It's Earth Day. Are you still looking for ways to be more proactive and engaging in your community? Do you want to use the momentum of Earth Day as a springboard for future events? Could you use ideas for how to sustain your outreach through the summer and fall? Keep reading.
On April 22, 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, after years of trying to
I remember the big 20th Anniversary of Earth Day, there was a lot of excitement
It is crazy to think that was 17 years ago… YIKES! We have come so far, and yet we still have so much work to do. Starting with education!
This year’s Earth Day theme is Environmental & Climate Literacy. I do not think anyone can argue that there is a need to educate the public on all that science has informed us on over the last 20 years. Particularly, understanding the interconnectedness of our ecosystem. For years, especially in the US, the culture has become so focused on consumption and the perception that ‘bigger is better.’ We have filled our homes with so much stuff- very little of which we actually need.
As local government leaders, we are always thinking about how to engage the folks in all corners of our communities -- going beyond the usual suspects -- in a way that sparks behavior change.
There are some communities already doing a great job with this. One of my favorite examples is the Sustainable DC Volunteer Ambassadors Program that the District of
Are You Feeling Underprepared for Earth Day?
Perhaps April has crept up a little too quickly for you? That’s okay, you can still reach out to your community members with an email, social media blast, or op-ed in your local paper to share ways they can feel good about doing their part on Earth Day 2017. Here are three easy things you can do.
And if these aren’t realistic for you to undertake this week, you’re in luck. These tactics can be just as effective for outreach throughout the year.
Whether you are at your kids soccer game or the local farmer’s market, take the initiative to to ask people how they are celebrating Earth Day. Maybe share with them a few ideas if they do not have any plans. Here are some easy ones:
What you’ll need: This list above and some excitement to get out and talk to your neighbors is really all you need
Nice to have: Handout with information
Plan B: Can’t get out into the community? Just push this out through email or your newsletter. You can also post the list on your social media channels.
2. Host a Movie Night at the Library
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Before the Flood was just released on DVD and online. Watch the trailer. It is $6.99 on Amazon. Once you get there, you will see dozens of similar movies, including An Inconvenient Truth, which is a nice way to prep them for the release of the second one -- An Inconvenient Sequel -- this summer. For less than $30 you can have a whole night of climate and environmentally focused
Some communities are taking it a step farther. I notice that the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, is sponsoring a free screening with a local nonprofit of Before the Flood that includes tables from community organizations and a Q&A panel with experts.
What you’ll need: Movies, TV, space to watch
Nice to have: Local experts that can answer questions about the information presented in the movie
Plan B: Lend the movies to the schools for Climate Education Week, April 22-29, 2017, and beyond.
3. Ask your Community Members to Make a Pledge
The City of San Antonio, TX, at its annual Sustainability Summit (started through their SA Tomorrow Sustainability Planning process, which KLA was proud to lead)
Behavior change research has shown that getting people to make a commitment greatly increases the likelihood they will take the desired action.
There are certain tricks that can make a pledge campaign more effective.
Pledges are also popular at other times of the year, including Energy Action Month every October when you can ask for specific clean energy and energy saving pledges.
What you’ll need: Branded Signs with Sustainable Actions; Instant Camera or a Camera + Printer (worst case you can just text the image to them if you take it with your smartphone)
Nice to have: Local Background and Software to add to image or have the backdrop printed out.
Plan B: Can’t get out into the community? Just push this out through your social media channels. People can make pledges that way- Maybe everyone that makes a pledge gets a chance to be featured on your website or has lunch with the mayor or other elected official. If you are not a fan of pledges, make it Earth Day Resolutions. This is what we do at my house. Unlike New Year’s resolutions, these are actions we make sure we continue not only throughout the year, but permanently- our Earth Day Resolutions are our commitments to changing our behavior for the betterment of the planet.
At the end of the day, whether you engage 1 person or 1,000, you are still making progress! Maybe that one person you engaged becomes a hard core supporter for you and your programs or runs for office on a sustainable communities platform. And don’t ignore the small steps because they do not seem as exciting or impactful. Impacting just one person a day adds up to 365 people over the year. Indeed, this is how we change the world: on person at a time, one community at a time.
It might sound cliche, but when it comes to sustainability in our local communities our goal really should be to Make it Earth Day Every Day.