As I got more outreach events under my belt I realized that more environmental education needs to be done in communities, homes, and schools. Although the public is constantly being bombarded by "green" marketing it's clear that many people aren't retaining the information being given to them. At our booth, we would ask passer-bys to answer one environmental question in order to pick a prize from our treasure chest. Although we had a dozen or so questions that spanned across all grade-levels many people couldn't answer even the most basic of questions. For example, we asked "what are three ways you can be environmentally-friendly at home?" Most people were able to provide 2 ways but many struggled to think of anything beyond "turning off the lights when you leave the room" and "using cfl lightbulbs". While it's great that consumers are aware of products like cfl light bulbs they know little else about the full circle process that recycling often entails. For instance, many people said they used cfl's but hardly anyone knew that you shouldn't dispose of them in the trash.
Disseminating that type of information at a state level proves difficult for departments like ADEQ and although they make information available on their website many citizens don't know about those resources.
Can any of you think of a better way to get important information out to the public, in a meaningful way, that will ultimately lead to changes in end-user behavior?
I couldn't agree more that most of us are uneducated about how to be environmentally friendly, myself included. There are a number of ways people can make a difference on a daily basis. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth for instance. The biggest issue I see with people "going green" at home is that the start up cost is usually more than people want to pay. We all know solar power is great and cheaper in the long run, but we don't want to foot the bill for the installation of the system.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I'm surprised. But you are right, environmental education is extremely important. From a policy point of view, it will create understanding, leading to interest in current issues, and then policy which will attend to the problems.
ReplyDeleteI believe having consumers pay the REAL prices for things, instead of artificially lowered prices, can help. For instance, water is Arizona is way too cheap and gas in America is way under-priced, yet everyone freaks out when it goes above $4 a gallon. However, I think by understanding that these are exhaustible resources, people will have more obligation to respect them and use them wisely.
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