BIO5 How-To-Compost Video

Transcription

1 BIO5 How-To-Compost Video Project Proposal The marketing-communication team of the BIO5 Institute, headed by Daphne Gilman, plans to produce an informative, HD, high-quality video (2-3 minutes in length) to teach postconsumer food composting techniques. BIO5 is a leader in the scientific community, as well as on the UA campus. The institute is housed in the Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch Building, a facility that has been called the most complicated building on campus. Waste reduction and recycling programs are already in place within Keating. They include: recycled paper in administration copiers; recycling of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, office paper, and cardboard; special recycling of several tons of plastic lab refuse annually; watering nearby plant beds with condensate reclaimed from the HVAC system; solar-powered trash compactor; employee communication about reducing electricity use; reduction of printed marketing materials, and the selection of green printers when we must print collateral. BIO5 strives to lead by example, and by exploring post-consumer food composting in its public restaurant, the Nucleus Café, and 5 employee lunch rooms, we hope to contribute to the UA s efforts toward sustainability by serving as a test program for other campus sites. This video, which will be produced using student videographers, addresses the key task of persuading the Keating building s 425 occupants to participate by promoting food composting as a simple and cost-effective way to green the UA and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. BIO5 s marketing-communication efforts reach audiences across the state, ranging from K-12 students to state legislators to donors. The finished video will be widely distributed to the institute s constituents through BIO5 main website bio5.org, its several Facebook pages, as well as playlists on itunesu and YouTube. It will also be featured on the lobby monitors in BIO5 s lobby as well as four visitor computer kiosks (provided by the Gateway Corporation) to help educate the hundreds of tour visitors we welcome to the Keating Building annually. A video recently produced by BIO5 students may be found online: BIO5 Media Spot The video would be of direct educational benefit to the student production team, and would indirectly benefit other University of Arizona students by promoting good environmental practices and teaching a practical and useful household skill. It would also be of great educational benefit to the primary audience of the video: the 425 men and women who work in

2 BIO5 s Keating Building, as well as the hundreds of visitors who dine in our Nucleus Café and take tours of the research facility. Because the video would be student-produced, the cost of production would be low. This application seeks to secure $2500 to pay for select production and post-production processes, including editing and graphics, necessary to guarantee the quality and usefulness of the final product. This contribution would be matched in-kind by BIO5, which plans to provide staff support and most audiovisual equipment. The BIO5 s relationships with CCIT and Arizona Public Media would also produce potential in-kind contributions in the form of script review and the loan of broadcast-quality equipment. The Women of Biosciences Toastmasters Club is a possible source of voice-over and on-camera talent. This project is already supported by Gateway, which donated four PCs, to be placed on each of the four BIO5 floors, to host educational and promotional material for BIO5 s visitors. Project Participants Principal participants: o BIO5 Marketing & Communications Department Daphne Gilman, Director of Strategic Alliances. Vanessa Dojaquez and Jessica Thompson, events assistants Student videographer and photographer (currently hiring) o BIO5 Facilities Manager Robert Sandoval o Student production team: Made up of Media Arts and Journalism majors; will handle primary production of the video. o Professional support: Will seek bids from both on-campus and professional videographers. Will be hired with grant funds to guide the quality of the final version of video. In-kind support: o BIO5 Institute: Will provide staff support and audiovisual equipment. Will also host video on main website. o Gateway Corporation: Has provided four PCs to be hosted on the four floors of BIO5. The PCs will host information and promotional material to be viewed by visitors to BIO5. Other potential support: o Arizona Public Media: May provide consultation on video production and release. o CCIT: May loan broadcast-quality HD cameras and lighting to qualified student producers. o Women of Biosciences Toastmasters: Possible source of voice-over and on-screen narration.

3 o Firehouse Video: Possible source of script review, evaluate storyboards Project Goals In a warming world, environmental responsibility is no longer an option it is a necessity. It is BIO5 s desire to be a university leader in sustainability and environmental advocacy, beyond the scientific research that is conducted here. The proposed project would extend beyond laboratories and classrooms to reach visitors to BIO5, as well as the 425 people employed here, and teach them an easy way to go green. It would also enhance the reputation of the UA as a university that seeks to use its influence and academic might to make the world a better place to live. The release of this video on BIO5 s website would make it accessible to the employees of BIO5 and to anyone interested in the research at the Institute or University of Arizona in general. It would reach an even wider Internet audience through BIO5 s Facebook pages and Twitter communication. Inclusion in the four computer kiosks and lobby monitor would reach the hundreds of annual visitors to the Institute (or the popular first-floor Nucleus Café) while emphasizing the reputation of BIO5 and U of A as stewards of our environment. The proposed project would benefit the student media team hired to produce the video. The opportunity to work with BIO5 staff to produce a high-quality informative video would give them real-world experience and the ability to forge contacts with scientific leaders on campus. The subject material would also give them a firm grounding in the process of composting that they could take with them into their private lives. Finally, if the project is part of a larger effort to introduce food composting to the Keating Building, the video could have further life in helping coach students and employees in other UA facilities. Project Timeline The pre-production process of this video has already begun: content is being written and filming locations around the Keating building have been scouted. Host space on BIO5 s home page, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts has been reserved. The videographer job posting has been submitted to WildcatJoblink. Production could begin once this proposal is approved. Filming would take approximately 2 weeks, depending on the availability of the student production team. Post-production could begin as soon as filming is complete and the grant money received. Post-production can take up to four weeks, and the video would be posted to BIO5 s main website, social networking pages, lobby monitors, and the visitor kiosks immediately upon completion. The video would be available before the end of this semester,

4 ensuring a wide audience and timely education for visitors. Project Impacts The release of this video will give viewers a good educational basis to begin composting at the office. In the current climate of mass greening and environmental interest, many viewers may also decide to begin composting in their household. Hundreds of people work at BIO5 every day, and hundreds more tour the facility each year. This video presents a tremendous opportunity to teach them how to reduce their carbon footprint, and by extension, the University s. All viewers, whether they take up composting or not, will come away with a good impression of University of Arizona and the BIO5 Institute. Having a good environmental reputation is very valuable to both institutions; as a marketing initiative, this video would go a long way toward developing that reputation. Measuring Project Impacts The impacts of this project could be measured in many ways, both online and through surveys. The first step in measuring the impact on the online community is to record the number of viewers. Hundreds of views can be expected just based on the number of visitors each year, but online, non-tour viewers could greatly expand this number. Knowing how many people have seen the video gives us a basis to determine how effective the video is at reaching them. The effectiveness of the video can be divided into two goal areas: the degree of success of compost implementation among viewers and the impressions of BIO5 and U of A viewers come away with upon watching the video. Both of these impacts could be measured in survey form. There will be a link included to an opinion poll on the final screen of the video, as well as the page the video is hosted on. This poll will ask questions such as the following: How confident are you of your ability to begin household composting after watching this video? Do you plan on composting in your household in the future? How soon do you plan to begin? How environmentally responsible do you believe University of Arizona is? And BIO5? Do you think this video helps improve the environmental sustainability of the University? Of BIO5? The answers to these surveys would measure the positive impacts of the project and give concrete evidence of carbon footprint reduction. They would also provide a jumping-off point for evaluating necessary changes to the video or to its web host locations.

5 Conclusion It has never been so important for universities and businesses to lead the way toward achieving long-term sustainability. For the University of Arizona and BIO5 to remain environmental leaders in Arizona, they not only have to act sustainably, but present their progress for the world to see. This compost video would achieve both those initiatives. It is a cost-effective medium presenting a viable, achievable green technique. With the support of Green Fund and the office of Student Affairs, the video and all the benefits it brings will become a reality.