Motivating the Publics

[Fred Stoss <fstoss@acsu.buffalo.edu>]

Reva Fabrikant wants to know what motivates the public? If is motivating to action:

#1 Issues that are personal and threaten their children or       grandchildren or that have the perception of possibly threaten       children;
#2 Issues that impact their everday lives: threats to their jobs,
   threats to their neighborhoods, threats to their homes,          threats to their lifestyles

There is a big difference in people being "concerned" about the environment (there are a lot) and those willing to get down in the trenches and DO SOMETHING about it. Motivating people to action needs to have some sort of a stimulating factor. Hoe many "concerned citizens" ever wrote a letter, attended a public meeting, read a book or article, or did anything about chemicals in the environment until: 

someone discovered chemical wastes disposed of 25 years ago just down the street near the playground; 

a developer proposes the construction of a light-industrial park across the street;

an accidental leak of a toxic chemical drifts over a school yard;

a housing development is located on top of an old abandoned chemical waste site

Sure, a lot of people are concerned about chemicals in the environment. Few will do anything about the issue until it comes home.

Fred Stoss