Improving Public Awareness of the Importance of Coal and Clean Coal Technology.

摘要

The US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored a meeting on ''Improving Public Awareness of the Importance of Coal and Clean Coal Technology'' on December 12-13, 1988 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together coal education experts, opinion shapers, and organizations with an interest in coal and coal technology to identify ways to enhance existing public awareness efforts and identify new opportunities to enhance the public's image of coal. The ultimate goal being to educate the public so that they understand that coal and clean coal technologies can be used in an environmentally acceptable manner, while at the same time providing economic and social benefits to society and ensuring the nation's security. Speeches focused on (1) the public's current perceptions about energy and coal, (2) the problems we face from an environmental and media standpoint, (3) current efforts of the coal and mining industries to educate the public, (4) a case study on image changes for the American Forest Institute, and (5) ''instruments'' to get the message out. Representatives from groups like the National Science Teachers Association, Association of Science-Technology Centers, the US Chamber of Commerce, and public relations firms discussed opportunities for using their organizations as a mechanism in coal awareness efforts. The afternoon sessions that day discussed ways to get messages to audiences such as the general public, industry, educators, students, museums, and the international community.