Guest Blogger: Effective Campus Sustainability Messaging
Once after keynoting an event for a local university, a former English professor emailed me the following message:
“Remember, Walt Whitman promised that the natural environment--whenever threatened--is saved by the poet, not the scientist.”
This statement may not sit well with some, particularly those who have spent the majority of their academic careers studying the detrimental impacts that our civilization is having on the planet. However, messaging and marketing must supplement science as we try to promote change within our institutions. There is too much at stake for it not to.
Before I go on, let me say that I am not a PR professional nor do I have any formal marketing training. However, the good news is that I have been fortunate to work with experts in those fields and they have been kind enough to share some key elements with me. I hope I can do them justice by sharing a few tidbits with you.
Accentuate the Positive
Save the doom and gloom for the pundits on the cable news networks. Fear based messaging usually only appeals to those on the fringe. Remember your trying to build consensus and break down silos and research shows that this is best done by highlighting the opportunities around sustainability. Also, never underestimate the power of a local success story. Even if your efforts to date have been minor (such as changing a few lights bulbs) you can still build a story upon them, especially if a few dollars have been saved.
Make it Personal to Make it Relevant
I always like to start meetings and talks with a personal story. For campus audiences I like to use a story from my undergrad days. For many of us our time in College was a very enjoyable experience and you likely will not need to go too far back into your memory bank to pull out a story that the audience can relate to. For some, College was when they were first introduced to the concept of sustainability. If this was the case for you, tell this story. You may think that your story is irrelevant because campus life has changed so drastically since you were napping in the Quad. Turns out some things never change.
Beyond that I also like to use a prop. On of my favorites is a package of disposable cups designed to look like reusable coffee mugs. The package boast an “EcoSmart label” but upon further inspection it turns out that the cups use only 12% post consumer recycled material. The audience gets a good laugh out of this but more importunity they begin to understand the risks associated with greenwashing, which will become a serious issue as more and more campuses are embracing sustainability.
Embrace social media
Its unlikely anyone can question the power of social media as a tool for change, the recent events in North Africa and the Middle East have made the case clear. For some, social media can be intimidating, for others it’s a distraction. But the need to understand and effectively use social media is clear. Take for instance this simple fact - today’s college freshmen have been using facebook since their days in middle school. Also remember facebook started on a college campus and was specifically designed for college students. Students can now pass short blurbs of information on from their computers, televisions, phones, and iPads and soon they may be updating their status through their cars. If you believe this Superbowl commercial, one day they may even be able to control their status through jedi-type mind tricks.
One of the most effective and creative ways that I have seen social media used is through the use of Twitter. I was giving a talk to a student government group once and while I was in the midst of my talk I noticed that the entire group seemed to be on their phones. I figured there must be some party that night and everyone was passing directions via text. Turns out, they were using Twitter to comment on my talk. Some were even suggesting recommendations on how the campus could become more sustainable. After the meeting I was able to review what was tweeted through my twitter account because a hashtag had been assigned by the group. I can’t stress how valuable this was. I was able to gather stakeholder input from students who otherwise wouldn’t speak up, I had a unique source of collective notes from the meeting, and I was able to see where my message hit home and where it missed the boat.
A few other things to consider. Keep your messages concise. Cross promotion and visuals are key. Repetition is required. Try not to get too technical and always end each message with a call to action.
Creating an effective message is not easy and this is about the time when people start asking themselves “how am I going to manage all this.” Keep an eye out for my next post where I plan to share effective strategies for managing the sustainability workload.
Brad McAllister, one of this month’s guest bloggers, is a partner and managing director at WAP Sustainability. He holds a B.S in ecology from the University of Georgia and an M.S in environmental science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Brad is an adjunct professor of Enterprise Sustainability at the Institute for Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb University and a member of the Climate Project.You can read Brad's earlier posts here and here.
Posted: March 9, 2011, 9:41 AM