Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Maybe too late, but still worth learning: Fostering Sustainable Behavior Workshops

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Portland Registration Site (early-bird rates end October 17th): https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/portland-oregon-2015

The cornerstone of sustainability is behavior change. If we are to move toward a sustainable future we must encourage the adoption of a multitude of actions (e.g., waste reduction, water and energy efficiency, pollution prevention, etc.). To date, most programs to encourage such activities have relied upon disseminating information. Research demonstrates, however, that simply providing information has little or no effect on what people or businesses do. But if not ads, brochures or booklets, then what? Over the last decade a new approach—community–based social marketing—has emerged as an effective alternative for delivering programs to foster sustainable behavior. 

I will be delivering introductory and advanced community-based social marketing training in Seattle in late October and Portland in early February (early-bird rates for Portland are in effect until October 17th).  These workshops will be of interest to those working to promote water efficiency, waste reduction, energy efficiency, conservation, modal transportation changes, watershed protection, and other sustainable behavior changes. Those who work to promote behavioral changes that promote health, such as active lifestyles, will also benefit from attending. Community-based social marketing is a unique approach to fostering both environment and health related behavioral changes and is now being utilized in thousands of programs across the globe. Descriptions of both workshops are provided below.

Seattle Registration Site: https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/seattle-washington-2014

Portland Registration Site (early-bird rates end October 17th): https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/portland-oregon-2015

Please note that I do not expect to return to the Pacific Northwest for several years.  If you have been wanting to learn how to apply community-based social marketing to your programs I encourage you to attend the upcoming sessions. 

Best, 

Doug

Doug McKenzie–Mohr, Ph.D.
Environmental Psychologist
dmm@cbsm.com

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About the Speaker

Dr Doug McKenzie-Mohr is the founder of community-based social marketing.  Recommended by Time magazine, his book "Fostering Sustainable Behavior" has become requisite reading for those who deliver environmental programs.   The approaches that Dr. McKenzie-Mohr advocates in these workshops are now being utilized globally.  For example, Queensland's "Home WaterWise Service" and "ClimateSmart Home Service," which reached over 500,000 households across the state, made extensive use of community-based social marketing. Dr. McKenzie-Mohr has delivered community-based social marketing workshops internationally for over 60,000 environmental program managers. Below is a small sample of recent anonymous evaluations:

-Fantastic, simply invaluable.

-This is hands-down the most valuable workshop/training I've ever attended.

-Speaker was wonderful.

-The best workshop/conference I have ever experienced.

-Outstanding presentation style. Expertise is obvious.

-Superb presentation skills.

-By far, the best workshop I have attended – on any topic! 

Who should Attend?

These workshops will be of interest to those working to promote waste reduction, water and energy efficiency, conservation, modal transportation changes, watershed protection, and other sustainable behavior changes. Those who work to promote behavioral changes that promote health, such as active lifestyles, will also benefit from attending. Descriptions of both workshops are provided below. 

Introduction (Seattle, October 27-28; Portland, February 10-11): The two-day introductory workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to community-based social marketing and how it is being applied throughout the world to foster sustainable behaviors. Those who attend the workshop will learn the five steps of community-based social marketing (selecting behaviors, identifying barriers, developing strategies, conducting pilots, and broad scale implementation) and be exposed to numerous case studies illustrating its use.  Each participant will receive a copy of the third edition of "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing." The introductory workshop is a mandatory prerequisite for the advanced workshop.

Advanced (SeattleOctober 29-30; Portland, February 12-13): This completely new two-day advanced workshop provides an in-depth exploration of how community-based social marketing can be used to foster sustainable behavior.  This workshop introduces new research on selecting behaviors, identifying barriers and benefits (including market segmentation, survey sampling and survey creation), applying behavior change tools (including some exciting new developments regarding the use of commitments, norms, prompts, goal setting, and social diffusion), and piloting programs. The workshop also addresses the effective use of social media and websites in the fostering of sustainable behavior. Further, participants will also be coached in making community-based social marketing presentations to their agency or community and will receive PowerPoint and Keynote presentations for this purpose. Finally, each participant will receive a copy of the new edition of  "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing." To ensure a high level of learning and exchange of ideas, this workshop is restricted to individuals who have previously attended Dr. McKenzie-Mohr's introductory workshop. If you have not yet attended an introductory workshop, you can attend the introductory workshop that precedes the advanced workshop and then attend the advanced workshop as well. Reduced rates are available for attending both sessions. 

Group Bookings

If you are interested in registering four or more people from the same agency, please contact us. We have two group rates: the first is for groups of 4 to 9, and the second is for groups of 10 or larger.

Details: 

Seattle: The workshops are being held in Room 1E-108 at the Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue, Washington). The first day of both the introductory and advanced workshops begins at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm (registration begins at 8:30 am). Day two for both workshops begins at 9:00 am and finishes at 4:00 pm. Finally, workshop attendees receive a copy of the third edition of Dr. McKenzie-Mohr's book, "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing" at the event. Lunch is included in the workshop registration fee.

Portland: The workshops are being held at the Oregon Convention Center -- a Leed platinum certified building (Room E146, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97232). The first day of both the introductory and advanced workshops begins at 9:00 am and ends at 4:30 pm (registration begins at 8:30 am). Day two for both workshops begins at 9:00 am and finishes at 4:00 pm. Finally, workshop attendees receive a copy of the third edition of Dr. McKenzie-Mohr's book, "Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing" at the event. Lunch is included in the workshop registration fee.

Additional Information and Registration: 

Seattle Registration Site: https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/seattle-washington-2014

Portland Registration Site (early-bird rates end October 17th): https://register.cbsm.com/workshops/portland-oregon-2015

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YES on 92: Monsanto's Roundup Linked to Cancer - Again

Monsanto's Roundup Linked to Cancer - Again

Monsanto's Roundup Linked to Cancer - Again

Monsanto's Roundup linked to cancer - again(Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)

A brilliant and celebrated inventor, John Franz, gave us an herbicide, Roundup, which has changed the face of agriculture. This herbicide has become the foundation for an entirely novel approach to farming - biotech agriculture - that has expanded rapidly throughout the globe.

Monsanto makes seeds for soy, corn, canola, cotton, alfalfa and sugar beets that are genetically engineered to be tolerant to Roundup. The seeds are marketed in 120 countries. Throughout the world, Roundup is sprayed heavily as a weed killer without fear of damaging the cash crops, which have been engineered to survive the herbicide's effects.

"The change in how agriculture is produced has brought, frankly, a change in the profile of diseases. We've gone from a pretty healthy population to one with a high rate of cancer, birth defects and illnesses seldom seen before."

Roundup seemed, at first, to be the perfect herbicide. It blocks the ESPS synthase enzyme, which prevents the synthesis of amino acids that plants need for growth. Since animals don't have this enzyme, it was initially hypothesized that they would be safe from Roundup's effects.

Unfortunately, Roundup has now been shown to affect much more than the EPSP synthase enzyme. The herbicide has been proven to cause birth defects in vertebrates, including in humans, and it may also be the cause of a fatal kidney disease epidemic.

An increasing number of studies are now linking the herbicide to cancer. . . .

(Whole thing well worth reading.)


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."