Vaping Health Risks Persuasive Speech Outline

You will write an outline about how bad is vaping and how it should be banned for all ages. Vaping causes serious health risks, including depression, lung disease, and stroke. Additional notes: Vaping among kids is skyrocketing: addicting a new generation to nicotine and introducing them to smoking. Also, there is no proved long-term studies about the effect of vaping which makes even more dangerous because we don’t know what might happen in 20 years with vaping. People have a wrong mindset that is vaping is a safe alternate of smoking while it is not. If there is a state or country where a policy to ban vaping has been implemented, that could work as a model. Consider how you will use ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade. Six credible sources are required.

Attached is a persuasive outline sample that you can follow the same structure for this topic.

You will choose an organizational pattern for your speech. Questions of policy speeches can be organized by Problem-Solution, Problem-Cause-Solution, or Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. These are your only three options.

In developing a policy speech seeking immediate action, the first step is to demonstrate a need for action. Tell us what harms exist or will be created if we fail to take action. (i.e. how many lives are in danger, how much money is being wasted, how many people are suffering needlessly? etc.) The second step is to provide a plan with specific action steps that should be taken. The third step is to demonstrate the practicality of how this plan will solve the problems.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (MMS) is tailor-made for policy speeches that seek immediate action because it guides the advocate through a step-by-step logical and psychologically sound process of organizing a persuasive message.  The steps of motivated sequence are as follows:

Attention (Intro), Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action (Conclusion)

Sample Student Outline: Problem-Cause-Solution Organizational Pattern
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the United States should pass legislation to ban monoculture farming.
Central Idea: Monoculture farming is a serious problem that is harmful to the environment and to our health.
Introduction
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Attention: Since 1974, the average number of items in a grocery store has increased from 9,000 to almost
44,000. Yet today, 75 percent of the world’s food is generated from only 12 plants and 5 animal species, finds
the Food and Agriculture Organization. So, while the range of products has widened, the range of crops grown
to produce these products has narrowed over the last 45 years. Our food system is dominated by monoculture
and government influence.
Topic: Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop or animal in a field at a
time. This practice became popular in the 1960’s with the utilization of farm machinery.
Credibility: As I have learned through many hours of research, this practice requires the heavy use of fertilizers
and pesticides which have been linked to major health problems.
Preview: Today you will see why the United States should pass legislation to ban monoculture farming.
(Transition: Let’s begin by defining the problem.)
Body
I.
Monoculture farming is a major problem in the United States.
A. Monoculture farming causes environmental pollution making it harmful to humans.
1. This practice requires the heavy use of fertilizers.
a. By not rotating crops, the soil is depleted of necessary nutrients.
b. According to The Environmental Protection Agency, fertilizer use in the 1960’s was 46lbs
per acre and rose to 142lbs per acre in 2014. This is a 209% increase!
2. This practice also requires the use of heavy pesticides.
a. The continuous growing of the same crops attracts insects to an abundant food source.
b. The balance of plant pests and their natural enemies is disrupted in monoculture
systems. Populations of natural insect predators and pollinators also tend to be lower in
monocultures.
c. In an article for the International Food Policy Research Institute, Pingali and Rosegrant
state that, “As a result of reduced biodiversity, monoculture systems have been found
to be more susceptible to insect infestation and plant viruses”
3. These practices cause problems for the environment through pollution, ground water
contamination, and health problems for animals and humans.
a. According to the Dr. Dennis Weisenburger in his Human Pathology journal, short term
effects include, sore throat, cough, eye and skin irritation, nausea, vomiting, loss of
consciousness, seizures, or death. Long term effects include, Parkinson’s disease,
various forms of cancer, sterility, and birth defects.
(Transition: Now that we have addressed the problem, let’s look at the causes behind it.)
II.
There are two major causes for the use of monoculture farming.
A. The first cause is the Farm Bill.
1. This bill provided farmers with monetary assistance by setting the market price of crops,
providing direct payments for commodity crops, and issuing crop insurance.
2. The government “encourages” farmers to overproduce certain crops through this program.
3. According to the Environmental Literacy Council, “Three crops—wheat, corn, and rice—provide
nearly 60 percent of total plant calories that humans consume.”
B. The second cause was the introduction of mechanized farming in the 1960’s.
1. The use of farm machinery made planting fields of single crops easier to plant and harvest.
2. This process is faster, less labor intensive, and more profitable.
(Transition: Now that we know why farmers utilize this practice, let’s look at some alternatives.)
III.
The solution to this problem requires addressing both causes to stop the problems they create.
A. We need to persuade the US government to pass legislation to ban the use of monoculture farming and
promote alternatives for farmers.
1. The first alternative to this practice is polyculture.
a.
b.
Polyculture is the planting of several crops at a time, the opposite of monoculture.
Mike Lee, the founder of the Future Market shares the example of The Three Sisters
crops which are growing corn, beans, and squash together. “The Three Sisters crops
have been planted by the Native Americans for over 6,500 years to sustain themselves
and their soil.” Growing these crops together is one of the oldest forms of polyculture.
2. The second alternative is crop rotation.
a. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, rotating crops reduces the use
of fertilizers and pesticides which ultimately decreases total costs. Other benefits include
improved nutrient content in the soil, less pollution and reduced erosion and health
concerns.
(Transition: These are some of the possible alternatives to monoculture farming if the government were to ban it.)
Conclusion
I.
II.
Summary: Now you know why monoculture farming is such a problem and how polyculture and crop rotation
are viable solutions.
Close: In order to understand this problem fully, let’s remember the banana I spoke about in my informative
speech. This fruit is strictly a monoculture commodity. It requires the use of heavy pesticides and fertilizers, but
it is still vulnerable. Without a change to this farming method, how many other varieties of foods that we enjoy
are we going to lose? Monoculture farming puts nature at risk and our global food supply. The future of food
should be focused on long-term sustainability and diversity. It must be good for people, the planet, and for
profit. Building food brands and business models on a foundation of polyculture, not monoculture, is the key to
a better future.
Works Cited
“Crops.” The Environmental Literacy Council. Environmental Literacy Council, 2015. Web.
Lee, Mike. “What If The Food Industry Ended Monoculture Farming?” The Future Market. The Future Market, 07 June
2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2019.
Pingali, Prabhu L., and Mark W. Rosegrant. “Confronting the Environmental Consequences of the Green Revolution in
Asia.” AgEcon Search. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 01 Jan. 1994. Web.
“Rotations for Soil Fertility.” National Resources Conservation Service. United States Department of Agriculture, Jan.
2009. Web.
Weisenburger, Dennis D. “Human Health Effects of Agrichemical Use.” Human Pathology. W.B. Saunders, 02 Apr. 2004.
Web.
“WHAT IS HAPPENING TO AGROBIODIVERSITY?” What Is Agrobiodiversity? Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Kingdom, 1999. Web.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Report on the Environment-Agricultural Fertilizer.” Web, 4 Nov 2019