Transmitting Information

Awareness about the benefits of smokefree spaces is high, and many states and cities have adopted smokefree workplace laws and clean indoor air acts in public buildings. But even as these policies protect workers, customers and other visitors, many more people–including children–are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home. In Oregon, property owners have voluntarily gone smokefree, and now the legislature is considering a bill that would require landlords to disclose, in writing, whether smoking is allowed in their buildings. In Vancouver, Washington, creating smokefree policies directly supports the city’s sustainability plan, which states: “A sustainable society must support the economy while protecting the environment and promoting social equity.” Smokefree policies accomplish all three. 

The American Lung Association of Oregon is here at the Green Cities conference talking to city leaders about why and how to create smokefree housing–and other smokefree spaces–through voluntary action or policy change. This is the third phase of MG’s Public Will Building framework, transmitting information about what people can do about a problem, helping them become knowledgeable about the opportunities for change and where they can plug in. ALAO and the tobacco prevention movement have already moved through phase one, framing the issue, by shifting the tobacco discussion away from the tobacco industry’s “smokers rights” stand to a “right to breathe” position built on the science of health risks of secondhand smoke. In phase two, they successfully raised  awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke and are now raising awareness of the risks of smoking at home. Now it’s time to create action and change.

ALAO is transmitting information through outreach at places like this conference, direct conversations with property owners, moblization of tenants to express their desire for smokefree living, legislative advocacy and tools for change, including a toolkit for property owners to help them go smokefree (http://www.lungoregon.org/tobacco/smokefree_housing.html). It’s a positive move for municipalities and property owners, since 75% of people prefer to live in smokefree housing, yet only 26% of renters live in a guaranteed smokefree environment (according to a Portland-area study). Creating smokefree policies is affordable, environmentally friendly, sustainable and legal. 

Beyond housing, ALAO has resources to help cities create smokefree colleges, workplaces (including bars and restaurants), events and outdoor areas, and hospitals. As National League of Cities Director Ken Rosenfeld said, “Being green…is about managing resources, being fiscally responsible, looking out for the health and welfare of every citizen.” For cities working to promote green, sustainable, healthy living, expanding smokefree spaces is a logical and valuable step to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure and the environmental and health effects of tobacco use.

Building Awareness

Day two at Green Cities and we’ve already had an interesting conversation that touches on the question of building awareness. RoofRay, an online service that calculates for homeowners how much money they can save on their utility bills if they install solar panels on their roof (www.roofray.com), asked how they could effectively share information with people about the benefits of solar AND inspire those folks to figure out if it’s the right choice for their own households. 

Building awareness is the second phase of MG’s Public Will Building Approach, or raising awareness about an issue or need in a community through outreach aimed at educating, raising awareness and building interest about the issue by connecting it with existing core value(s) of priority audiences.

To increase awareness about their service (and the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy) from industry to mainstream consumers, RoofRay is currently working on a direct mail campaign.

We discussed the possibility of raising awareness using an integrated approach of grassroots outreach and traditional media techniques. Grassroots outreach provides direct person-to-person communication to connect the issue to existing values and perhaps most importantly gives your intended audience a chance to ask questions and reflect back to you what they need in order to take action. In essence, it gives your audience the opportunity to become engaged and to take ownership. Traditional communication tools such as media relations and advertising reinforces the work being done directly with audiences by creating a landscape in which your message is heard frequently and from many different sources. This gives champions a fertile environment to connect to others who are ready and willing to enter into the conversation.

For RoofRay, combining their direct mail campaign with traditional marketing (hey they’re at Green Cities – they’re already doing this!) and outreach to key community groups gives them more opportunities to work with and connect with others who looking at solar technology as a green solution.

It was a great conversation and their co-founder said he plans to read Metropolitan Group’s Public Will Building article on the plane on his way home. If you want to read this article, visit www.metgroup.com or visit us at booth #424!

Green City Confidential in DJC

Portland’s Daily Journal of Commerce covers Green City Confidential in today’s issue.

Framing the Problem

This morning and throughout many conversations here at Green Cities we’ve been talking about how we engage citizens into our sustainability planning efforts. As Stan Amy said this morning, it’s not about how we react, it’s how we position ourselves to begin with. Don’t underestimate the consumer (or constituent). So the first step is all about meeting them where they are – to frame the problem or the issue in ways that make sense to them and connect with their closely held values. As green cities, it’s important for us to listen to constituents – so we can speak their language in ways that open the door to involvement.

We just had a conversation about the tension between rural and urban communities with one attendee – big agriculture is a major roadblock to change in his area. So, how could we frame the problem to engage that constituency? To which values could we connect sustainability efforts? How have you been successful?

Building Public Will and Green Cities

This morning our panelists and participants started the discussion — how do we take green mainstream? What about cities that are just trying to start? How do we engage constituents in our efforts? MG’s building public will process offers a framework for the discussion. The five phases are:

1. Framing the problem
2. Building awareness
3. Becoming knowledgeable/transmitting information
4. Creating a personal conviction
5. Evaluating while reinforcing

We’ll be investigating them in detail over the next few posts. Have some insight to share? Stop by our booth (424) or add your comments here.

And now from the room…

How should the industry react to setbacks like the current issue with CFLs?

• Dennis: we need to look at the full life-cycle cost of any product. What is the true cost?
• Eric: we have to get past the idea of putting out a stamp of perfection. It’s a part of the process, we’re going to learn as we go. It’s about the transparency and authenticity.
• Stan: it’s not about how we react – it’s about how we position ourselves to begin with. Don’t underestimate the consumer.
• Alysa: engage the community upfront in the process and you’ll get to a better answer.

Where does K-12 education fit into green cities?

Bob, ZGF: It’s difficult to have a healthy green city without a strong public school system so that people want to live within the urban core.

How do we create the language of community and sustainability? How do we get it out to the world? How do we leverage this time and opportunity?

Brian, New Seasons: One way we can approach it is being successful in what we do. When the market rewards us others will notice it and follow.

Eric: From a communication standpoint, we need to be listening to the community, and use their language. Where are the smart places to invest in communication itself?

Mia, Alta: We are all very influenced by our friends and families in the community. We live by example. Start where you are.

There’s so much competition and it seems there are barriers to even working together…

Dennis, GED: Just get engaged and start networking, find a place where you can contribute.

We’re shackled to this huge existing built environment. How do we redirect that shift of urban planning?

Mia: Things aren’t going to change overnight. We need to demand that stimulus money is directed to things other than automobiles. Bike/walk infrastructure can go really fast. Targeted marketing programs are shifting choices for a pittance of what we would spend to build ourselves out of this problem.

Bob: I’m optimistic about Oregon because of our land use laws. We have the opportunity to create true town centers in suburban communities.

A paradigm shift that needs to happen is getting past the difference between the natual and built environments. How do we look at it from the perspective of humans being part of the ecosystem?

Three words: habitat for urbanity. The root words for economy and ecology are the same – they’re interrelated.

How are we going to ensure stimulus $ result in doing things differently?

Dennis, GED:

• It’s not going to be as easy as it seems on the surface. About 99% of the money is going into current programs. For example, the money for retrofitting residential buildings is going to be distributed to community development associations around the state. It’s not being distributed via a whole systems approach.
• Oregon is taking a different approach called the Oregon Way. But projects like these are going to be difficult to fund because the process will be very competitive and it’s a limited pool of resources.

Bob, ZGF:

• One thing we suffer from in the U.S. is a lack of research. The private sector has determined that energy-efficient buildings do create a higher value. It is finding its way to the marketplace. Some of the major initiatives will beging to have an effect. There is the debate: are green jobs really adding to the economy or just replacing other jobs?

How do we move green to mainstream?

Alysa, Rejuvenation:

• We have to give our customers many, many reasons to buy from us: craftsmanship, price, quality, then green. The lighting fixture’s gotta be pretty kick-ass to get noticed in the first place. But it comes down to one word – price. For new technology we have to go beyond price parity to other incentives.

Stan, New Villages:

• It’s about marketplace community – consumers and producers share common values and information.
• Holds producers to higher levels of accountability.
• Over time rewards producers that raise the bar with brand equity that’s a competitive advantage.
• They can grow in multiple dimensions – scale, but also across sectors.
• Public policy doesn’t go anywhere without the demand.
• How do we facilitate these? Self-awareness (consumers recognize their creative power to shape the market) and trust (requires new standards in quality of communication – high levels of transparency).
• We’re going to need new systems and choices that will allow producers to maintain values-based businesses: social capital and hybrid organizations.

Brian, New Seasons explains why he said “the Vortex.” It was a positive solution to a difficult situation. We are the mainstream here. We’re defining ourselves by who we are and our values. There are 4 or 5 products that are so iconic in their awfulness that we won’t sell them. How do we go mainstream? We invite people to join us. We give them things that are familiar (store experience, etc.), but the food is better.

Mia, Alta – every community has the ability to start wherever they are. We can take you 1, 2, 20 steps further. The public/private partnership is the critical link.

What are the biggest challenges to creating a green city?

Wayne, PGE:

• As an infrastructure company, it’s about the heat. Build it in as an option to the next community that gets built. Looking at ground source heat. Give homeowners and business owners a variety of choices for their sources.
• Cheapest thing you can do is orient new construction for sunlight and solar.

Mia, Alta:

• What we’ve tried to do here in Portland is create conditions where people can have a mix of transportation options. To integrate bicycling and walking into daily life.
• We’ve built most infrastructure around driving, but we’ve learned that we can actually change that. With the amount of $ to build 1 mile of highway, we’ve built 275 miles of bikeways. We’ve gone from 1% to 6% bicycling every day for daily transportation.
• We’re going to have to have trade-offs. But it works. It’s absolutely hands-down a win-win situation.

Eric: Is it policy or public will?

• Wayne: starting by doing – it’s very subtle. With ecoroofs, we started by doing demonstration projects.
• Mia: it’s a loaded question – there are a lot there. First there’s infrastructure – people won’t do it unless we make it safe and comfortable. Second, we have to have confident leaders. Then within the public, successful cities have advocacy groups within the communities – work with them. Another is trained staff – most planners, etc. haven’t learned bike/walk. Have established new program at PSU. Finally, policies do need to be changed.

Why Portland?

Alysa, Rejuvenation:

1. Natural beauty
2. Pioneering spirit
3. Generous business community
4. Active and quality arts

Brian, New Seasons:

• It’s the vortex.

Dennis, GED:

• Growing awareness of importance of nature to our well-being

Mia, Alta:

• It’s a living laboratory – investments in biking and walking pay off

Wayne, PGE:

• Back in 1890 we built the first hydro, 100 years later brought wind power