sábado, 22 de setembro de 2012
Festival of Peace
Festival of Peace
Past April, during his visit to Brazil, Prem Rawat started the Festival of Peace. Since then, we are supporting and participating in the Festival organized by UNIPAZ. Festival of Peace happened between 6 and 9 September at Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo. This park is equivalent to Central Park in New York or Hide Park in London.
UNIPAZ with support of other institutions and government developed many activities, as you can check: www.festivalmundialdapaz.org.br.
The Peace Festival was an event made exclusively by volunteers and is completely free with 600 activities, involving 5100 volunteers, of which more than 1,000 come from other parts of Brazil, to an estimated 200,000 participants.
The cost of Festival was equivalent of the event with Prem Rawat in Brazil, around U$150,000. During the period according to the authorities around 2,000,000 visited the park.
The activities of Festival were lectures, Letter from the Earth, craft workshops, arts, banners of peace, experiences, performing arts, musical and artistic performances, adult and children choirs, dance, physical practices, sports and recreational activities, cooperative games, meditation, conscious breathing, massage, Reiki, yoga, tai chi chuan, healthy feeding techniques and self-healing, the art of living in peace, massage, simulation of village future among many others. We also had 14 large meetings, plenary and many special events.
In the opening, I witnessed an arrival of the Flame of Peace (lighted by Prem Rawat) and a speech with the psychologist, writer and lecturer Jean Yves Leloup that spoke about "The Pleasure of Being in Peace.". in the opening ceremony, several authorities were present as Governor of Alagoas State;- Vice- Mayor of Sao Paulo; - Congressman - Givaldo Carimbão.
Words of Peace (Palavras de Paz) in the Festival:
During the Festival, we had a large tent called "Words of Peace", where we could show TV programme which are transmitted in over 160 cities in Brazil through Sky, cable, satellite and UHF. In addition, some musicians invited the public to know the message of peace with beautiful songs.
On September, 9th at morning, I conducted personally the forum on Media and Peace with media representatives from several companies, as a Radio station, a Website important company, an alternative newspaper and a doctor of communication from the University of São Paulo.
Due to this forum, I gave two interviews to a radio station that is considering broadcasting Words of Peace.
In this day, at the main stage, the DTC specially recorded by Prem Rawat ended the Festival, after a short presentation of Prem Rawat.
At the end of DTC exhibition, people of UNIPAZ were so glad that they gave me note of gratitude to be given to Prem Rawat in Amaroo.
We had the support of many people that do not have knowledge and in fact they even do not know anything about it. It includes all photographers and musicians.
On the other hands, premies were participating and supporting many different activities of Festival, not related with Words of Peace.
Many people attended the tent of Words of Peace tent these days, watching the videos or getting material and information.
Conclusion:
Our participation on this event improved the knowledge and respect of population of Sao Paulo. Many people that don’t have knowledge applied for collaboration on Words of Peace in other future events.
UNIPAZ's team wants to continue work with us. Nelma, the festival main coordinator wants to cooperate in our PEP project. Other voluntaries that do not have knowledge want to help us, as the Journalists from Radio that helped me in Forum of Media. He wants to assist us on radio programme and air it.
Vehicles that attended the Forum will promote the next event with Prem Rawat.
Premies were enjoying.
segunda-feira, 25 de julho de 2011
What is Social Marketing?
by Nedra Kline Weinreich
The health communications field has been rapidly changing over the past two decades. It has evolved from a one-dimensional reliance on public service announcements to a more sophisticated approach which draws from successful techniques used by commercial marketers, termed "social marketing." Rather than dictating the way that information is to be conveyed from the top-down, public health professionals are learning to listen to the needs and desires of the target audience themselves, and building the program from there. This focus on the "consumer" involves in-depth research and constant re-evaluation of every aspect of the program. In fact, research and evaluation together form the very cornerstone of the social marketing process.
Social marketing was "born" as a discipline in the 1970s, when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles that were being used to sell products to consumers could be used to "sell" ideas, attitudes and behaviors. Kotler and Andreasen define social marketing as "differing from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society." This technique has been used extensively in international health programs, especially for contraceptives and oral rehydration therapy (ORT), and is being used with more frequency in the United States for such diverse topics as drug abuse, heart disease and organ donation.
Like commercial marketing, the primary focus is on the consumer--on learning what people want and need rather than trying to persuade them to buy what we happen to be producing. Marketing talks to the consumer, not about the product. The planning process takes this consumer focus into account by addressing the elements of the "marketing mix." This refers to decisions about 1) the conception of a Product, 2) Price, 3) distribution (Place), and 4) Promotion. These are often called the "Four Ps" of marketing. Social marketing also adds a few more "P's." At the end is an example of the marketing mix.
Product
The social marketing "product" is not necessarily a physical offering. A continuum of products exists, ranging from tangible, physical products (e.g., condoms), to services (e.g., medical exams), practices (e.g., breastfeeding, ORT or eating a heart-healthy diet) and finally, more intangible ideas (e.g., environmental protection). In order to have a viable product, people must first perceive that they have a genuine problem, and that the product offering is a good solution for that problem. The role of research here is to discover the consumers' perceptions of the problem and the product, and to determine how important they feel it is to take action against the problem.
Price
"Price" refers to what the consumer must do in order to obtain the social marketing product. This cost may be monetary, or it may instead require the consumer to give up intangibles, such as time or effort, or to risk embarrassment and disapproval. If the costs outweigh the benefits for an individual, the perceived value of the offering will be low and it will be unlikely to be adopted. However, if the benefits are perceived as greater than their costs, chances of trial and adoption of the product is much greater.
In setting the price, particularly for a physical product, such as contraceptives, there are many issues to consider. If the product is priced too low, or provided free of charge, the consumer may perceive it as being low in quality. On the other hand, if the price is too high, some will not be able to afford it. Social marketers must balance these considerations, and often end up charging at least a nominal fee to increase perceptions of quality and to confer a sense of "dignity" to the transaction. These perceptions of costs and benefits can be determined through research, and used in positioning the product.
Place
"Place" describes the way that the product reaches the consumer. For a tangible product, this refers to the distribution system--including the warehouse, trucks, sales force, retail outlets where it is sold, or places where it is given out for free. For an intangible product, place is less clear-cut, but refers to decisions about the channels through which consumers are reached with information or training. This may include doctors' offices, shopping malls, mass media vehicles or in-home demonstrations. Another element of place is deciding how to ensure accessibility of the offering and quality of the service delivery. By determining the activities and habits of the target audience, as well as their experience and satisfaction with the existing delivery system, researchers can pinpoint the most ideal means of distribution for the offering.
Promotion
Finally, the last "P" is promotion. Because of its visibility, this element is often mistakenly thought of as comprising the whole of social marketing. However, as can be seen by the previous discussion, it is only one piece. Promotion consists of the integrated use of advertising, public relations, promotions, media advocacy, personal selling and entertainment vehicles. The focus is on creating and sustaining demand for the product. Public service announcements or paid ads are one way, but there are other methods such as coupons, media events, editorials, "Tupperware"-style parties or in-store displays. Research is crucial to determine the most effective and efficient vehicles to reach the target audience and increase demand. The primary research findings themselves can also be used to gain publicity for the program at media events and in news stories.
Additional Social Marketing "P's"
Publics--Social marketers often have many different audiences that their program has to address in order to be successful. "Publics" refers to both the external and internal groups involved in the program. External publics include the target audience, secondary audiences, policymakers, and gatekeepers, while the internal publics are those who are involved in some way with either approval or implementation of the program.
Partnership--Social and health issues are often so complex that one agency can't make a dent by itself. You need to team up with other organizations in the community to really be effective. You need to figure out which organizations have similar goals to yours--not necessarily the same goals--and identify ways you can work together.
Policy--Social marketing programs can do well in motivating individual behavior change, but that is difficult to sustain unless the environment they're in supports that change for the long run. Often, policy change is needed, and media advocacy programs can be an effective complement to a social marketing program.
Purse Strings--Most organizations that develop social marketing programs operate through funds provided by sources such as foundations, governmental grants or donations. This adds another dimension to the strategy development-namely, where will you get the money to create your program?
Example of a Marketing Mix Strategy
As an example, the marketing mix strategy for a breast cancer screening campaign for older women might include the following elements:
The product could be any of these three behaviors: getting an annual mammogram, seeing a physician each year for a breast exam and performing monthly breast self-exams.
The price of engaging in these behaviors includes the monetary costs of the mammogram and exam, potential discomfort and/or embarrassment, time and even the possibility of actually finding a lump.
The place that these medical and educational services are offered might be a mobile van, local hospitals, clinics and worksites, depending upon the needs of the target audience.
Promotion could be done through public service announcements, billboards, mass mailings, media events and community outreach.
The "publics" you might need to address include your target audience (let's say low-income women age 40 to 65), the people who influence their decisions like their husbands or physicians, policymakers, public service directors at local radio stations, as well as your board of directors and office staff.
Partnerships could be cultivated with local or national women's groups, corporate sponsors, medical organizations, service clubs or media outlets.
The policy aspects of the campaign might focus on increasing access to mammograms through lower costs, requiring insurance and Medicaid coverage of mammograms or increasing federal funding for breast cancer research.
The purse strings, or where the funding will come from, may be governmental grants, such as from the National Cancer Institute or the local health department, foundation grants or an organization like the American Cancer Society.
Each element of the marketing mix should be taken into consideration as the program is developed, for they are the core of the marketing effort. Research is used to elucidate and shape the final product, price, place, promotion and related decisions.
The health communications field has been rapidly changing over the past two decades. It has evolved from a one-dimensional reliance on public service announcements to a more sophisticated approach which draws from successful techniques used by commercial marketers, termed "social marketing." Rather than dictating the way that information is to be conveyed from the top-down, public health professionals are learning to listen to the needs and desires of the target audience themselves, and building the program from there. This focus on the "consumer" involves in-depth research and constant re-evaluation of every aspect of the program. In fact, research and evaluation together form the very cornerstone of the social marketing process.
Social marketing was "born" as a discipline in the 1970s, when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles that were being used to sell products to consumers could be used to "sell" ideas, attitudes and behaviors. Kotler and Andreasen define social marketing as "differing from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society." This technique has been used extensively in international health programs, especially for contraceptives and oral rehydration therapy (ORT), and is being used with more frequency in the United States for such diverse topics as drug abuse, heart disease and organ donation.
Like commercial marketing, the primary focus is on the consumer--on learning what people want and need rather than trying to persuade them to buy what we happen to be producing. Marketing talks to the consumer, not about the product. The planning process takes this consumer focus into account by addressing the elements of the "marketing mix." This refers to decisions about 1) the conception of a Product, 2) Price, 3) distribution (Place), and 4) Promotion. These are often called the "Four Ps" of marketing. Social marketing also adds a few more "P's." At the end is an example of the marketing mix.
Product
The social marketing "product" is not necessarily a physical offering. A continuum of products exists, ranging from tangible, physical products (e.g., condoms), to services (e.g., medical exams), practices (e.g., breastfeeding, ORT or eating a heart-healthy diet) and finally, more intangible ideas (e.g., environmental protection). In order to have a viable product, people must first perceive that they have a genuine problem, and that the product offering is a good solution for that problem. The role of research here is to discover the consumers' perceptions of the problem and the product, and to determine how important they feel it is to take action against the problem.
Price
"Price" refers to what the consumer must do in order to obtain the social marketing product. This cost may be monetary, or it may instead require the consumer to give up intangibles, such as time or effort, or to risk embarrassment and disapproval. If the costs outweigh the benefits for an individual, the perceived value of the offering will be low and it will be unlikely to be adopted. However, if the benefits are perceived as greater than their costs, chances of trial and adoption of the product is much greater.
In setting the price, particularly for a physical product, such as contraceptives, there are many issues to consider. If the product is priced too low, or provided free of charge, the consumer may perceive it as being low in quality. On the other hand, if the price is too high, some will not be able to afford it. Social marketers must balance these considerations, and often end up charging at least a nominal fee to increase perceptions of quality and to confer a sense of "dignity" to the transaction. These perceptions of costs and benefits can be determined through research, and used in positioning the product.
Place
"Place" describes the way that the product reaches the consumer. For a tangible product, this refers to the distribution system--including the warehouse, trucks, sales force, retail outlets where it is sold, or places where it is given out for free. For an intangible product, place is less clear-cut, but refers to decisions about the channels through which consumers are reached with information or training. This may include doctors' offices, shopping malls, mass media vehicles or in-home demonstrations. Another element of place is deciding how to ensure accessibility of the offering and quality of the service delivery. By determining the activities and habits of the target audience, as well as their experience and satisfaction with the existing delivery system, researchers can pinpoint the most ideal means of distribution for the offering.
Promotion
Finally, the last "P" is promotion. Because of its visibility, this element is often mistakenly thought of as comprising the whole of social marketing. However, as can be seen by the previous discussion, it is only one piece. Promotion consists of the integrated use of advertising, public relations, promotions, media advocacy, personal selling and entertainment vehicles. The focus is on creating and sustaining demand for the product. Public service announcements or paid ads are one way, but there are other methods such as coupons, media events, editorials, "Tupperware"-style parties or in-store displays. Research is crucial to determine the most effective and efficient vehicles to reach the target audience and increase demand. The primary research findings themselves can also be used to gain publicity for the program at media events and in news stories.
Additional Social Marketing "P's"
Publics--Social marketers often have many different audiences that their program has to address in order to be successful. "Publics" refers to both the external and internal groups involved in the program. External publics include the target audience, secondary audiences, policymakers, and gatekeepers, while the internal publics are those who are involved in some way with either approval or implementation of the program.
Partnership--Social and health issues are often so complex that one agency can't make a dent by itself. You need to team up with other organizations in the community to really be effective. You need to figure out which organizations have similar goals to yours--not necessarily the same goals--and identify ways you can work together.
Policy--Social marketing programs can do well in motivating individual behavior change, but that is difficult to sustain unless the environment they're in supports that change for the long run. Often, policy change is needed, and media advocacy programs can be an effective complement to a social marketing program.
Purse Strings--Most organizations that develop social marketing programs operate through funds provided by sources such as foundations, governmental grants or donations. This adds another dimension to the strategy development-namely, where will you get the money to create your program?
Example of a Marketing Mix Strategy
As an example, the marketing mix strategy for a breast cancer screening campaign for older women might include the following elements:
The product could be any of these three behaviors: getting an annual mammogram, seeing a physician each year for a breast exam and performing monthly breast self-exams.
The price of engaging in these behaviors includes the monetary costs of the mammogram and exam, potential discomfort and/or embarrassment, time and even the possibility of actually finding a lump.
The place that these medical and educational services are offered might be a mobile van, local hospitals, clinics and worksites, depending upon the needs of the target audience.
Promotion could be done through public service announcements, billboards, mass mailings, media events and community outreach.
The "publics" you might need to address include your target audience (let's say low-income women age 40 to 65), the people who influence their decisions like their husbands or physicians, policymakers, public service directors at local radio stations, as well as your board of directors and office staff.
Partnerships could be cultivated with local or national women's groups, corporate sponsors, medical organizations, service clubs or media outlets.
The policy aspects of the campaign might focus on increasing access to mammograms through lower costs, requiring insurance and Medicaid coverage of mammograms or increasing federal funding for breast cancer research.
The purse strings, or where the funding will come from, may be governmental grants, such as from the National Cancer Institute or the local health department, foundation grants or an organization like the American Cancer Society.
Each element of the marketing mix should be taken into consideration as the program is developed, for they are the core of the marketing effort. Research is used to elucidate and shape the final product, price, place, promotion and related decisions.
terça-feira, 17 de novembro de 2009
Branding and Social Marketing
Branding in the commercial sector is pervasive and fairly easy to understand and recognize. However, branding in social marketing is not as common but becoming more popular as it is very effective in creating visibility and ensures memorability.
The brand is the marketer’s most advanced emotional tool. It combines and reinforces the functional and emotional benefits of the offering and so adds value, encouraging consumption and loyalty. A good brand facilitates recognition, makes a promise, and, provided the full marketing back-up is in place, delivers satisfaction. Brands can provide very practical benefits. For example for young people, quick and clear brand identification can make both the buying and smoking of forbidden products such as cigarettes much less risky. Over time, brands become a fast powerful way of confirming the synergy between marketer and customer. (Social Marketing: Influencing Behaviors for Good by Philip Kotler, Nancy R. Lee)
There is also evidence that branding may be particularly effective way to reach people in deprived communities. Experts in branding have concluded that the symbolic appeal of brands is particularly effective in targeting those individuals who do not have the time, skills and motivation to evaluate the objective attributes and benefits of a particular campaign. A recent review conducted on behalf of the UK’s National for Health and Clinical Excellence also suggests that brands can be an effective way of reaching information-deprived communities. Branding with these communities seems to hold considerable promise. (Gerald Hastings in Social marketing … why should the devil have all the best tunes? p100).
In Canada and the USA, many government departments are constantly looking for effective ways to best hard to reach groups. This new finding should certainly be explored for “hard to reach” and “deprived communities”.
The following list includes a few of the stronger brands , in these cases names that have been to identify programs and products and are used consistently in an integrated way which is very important for social marketers.
“Participaction”… encouraging physical activity (CANADA)
“VERB” … encouraging physical activity (USA)
“Break Free”… Anti – smoking (Canada)
“Truth” … Anti -smoking (USA)
“McGruff the Crime Dog”… Crime prevention
“Operation Red Nose/Nez Rouge”… Drinking and driving (Canada)
“Road Crew” … Drinking and driving (USA)
“Don’t mess with Texas”… Litter prevention (USA)
“Rock the vote”… Voting
“Back to Sleep”… Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
“Energy Star “… Energy conservation
“One ton Challenge”… Climate change (Canada)
“Smokey Bear”… Wildfire prevention
“5 A Day”… Nutrition
“Fight” … “fight fear,” “fight distress” and “fight chaos,” Military recruiting campaign (Canada)
“Be all you can be”… Military recruiting campaign (USA)
“Yes You Can”…International Competitiveness (Canada)
“Believe in Yourself”… Student Loan (Canada)
Here is an excerpt from a blog from “branding in the field of social marketing “from Nedra Kline Weinreich which provides some further information on this topic.
“Nonprofits and government agencies are generally several steps behind the commercial sector in applying marketing concepts to their health and social issues. Branding is a word that is thrown around a lot by marketers of all stripes without a complete understanding of what it actually means. We know we want to have a strong brand, but to some that just means creating a logo and tagline. A brand is much more than just the product itself, or the visuals you create to promote it.
Your brand is how your audience thinks about your product and connects with it emotionally. It’s the combination of how you market your product and how the audience experiences it. It’s the feeling that by using the product someone becomes part of an elite group, and membership in that group reflects the image of who that person aspires to be.
In the case of social marketing, the product is the health or social behaviour you are promoting — if the audience tries doing what you want them to do but has an awful experience, the brand image suffers. Or the brand may be your organization, with various products that you offer falling within that brand (e.g., if you are at a local health department with initiatives addressing different health topics). So branding involves strategically crafting all the elements of your audience’s interactions with your organization and its products so that they support the right image and evoke the right emotions. Your product or organization may already have a brand image — but is it the one you want?
Jim Mintz is Director of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing. The Centre’s mandate is to deliver strategic marketing solutions, designed to meet the unique needs & challenges of governments, associations and non-profit organizations. He is also Program Director of the “Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing” and the “Executive Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing Leadership” at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. Jim lectures in the Undergraduate Program at Sprott in his specialty areas of marketing communications and non-profit/public sector marketing and at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health (Tampa). He was formerly Adjunct Professor of Marketing in the School of Management at the University of Ottawa.
The brand is the marketer’s most advanced emotional tool. It combines and reinforces the functional and emotional benefits of the offering and so adds value, encouraging consumption and loyalty. A good brand facilitates recognition, makes a promise, and, provided the full marketing back-up is in place, delivers satisfaction. Brands can provide very practical benefits. For example for young people, quick and clear brand identification can make both the buying and smoking of forbidden products such as cigarettes much less risky. Over time, brands become a fast powerful way of confirming the synergy between marketer and customer. (Social Marketing: Influencing Behaviors for Good by Philip Kotler, Nancy R. Lee)
There is also evidence that branding may be particularly effective way to reach people in deprived communities. Experts in branding have concluded that the symbolic appeal of brands is particularly effective in targeting those individuals who do not have the time, skills and motivation to evaluate the objective attributes and benefits of a particular campaign. A recent review conducted on behalf of the UK’s National for Health and Clinical Excellence also suggests that brands can be an effective way of reaching information-deprived communities. Branding with these communities seems to hold considerable promise. (Gerald Hastings in Social marketing … why should the devil have all the best tunes? p100).
In Canada and the USA, many government departments are constantly looking for effective ways to best hard to reach groups. This new finding should certainly be explored for “hard to reach” and “deprived communities”.
The following list includes a few of the stronger brands , in these cases names that have been to identify programs and products and are used consistently in an integrated way which is very important for social marketers.
“Participaction”… encouraging physical activity (CANADA)
“VERB” … encouraging physical activity (USA)
“Break Free”… Anti – smoking (Canada)
“Truth” … Anti -smoking (USA)
“McGruff the Crime Dog”… Crime prevention
“Operation Red Nose/Nez Rouge”… Drinking and driving (Canada)
“Road Crew” … Drinking and driving (USA)
“Don’t mess with Texas”… Litter prevention (USA)
“Rock the vote”… Voting
“Back to Sleep”… Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
“Energy Star “… Energy conservation
“One ton Challenge”… Climate change (Canada)
“Smokey Bear”… Wildfire prevention
“5 A Day”… Nutrition
“Fight” … “fight fear,” “fight distress” and “fight chaos,” Military recruiting campaign (Canada)
“Be all you can be”… Military recruiting campaign (USA)
“Yes You Can”…International Competitiveness (Canada)
“Believe in Yourself”… Student Loan (Canada)
Here is an excerpt from a blog from “branding in the field of social marketing “from Nedra Kline Weinreich which provides some further information on this topic.
“Nonprofits and government agencies are generally several steps behind the commercial sector in applying marketing concepts to their health and social issues. Branding is a word that is thrown around a lot by marketers of all stripes without a complete understanding of what it actually means. We know we want to have a strong brand, but to some that just means creating a logo and tagline. A brand is much more than just the product itself, or the visuals you create to promote it.
Your brand is how your audience thinks about your product and connects with it emotionally. It’s the combination of how you market your product and how the audience experiences it. It’s the feeling that by using the product someone becomes part of an elite group, and membership in that group reflects the image of who that person aspires to be.
In the case of social marketing, the product is the health or social behaviour you are promoting — if the audience tries doing what you want them to do but has an awful experience, the brand image suffers. Or the brand may be your organization, with various products that you offer falling within that brand (e.g., if you are at a local health department with initiatives addressing different health topics). So branding involves strategically crafting all the elements of your audience’s interactions with your organization and its products so that they support the right image and evoke the right emotions. Your product or organization may already have a brand image — but is it the one you want?
Jim Mintz is Director of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing. The Centre’s mandate is to deliver strategic marketing solutions, designed to meet the unique needs & challenges of governments, associations and non-profit organizations. He is also Program Director of the “Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing” and the “Executive Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing Leadership” at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. Jim lectures in the Undergraduate Program at Sprott in his specialty areas of marketing communications and non-profit/public sector marketing and at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health (Tampa). He was formerly Adjunct Professor of Marketing in the School of Management at the University of Ottawa.
20/20 The Way to Clean Air
20/20 The Way to Clean Air involves individuals in the Greater Toronto Area in reducing home energy use and vehicle use by 20%. It asks participants to make a small commitment (some easy-to-do activities done for a period of two weeks) leading to a larger commitment (longer-term, greater cost savings actions) and connects them with programs and services that help them succeed.
Background
In November 1999, Toronto Public Health contracted a social marketing firm Eric Young Enterprise (E.Y.E.) - to develop a strategic framework for its education program on smog and air quality. The goal was to identify a strategy for Toronto Public Health to conduct risk reduction and smog reduction activities and to create a platform for long-term change on air quality. E.Y.E. developed the brand for the 20/20 The Way for Clean Air program in 2000.
The strategic framework, completed in March 2000, outlined the components of a social marketing campaign whose focus was to engage residents, both at the individual and collective level, in taking actions to reduce air pollution. Driving the public to partner programs and services was also key. A planning guide (the 20/20 Planner) was envisaged, with a Connector section to link participants to service providers that would help them achieve their 20% energy reduction goal.
Setting Objectives
20/20 hoped to:
•Involve 20 corporate participants in the GTA to become a 20/20 workplace by 2005.
•Involve 500 schools in the GTA in its EcoSchools partnership program by 2010.
•Deliver 150,000 20/20 Planners to households across the GTA by 2010.
•Achieve 30% home energy use reduction per participating household by 2020.
•Achieve 20% vehicle use reduction per participating household by 2020.
Getting Informed
Toronto Public Health contracted Cullbridge Marketing and Communications to conduct a best practices analysis. This analysis, completed in January 2001, outlined a series of energy reducing activities for the 20/20 program, both for the home energy use and personal vehicle use components. These included: 1) home energy audits, 2) insulation, 3) weatherization, 4) home thermostat, 5) lower-income housing, 6) water heater thermostat, 7) lighting, 8) walking and biking for adults, 9) walking and biking for school children, 10) transit, 11) work-based carpooling and 12) school-based carpooling.
The development of the 20/20 Planner and 20/20 EcoSchools Planner (a student-focused version of the 20/20 Planner) built on these energy-reducing activities, targeting residents and schools respectively.
In 2000, Toronto Public Health worked with E.Y.E. to develop a living lab exercise to test out draft materials with 20 families across the Greater Toronto Area. Participants received incentives and regular telephone support from the five health units in the regions of York, Peel, Halton, Durham and Toronto. To further test and refine the program, Toronto Public Health hired a team led by Lura Consulting to pilot the program with 250 families in Toronto and Peel Region.
The living lab and pilot, completed in May 2002 indicated that a 20% energy goal was achievable. These studies confirmed the barriers and opportunities for behavioral change that were identified in the best practices analysis, including the need for: 1) a comprehensive resource to guide actions, 2) some form of follow-up/reminder to participants of their action, 3) incentives to take action, 4) making a pledge for action, and 5) having measurable results.
The studies also suggested that 20/20 needed to be promoted to a wider audience, enabling a much larger number of people to find out that the program and support was available. Other recommendations included: 1) providing on the ground support to priority neighbourhood, 2) making basic information about home energy-savings opportunities easy to access, 3) the need for a simple information kit for participants, 4) providing easy-to-use tracking tool and incentives for participants, and 5) partnering with local service providers such as Green$aver and Pollution Probe to deliver a work-based initiative.
Targeting the Audience
•20/20 in general residents in the Greater Toronto Area, including those living in multi-unit residences
•20/20 workplace companies in the Greater Toronto Area interested in promoting energy efficiency to their employees
•20/20 EcoSchools predominantly Grade 5 classrooms in elementary schools
•20/20 community pilot selected neighbourhoods whose first language is not English
Delivering the Program
20/20 was officially launched to the general public in June 2002. It introduced its workplace program at the end of 2002 and the schools program in 2003 as a pilot with the Toronto District School Boards EcoSchools initiative. The regional health units contracted the Clean Air Partnership to coordinate the program throughout the GTA at the same time. They also set up a Regional Steering Committee composed of 20/20 staff from the five regional health units to oversee the implementation of the program across the GTA. In 2005, 20/20 partnered with community groups to bring the program to multi-ethnic communities. A small-scale advertising campaign also took place in 2003 and 2004.
The 20/20 Planners went through several revisions to include updated information from program partners, prize draws, activity tracking/feedback forms, and energy saving tips for tenants and condo owners. 20/20 developed a new teachers guide in 2005 to accompany the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner, outlining the program links to curriculum.
By the summer of 2005, the program had reached over 20 workplaces, 70 schools across the Greater Toronto Area and over 14 communities bringing the 20/20 program to residents whose first language is not English. More than 10,000 Planners per year in total were distributed in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
Distribution and promotion of the residential 20/20 Planner:
The general public could order a free copy of the 20/20 Planner (Overcoming Specific Barriers) by calling a hotline. 20/20 promoted the hotline through the 20/20 point of contact brochure, advertising in the media electronic bulletin boards, and printed articles in magazines and commuter papers (Mass Media). Participants could also download the Planner from the 20/20 program web site or sign up at 20/20 displays at public events (e.g., Environment Days, Smog Summit Fresh Air Fair, Bike Week, Earth Week, and Clean Air Day).
20/20 encouraged participants to complete and return a feedback form indicating the type of energy use activity they would do , both in a Stage One two-week period and beyond (Building Motivation Over Time) and be entered into a draw for some prizes (Incentives).
On receiving the feedback form, 20/20 sent participants a welcome letter, a window decal, and energy saving plugs/shoelaces/fridge magnet to remind them of their commitment to energy use reduction (Norm Appeals, Prompts).
20/20 workplace program:
20/20 partnered with Green$aver, Pollution Probes S.M.A.R.T. Movement program and the Smart Commute Association to bring energy efficiency to companies across the Greater Toronto Area (Work Programs). Each company that signed up for the program received a welcoming package, filled with information to help the workplace coordinator communicate the program to its employees.
20/20 also worked with the participating workplaces to organize lunch and learn events and education displays where employees could sign up for their free copy of the 20/20 Planner.
20/20 EcoSchools program:
20/20 partnered with the Ontario EcoSchools initiative to bring the 20/20 Planner (revised for student use and called the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner) to teachers and their students. Staff from the regional health units worked with local school boards to invite teachers to participate in the program. 20/20 focused predominantly in Grade 5 classrooms where energy conservation is a curriculum requirement for this grade. 20/20 also encouraged schools in the Greater Toronto Area to tie the 20/20 EcoSchools program to annual environmental events such as Earth Week in April, Clean Air Day in June and International Walk to School month in October.
Incentives for participating schools in the Greater Toronto Area included: 1) monthly pizza lunch prize draw for classroom and, 2) opportunity to win a "clean air" presentation by a Clean Air Champion. Participating classrooms also received a colourful child-focused poster with stickers. Schools that registered a minimum of three classrooms also received an attractive school banner.
Students of the participating classrooms received copies of the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner to take home to their families (School Programs that Involve the Family).A teachers guide was also sent to the teachers outlining instructions for participating, curriculum connections, and additional resources to enhance the 20/20 program in the classroom.
Schools outside of the Greater Toronto Area could also download the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner and the teachers guide from the 20/20 program web site.
20/20 community pilot:
20/20 partnered with local community agencies to deliver the program to selected communities who first language is not English. Participating communities translated 20/20 materials, including part of the 20/20 Planner to different languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Tamil, Punjabi and Arabic. The 20/20 Planner also included energy saving tips for people living in multi-units residences thus expanding the reach of the program (Overcoming Specific Barriers).
Financing the Program
20/20 received funding from the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, the Climate Change Action Fund, Environment Canada Ontario Region, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Ontario Ministry of Energy, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and the EcoAction Fund in the development and implementation of the program. Many program partners also provided in kind support throughout the course of the program.
Measuring Achievements
In the spring/summer of 2004, Toronto Public Health conducted a participant survey to assess if program participants used the 20/20 Planner (the programs central resource) to achieve reductions in energy use and to determine the specific actions that they were taking. This information was used to quantify the emissions reductions related to the energy saving activities undertaken by the participants. The study involved two surveys.
Survey #1 targeted program participants who ordered the 20/20 Planner and returned their activity tracking/feedback forms. The main objectives of this survey were to find out whether these individuals had done the longer-term activities to which they committed and, if not, what the barriers to success had been.
Survey #2 targeted program participants who had ordered the 20/20 Planner, but had not sent back their activity forms. The objectives of this survey were to find out why the participants activity tracking/feedback forms were not sent back, and whether they were in fact engaged in the program.
Emissions reductions were calculated based on self-reporting of activities by participants. The amount of emissions reduced for each activity was assigned a value based on models that predicted estimated transportation emissions per passenger per kilometer traveled, and home energy use based on typical housing stock in Canada.
The results of the two surveys were as follow:
•An average of 19% reduction in home energy use per household (20% from participants who returned their feedback forms and 18% from those who did not.)
•An average of 15% reduction in vehicle km traveled per household (13% from participants who returned their feedback forms and 16% from those who did not.)
•An average of 1.2 tonnes emissions reduction (mainly CO2) per household per year (1.3 tonnes from participants who returned their feedback form and 1.1 from those who did not.)
Contacts
Jill McDowell, Health Promotion Consultant
Toronto Public Health
277 Victoria Street, 7th Floor
Toronto, ON M5B 1W2
Phone: 416-392-4882
Fax: 416-392-7418
jmcdowe@toronto.ca
For more information about the 20/20 The Way to Clean Air, call the 20/20 hotline at 416-392-2020 (toll-free 1-866-583-2020) or visit the program web site at www.toronto.ca/health/2020
For step-by step instructions in using each of the tools noted above, to review our FULL collection of over 90 social marketing case studies, or to suggest a new case study, go to www.toolsofchange.com
Notes
Concluding Thoughts
•Partnerships were key to the success of 20/20 The Way to Clean Air. Linking with strong programs in the schools (such as EcoSchools), transportation partners in the workplace (S.M.A.R.T. Movement), and on-the-ground community groups, enabled the campaign to reach a diversity of families with meaningful messages.
•Involvement of neighbouring health units brought credibility to the campaign that helped 20/20 build trust with the communities and residents in the region.
•Offering households the flexibility to choose the level of participation helped the campaign evolve into one that reached a variety of families with difference economic and cultural backgrounds.
•Behaviour change is incremental and happens over time. Contributions (from smallest to largest) of each participating household add up over the years into meaningful emissions reductions on a collective level.
Background
In November 1999, Toronto Public Health contracted a social marketing firm Eric Young Enterprise (E.Y.E.) - to develop a strategic framework for its education program on smog and air quality. The goal was to identify a strategy for Toronto Public Health to conduct risk reduction and smog reduction activities and to create a platform for long-term change on air quality. E.Y.E. developed the brand for the 20/20 The Way for Clean Air program in 2000.
The strategic framework, completed in March 2000, outlined the components of a social marketing campaign whose focus was to engage residents, both at the individual and collective level, in taking actions to reduce air pollution. Driving the public to partner programs and services was also key. A planning guide (the 20/20 Planner) was envisaged, with a Connector section to link participants to service providers that would help them achieve their 20% energy reduction goal.
Setting Objectives
20/20 hoped to:
•Involve 20 corporate participants in the GTA to become a 20/20 workplace by 2005.
•Involve 500 schools in the GTA in its EcoSchools partnership program by 2010.
•Deliver 150,000 20/20 Planners to households across the GTA by 2010.
•Achieve 30% home energy use reduction per participating household by 2020.
•Achieve 20% vehicle use reduction per participating household by 2020.
Getting Informed
Toronto Public Health contracted Cullbridge Marketing and Communications to conduct a best practices analysis. This analysis, completed in January 2001, outlined a series of energy reducing activities for the 20/20 program, both for the home energy use and personal vehicle use components. These included: 1) home energy audits, 2) insulation, 3) weatherization, 4) home thermostat, 5) lower-income housing, 6) water heater thermostat, 7) lighting, 8) walking and biking for adults, 9) walking and biking for school children, 10) transit, 11) work-based carpooling and 12) school-based carpooling.
The development of the 20/20 Planner and 20/20 EcoSchools Planner (a student-focused version of the 20/20 Planner) built on these energy-reducing activities, targeting residents and schools respectively.
In 2000, Toronto Public Health worked with E.Y.E. to develop a living lab exercise to test out draft materials with 20 families across the Greater Toronto Area. Participants received incentives and regular telephone support from the five health units in the regions of York, Peel, Halton, Durham and Toronto. To further test and refine the program, Toronto Public Health hired a team led by Lura Consulting to pilot the program with 250 families in Toronto and Peel Region.
The living lab and pilot, completed in May 2002 indicated that a 20% energy goal was achievable. These studies confirmed the barriers and opportunities for behavioral change that were identified in the best practices analysis, including the need for: 1) a comprehensive resource to guide actions, 2) some form of follow-up/reminder to participants of their action, 3) incentives to take action, 4) making a pledge for action, and 5) having measurable results.
The studies also suggested that 20/20 needed to be promoted to a wider audience, enabling a much larger number of people to find out that the program and support was available. Other recommendations included: 1) providing on the ground support to priority neighbourhood, 2) making basic information about home energy-savings opportunities easy to access, 3) the need for a simple information kit for participants, 4) providing easy-to-use tracking tool and incentives for participants, and 5) partnering with local service providers such as Green$aver and Pollution Probe to deliver a work-based initiative.
Targeting the Audience
•20/20 in general residents in the Greater Toronto Area, including those living in multi-unit residences
•20/20 workplace companies in the Greater Toronto Area interested in promoting energy efficiency to their employees
•20/20 EcoSchools predominantly Grade 5 classrooms in elementary schools
•20/20 community pilot selected neighbourhoods whose first language is not English
Delivering the Program
20/20 was officially launched to the general public in June 2002. It introduced its workplace program at the end of 2002 and the schools program in 2003 as a pilot with the Toronto District School Boards EcoSchools initiative. The regional health units contracted the Clean Air Partnership to coordinate the program throughout the GTA at the same time. They also set up a Regional Steering Committee composed of 20/20 staff from the five regional health units to oversee the implementation of the program across the GTA. In 2005, 20/20 partnered with community groups to bring the program to multi-ethnic communities. A small-scale advertising campaign also took place in 2003 and 2004.
The 20/20 Planners went through several revisions to include updated information from program partners, prize draws, activity tracking/feedback forms, and energy saving tips for tenants and condo owners. 20/20 developed a new teachers guide in 2005 to accompany the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner, outlining the program links to curriculum.
By the summer of 2005, the program had reached over 20 workplaces, 70 schools across the Greater Toronto Area and over 14 communities bringing the 20/20 program to residents whose first language is not English. More than 10,000 Planners per year in total were distributed in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
Distribution and promotion of the residential 20/20 Planner:
The general public could order a free copy of the 20/20 Planner (Overcoming Specific Barriers) by calling a hotline. 20/20 promoted the hotline through the 20/20 point of contact brochure, advertising in the media electronic bulletin boards, and printed articles in magazines and commuter papers (Mass Media). Participants could also download the Planner from the 20/20 program web site or sign up at 20/20 displays at public events (e.g., Environment Days, Smog Summit Fresh Air Fair, Bike Week, Earth Week, and Clean Air Day).
20/20 encouraged participants to complete and return a feedback form indicating the type of energy use activity they would do , both in a Stage One two-week period and beyond (Building Motivation Over Time) and be entered into a draw for some prizes (Incentives).
On receiving the feedback form, 20/20 sent participants a welcome letter, a window decal, and energy saving plugs/shoelaces/fridge magnet to remind them of their commitment to energy use reduction (Norm Appeals, Prompts).
20/20 workplace program:
20/20 partnered with Green$aver, Pollution Probes S.M.A.R.T. Movement program and the Smart Commute Association to bring energy efficiency to companies across the Greater Toronto Area (Work Programs). Each company that signed up for the program received a welcoming package, filled with information to help the workplace coordinator communicate the program to its employees.
20/20 also worked with the participating workplaces to organize lunch and learn events and education displays where employees could sign up for their free copy of the 20/20 Planner.
20/20 EcoSchools program:
20/20 partnered with the Ontario EcoSchools initiative to bring the 20/20 Planner (revised for student use and called the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner) to teachers and their students. Staff from the regional health units worked with local school boards to invite teachers to participate in the program. 20/20 focused predominantly in Grade 5 classrooms where energy conservation is a curriculum requirement for this grade. 20/20 also encouraged schools in the Greater Toronto Area to tie the 20/20 EcoSchools program to annual environmental events such as Earth Week in April, Clean Air Day in June and International Walk to School month in October.
Incentives for participating schools in the Greater Toronto Area included: 1) monthly pizza lunch prize draw for classroom and, 2) opportunity to win a "clean air" presentation by a Clean Air Champion. Participating classrooms also received a colourful child-focused poster with stickers. Schools that registered a minimum of three classrooms also received an attractive school banner.
Students of the participating classrooms received copies of the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner to take home to their families (School Programs that Involve the Family).A teachers guide was also sent to the teachers outlining instructions for participating, curriculum connections, and additional resources to enhance the 20/20 program in the classroom.
Schools outside of the Greater Toronto Area could also download the 20/20 EcoSchools Planner and the teachers guide from the 20/20 program web site.
20/20 community pilot:
20/20 partnered with local community agencies to deliver the program to selected communities who first language is not English. Participating communities translated 20/20 materials, including part of the 20/20 Planner to different languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Tamil, Punjabi and Arabic. The 20/20 Planner also included energy saving tips for people living in multi-units residences thus expanding the reach of the program (Overcoming Specific Barriers).
Financing the Program
20/20 received funding from the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, the Climate Change Action Fund, Environment Canada Ontario Region, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Ontario Ministry of Energy, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and the EcoAction Fund in the development and implementation of the program. Many program partners also provided in kind support throughout the course of the program.
Measuring Achievements
In the spring/summer of 2004, Toronto Public Health conducted a participant survey to assess if program participants used the 20/20 Planner (the programs central resource) to achieve reductions in energy use and to determine the specific actions that they were taking. This information was used to quantify the emissions reductions related to the energy saving activities undertaken by the participants. The study involved two surveys.
Survey #1 targeted program participants who ordered the 20/20 Planner and returned their activity tracking/feedback forms. The main objectives of this survey were to find out whether these individuals had done the longer-term activities to which they committed and, if not, what the barriers to success had been.
Survey #2 targeted program participants who had ordered the 20/20 Planner, but had not sent back their activity forms. The objectives of this survey were to find out why the participants activity tracking/feedback forms were not sent back, and whether they were in fact engaged in the program.
Emissions reductions were calculated based on self-reporting of activities by participants. The amount of emissions reduced for each activity was assigned a value based on models that predicted estimated transportation emissions per passenger per kilometer traveled, and home energy use based on typical housing stock in Canada.
The results of the two surveys were as follow:
•An average of 19% reduction in home energy use per household (20% from participants who returned their feedback forms and 18% from those who did not.)
•An average of 15% reduction in vehicle km traveled per household (13% from participants who returned their feedback forms and 16% from those who did not.)
•An average of 1.2 tonnes emissions reduction (mainly CO2) per household per year (1.3 tonnes from participants who returned their feedback form and 1.1 from those who did not.)
Contacts
Jill McDowell, Health Promotion Consultant
Toronto Public Health
277 Victoria Street, 7th Floor
Toronto, ON M5B 1W2
Phone: 416-392-4882
Fax: 416-392-7418
jmcdowe@toronto.ca
For more information about the 20/20 The Way to Clean Air, call the 20/20 hotline at 416-392-2020 (toll-free 1-866-583-2020) or visit the program web site at www.toronto.ca/health/2020
For step-by step instructions in using each of the tools noted above, to review our FULL collection of over 90 social marketing case studies, or to suggest a new case study, go to www.toolsofchange.com
Notes
Concluding Thoughts
•Partnerships were key to the success of 20/20 The Way to Clean Air. Linking with strong programs in the schools (such as EcoSchools), transportation partners in the workplace (S.M.A.R.T. Movement), and on-the-ground community groups, enabled the campaign to reach a diversity of families with meaningful messages.
•Involvement of neighbouring health units brought credibility to the campaign that helped 20/20 build trust with the communities and residents in the region.
•Offering households the flexibility to choose the level of participation helped the campaign evolve into one that reached a variety of families with difference economic and cultural backgrounds.
•Behaviour change is incremental and happens over time. Contributions (from smallest to largest) of each participating household add up over the years into meaningful emissions reductions on a collective level.
Action By Canadians / Count Me In
The Action By Canadians (ABC) and Count Me In! programs were designed to communicate the issue of climate change to the Canadian public through workshops delivered to individuals at their place of work. The climate change workshop focused on action by providing participants, at the end of the workshop, an opportunity to make a commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by adopting specific measures in their personal lives. By October 2000, over 3,500 Canadians had participated in these workshops. The Ontario Society of Training and Development awarded the ABC program with the Best External Training Program Award.
Background
In 1997, Enviros RIS carried out initial research on finding the "Blue Box of Climate Change". The goal was to find a simple action which individuals could take which would raise awareness of climate change, and change behaviour in a way which would contribute to the solution. Finding a simple icon like the Blue Box is more challenging for climate change, because the issue is more complex, and more difficult to explain to the public.
The company developed a climate change workshop, designed to be delivered to Canadians at their workplace. The purpose of the workshop was to raise awareness of the climate change issue amongst Canadians, and also to initiate individual action to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A National Pledge Program was envisioned at the time, whereby individuals pledge to make several changes in their own lives (at home and on the road) to decrease greenhouse gases.
In December, 1998, the Office of Energy Efficiency at NRCan, endorsed an Enviros RIS submission made to the Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF) to test the climate change workshop at 30 locations (15 energy innovator companies, 10 government offices, 5 small to medium sized companies), and identify the impacts of the program. A second CCAF funded project initiated by the Energy Council of Canada- the Action By Canadians (ABC) program- also aimed to deliver workshops at the workplace. Companies who participated in the ABC program offered the workshop as one component of a more comprehensive climate change strategy.
Over 175 workshops were delivered to more than 3,500 Canadians across Canada.
Getting Informed
In 1998, Environment Canada funded a feasibility study on the concept of employee based training, incorporating the idea of a National Pledge Program. Enviros RIS staff interviewed 25 senior executives at companies across Canada to test the concept, as it was essential that the program have private sector support. The interviews identified a short, 2-hour workshop as the best method to access Canadians and raise awareness on the climate change issue. The endorsement of the employer was considered an important message to give to employees.
The workshop was pilot tested at Sorema Reinsurance Company in Toronto in October 1998. The feedback was extremely positive and according to the workshop evaluation, 93% of the workshop participants felt their knowledge of the issue was increased. Six months after the first pilot test, a follow-up survey was distributed to participants. Over 70% of survey respondents said they had followed through with some of their climate change pledges. Workshop participants reported that they made a number of changes as a result of the workshop such as turning lights off, driving less, lowering night time temperatures in their homes, installing low flow showerheads and re-insulating their homes, etc.
The feasibility study and pilot workshop both supported the idea that employee based training was an effective way to reach out to Canadians on the climate change issue and promote action. At that time, this was the first program of its kind in North America.
Delivering the Program
Workshop description
The climate change workshop was a one and a half or two- hour interactive workshop focused on developing awareness and understanding of climate change, and the actions which individuals could take to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions. The workshop was designed by professional adult educators and applied the principles of adult education. Some key principles used in the design included: adults learn by doing (as opposed to passively listening or watching) and there are differing learning styles. Lengthy lecture segments were also avoided.
The training program has the following key features:
•An introductory lecture on the science of climate change.
A compelling mini-lecture created a need to know around the issue of climate change. The lecture covered the primary causes and projected impacts of climate change. After the lecture, participants better understood the issue and its importance, and felt compelled to learn what they could do about the issue. (Building Motivation Over Time)
•A group activity that highlights what can be done.
Participants played a game that allowed them to actively evaluate and then choose the most energy saving measures based on the relative ease or difficulty of implementation, and the relative amount of energy savings. This creative learning activity exposed participants to more than 30 energy efficient measures in an enjoyable game format that was much more likely to lead to retention of the information than simply lecturing about energy saving measures.
•A lecture and facilitated discussion about how we can all make a difference.
This section embodied an inspirational message intended to illustrate that it is possible for individuals to collectively make a difference and contribute to adoption of new social norms (Norm Appeals). The facilitated discussion encouraged participants to reflect on their own experience and report examples of issues where they have witnessed changing social norms (drinking & driving, smoking at the workplace, etc).
•An opportunity for participants to commit to energy efficient actions.
Participants were encouraged to undertake small, realistic actions, appropriate for their own circumstances, which would start them on the road to increased energy efficiency. Completing and signing the voluntary pledge (part of a national Pledge Program) was a subtle, yet definite kind of commitment (Obtaining a Commitment) increasing the chance that participants would actually adopt one or more actions.
(See Count Me In! pledge at the end of this report)
•Post workshop monitoring and reinforcement.
To assist participants with retaining the workshop information and motivating action, a follow-up prompt was delivered by fax, mail or email to all workshop participants. The prompt reported the estimated GHG savings for the program to date (Feedback) and reminded the participants of their individual workshop pledges (Prompts). The monitoring program provided the opportunity for participants to report back on their achievements (e.g. "yes I did install a low-flow showerhead) and calculated the estimated GHG savings for the completed actions.
The following list presents top 10 activities that participants reported having achieved after the workshop.
Top 10 Achieved Activities Reported
•Turn off lights when not in use
•Reduce speed
•Recycle more
•Reduce idling
•Install low flow equipment
•Keep tires fully inflated
•Run dishwasher only when full
•Turn off computer at night
•Fix leaky faucet
•Ride bike or walk
Workshop Marketing
The first step in marketing the workshops was to identify the companies and government offices that would agree to have it delivered to their employees. For ABC, the Energy Council of Canada (ECC) approached member companies that were interested in becoming sponsors of the ABC program- both financially and by providing staff support to promote the program internally. Fourteen ECC companies chose to become sponsors. Each of these companies committed to deliver a series of workshops to their employees (from 10 to 20 workshops per company) as part of a broader, more comprehensive strategy on climate change. Each company spent a considerable amount of effort to determine how to best fit the workshops fit in to their own workplace and in promoting / organizing the workshops. (Work Programs that Influence the Home)
The Count Me In! program marketed the workshop to individual companies with the intent of delivering the workshop to 30 different companies and offices. Over 120 companies and government offices were contacted in order to identify 31 Count Me In! work locations.
Workshops were delivered at companies and locations which included Shell, Dofasco, Syncrude, Ontario Power Generation, IBM, Enbridge, Dupont Canada and the City of Toronto. The companies approached were typically those who felt climate change was a serious concern and were willing to take some sort of action. Through the ABC or Count Me In! in-reach programs, companies were able to increase employee awareness, promote action and send a strong message to their staff and customers that they take climate change seriously. ABC has also been piloting the workshop in communities as outreach efforts, to extend the program beyond internal company training.
Workshop Delivery
Between May of 1999 and October 2000, over 175 workshops were delivered to over 45 different companies and government offices across Canada. The target audience was Canadians who did not have an extensive background on climate change. More than 3,500 people participated in the workshop including office employees, CEOs and VPs, plant workers and field crew. Regardless of the audience or the company, the workshop was very well received. The workshop was modified based on comments and feedback received from the pilot phase and early workshop deliveries. The workshop and workshop tools were also modified regionally to take into account each regions circumstances and source of energy (i.e. greenhouse gas generation is dependent on the type of energy source such as hydroelectric, nuclear, coal, etc.)
Measuring Achievements
The following components of the program evaluation strategy were intended to measure the impact of the workshops. Evaluation was ongoing.
•Pre- and post- workshop survey
Participants completed a the same survey immediately prior to and following the workshop. These surveys asked participants basic knowledge and awareness questions about climate change and energy efficiency. These tests were designed to assess the change in participants knowledge and awareness of climate change and energy efficiency as a result workshop attendance.
•Post- workshop evaluation
At the end of the workshop, participants also completed an evaluation form that assessed participants' reaction to the workshop.
•Pledge- and follow up- monitoring
Participants were invited to complete a voluntary pledge form at the workshop, committing themselves to one or several specific actions to reduce their personal energy consumption. The pledge was on NCR (no carbon required) paper to allow participants to keep one copy for themselves, while leaving the other copy with trainers for follow-up purposes. Following the workshop, pledges were entered into a database which tallied the estimated greenhouse gas emissions (kg and tonnes) pledged to be saved or reduced.
Follow-up & Monitoring Program
The ABC program developed and designed a follow-up and monitoring program to track longer term behaviour changes as a result of the workshop and to encourage further action. Data collected during the workshop delivery (e.g. participant name, email, evaluation form and pledges) were entered into a sophisticated program designed using Microsoft Access.
Two and six months after the workshop delivery, each participant was contacted by email. The email message reported the progress of the program and asked the participants to click on a personalized website address where they could report what pledged activities they had completed. The hotlink greeted participants by name and reminded them about what actions they had pledged to do at the workshop. The interactive website urged participants to answer a series of questions relating to their pledged actions and calculated the amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved as a result of their achieved actions to date. This site also included a survey that queried participants on the changes to their attitudes and behaviour as a result of the workshop. Those without email received a letter through mail or fax requesting participants to complete a hard copy of the pledge and fax back, the returned forms were also entered into the database.
The Access database was designed to track the actions that participants pledged to do, the actions they completed, and the estimated GHG savings of those actions. Workshop summary reports were also produced which included data such as the amount of greenhouse gases saved, the follow-up response rate, change in awareness or behaviour, etc. These reports could be produced on a program basis (ABC or Count Me In!), or by company, province or individual workshop. The individual workshop and company reports were provided to the company contact who could communicate the results to employees through newsletters, intranet sites, posters and/or company meetings.
Results
Workshop trainers delivered over 175 workshops to over 3,500 participants between May 1999 and August 2000. Participants pledged to decrease an estimated 5,990 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, an average of 2 tonnes/per participant that completed a pledge form. The top 5 actions pledged include:
•Keep tires fully inflated (1,302 pledges)
•Turn off lights when not in use (1,188 pledges)
•Recycle more (1,154 pledges)
•Reduce speed (1,006 pledges)
•Reduce idling (879 pledges)
The workshops also proved successful in terms of raising awareness and providing new energy efficient ideas to workshop participants. The workshop duration was considered appropriate.
There was also a change in awareness following the workshop. Participants prior to the workshop scored an average of 81% on the presurvey, but immediately following the workshop, participants scored 89% on the same survey questions.
Two months after the workshop, almost 30% of participants responded to the follow up request, and reported back on the actions they had completed as a result of the workshop. Of those that reported, a total of 1,333 tonnes of greenhouse gases were saved/year, for a total of over 2,300 kgs per person that reported.
A number of participants also completed the awareness survey on the ABC and Count Me In! Websites. Six to eight weeks after the workshop, participants reported the following:
•83% were more aware of climate change;
•90% were more aware of personal energy use;
•44% were more aware of TV programs on climate change;
•62% were more aware of articles in the newspaper and magazines about climate change;
•45% reported that they had attempted to take public transit since they participated in the workshop.
A second follow-up letter was also sent to a sample of participants that had email. Between the two follow-up programs, more than 40% of the workshop participants reported that they took specific action as a result of the workshop.
Contacts
Maria Kelleher
RIS International
Toronto, Ontario
Tel: 416-482-7007
Notes
Last updated: July 2004
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Background
In 1997, Enviros RIS carried out initial research on finding the "Blue Box of Climate Change". The goal was to find a simple action which individuals could take which would raise awareness of climate change, and change behaviour in a way which would contribute to the solution. Finding a simple icon like the Blue Box is more challenging for climate change, because the issue is more complex, and more difficult to explain to the public.
The company developed a climate change workshop, designed to be delivered to Canadians at their workplace. The purpose of the workshop was to raise awareness of the climate change issue amongst Canadians, and also to initiate individual action to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A National Pledge Program was envisioned at the time, whereby individuals pledge to make several changes in their own lives (at home and on the road) to decrease greenhouse gases.
In December, 1998, the Office of Energy Efficiency at NRCan, endorsed an Enviros RIS submission made to the Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF) to test the climate change workshop at 30 locations (15 energy innovator companies, 10 government offices, 5 small to medium sized companies), and identify the impacts of the program. A second CCAF funded project initiated by the Energy Council of Canada- the Action By Canadians (ABC) program- also aimed to deliver workshops at the workplace. Companies who participated in the ABC program offered the workshop as one component of a more comprehensive climate change strategy.
Over 175 workshops were delivered to more than 3,500 Canadians across Canada.
Getting Informed
In 1998, Environment Canada funded a feasibility study on the concept of employee based training, incorporating the idea of a National Pledge Program. Enviros RIS staff interviewed 25 senior executives at companies across Canada to test the concept, as it was essential that the program have private sector support. The interviews identified a short, 2-hour workshop as the best method to access Canadians and raise awareness on the climate change issue. The endorsement of the employer was considered an important message to give to employees.
The workshop was pilot tested at Sorema Reinsurance Company in Toronto in October 1998. The feedback was extremely positive and according to the workshop evaluation, 93% of the workshop participants felt their knowledge of the issue was increased. Six months after the first pilot test, a follow-up survey was distributed to participants. Over 70% of survey respondents said they had followed through with some of their climate change pledges. Workshop participants reported that they made a number of changes as a result of the workshop such as turning lights off, driving less, lowering night time temperatures in their homes, installing low flow showerheads and re-insulating their homes, etc.
The feasibility study and pilot workshop both supported the idea that employee based training was an effective way to reach out to Canadians on the climate change issue and promote action. At that time, this was the first program of its kind in North America.
Delivering the Program
Workshop description
The climate change workshop was a one and a half or two- hour interactive workshop focused on developing awareness and understanding of climate change, and the actions which individuals could take to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions. The workshop was designed by professional adult educators and applied the principles of adult education. Some key principles used in the design included: adults learn by doing (as opposed to passively listening or watching) and there are differing learning styles. Lengthy lecture segments were also avoided.
The training program has the following key features:
•An introductory lecture on the science of climate change.
A compelling mini-lecture created a need to know around the issue of climate change. The lecture covered the primary causes and projected impacts of climate change. After the lecture, participants better understood the issue and its importance, and felt compelled to learn what they could do about the issue. (Building Motivation Over Time)
•A group activity that highlights what can be done.
Participants played a game that allowed them to actively evaluate and then choose the most energy saving measures based on the relative ease or difficulty of implementation, and the relative amount of energy savings. This creative learning activity exposed participants to more than 30 energy efficient measures in an enjoyable game format that was much more likely to lead to retention of the information than simply lecturing about energy saving measures.
•A lecture and facilitated discussion about how we can all make a difference.
This section embodied an inspirational message intended to illustrate that it is possible for individuals to collectively make a difference and contribute to adoption of new social norms (Norm Appeals). The facilitated discussion encouraged participants to reflect on their own experience and report examples of issues where they have witnessed changing social norms (drinking & driving, smoking at the workplace, etc).
•An opportunity for participants to commit to energy efficient actions.
Participants were encouraged to undertake small, realistic actions, appropriate for their own circumstances, which would start them on the road to increased energy efficiency. Completing and signing the voluntary pledge (part of a national Pledge Program) was a subtle, yet definite kind of commitment (Obtaining a Commitment) increasing the chance that participants would actually adopt one or more actions.
(See Count Me In! pledge at the end of this report)
•Post workshop monitoring and reinforcement.
To assist participants with retaining the workshop information and motivating action, a follow-up prompt was delivered by fax, mail or email to all workshop participants. The prompt reported the estimated GHG savings for the program to date (Feedback) and reminded the participants of their individual workshop pledges (Prompts). The monitoring program provided the opportunity for participants to report back on their achievements (e.g. "yes I did install a low-flow showerhead) and calculated the estimated GHG savings for the completed actions.
The following list presents top 10 activities that participants reported having achieved after the workshop.
Top 10 Achieved Activities Reported
•Turn off lights when not in use
•Reduce speed
•Recycle more
•Reduce idling
•Install low flow equipment
•Keep tires fully inflated
•Run dishwasher only when full
•Turn off computer at night
•Fix leaky faucet
•Ride bike or walk
Workshop Marketing
The first step in marketing the workshops was to identify the companies and government offices that would agree to have it delivered to their employees. For ABC, the Energy Council of Canada (ECC) approached member companies that were interested in becoming sponsors of the ABC program- both financially and by providing staff support to promote the program internally. Fourteen ECC companies chose to become sponsors. Each of these companies committed to deliver a series of workshops to their employees (from 10 to 20 workshops per company) as part of a broader, more comprehensive strategy on climate change. Each company spent a considerable amount of effort to determine how to best fit the workshops fit in to their own workplace and in promoting / organizing the workshops. (Work Programs that Influence the Home)
The Count Me In! program marketed the workshop to individual companies with the intent of delivering the workshop to 30 different companies and offices. Over 120 companies and government offices were contacted in order to identify 31 Count Me In! work locations.
Workshops were delivered at companies and locations which included Shell, Dofasco, Syncrude, Ontario Power Generation, IBM, Enbridge, Dupont Canada and the City of Toronto. The companies approached were typically those who felt climate change was a serious concern and were willing to take some sort of action. Through the ABC or Count Me In! in-reach programs, companies were able to increase employee awareness, promote action and send a strong message to their staff and customers that they take climate change seriously. ABC has also been piloting the workshop in communities as outreach efforts, to extend the program beyond internal company training.
Workshop Delivery
Between May of 1999 and October 2000, over 175 workshops were delivered to over 45 different companies and government offices across Canada. The target audience was Canadians who did not have an extensive background on climate change. More than 3,500 people participated in the workshop including office employees, CEOs and VPs, plant workers and field crew. Regardless of the audience or the company, the workshop was very well received. The workshop was modified based on comments and feedback received from the pilot phase and early workshop deliveries. The workshop and workshop tools were also modified regionally to take into account each regions circumstances and source of energy (i.e. greenhouse gas generation is dependent on the type of energy source such as hydroelectric, nuclear, coal, etc.)
Measuring Achievements
The following components of the program evaluation strategy were intended to measure the impact of the workshops. Evaluation was ongoing.
•Pre- and post- workshop survey
Participants completed a the same survey immediately prior to and following the workshop. These surveys asked participants basic knowledge and awareness questions about climate change and energy efficiency. These tests were designed to assess the change in participants knowledge and awareness of climate change and energy efficiency as a result workshop attendance.
•Post- workshop evaluation
At the end of the workshop, participants also completed an evaluation form that assessed participants' reaction to the workshop.
•Pledge- and follow up- monitoring
Participants were invited to complete a voluntary pledge form at the workshop, committing themselves to one or several specific actions to reduce their personal energy consumption. The pledge was on NCR (no carbon required) paper to allow participants to keep one copy for themselves, while leaving the other copy with trainers for follow-up purposes. Following the workshop, pledges were entered into a database which tallied the estimated greenhouse gas emissions (kg and tonnes) pledged to be saved or reduced.
Follow-up & Monitoring Program
The ABC program developed and designed a follow-up and monitoring program to track longer term behaviour changes as a result of the workshop and to encourage further action. Data collected during the workshop delivery (e.g. participant name, email, evaluation form and pledges) were entered into a sophisticated program designed using Microsoft Access.
Two and six months after the workshop delivery, each participant was contacted by email. The email message reported the progress of the program and asked the participants to click on a personalized website address where they could report what pledged activities they had completed. The hotlink greeted participants by name and reminded them about what actions they had pledged to do at the workshop. The interactive website urged participants to answer a series of questions relating to their pledged actions and calculated the amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved as a result of their achieved actions to date. This site also included a survey that queried participants on the changes to their attitudes and behaviour as a result of the workshop. Those without email received a letter through mail or fax requesting participants to complete a hard copy of the pledge and fax back, the returned forms were also entered into the database.
The Access database was designed to track the actions that participants pledged to do, the actions they completed, and the estimated GHG savings of those actions. Workshop summary reports were also produced which included data such as the amount of greenhouse gases saved, the follow-up response rate, change in awareness or behaviour, etc. These reports could be produced on a program basis (ABC or Count Me In!), or by company, province or individual workshop. The individual workshop and company reports were provided to the company contact who could communicate the results to employees through newsletters, intranet sites, posters and/or company meetings.
Results
Workshop trainers delivered over 175 workshops to over 3,500 participants between May 1999 and August 2000. Participants pledged to decrease an estimated 5,990 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, an average of 2 tonnes/per participant that completed a pledge form. The top 5 actions pledged include:
•Keep tires fully inflated (1,302 pledges)
•Turn off lights when not in use (1,188 pledges)
•Recycle more (1,154 pledges)
•Reduce speed (1,006 pledges)
•Reduce idling (879 pledges)
The workshops also proved successful in terms of raising awareness and providing new energy efficient ideas to workshop participants. The workshop duration was considered appropriate.
There was also a change in awareness following the workshop. Participants prior to the workshop scored an average of 81% on the presurvey, but immediately following the workshop, participants scored 89% on the same survey questions.
Two months after the workshop, almost 30% of participants responded to the follow up request, and reported back on the actions they had completed as a result of the workshop. Of those that reported, a total of 1,333 tonnes of greenhouse gases were saved/year, for a total of over 2,300 kgs per person that reported.
A number of participants also completed the awareness survey on the ABC and Count Me In! Websites. Six to eight weeks after the workshop, participants reported the following:
•83% were more aware of climate change;
•90% were more aware of personal energy use;
•44% were more aware of TV programs on climate change;
•62% were more aware of articles in the newspaper and magazines about climate change;
•45% reported that they had attempted to take public transit since they participated in the workshop.
A second follow-up letter was also sent to a sample of participants that had email. Between the two follow-up programs, more than 40% of the workshop participants reported that they took specific action as a result of the workshop.
Contacts
Maria Kelleher
RIS International
Toronto, Ontario
Tel: 416-482-7007
Notes
Last updated: July 2004
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