Proposal

As part of my PCM 300 (Professional Writing) course, I wrote a sample proposal. This document is just a sample of my writing ability.


Proposal for Reducing Paper Towel Waste at Alverno College










For




John Doe
Director of Plant Operations at Alverno College











By Katie Alverno




April 20, 2009

Dear John Doe:

I am senior at Alverno, and I am interested in the environment. I have noticed the efforts to reduce waste in places such as the cafeteria (through their Tray-less Tuesdays and bins to collect compost scraps). It came to mind that there is another place we can reduce waste as well – our many restrooms.

Each restroom at Alverno is equipped with paper towel dispensers and trash cans. Paper towels cost money to replace, frequently end up as litter in some of the busier Alverno bathrooms, can be a hassle to the cleaners, and can’t be recycled. In addition, some bathrooms also have hand-dryers, but they are old models; some don’t work properly or even turn on at all. Also, old models of hand dryers use much more energy to operate than more modern ones.

I propose that there are ways to change our restrooms for the better – cosmetically and environmentally with a two-pronged attack to help reduce waste:

• Start a campaign encouraging people to use one paper towel to dry their hands instead of two
• Begin replacing old hand-dryers with new, more efficient models and starting a campaign to promote their use


I appreciate your consideration in my proposal.

Sincerely,
Katie Alverno




Background:

Our standard American way of living consumes huge amounts of resources and energy. To combat it, Alverno has started some efforts to become “greener”, such as the measures in the cafeteria I detailed above. An additional way we can reduce our waste is by replacing our old hand-dryers with new, more efficient models.

Scope and sequence:

The campaign to use one paper towel instead of two is a fairly small undertaking and could be done within little time. However, the issue of replacing and promoting the dryers is much larger. In this proposal, I will present:

• Benefits of the paper towel and hand-dryer campaigns

• Resources for calculating the costs and savings

• Timeline for the conversion

• Expected results

Benefits:

Paper towels cost money to clean up after and have to be continually restocked. In addition, the towels have to be created from trees and cannot be recycled. Promoting half the usage of paper towels will reduce their negative impacts.

Hand dryers don’t generate paper waste or litter and are always ready to perform. However, old hand-dryer models consume much more energy to operate. Newer models of hand-dryers take less energy to operate and some dry hands much faster.

Resources:

Below are a pair of articles that discuss the benefits of using newer-model hand-dryers versus paper towels.

http://www.cleanlink.com/sm/article/Will-Hand-Dryers-Blow-Away-Their-%E2%80%98Green%E2%80%99-Competition--3364
http://www.slate.com/id/2193740/

Below are a pair of businesses that sell newer-model hand-dryers.

http://www.dysonairblade.com/homepage.asp
http://www.exceldryer.com/Products/xlerator.asp

Timeline:

The project to create a campaign for using less paper towels is a simple affair and would take little time and money to execute. Posters can be designed and printed quickly and placed above towel dispensers in our bathrooms. Replacing dryers, however, will take more time.

• First, research will need to be done to determine whether the dryers are a good investment.
• If a brand of dryers is chosen, funding needs to be obtained to purchase them.
• We have many bathrooms at Alverno, scattered throughout several buildings. Perhaps it would be best to try the new dryers at just one of our busier buildings to begin, such as the Liberal Arts Building (which has eight bathrooms), to gauge the effectiveness of the new technology and the patron’s reactions to it.
• Once the dryers would finally be placed, a sign can be added above them, advertising their newness and their lesser environmental impact.
• If the reaction is positive, then the dryer conversion can expand to other buildings too.

Costs:

Supplying paper for the posters to place in bathrooms will only have a small cost; the issue of most concern is the new dryers. There will be an initial price for each dryer Alverno will need to purchase, as well as electricity usage to run the dryers. I investigated two kinds of efficient dryers, the Dyson Airblade and XLerator, to find their costs. However, I was unable to find prices for the newer units of hand-dryers themselves because both only give a price when contacted with the number of dryers the purchaser is interested in. Both suppliers claim that operating their hand-dryers is significantly cheaper than shipping and stocking new paper towels and supply charts on their websites that will calculate savings based on how many dryers will be used versus towels. I encourage you to visit these websites and calculate the costs and savings.

Expected results:

With more efficient, more modern looking hand-dryers promoted, people will be inclined to use them more. In addition to the campaign to use less overall paper towels, it will cut down on the waste and litter Alverno College generates and be less expensive.

Conclusion:

Changing people’s preference for paper towels will take some time, and updating our old hand-dryers will as well, but in the end, we would have cleaner, more beautiful and less wasteful bathrooms. It would benefit both the environment and Alverno College.

My writing habits throughout college

I've written so many documents in the years I've been attended Alverno that they've run together in my memory. A quick look through my "School Documents" folder reveals articles running from the impact of zebra mussels on the ecology of the Great Lakes, an analysis of how the movie Dead Man Walking changed my opinion on the death penalty, a PowerPoint illustrating the threat of white-tailed deer to Wisconsin drivers, and a list of why Edith Wharton is a progressive writer.

Most of what I've written throughout college could be split into two camps: interpretations of movies, books, poetry, and other media, and more factual documents intended to present concrete evidence about things such as psychology and the natural world (and oftentimes convince an audience). Although some of the assignments in both camps have given me trouble, it's a formula I'm comfortable with.

Oddly, though, I have two classes this semester that typically deviate away from this style. My creative writing class challenges me to create media such as poetry, short stories, and screenplays, things I would normally never touch. (The last time I made poetry on my own was middle school!) And my professional writing class is attacking a different and important front as well; proposals, news stories, advertisements.

The two are on very different ends of the spectrum, but both are poking and prodding on my writing abilities, making me attempt some styles I've never tried before. It's not easy, but in the end, I know it's for the best. I can't have a rigid style; I need to be flexible. And, at the conclusion of both my writing classes, I'll have acquired practice and information on how to do both kinds. It makes me happy to know that my abilities are expanding so that I can perform better work.

Feature News Article

As part of my PCM 300 (Professional Writing) course, I wrote a feature news-style story. This article is fictional and will not be published; it's just a sample of my writing ability. It's written in a style intended for a school newspaper.

Disabled Alverno Student Shares Her Success Story

Making eye contact. Checking email. Arranging meetings. Remembering names and faces. These things don’t come naturally to people with Asperger syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, Asperger syndrome is typified by social awkwardness, intense focus on certain hobbies or subjects, and increased sensitivity to sensations such as light, touch, and sound. Alverno student Jane Doe (not her real name) has endured a lifelong struggle with its challenges.

“I’ve had support through elementary, middle, and high school, but when I decided to go to college, I knew I needed something big to help me get through,” she said. “I’ve been working with my disability for years, but college was the biggest challenge yet.” She investigated her options and found help through a special service offered at Alverno.

Alverno’s Office for Student Accessibility has been aiding students with disabilities since its launch in 1995. Its coordinator, Colleen Barnett, meets with students to tackle a variety of issues, such as learning disabilities, chronic medical problems, and sensory and mobility problems. She employs a wide range of strategies for assisting students which includes alternative testing, tutors, physical access, advocacy, and coaching, as listed on the Alverno website.
“Since I’ve started college, I’ve met weekly with Colleen. Her feedback and assistance has helped me through a lot of tough situations. For example, in my freshman year she helped me get a quiet room for math testing and found an algebra tutor that helped me understand the work. I don’t think I would have been successful if she didn’t intervene,” Doe explains.

Doe is now a senior and is planning to graduate in fall 2009. “I’m really excited that I’ll be graduating soon. I would have never gotten as far as I have without the support offered through Colleen Barnett,” said Doe. “So many assignments – maybe even courses – would have slipped through the cracks in my earlier semesters. Now that I’ve learned how to communicate my needs and concerns effectively to my instructors, I’ve become a much more capable and independent student.”

Students interested in the disability support services can visit Alverno’s webpage for more information: http://www.alverno.edu/campus_resource/Academic_support/disability.html.