Letter of Inquiry

Ms. Elizabeth Barratt-Brown
Co-Chairperson
Center for a New American Dream
6930 Carroll Ave., Ste. 900
Takoma Park, MD 20912-4466


Dear Ms. Barratt-Brown,

The Seattle University Department of Communication Requests $500,000 to increase public awareness of the impacts of climate change on local economies and public quality of life.

Organization:  As communicators, all humans are part of an ongoing conversation. Whether professional journalists, public speakers, teachers, managers, or simply citizens, we live in a social world shaped and continually remade through communication practices. The messages we send and receive from others do far more than transmit information or express feelings. They shape attitudes, build and modify relationships, and even change the course of history. The mission of the Communication Department is to empower students and faculty to develop more meaningful and effective voices in this communal conversation.

Seattle University has a history of public service and leadership in the interest of creating a just and humane world.  Keeping this in mind, and considering the increasing threat of climate change to disadvantaged communities, Seattle University's Department of Communication would like to undertake a student-produced and directed film project that aims to expand the public's understanding of their local environment and visualize what climate change will mean to their community.  In order to best accomplish this, we propose creating a film called The Globe in My Backyard that will examine the risks of ignoring climate change and how, if allowed to continue, emissions and pollution will change local environmental and economic landscapes.

The film will focus on two communities:  the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington--a young, progressive community in the Pacific Northwest that is taking steps to decrease the human impact on the environment; Pueblo, Colorado--a small city in Southern Colorado that has recently cut its recycling program and is plagued by economic woes and an aging population. This mission aligns with the Center For a New American Dream's goal of providing profound experiences that change the way American's perceive their interactions with the environment.  It aims to reduce the abstract quality of climate change while contextualizing the short- and long- term impacts  of prioritizing economy over environment in two very different communities.

Major expenses will include film production and travel.  Other funding for this project will be provided by Seattle University, grants supporting the arts, and environmental awareness grants.

Thank you for considering this project.


Jamie Wallace
Seattle University Journalism '10
901 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122-4411
(206) 296-5340