Sustainability Needs Better Communication
Encouraging change is hard. The right communication can make it easier.
We went to the MORPC (Mid Ohio Regional Planning Committee) Sustainability Conference this fall. There we learned about what people in our community are doing to make Ohio more sustainable.We heard about the challenges people faced and the solutions they tried. Each speaker we listened to lamented the trouble in changing people’s thinking and behavior. The speakers who pushed past this barrier are the ones who helped their community take ownership of their sustainable solution.
One woman, Elizabeth Biggins-Ramer, from the Medina County Solid Waste District, talked about this barrier. She and her team had all the funding and resources they needed to start a curbside recycling program. But, the community didn’t see the importance of recycling and saw it as a hassle. In response, Elizabeth went out to her community rather than waiting for them to come to her. She connected with the vocal residents to help her promote recycling. She educated these members on the importance of recycling, how easy it actually is, and its benefits to the community. By word of mouth, Medina adopted a successful curbside recycling program that spread to neighboring cities.
Another program, Community Energy Savers, founded by AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio, faced similar challenges. They set out to run home energy audits in low-income communities that had a high percentage of their household income going toward energy bills. After an audit was run each company made recommendations to save money and conserve energy. At first, the program gained little traction. AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas went out to various community meetings. There, they met community leaders who gave them feedback on how to reach their unique neighborhoods. Because Community Energy Savers worked alongside the people they were helping, they are on their way to meet their goals for the 2019 year.
As a designers we connect people to each other through a visual and verbal language. When it comes to sustainability there are a ton of programs, but the ones that are successful connect to the community by involving them in the process and working alongside them. If we are going to make Ohio and the world more sustainable we need to not only have the plans that make it happen, but also the the communication skills that reach people and encourage change.
