Begin forwarded message: From: Conservation Council of Ontario <cco@web.ca> Date: August 28, 2005 3:36:58 PM EDT (CA) Subject: [greenon-l] Conservation 1, 2, 3.
Green On.
The Online Newsletter of the Conservation Council of Ontario
see www.greenontario.org for the online version and to subscribe or unsubscribe
Editor: Chris Winter, Executive Director
Note: The Green On. listserve is currently being used to promote our We Conserve Initiative
Please see www.weconserve.ca for details.
 Conservation 1, 2, 3.
This week, we're asking for your comments on how to design a common social marketing approach for conservation.
But first...
Doors Closed a Huge Success
In our one week blitz, the Doors Closed campaign reached (we’re told) 4.3 million people through over 100 media spots.
Over 5,000 posters were distributed in 15 different communities via 24 partner organizations, dozens of volunteers, 2 municipalities and 2 chambers of commerce.
For a quick-start campaign, designed to show the potential of a united movement, I’d say that’s a success. Even better, everyone we talk to says that we need to be back again next summer with a bigger and better campaign.
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped out! We’ll have a full report online in a couple of weeks.
The United Conservation Campaign
Doors Closed has demonstrated the strength and depth of our movement. It has shown that there is strong public support for conservation, and an equally strong interest on the part of municipalities and retailers to be part of Ontario’s conservation movement.
Our challenge now is to design a conservation campaign that is both universal and meaningful. - It has to be universal, so that an individual, a building, a store, a school, a municipality, a company, and a farmer, can all participate in the campaign.
- It must be flexible, so that the core principles will be relevant for all participants.
- It must be able to address all issues and activities under the conservation umbrella.
- It must have depth and support the programs and services provided by organizations and companies across Ontario.
- It must stimulate a desire to improve.
I propose we develop a simple three-level approach to We Conserve. It’s based, in part, on the “ABC” approach used by the One Tonne Challenge, where you can achieve your one tonne C02 reduction through twenty simple steps, five medium steps or one major change. http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/index.asp
Level One: Taking the first steps -- easy things you can do yourself.
Level Two: Making an investment (time and/or money) -- things we can help you with, through our services and conservation products.
Level Three: Making a commitment -- things that require a significant shift in lifestyle.
Applying the Model
We need a common checklist, covering nature, energy, transportation, household hazards, and waste reduction (for an example, see Eneract’s Smart Living guidebook at www.smartliving.ca). Each section would list the three levels of activities with links to supporting organizations. This could also be done as the online conservation calculator referred to in the second posting (How Wide and Deep is Conservation)
The checklist can be adapted for different applications. For retailers, it might incorporate the “Doors Closed” message along with maintenance of HVAC systems and other tips from the Cool Shops program. Cultural associations can also adapt (and translate) the checklist for their communities.
This is a self-assessment model, which means that anyone can participate in We Conserve. For example, any store can display a poster if it has completed the checklist and is committed to promoting conservation.
The challenge comes in defining Level Two and Level Three commitments, especially with respect to our economy. For a company, the level one activities would refer to adopting basic environmental management policies and actions (Responsible Care, for example). Level Two would involve an investment in new technology and marketing conservation products. Level Three would require a complete commitment to conservation in operations and products.
This, then, becomes the common framework for We Conserve. We can then look at designing individual campaigns, co-marketing initiatives, and other activities designed to help catalyze the shift to a conserver economy and a conserver society.
Your Comments
Here's three questions for you:
1. How can you help develop the checklists?
2. How would you adapt a checklist for your organization or membership?
3. Will a common, three-level approach help in promoting your organization/company and programs/products?
Please post your comments at http://weconserve.ca/articles/?p=7
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