A few weeks ago I started writing a series of articles for Huffington Post exploring how to effectively communicate green issues. I believe that the biggest hurdle we face as an environmental movement is figuring out how to message about environmental issues in such a way that people get excited about participating in the solutions.
I also believe that we are truly facing an environmental crisis, but until we learn to communicate about it in ways that convince people that it’s in their personal self-interest to support the solutions, we will continue to come up short in our quest to solve the dramatic challenges we face.
The posts have generated some interesting commentary. Not everyone agrees with me. In fact, some are ardently opposed to my point of view. That’s okay. The point is to raise greater awareness about our movement’s communication shortcomings so we can think about how to become more effective.
For me, it’s never about winning a debate or proving an environmental skeptic wrong. Instead, I’m much more interested in getting that skeptic excited about choices that are going to reduce his environmental impact. And I’ve learned over the past seven years through a whirlwind of experiences that one has very little to do with the other.
Here are links to the posts:
Let’s Stop Debating Global Warming and Instead Convince People To Solve It
Want To Save The Planet? Change Your Green Communication Strategy
At The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. I care about bears. I just don’t think we should make them the cornerstone of our green communication strategy.
