December 20, 2010
BY Susanne Retka Schill
Tis the season for holiday greetings, and one I got this week set me to thinking.
On the front of the "Happy Holidays" card was a sketch of grasses and inside a quote from William Blake - "In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." It came from the University of Minnesota-Morris. A couple of years ago I got on their list after doing several stories about their renewable energy and sustainability programs, which in addition to new classes and majors included a project to heat and cool the campus with corn stover and grasses using a newly installed gasifier. One of the unique angles is that Morris is a liberal arts campus. They aren't training engineers or technicians, but people versed in the humanities..
What set me to thinking was the blurb on the back of the card. "The hardy Big Bluestem (cover image) figuratively reflects the University of Minnesota, Morris's 2010 [anniversary] Celebration . . .Like the Bluestem's remarkable ability to adapt to changing soil, rainfall, and climate, Morris is adjusting and planning for a robust, enduring future. Energy from the sun, wind, and grasses fuels campus facilities and invigorates our teaching and research. Here, the beauty of the prairie touches the soul and moves the spirit."
Invoking the beauty of the prairie and hardiness of Big Bluestem resonated with me. I'm fond of the prairie and appreciate the presence of space (and don't see it as the absence of things.)
Now what does this have to do with ethanol?
I think the ethanol industry would benefit from finding a similar way of expressing what corn ethanol has done and means to rural America. Some image or analogy that resonates, that helps city people with no roots in rural communities "get it" - a phrase, or image, or symbol that puts a positive face on corn ethanol. Something that gets plastered on billboards and T-shirts and on baseball caps everywhere because it is so apt.
Now, I haven't a clue what that would be. I'm an information wordsmithy. I can pack a lot of information into a concise, clearly written sentence. I'm not a poet. The ethanol symbol widely in use is a marketing logo, and is missing that philosophical dimension. The ad campaign rolled out last year by Growth Energy wasn't really aiming at that sort of warm/fuzzy message. Poet's TV campaign came closer. We need a slogan—a few well chosen words—to paint a glow on ethanol.
What are your thoughts? Any ideas?
In this Holiday Season, I hope all the ethanol supporters out there are finding good talking points to use at family gatherings. I've learned since I've become editor that many people in my extended family wonder whether ethanol is good or bad. They're willing to listen, but not for too long, to my defense of ethanol.
May you have good luck in doing the same, not to mention a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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