Environmentalist’s toolkit: target religion, public health and children

Big Bureaucracy ^ | May 17th, 2010 | Ellie Velinska

[Big Bureaucracy]

KNOWING THE TARGET AUDIENCE It is always easier to convince people to act upon something they already believe than to convince them to act on something they do not yet believe… Environmental concerns may not be important to the advocate’s audience, in which case the advocate must determine what is important to this audience and frame the message to tap into it. For example, an advocate may wish to frame the message around such issues as religion (stewardship), public health, people’s livelihoods, children, or cultural and historical preservation.

The tip comes from a toolkit distributed by ISAR: Resources for Environmental Activists. The organization was founded in 1983, as the Institute for Soviet and American Relations, to encourage citizen diplomacy and facilitate exchange between the US and the Soviet Union.

EAs are encouraged to participate in networking where database of people with different connections is created:

Opportunities for networking: meeting someone for lunch; talking with someone while walking to the same destination; sharing a taxi or bus ride from a meeting; inviting someone to one’s office or home; participating with someone in a group work activity; attending events involving extended family; and even taking part in church activities. The advocate should always keep detailed notes about networking contacts for future reference....