The Results

The Earth Day Event was not only the first of its kind in my neighborhood but also my first experience organizing such a function.  Anecdotally, I can report that many people came, appeared to have a good time, stayed for a couple of hours, and seemed engaged.  Data obtained through the prize drawing shows that participation was 20% of households in the neighborhood.  (My goal was 15%.)  Event partners included 10 different businesses and the Home Owners Association.

There were 20 survey respondents, many of whom were event attendees.  However, there were a few additional respondents, who delivered their completed surveys via the neighborhood mailbox.  Some respondents left a few questions blank, and percentages were adjusted to reflect the lower response rate.  In some cases responses were received from multiple people in one household.  23% of households are represented in the survey.

Some of the questions used in my survey were obtained from EcoAmerica’s 2006 survey, The American Environmental Values Survey, in combination with questions I wrote specific to my area and interests.  The survey responses were the biggest surprise to me, because I assumed my neighbors were uneducated and/or unconcerned about environmental issues.  As it turns out, most of the respondents answered the survey as I might have if I were completing it.  Of course, I cannot assume from these responses that all of my neighbors share my feelings about the environment.  After all, a full 77% of households did not participate in the survey process.  Still, I am encouraged by the responses I received.  (Complete results are posted on the course discussion board.)

Among the most surprising results to me are the following:

• 100% of respondents are concerned about environmental issues
• 73% of respondents would call themselves environmentalists
• 77% of respondents believe that Americans are responsible for most of the world’s environmental problems
• 84% of respondents believe global warming will affect them
• 95% of respondents would like increased public transportation options and bike lanes in our area
• 94% of respondents would like to live in an eco-friendly community
• 100% of respondents would like to reduce the amount of chemicals used in their household
• 71% of respondents believe sustainable living is affordable for the average person
• 94% of respondents would like to participate in a neighborhood sustainability group
• 100% of respondents believe that preserving the earth for future generations should be a top priority

My primary purposes for the organizing the Earth Day Event in my neighborhood were raising awareness, building community, and gathering data about my neighbors environmental attitudes.  Additionally, the good will generated at the event appears to be sufficient to overturn the HOA restriction on the keeping of backyard chickens at the annual meeting this September.  An unexpected benefit of the event is that the neighborhood Facebook page I created in order to share event information now has 16 followers and is being used as a vehicle for general neighborhood communication.  I plan to start either a neighborhood or district sustainability group this year, so I am encouraged to see that there is interest right in my own backyard.  By next Earth Day, I hope there will be a motivated group of people, who share my passion, interested in organizing a more comprehensive event.

References

EcoAmerica. (2006). The American environmental values survey: American views on the environment in an era of polarization and conflicting priorities. Retrieved from http://ecoamerica.typepad.com/blog/files/ecoAmerica_AEVS_Report.pdf

The Big Day!

On the morning of the big day, the rains came and went, the wind whipped through the trees, and the forecast called for the weather to worsen.  Bill and I conferred by phone to make the obvious choice to postpone the event until the next day, our rain date.  I called Randy of Rooster Hill Farms, and left a message with his wife.  I reached Mary of All About the Pipes plumbing by phone.  She told me that she could attend the next day and would come directly after church.  At first the weather improved, which made me sick for postponing.  However, a monsoon followed, leaving the fields flooded and me feeling vindicated in my decision.  By the following morning, I still had not heard from Randy, and I grew nervous that I would have some very disappointed kids on my hands.  But the day was perfectly beautiful, and Joselle and I sprang into action early.  Eventually I spoke with Randy, who was stopping to pick up “fresh” baby chicks on his way to the event!

Chicken Tractor with a View

Joselle and I loaded the car with tables and drove the few short blocks to the event site.  As we approached, we saw Heather walking her dog.  She asked us where the event was being held.  When I told her it was right there in the large grassy area, she informed me that we usually had the egg hunt at one of the other larger fields.  Hmmm...  I immediately called Bill, and sure enough I was in the wrong place!  Lesson #1: Confirm basic information.  Do not assume.  Every event I have ever attended has been located in the smallest of three fields in our neighborhood; the egg hunt takes place in the largest.  Since many eggs are being hidden from many, many children, it makes good sense to use a large area.  I had to laugh at myself for being an organizer of the event and not knowing where it was being held.  I was off to a great start!

Good fortune certainly smiled on me in that Heather corrected my error before we set everything up, so we drove a few blocks in the other direction to the largest field.  We unloaded tables, and returned home for leaves and the compost bin.  On our third and final trip home, we gathered the signs I had made from cardboard boxes from work, the empty boxes for collecting e-waste and household waste, the box of prizes, the rental tent I borrowed from work, and a box full of large containers of egg dyes.

When we returned to the field on our final trip, Bill and Michele were hiding eggs.  After we set up tables, I set up the compost demo, and all four of us set up the large tent.  Then we stood around looking at each other satisfied that we were ready early.  A discussion ensued about the beautiful weather and the flow of activities.  A few people began to arrive, and Michele sprang into action handing out t-shirts to the kids as we had planned.  Randy arrived with his chicken tractor and was the hit of the party before he even got set up.  His friend set up a table to sell iced coffee.  And just before 1:00 p.m. Mary pulled in with the tankless water heater and low flow toilet.  I checked in with Randy and Mary to make sure they had everything they needed, and Michele gathered the kids for the egg hunt.

During the event, Ji and Heather both took pictures, which I requested for this blog and for our neighborhood Facebook page.  One of the neighbors, Linda, made Rice Crispy treats for the kids.  As the egg hunt began, we made final preparations for the kids at three stations.  Joselle set up the natural egg dyeing station.  Randy was ready to educate and entertain with the hens and chicks.  And I was responsible for the outdoor ethics station at the big tent.  I had loaded my backpack with outdoor essentials, and was prepared to discuss things you need to bring outdoors, what to do if you get lost, and a very simplistic Leave No Trace discussion about picking up your trash and leaving nature’s goodies, such as flowers, for everyone to enjoy.  Afterward I would take the kids over to the compost bin, where we would have a brief discussion.

When the time came, we divided the kids into three groups, and sent them off to the three stations.  At my station the kids loved being in the tent and guessing what I had in my backpack.  I kept it short and when I observed their attention waning, we moved on to compost.  I had the bin step up with leaves, a bag of table scraps, and a bag of finished compost.  With the kids I focused mostly on naming the food scraps they saw, and talking about how composting was good for gardening.  Very simple.

From my station, the kids moved to egg dyeing.  Joselle reports that the kids were very excited about getting hard-boiled, dyed eggs, but they had no real interest in the dyes being made from beets, red cabbage, and turmeric - though some of the parents were interested.  Because it took hours for the blue dye to set and roughly 45% of the kids selected blue eggs, Joselle did send those kids home with the egg in a recyclable cup.  This was not ideal.  However, since we wanted the kids to be a part of the process and it was impossible to predict their color preferences, we made this concession.  We did not purchase new cups for the occasion, instead we used some lurking in our cupboards and hoped they would be recycled.  Based on the time, cost, waste, and limited environmentally-friendly impact, I would choose either not to repeat this activity in the future or to dye the eggs ahead of time and allow the kids to choose their favorite color.

The final station was Randy’s chicken tractor, where hens and baby chicks entertained everyone.  This was the biggest success of the day.  Children and adults alike cuddled with chicks, and adults overwhelmingly expressed a desire to change the HOA rule against keeping backyard hens at the next annual meeting in September.  Big win!  Randy was also fantastic in educating adults about the benefits of keeping backyard chickens.

We ended the event by presenting Bill and Michele with their own t-shirts to thank them for all they do for the neighborhood and with door prizes for everyone and the random drawing for the survey participants.  (The HOA paid for all of the kids shirts, but Joselle and I bought shirts for ourselves, her brother Kevin, and Bill and Michele.)  People seemed genuinely delighted by the gifts, and I made sure to acknowledge the partners of the event, especially the ones present.  While Mary did not have large numbers of visitors, the people who did visit seemed genuinely interested in learning about her products, and she was able to give them plenty of individual attention.

Michele & Bill receive their shirts.

Activities that lacked appeal included collection of e-waste and household hazardous waste; the clothing, book, and toy swap; and composting.  I think the difficulty with the recycling and the swap table is that both required planning on the part of participants.  The challenge for the composting demo is that I could not operate both the outdoor ethics activity and composting simultaneously.  Generally, the challenge with the three activities is that the event was very child-focused.  It was difficult to engage adults, who appeared to view themselves as there with their children rather than there for themselves.  Very few people attended who did not have children.

Lesson #2: When organizing an event, I should not assign myself to any particular activity, thus allowing myself freedom to converse with others, to make sure everyone is included, and to assess the event while it is happening and make adjustments as needed.  I did foresee a difficulty with my split duties, which I tried to address by creating signage to briefly describe the composting process.  In the future, I would have someone else assigned to both the composting and outdoor ethics areas.

Overall, the experience was well received by the community, and provided a great opportunity for me to step outside of my comfort zone.  In my opinion, the event did not create huge shifts in thinking or behavior, but hopefully is a start to bigger and better things.  Selfishly, I am excited about the opportunity to keep chickens in my backyard next spring.