how much longer our life spans might be if we severely regulated factories, automobiles, or anything else that produced larges amounts air pollution. I just wanted to show the world that we as a society need to step up and start thinking of solutions and do our part for our neighbors and the world as a whole.

I think I contributed to this project by helping create the script, helping edit the video once we shot it, as well as having a speaking role within the video. I think I did my fair share of work and I feel as though my team members would support that statement. I think that we as group in general worked really hard to create a top quality PSA and I am very proud of the work and effort that and  my team members put in it. I believe that I tend to try to be more of a leader, however I feel like I had a really amazing team and I always had someone to help me so I didn’t have the take all the responsibility of getting everything together which was really nice and I really appreciated my team members.

I think that I really used the class time efficiently and I got something done on the project each class. I think that I also made sure that we were getting things done in a timely manner and keeping everyone aware of the deadline. I think maybe I could have started working on the project a little earlier than we did, I think that maybe I should have worked on the script sooner. I also feel like I could have maybe worked a little harder to make sure everyone felt like they we being allowed to contribute. Sometimes i'm so focused on what I am doing I forgot to include other people.

I think the most meaningful part of the PSA was watching it slowly all come together. There was this great moment when we were editing and I saw all the content that we had and I just remembered how in the previous week we barely had anything. It is a pretty great feeling to see all your hard work on a platform. Sometimes with projects, it is just one and done, however this project might actually be shown to a larger audience if it gets picked for the film festival which is pretty amazing. When you're doing these types of projects, a lot of the time it just feels like it is just work for work's-sake, however air pollution is something that affects all of us and it is a very serious ongoing problem that most people just shrug off as another issue with no solution. However we wanted to open minds and allow people to come to the conclusion that silence in this case is deadly. It is time to speak up and take action