GREEN MEDIA

Nowadays, it has become increasingly important to reduce carbon emissions. However, lots of people are unaware or uninformed about how significant alternative green energy is to achieve carbon neutrality.  Important forms of alternative energy, such as methane and nuclear, have been neglected by the public due to lack of knowledge or bad publicity.  When there is a negative stigma towards a form of energy, less people are willing to adopt it.  Lack of knowledge about the different kinds of energy limits what we as a society can do to protect Earth.  

Methane and nuclear energy are a faucet of green energy that are often overlooked. Methane, once perceived as a contentious energy source due to its ties to greenhouse gas emissions, is experiencing a reevaluation amid pressing environmental concerns. Despite its checkered past, it holds promise as a renewable energy source. Studies have revealed its efficient conversion into usable energy, emphasizing its role in reducing methane emissions while generating electricity and heat for cities like Shenzhen, China, by utilizing the methane procured instead of letting it reach the atmosphere. Furthermore, advancements in technology, such as power-to-gas applications, highlight the economic viability and sustainability of methane production, especially when integrated with renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. As for nuclear energy, although not without its controversies, it offers a low-carbon emission alternative to fossil fuels, contributing to a cleaner energy mix. Nuclear power plants produce electricity without greenhouse gas emissions, providing a reliable and consistent energy supply. While both methane and nuclear energy have their respective challenges and concerns—such as methane's potency as a greenhouse gas and nuclear waste management—they offer substantial potential in mitigating climate change and fostering a greener, more sustainable future when managed responsibly and complemented by robust regulatory frameworks and technological innovations.

Additionally, lack of information leads towards insecurity in the subject, which can bring upon stigmas.  Such as seen with the case of nuclear energy.  Nuclear energy is such an effective source of abundant, cheap electricity that emits very little carbon emissions.  However, this knowledge is instead replaced with the negative connotations ‘nuclear’ brings.  Nuclear energy invokes negative emotions through associations with nuclear weapons of mass destruction or the three nuclear disasters of Chernobyl, Fukishima, and Three Mile Island.  While these are valid sentiments to have, emotions like these prevent any more innovations to help reduce global warming.  Although the nuclear disasters did wreak havoc, today’s standards would prevent anything like that from happening.  Even accounting all the disasters, nuclear is still one of the safest forms of energy.  Similarly with methane, people associate it with negative emotions.  Greenhouse gases come to mind, which is a contributor to global warming.  Despite it being the main component of natural gas, it has lots of potential.  With recent innovations, methane could be harvested from landfills and waste treatment plants to produce electricity.  With how many innovations are happening at once, it can be hard to keep up.  It is important now, more than ever, to inform people about different forms of energy to break lesser-known energy forms free from stigma.  With more options, carbon neutrality is within close proximity.

Marketing tactics and a strong media presence is crucial for presenting these clean, or cleaner, types of energy because they help shape public opinion and influence behavior. Marketing campaigns can help raise urgency and awareness about harmful energies, like fossil fuels, and promote necessary facts to help educate people on the severity of our current global issues. There are currently problems with the media not broadcasting enough, or the right kind of information. Large oil and gas corporations have enough money to persuade the media in one direction, or hide crucial information from the public. A part of our group’s goal is to make sure everything is transparent, and honest when it comes to our media in order to start the process of making a cleaner world. We will also aid other media platforms and marketing teams in order to come up with useful tactics that help inform and persuade the public to choose cleaner options. In order to grab the public’s attention, we found that using a familiar face or celebrity may be an effective tool. Based on one of our researcher’s technical study, it was proven that most people will recall information or be more likely to interact with a marketing tactic if it involves someone recognizable. Green Media will use this for our marketing in order to help promote the use of cleaner types of energy like nuclear and methane.

To sum up, non-conventional sources of energy often do not receive unanimous acceptance among the population due to either lack of awareness or a controversial history, leading to public skepticism. Our goal is to advocate for an improved relationship between the media and these energy sources, raising awareness regarding their significance and their contributions to a cleaner planet. Improving the understanding of these sources through media educates the public on the topic, empowering them to make informed decisions and actively participate in discussions about the roles that non-conventional energy sources play in our society. 

We call for the promotion of cleaner energy, and to aid other companies, marketing teams, and media groups to broadcast these environmentally friendly energies as well. We are acting to find the best tactics in marketing and media in order to ensure a greener world that does not involve greenwashing or false advertising.