The East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists recently hosted Writing Green, an all-day conference on environmental journalism. The conference, held this past Friday at Calhoun’s on the River, featured panel discussions among leading energy and environmental experts and journalists from around the region. There was also a keynote address by Jim Detjen, director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.

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ETSPJ’s Amanda Womac organized and hosted the event. I estimate turnout at approx. 50 people, which included several UT students who also helped organize and cover the event. Panelists included scientists from UT and ORNL, environmental activists, and experienced environmental journalists. The program ran smoothly and covered a lot of information. The presentations were timely and informative and the discussions were lively.

The purpose of the conference was to familiarize journalists with energy and environmental issues, provide an overview of the science involved, and to discuss related public policy issues. Journalists were encouraged to practice accurate and responsible environmental reporting that raises public awareness of the issues and promotes effective public policy to address them.

Catastrophic events such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Hurricane Katrina, and the more recent TVA coal ash disaster focus media and public attention for a short time, but panel experts made a compelling argument for ongoing, in-depth coverage of environmental issues that affect us all on a day-to-day basis and their long term effects.

Panelists urged journalists to learn more about the science so they can educate the public using clear, reliable information that informs and promotes awareness. They discussed ways to frame complicated energy and environmental problems in understandable terms that people can relate to. There was much discussion about the pervasive effects of pollution and wasteful energy policies on public health, the economy, ecosystems, and overall quality of life.

There was also discussion of the serious threats to our transportation and energy systems because of our dependence on fossil fuels. Experts warned that solutions are decades or even generations away so the time to act is now. The recurring theme was that the media must play a key role in educating the public about the problems and the solutions.

The Writing Green conference was an outstanding program with an impressive panel of experts who covered a wide range of environmental issues, making for a lively and informative day of learning. The program materials included a comprehensive, seven-page list of online resources for environmental journalists prepared by participating UT students. That alone was worth the price of admission, but the real value is in the hundreds of story ideas journalists took away from the conference.

Following is a recap of the panel discussions from my notes, along with some selected video excerpts.

The first session was an introduction to environmental issues in Southern Appalachia, moderated by UT professor of environmental ethics Dr. John Nolt.

Dr. Meng-Dawn Cheng, distinguished scientist, ORNL Atmospheric and Aerosol Science Group, gave a presentation about air quality and the numerous sources of air pollution and its pervasive effects. He noted that you can go several days without food or water, but asked how long can you hold your breath? He cited acid rain, ozone, haze and visibility, global warming, toxic air pollution, indoor air quality, smog, and particulates as key issues that impact respiratory and cardiovascular health, the economy, and ecosystems. He said that carbon emissions are affecting the Earth's heat and energy balance. He also discussed various air quality monitoring and regulatory standards, noting that some are not that meaningful or effective.

Dr. Randall Gentry, director of the institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, talked about sustainability. He said that sustainability science is hard to define because it involves both fundamental and applied science, and the challenge is applying fundamental science to quality of life issues. The EPA is attempting to develop metrics to describe sustainability, such as the water usage required per hectare to produce a particular crop, or measuring the carbon lifecycle for an activity or project. He said there are currently no civil engineering standards for consideration of climate change/variability. He discussed water resources and how adequate water supplies and regional disputes are often-overlooked environmental issues. He discussed differences between the "riparian doctrine" in the East and the "appropriated doctrine" in the West, and said there were no good standards for water usage.

Jonathan Overly, executive director of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition spoke about development of clean alternative fuels, particularly for transportation. Transportation is especially vulnerable because fuels are not diversified, and oil is inefficient because 75% of the energy is wasted in production, distribution, and use. He also said there is no perfect alternative fuel and that ethanol is not a replacement for gasoline but its production is a more efficient use of petroleum resources. Mr. Overly said the public has a general lack of thought or caring about energy consumption because it is so cheap, and feels that fuel will have to become much more expensive before we act on the problem. He summarized the keys to sustainable energy use as: Reduce (better efficiency), Eliminate (conserve), and Replace (alternative fuels).

Dr. Stephen A. Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, talked about their work on policy, advocacy, and public awareness. He urged the media to "connect the dots" between the economic and environmental costs of our energy policies and the harmful effects of fossil fuels. He noted that the South has generally been an obstacle to energy and environmental reforms because of the abundance of coal and a lack of political leadership. He noted, however, that Tennessee is uniquely positioned to become a key economic player in renewable and alternative energy.

The next session on environmental law and policy was moderated by Amy Gibson, director development and policy research for the Baker Center.

Don Barger, senior regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association, discussed how inherent conflicts in a competing hierarchy of legal, political, and regulatory authority are an obstacle to effective management of natural resources. He said that sustainability is not something we’ve just discovered, it is something we’ve forgotten, reminding us of the old adage "don’t eat your seed corn." He says that if we don’t act, Glacier National Park won’t have any glaciers and Joshua Tree National Park won’t have any Joshua Trees. He urged journalists to "make science truth" but also to make it understandable.

Dr. Christian Vossler, UT professor and program leader for energy and environmental policy at the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, spoke from an economist’s point of view. He said the benefits of environmental improvements exceed the cost and discussed ways to measure their value. He also discussed different approaches to meeting policy goals at the lowest possible cost such as pollution taxes and cap-and-trade schemes. He said information disclosure is an inexpensive way to rally adverse consumer reaction that influences corporate behavior. He encouraged journalists to make the connection between energy costs and pollution to promote conservation and strengthen social norms regarding energy and environmental protection.

Professor Dean Rivkin, UT College of Law, is an expert on environmental law. He discussed the "public nuisance" theory of environmental lawsuits, citing the recent North Carolina lawsuit against TVA as an example. He said journalists should be asking why the Tennessee Attorney General isn’t pursuing a similar action. He also discussed the history of environmental law, the basis of which is to make polluters internalize the cost of pollution. Regarding enforcement, he said "everything stopped in 2000," and that deadlocks in the political process inevitably lead to court. During the Q&A session, Professor Rivkin said that the "media should be a partner of truth." He quoted Frank Lloyd Wright who said "truth is more important than facts" and noted that facts are unfortunately being manipulated to distort the truth.

During the lunch break, Jim Degjen, director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, gave a presentation about the history and future of environmental journalism. He reviewed coverage of disasters such as Exxon Valdez, Bhopal and Katrina, with special recognition of the award-winning journalism by the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He said that the media has a special responsibility because the public gets virtually all of their information about environmental issues from news reports and that the environment consistently ranks among their top concerns. He cited population growth, climate change, and water resources as environmental issues that journalists should be following.

The third session, "The Energy Beat: Coal in Appalachia," was moderated by Dr. Mike McKinney, UT professor of environmental studies.

Dr. T.J. Blasing, researcher for the ORNL Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, gave a technical presentation on sources of CO2 emissions which are mostly coal and tailpipe emissions. A map showed that states with the highest per-capita CO2 emissions corresponded with the presence of coal, including the Southern Appalachian region. Region 5 (WV, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, DE, MD, DC) has the largest carbon footprint, and region 6 (KY, TN, MS, AL) produces energy for region 5 from coal. Dr. Blasing said the first 10% to 15% of energy conservation savings will come from improvements in efficiency.

Bill Kovarik, professor of journalism at Radford University and editor of Appalachian Voices, talked about the TVA coal ash disaster. He outlined inconsistencies in TVA public statements as the event unfolded and discussed discrepancies between TVA's reported water testing results and EPA and other independent testing which showed much higher concentrations of toxic pollutants. He said this issue would be the subject of an upcoming Senate investigation. Professor Kovarik also discussed how environmental activists and citizen journalists are bypassing traditional media and taking their stories directly to online new media, although this may result in bringing "a little more heat and a little less light" to the issues.

Barbara Martocci, TVA public relations, declined to comment on the preceding discussion other than to point out that it matters where water samples are taken from. She gave an overview of TVA recovery operations at the Kingston ash spill disaster site, with particular emphasis on the types of heavy equipment and barges being deployed to recover fly ash material. She also discussed the Emory River dredging operations which began this week to remove ash deposits from the river. TVA anticipates a three phase operation that will take several months to complete. The first phase, already underway, is expected to take 60 days. Phases two and three are not yet designed. They are proceeding with caution due to concerns about disturbing toxic "legacy sediments."

Liz Veazy, regional campus coordinator for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, discussed media coverage of the TVA coal ash spill disaster. She said that reporting on the TVA disaster was much improved as compared to coverage of a similar 2000 coal sludge spill in Martin Co. Kentucky. Ms. Veazy also noted the role of blogs and other new media in covering the disaster. She said the media should be questioning whether TVA needs to build new generating capacity given expected demand reduction, and whether "clean coal is a myth" given that mountaintop removal, sludge dams, air pollution, coal ash, and other problems suggest the entire coal cycle is extremely dirty.

The fourth and final session, "Working the Beat," was moderated by ETSPJ host Amanda Womac, instructor of media writing at Lincoln Memorial University.

Scott Barker, environmental reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel, talked about their coverage of the TVA disaster. Because it happened over the holidays they were short staffed. When the story broke just after midnight, Mr. Barker was the editor on duty and had only two reporters, a business reporter and a UT beat reporter, to dispatch to the scene. He said "no one in the newsroom had even heard of fly ash before this happened," so they were facing a steep learning curve. He said that when a story like this breaks, the media initially gets information only from the agency involved. As it evolves, they have more time to do in-depth reporting and get independent experts involved. He said that TVA posting information such as inspection reports on their website was a welcome change from the past, when the media had to file FOIA requests and wait months. He noted that the national media has moved on, and it is up to local media to stay on the story and focus their watchdog role on not only the cleanup costs but also the potential long term health effects.

Dr. Gregory Button, UT professor of anthropology, is a former NPR reporter and now an expert on the study of environmental disasters. Dr. Button said that media coverage of extreme events is important because that's how most people, including policy makers, learn about the science and the issues. He also noted that every disaster is different, even similar disasters such as two separate hurricanes, because of the varying impact on unique local communities and environments. He urged the media to be accurate and to not generalize. He said environmental disasters must be looked at as a continuum, from the initiating event to recovery to the long term effects. The stories don't go away, they just move off the front page and are forgotten. He said there is no distinction between natural and unnatural disasters because all disasters are unnatural in terms of policy and the response which are frequently more harmful. He said when looking for answers to look for the power, noting the "asymmetrical relationships in social organizations and the body politic."

Rikki Hall, editor of the Hellbender Press environmental newspaper and contributor to Metro Pulse, spoke next about his approach to environmental journalism. He said that you always have the natural resource in mind and that it's important to communicate its value. He said that he always starts with maps to better understand the place involved, the rivers and streams, the land, and the creatures and their role in the ecosystem, and that environmental reporters can use this understanding to make the story important and relevant to the reader. He said Discovery Channel should have looked at a map before they reported that certain species of mussels would be threatened by the TVA ash spill disaster when in fact they live in a part of the river far above the disaster site where gravity dictates they won't be affected. Mr. Hall said that environmental reporting is "at the crux of several influences," and that reporters need to understand not only the science but also the major economic influences at work.

Ann Keil, reporter for WATE, talked about their coverage of the TVA ash spill disaster. She said TV news reporters often face obstacles getting these types of stories on the air because people aren't generally interested and that the reporter's challenge is to make them interesting and relevant. Ms. Keil said that one way to do that is to connect people and their emotions and anger and fears to the story. She offered tips for reporters, which included talking with subjects as if they are neighbors talking over coffee to get them to open up, to show the scene but also the emotions of people affected, to keep up with contacts, both subjects of stories and officials who can comment, to show all sides of the story, and to do your research.