1. Improving Our Outreach Skills October 22, 2014 Margaret Enloe, Communications Director Chesapeake Bay Program Steve Raabe, President OpinionWorks, LLC

2. Improving Our Outreach Skills Objectives Understand the Howard County Public –Perceptions –Audiences Recognize What Makes for Effective Public Outreach Employ Active Listening Acquire Tools to Successfully Engage Communities Use the Power of Storytelling

3. Improving Our Outreach Skills OpinionWorks Credentials Measure perceptions, behaviors Random samples, focus groups –Chesapeake Bay Trust Extensive work assessing public behavior –District Department of the Environment Resident/business reaction to 5-cent bag fee –Johns Hopkins Health & Partners Complex study on behavior health risk factors –West Virginia Department of Health Barriers to healthy pregnancy program for Medicaid-eligible –Maryland Citizens Health Initiative How to discuss the Federal hospital payment waiver –The Baltimore Sun newspaper (2007-present)

4. Understanding Howard County

5. Understanding Howard County Howard County is Happier “In general, would you say things in Maryland are heading the right direction or are they off on the wrong track?” (Oct 2014)

6. Understanding Howard County Howard County is Less Tax Averse “Regardless of whom you plan to support, which of these positions on taxes comes closest to your own view? Larry Hogan says that it is critical that the state significantly cut taxes to improve its business climate and create jobs. Anthony Brown says taxes provide the means to invest in education, public safety, the environment, and health care.” (Oct 2014)

7. Understanding Howard County Howard Co. is Environmentally-Minded “On a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 is a strong environmentalist, 3 is average, and 1 is not an environmentalist at all, where would you put yourself?” (Oct 2014) State Avg: 3.39 Howard Avg: 3.60* *Highest in state among major jurisdictions

8. Very Serious Somewhat Serious Total Water pollution in rivers, streams, Chesapeake Bay 64%27% 91% Loss of natural habitat, such as wetlands and forests 52%30% 82% Air pollution 38%39% 77% Sprawl or poorly planned growth and development 30%43% 73% Contaminants in your drinking water or food 45%24% 69% Global warming or climate change 37%28% 65% Landfills, incinerators, hazardous waste sites in or near your neighborhood 28%23% 51% Lead paint or other toxins in your home 29%11% 40% “Do you consider each of the following to be a very serious problem, somewhat serious problem, not much of a problem, or not a problem at all?” Understanding Howard County Top Environmental Concerns Statewide

9. Very Serious Somewhat Serious Total Water pollution in rivers, streams, Chesapeake Bay 78%18% 96% Loss of natural habitat, such as wetlands and forests 56%36% 93% Air pollution 36% 72% Sprawl or poorly planned growth and development 18%46% 64% Contaminants in your drinking water or food 48%16% 64% Global warming or climate change 38%32% 69% Landfills, incinerators, hazardous waste sites in or near your neighborhood 17%29% 47% Lead paint or other toxins in your home 23%3% 26% “Do you consider each of the following to be a very serious problem, somewhat serious problem, not much of a problem, or not a problem at all?” (Dec 2010) Understanding Howard County Top Environmental Concerns Howard County

10. Engaging the Public in Stewardship Can Water Pollution be Fixed? “When you think about pollution in our local waters, do you think the problem can be fixed or is it too difficult?” The Key to Engagement and Behavior Change

11. Understanding Howard County No Chesapeake Bay Fatigue “Compared to a few years ago, would you say you are (rotate): [more interested, less interested, (or) just as interested] today in hearing about the health of the Chesapeake Bay?” (Dec 2010)

12. “If I knew what to do to help clean up local waters, I would do a lot more.”

13. What Drives This Concern and Good Intention?

14. FrequentlyOccasionallyTotal Picnic or walk in a public park or neighborhood 49%36%85% Garden at home or in a community garden 43%30%73% Eat fish or seafood out of the Bay or local rivers 25%43%68% Bird watch 24%23%47% Fish or crab* 16%17%33% Canoe, kayak, sail, or power boat* 9%22%31% Hike or camp in an undeveloped area 7%21%28% Swim in any natural waters besides the ocean* 7%18%25% Hunt 2%6%8% *Frequent water contact 20% *Frequent or occasional water contact 49% “Please tell me how often you do any of these things using the scale frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never.” (Dec 2010) Engaging the Public in Stewardship Contact with the Outdoors & Water? Howard County

15. Real answer: 100% Respondents: 42% Yes 22% No, Live outside it 35% I Don’t Know “Do you live in the Potomac River watershed, live outside of it, or don’t you know for sure?” 58% Uncertain or Wrong. Alice Ferguson Foundation Potomac Watershed Survey Jan. 2008 Do you live in the Potomac River Watershed? Engaging the Public in Stewardship Technical Knowledge?

16. “Do you live in a watershed?” (If yes): “Which one?” (Dec 2010) 11% can name their watershed. Engaging the Public in Stewardship Do You Live in a Watershed? Howard County

17. Tying water quality to personal health is often the most compelling approach. Contaminated drinking water, seafood, swimming. Polluted beaches and intersex fish. Perception is reality. We must speak to people’s self interest. Altruistic appeals for environment far less motivating. Engaging the Public in Stewardship Self-Interest Motivates

18. We need to share good news! We need to show tangible progress! Engaging the Public in Stewardship Good News. Bad News.

19. Influencing Behavior

20. Credit: Nancy R. Lee, University of Washington & Puget Sound Partnership Adapted from Everett Rogers, Jay Kassirer, Mike Rothschild, Dave Ward, Kristen Cooley Resistant 16%

21. Credit: Nancy R. Lee, University of Washington & Puget Sound Partnership Adapted from Everett Rogers, Jay Kassirer, Mike Rothschild, Dave Ward, Kristen Cooley

22. Influencing Behavior Choosing the Right Behavior 1.Choose the Right Behavior Impact of the Behavior on Water Quality x Penetration (Level of Adoption) in the Community x Likelihood the Public will Adopt the Behavior

23. Targeting BMPs & Knowing Your Audience An Innovative Tool to Measure Behaviors www.BaySurvey.org

24. Link stewardship actions directly to a problem. Influencing Behavior Show Me What I Can Do

25. One or two actions, not 10! Too many choices = Overwhelmed Too many choices = Inaction Show the “five dollar action” the average person can take, not just costly actions.

26. What Have We Learned?

27. Case Study in Understanding Public Attitudes: Stormwater Fee

28. Stormwater Fee Focus Group Method 4 Locations –Baltimore City –Frederick/Carroll –Baltimore County –Prince George’s 120-minute sessions, professionally facilitated Tested: 1.Attitudes, Perceptions 2.Expectations, Barriers 3.Words, Messages

29. Crabs and fish are made less safe to eat by contaminants that flow into our local waters. Stormwater Fee Health of Seafood

30. The federal government is requiring scientific testing of water quality to make sure actual progress is being made. Stormwater Fee Testing for Results

31. The new fee will plant trees in neighborhoods and create beautiful new rain gardens and green spaces that local communities can enjoy. Stormwater Fee Green Stuff

32. The State will never get its hands on this stormwater fee money. All the money collected locally will stay local. Stormwater Fee Local Control

33. Stormwater Fee Meeting the Public’s Concern 1.A fee with a mission Addresses a broadly-held public priority 2.Outcomes-oriented Will produce results you can see (like green stuff) 3.Locally controlled All the money will stay in the jurisdiction 4.Accountable Higher levels of gov’t hold the local jurisdiction accountable 5.Measurable Scientifically monitored 6.Firewalled Difficult to raid

34. Active Listening