April 8, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Eric C. Eckl

“I can do small things every day that will make an impact on water pollution.”

It’s such a simple statement, and it’s true. So why is it so hard to send a message — over the airwaves, online, or in print — that actually evokes that reaction? Unfortunately, many environmental messages accidentally evoke an entirely different reaction, instead:

“It is hard to believe that the actions of one person can really contribute to lessening water pollution.”

I pulled those quotes from test audiences that reviewed a pair of environmental public service announcements. It’s my job to help environmental organizations pre-test their commercials and other marketing materials before they are released to the public. The two spots had a lot in common. Both of them urged everyday citizens to do their part in their daily lives to stop water pollution before it starts. But here’s the key difference — the producers of more successful advertisement crafted their message to encouraging. The producers of the less successful advertisement crafted their message to be educational.

Tennessee Water Works produced the “Heroes” advertisement, which prompted that confident “I can do small things every day” response. Who are the “heroes” this ad is about? People like you and me, who plant trees, recycle their motor oil (instead of dumping it in the drain), and care for their lawns responsibly. This advertisement holds up the example of ordinary people doing ordinary things and tells the viewer how great it is. In just 30 seconds, the advertisements repeatedly send the message that these people are heroes and their small actions add up to something important. According to the test panel, this message eventually sinks in.

The government of Honolulu produced the “Water for Life” commercial that prompted the second, doubt-filled reaction. This spot is educational. It shows images that reveal how trash and pollution find their way into storm drains and out into the ocean that Hawaiians love. Sure, it’s true. But it’s grim — bumming the viewers out with shots of murky, polluted water, garbage, and choking wildlife. According to the test audience feedback, viewers see reason to believe that solutions are within reach, or that they have a part to play in bringing it about.

Environmental experts are often dismayed at how little the average citizen understands about their work. It’s easy to find yourself falling into the “if only they knew” trap — “If only they knew they lived in a watershed,” “if only they knew the storm drain went to the creek.” It is our natural tendency to produce commercials, web pages, brochures, and other materials that try to cram a whole of science into a tiny amount of attention. But the test panel reactions to these commercials underscore the shortcomings of these line of thinking. When it comes to raising environmental awareness, it turns out encouragement is even more important than education.

Eric Eckl is an expert on using marketing techniques to raise environmental awareness and encourage environmental action. He writes the water blog “Water Words That Work.”

Article Source: Eric C. Eckl

Environmental Awareness: Encouragement vs. Education

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April 7, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Jane Mattson

How many times have you thrown out a clear plastic bottle and wondered what will happen to it? Well, the answer is that it will sit in a landfill for a long, long, long time. When you consider how many bottles people throw out each day, that’s a scary thought. Pretty soon, the landfills could be overflowing with them. In fact, in some places, they already are.

Now, how many times have you wondered what happens when you recycle plastic bottles? You probably think they get crushed up and recycled into new bottles, right? Well, that can be true. The fact is, though, they can be recycled into a lot of things. One of those things is clothing.

That’s right. Plastic bottles, the clear ones, anyway, are made of the same polyester material that many pieces of clothing are made out of. In fact, there are facilities that exist that recycle those bottles into materials that can be then made into all sorts of clothing, such as fleece jackets.

It’s worth considering that you could be wearing recycled bottles at this very minute. It’s also worth considering the fact that millions of bottles are tossed away every day and that it only takes a few to make a jacket or a shirt, though. So, it’s still a much better idea to reuse your water bottles for water or get a filtration system instead of using bottles. That way, you can do your part to protect the planet and feel good about yourself in the process.

Jane Mattson has been writing articles about recycling for the past four years. She also enjoys writing about health topics, like how to find the best scalp treatment for your scalp acne problems.

Article Source: Jane Mattson

Bottle Wear: Recycling Bottles Into Clothes

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April 6, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Patricia Wentworth

I always enjoy whipping up a nice vegan quinoa salad almost everyday because I don’t have to worry about counting calories and fat content. Quinoa is packed with protein and among other grains, it’s the only one that can offer all 9 essential amino acids including lysine.

One of my favorites for supper is the quinoa salad recipe. Here are the ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 ½ cup cold water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup snow peas or green beans
• 1 - 2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 green or red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 medium ripe tomato
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or toasted cashews
• ¼ cup minced jalapeño pepper or cranberries (optional)
• For the dressing you will need:
• 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Dash of finely ground black pepper
• Pinch of garlic powder or dried ginger

This vegan quinoa recipe is so easy to make, all you have to do is soak the quinoa for 15 minutes in cold water. Strain the water and put in quinoa in a pot with water, salt and oil. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit for 5 minutes while covered with a lid.

Steam the carrots and green vegetables for about 5 minutes and then rinse in cold running water. Chop the tomato, herb and cucumber and set the mixture aside. In a separate bowl, blend the dressing ingredients together and gently combine the vegetables, nuts and quinoa. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and chill. This vegan quinoa recipe makes a very good side dish.

For more vegan quinoa recipes, feel free to visit http://www.quinoakitchen.com/

Article Source: Patricia_Wentworth

Vegan Quinoa Salad Recipes

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April 1, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Byul Im

Who said vegans can’t have burgers? Here’s a wholesome vegan version of burger that uses lots of vegetables and a little tofu. The patties are enriched with fiber and have low fat content. Here’s the recipe for you:

What you need:

• Corn Kernels - Half a cup
• Diced mushrooms - seven
• Scallions cut into cubes - three
• Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
• Minced garlic - 2 cloves
• Half of a red bell pepper - cut into cubes
• Cumin - 1 teaspoon
• Grated potato - 1 small
• A quarter cup of silken tofu
• Half a cup of bread crumbs
• Salt
• Pepper

How to make veggie burgers

• First blend tofu in a food processor till you get a soft velvety texture.
• Take a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and stir fry the diced vegetables and corn for about five minutes. Then toss in cumin and garlic and stir it around for one more minute.
• Take the pan off the heat and mix in the grated potato, carrot, tofu, salt and pepper. Blend in the bread crumbs till you see the ingredients firming up. Now make patties from this veggie mix and keep them in the fridge for a minimum of 60 minutes.
• Now pour the remaining olive oil in a pan and let it get hot. Next, dip the patties one by one and fry both sides till they are done.

These burgers are rich in fiber, carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins; have fun making this healthy snack.

If you want to see the photo of this veggie burger recipe, Check here: Berger Recipes

Article Source: Byul Im

The Ultimate Vegan Burger Recipe

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