Starting this week, students all across the country will load up those backpacks and head back to school.… Which got me thinking about education and its place in water efficiency and resource management. Most of the time, when we discuss water efficiency, we’re focused on collecting, treating, and distributing water. And while there’s a healthy amount of time spent on analyzing and managing demand, how often do we really sit down and discuss public outreach and consumer education?
While it’s hard to argue with the message—“use less water more efficiently”—most public outreach programs muddle the execution. It’s not enough to come up with a catchy slogan and a few bill inserts; consumers must feel vested in the process itself. While the term “stakeholder” has never been my favorite, in this case it is absolutely relevant: Your water customers are more likely to change their behavior if the incentives—and penalties—are presented in a way that makes water conservation a relative and essential part of their daily lives.
The blog, BlueWater Outreach (http://news.bluewateroutreach.com/2009/11/adjust-attitudes-and-water-is-saved.html), serves some helpful tips on how to maker sure your next public outreach campaign is successful:
* Make your message relevant (why is saving water really important to the water-user; how does it benefit him or her directly?)
* Think in terms of behavior exchange—what good behavior, and its coinciding benefit, can be exchanged for a less-desired one?
* Use collective terms (us, you, we). I, by myself, cannot save enough water to solve shortages. Together, we can.
* Be positive in your messages. People really don’t like being told what to do. Being told suggests that current behavior is bad. And no one wants to be considered bad.
* Show the benefits; don’t just tell them. In marketing, we say if you have to say something is quality, then it’s not. Quality of benefit should be demonstrated in an understandable way.
Here, in my hometown, the “family of Santa Barbara water providers” has created sbwater.org, a Web site that hits upon many of the tips mentioned above. With a weekly watering index and a smart landscaping rebate program, sbwater.org makes sure its message is relevant. And the Web site breaks down its water-saving tips into relevant categories—landscape, house, business, and education—further ensuring that the message is not muddled. One of my favorite sbwater.org programs involves the summer television ad campaign. Created with the help of local high school students, the campaign succeeds in personalizing the water conservation message while illustrating the benefits and incentives consumers can anticipate simply by following the site’s water-savings tips. For me, one of the highlights of the summer has been catching some of these commercials while flipping channels—one of my favorites involving two gallons of water and a self-appointed conservation deputy.
So what do you think? Would it be helpful to learn more about what public outreach programs have been successful for your fellow water conservation professionals? Does it make sense to focus on consumer behavior, or would our time and money be better spent improving our collection and conveyance systems? And can any public outreach program be truly successful while our water rates fail to reflect the scarce and energy-intensive aspects of our water resources?