Saving Chesapeake Bay: One Crabcake at a Time

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dc.acquisition-srcen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorConner, Cen_US
dc.contributor.otherProceedings of the Eighth Biennial State of the Bay Symposium January 23-25, 2007en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T16:46:35Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T16:46:35Z
dc.date.issuedJan. 25, 2007en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.description[np]en_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractFacing booming population growth and ambitious nutrient reduction goals, the Chesapeake Bay Program wanted to persuade average citizens to help protect the bay. Efforts were already underway to reduce pollution from farmers, developers, local governments and others, but new programs were needed to specifically targeted the watershed's growing residential base. At first glance, residents appeared supportive: Nine out of ten watershed residents reported being concerned about the Bay's health. Almost half - 48% -- described themselves as "very concerned." Yet, most continued to behave in ways that threatened the bay's health - over-fertilizing lawns, neglecting septic tank maintenance and leaving pet waste to flow into the bay. In the end, the concern was nice, but people's individual actions were damaging the bay regardless of how anyone felt. The Chesapeake Club outreach initiative set out to change how residents act. The first challenge was deciding exactly how the program wanted residents to behave. A few dozen stewardship behaviors were identified and ranked according to their simplicity, their impact and the ability of individuals to engage in the behavior. Initiative leaders decided to target one simple yet important behavior as way to begin building a larger campaign. The goal was to begin building a brand identity with a stronger appeal than standard environmental messages. Straight environmental messages appear to resonate with a specific psychographic (those who most identify as environmentalists), but fail to encourage stewardship actions with a larger audience. By creating a new brand identity - one NOT associated with an environmental appeal - the initiative could truly reach a new audience in a more persuasive way, then the Chesapeake Bay Program could leverage this same brand to encourage other stewardship behaviors. Initiative leaders decided to target the use of fertilizer in the spring because it is so frequently misused and over-applied, leading to a spike in nutrient runoff during the spring. Choosing lawn fertilization as a target behavior made sense for a number of reasons, including: 1. Lawn care is among the most controllable individual actions that most affects Bay water quality. 2. Changing lawn care behavior by waiting until fall to fertilize is not hard to do. 3. Lawn fertilization is a visible, public behavior that is subject to social reinforcement. Behaviors were marketed under a single brand so that, even after the campaign concluded, the program would be left with an important asset - a non-environmental brand that appealed to an audience the program had not effectively reached before. By reaching new audiences about Bay restoration, Chesapeake Club seeks to expand the congregation, not preach to the choir.en_US
dc.description.urien_US
dc.geo-codeChesapeake Bayen_US
dc.history1-16-09 kswen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/18592
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationNot available in house - Please contact GBIC for assistanceen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesen_US
dc.publisherGalveston Bay Estuary Programen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries10109.00en_US
dc.relation.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/gbeppubs/sobviii/sobviii_rpr.htm#Conneren_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectChesapeake Bay Programen_US
dc.subjectChesapeake Cluben_US
dc.subjectfertilizer applicationen_US
dc.subjectlawn careen_US
dc.subjectmarketingen_US
dc.titleSaving Chesapeake Bay: One Crabcake at a Timeen_US
dc.typeCONFen_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issueen_US

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