Download Jason Trott Eng 110 Dr. Trupe December 8, 2016 Reflection on the

Jason Trott
Eng 110
Dr. Trupe
December 8, 2016
Reflection on the Writing Process of Multi-Genre Project
The Multi-Genre project was a new and different experience for me as a student. Never
in an English class has a teacher of mine opted to not write an essay in favor of a more engaging
project. The project really gave me the freedom to explore with different forms of expressing
my research with more than just words on a page. I ended up choosing my topic to be
alternative energy sources and how we should be exploring and using them more. I decided on
my “genres” being a letter to my congressman from my home district, a Prezi informing the
viewer on the benefits of these sources and their costs, and a brochure explaining their benefits
and costs as well but more in depth.
I began with research on several different levels I used Academic Search Complete and
basic internet searches. Especially in this day and age I found it very important to find sources
that were well written and good, true sources. I also wanted a mix of completely informational
pieces but also some recent news sources, especially for the letter to my congressman.
First I found some news sources on the web about US affairs with climate change. With
a new president-elect who does not nesseecarily believe in climate change I wanted good
information on the subject. One article about the Paris Accord, which is an agreement between
some of the largest nations on combating climate change and reducing pollution, gave me
valuable information stating China was willing to continue the battle even if the US decides to
go in a different direction. Another that is a basic article is about Donald Trump’s environmental
views. Surprisingly it is one view that he has held consistent over the years and has not said any
conflicting statements about it. He has always held that global warming does not exist and has
even gone as far to say that China created the idea to gain an economic advantage. These were
very useful in the writing of my letter to my congressman.
The remainder of my research was purely informational. I did not want my brochure and
Prezi to be overly biased in any way so I wanted to include the benefits but also the negatives,
mainly costs, for these energy sources. When researching I found that many people do not
know that there are so many different types of energy source that are used sparingly in the US.
I found that solar panels were much more expensive than I had originally had thought, usually
costing in the tens of thousands of dollars per home. I also learned that you could also
essentially sell back your solar energy produced by your personal panels if you produce more
than you use. If you choose to do this the electric company will lower your bill substantially for
the electricity you produce for them. There are also many different tax benefits, depending on
the state in which you live, that you can take advantage of if you own solar panels.
I also learned that Geo-thermal energy, which I thought could be used anywhere, can
only be used in regions where there tends to be high volcanic activity. In regions without this
extra natural heat from the earth there simply would not be enough heat form the earth for it
to work. However, in areas with these types of power plants the can totally replace a traditional
coal power plant, as long as the volcanoes around do not go dormant.
I also learned with windmills or wind turbines that when many are placed in a high wind
area it can produce enough energy for a whole region. However, I also learned that just one of
these turbines can cost up to 40,000 dollars. Many people who live in these areas who oppose
them also claim that the sight of the large amounts of windmills can “ruin the view of the
countryside”.
Dams that create hydro-electric power can also cost billions of dollars and is the main
reason on why they are not built more often. Though they do tend to last a very long like the
Hoover Dam has been operational since the 1930s.
Overall, I came into the project thinking I knew all there was to know about these
different energy sources. However, I soon discovered that there was much more to learn and
discover that helped me on my multi-genre project.