Growing Greener Coalition: How To Be An Effective Environmental Advocate

PA Growing Greener Coalition Executive Director Andrew Heath passed along 10 rules for being an effective environmental advocate gleaned from remarks made by Kevin Abbey, ClearWater Conservancy; Oliver Bass, Natural Lands Trust; and Sean Robertson, Land Trust Alliance, during a panel discussion at the PA Land Trust Association annual conference recently. 

Those 10 rules are:

1. Cultivate relationships. Don’t be a stranger to elected officials and their staff;

2. Introduce yourself at every opportunity;

3. Always say “thank you” before you say “please;”

4. A well-written brief, thank you note is always appreciated;

5. Always be concise and to the point;

6. Engage the media when appropriate;

7. A face-to-face meeting is the most effective form of communication, followed by phone calls, emails, letters and letters to the editor;

8. Don’t burn long-term bridges over a short-term issue;

9. Provide materials such as fact sheets, media clips, endorser letters, petitions, other demonstrations of grassroots support; and

10. Be passionate, but rational. Avoid extremes.

Click Here for the entire monthly column by Andrew Heath.


5/26/2014

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