The crew member's guide to the health of our waterways is now available for free in PDF format from IAN Press. The crew member's guide to the health of our waterways … This short book (~100 pp.) was the first of a series of four books produced as part of the Healthy Waterways campaign in Southeast Queensland. It was published in 1998 and was a key component of the campaign in a variety of ways. First, the book was inexpensively priced to encourage wide dissemination.
Maryland's greenhouse gas reduction plan: Executive summary … This 20 page booklet was produced in 2013 for the Maryland Department of Environment to summarize a long (300+ pp.) and detailed Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan. The short, bold statements that are highlighted at the beginning of the booklet are very powerful: "Climate change is real. Scientists agree. It's happening now. It's harmful and human caused.
Several hundred people gathered at the Maritime Institute conference facility in Baltimore for the Maryland Climate Change Summit on July 25. The Summit was kicked off with a talk by Governor Martin O'Malley to a standing room only audience. Governor O'Malley likened climate change to gravity--physics, pure and simple but also acknowledged that the response was complex. He spoke of the 'fierce urgency of now' and moral obligation of addressing climate change issues.
The first five sentences of Maryland’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan summarize what we need to know and do. 1) Climate change is real. 2) Scientists agree. 3) It’s happening now. 4) It’s harmful and human caused. 5) We can make a difference through our actions. These simple statements are backed up with a wealth of scientific information, but one just needs to look around at the record-breaking weather events in Maryland and beyond to validate these statements.
This blog is the second part to a two-part series of ten recommendations for effectively communicating science. Listed are five recommendations on ways to effectively communicate science. Recommendation 6. Build relationships that will make science communication more effective … We have found that building key relationships with decision makers and their staff is important in delivering meaningful scientific advice at the time of decision making.
This blog is the first part to a two-part series of ten recommendations for effectively communicating science. Listed are five recommendations to effectively communicate science to your audience. Recommendation 1. Communicate science unto others as you would have them communicate unto you … Probably everyone who has attended school has been subjected to some really BAD science teaching.
'Awakening Environmental Passion' refers to tapping the environmental passion created when people publicly say "I care about this place". This caring about a place comes from the heart, and environmental passion can create the motivation to accomplish change (hands) and persist to face of adversity (head). These heart, hands and head aspects of awakening environmental passion are key to an environmental campaign. Walking through the beach during low tide on the Chesapeake Bay. Credit:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead (1901-1978) This Margaret Mead quote is my favorite quote associated with building a team of competent people working on environmental issues. The quote is very empowering, as it reminds us that changing the world is not simply in the province of large organizations or powerful individuals.
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) organized two simultaneous workshops for a) senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students in ecology and b) early career academic ecologists for a one-week training workshop during the week of 2-7 June 2013. The workshops were based at the Maritime Institute in Baltimore, Maryland and the National Science Foundation provided financial support.
As part of the Scaling Up: Future of Environmental Decisions workshop (2-7 June 2013), I wrote "Singing the Chesapeake Bay Blues". Apologies to my colleague Howard Ernst, who wrote an excellent book "Chesapeake Bay Blues", for adopting his book title into the song. This workshop was sponsored by the Ecological Society of America, with National Science Foundation funding.
