SMART GROWTH: FOCUS ON VALUES GETS MESSAGE ACROSS
by Sarah Morgan

By appealing to a universal set of values and framing a subject in those terms, a message is more likely to evoke a positive response, resulting in stronger motivation for positive change, according to a research conducted by the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. This research provides a checklist covering everything from transportation to conservation to help citizens and organizations implement successful strategies for thinking and talking about growth and development.

"This is the way we need to be discussing these things," said David Crossley, president of the Gulf Coast Institute. Crossley was the speaker at a recent Livable Houston Initiative Meeting, a monthly meeting hosted by the Gulf Coast Institute and the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

Crossley outlined the primary American values that research shows can be effective in motivating individuals. Among the primary values are family, care of oneself, personal liberty, and fairness or equality. By framing an issue in these terms, a message is more likely to be successful.

"People respond to things much more from their gut than we've been accustomed to dealing with," he said. "This process says go to people's hearts, essentially."

For successful communication, research by the Funders' Network found several key components. First, the message should remain local and specific. "They're interested in their neighborhoods, places they know about, places they use," Crossley said.

Secondly, incorporating detailed graphics and pictures can be more useful than just words in getting a point across.

Third, presenting the big picture and laying out possible options are important.

The research shows that, although choices may vary according to age, income, and preferences, there is a wide agreement that people should have choices.

Finally, the research shows that people want meaningful participation. Voters tend to blame local officials for problems that result in poor planning, and they feel that developers and commercial interests push their own agendas, thereby discouraging meaningful public participation, the research shows.

Robin Holzer, co-chair of the nonprofit Citizens' Transportation Coalition, said that incorporating values like fairness and meaningful participation has already been well received among the citizens that they are working with, bringing many concerned citizens "out of the woodwork," and helping to get the CTC's missions accomplished. For more information on these subjects, visit:
http://www.fundersnetwork.org

AMAZON ACTIVIST'S DEATH PROMPTS CLOSER LOOK AT
RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION
by Sarah Morgan

Last week, an American nun gave her life trying to protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there. At least 2,000 people in this sparsely populated area attended her burial service, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Dorothy Stang, a 73-year-old woman originally from Dayton, Ohio, had lived in the Amazon for decades, advocating sustainable development and fighting illegal loggers and developers. On Feb 12, near Anapu, Brazil, Stang was working at a settlement when she was shot six times by a pair of gunmen suspected to have been hired by developers, according to reports.

The Amazon, the largest of the world's rainforests, has already lost about 20 percent of its 1.6 million square miles to development and farming, according to CNN.com. Advocates say that the problem isn't so much that the trees are being cut, but the rate at which they are being cut, and the wasteful methods used. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that about 50 million acres per year are destroyed, and each year this figure increases. It is difficult to see how deforestation in the rainforest can affect life in the US, but rainforest advocates point out the many links that exist.

According to various rainforest conservation groups, including the Rainforest Action Network and Rainforest Concern, the rainforests are home to more than 30 million species of plants and animals -- half of the Earth's wildlife and at least two- thirds of its plant species, yet all of the species in the region haven't even been classified. It is believed the Amazon alone stores over half of the Earth's rainwater, and therefore the destruction of the rainforest affects drought and flooding, as well as global warming, as rainforests play an integral part in carbon dioxide storage. Also, more than 25 percent of our modern medicines originate from tropical forest plants, though currently we only use about 1 percent of known species. Uses for these plants include treatments for leukemia, malaria, and high blood pressure.

According to Mongabay.com, a Web site maintained by the author of "A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests ˆ Their Wonders and the Perils They Face," the main cause for deforestation hits very close to home. Clear-cutting for cattle ranching is largely responsible for rainforest destruction, as ranching requires an estimated 200 square feet of land per pound of meat. Other causes include oil drilling in the rainforest, and logging for furniture and other wood and paper product manufacturing.

Groups such as Rainforest Action Network (http://www.ran.org) list a series of simple ways Americans can help alleviate rainforest destruction. Among the recommendations is to cut back on paper use, including napkins and disposable paper plates, and to be aware of oil consumption and alternative energy sources. The group also recommends cutting back on beef consumption, especially from fast food restaurants. Reports show that the United States imported over 200 million pounds annualy of fresh and frozen beef from Central American countries in 1993 and 1994, where two-thirds of these countries' rainforests already have been cleared. Additionally, studies have found that rainforest soil is such that simply regrowing the forests is not a viable option. Once land is cleared, it is lost as future forestland.

Some estimate that, if nothing is done to curb the rate of destruction, in as little as 50 years rainforests could be a thing of the past.

Brazil appears to be taking some action since the death of Stang. This week, 'Lula' da Silva, Brazil's president, decreed the creation of one of the world's largest environmental protection areas to combat illegal logging and rising violence in the Amazon rainforest, Reuters reported. But on Thursday, Reuters reported another shooting, this one in the Atlantic rainforest. Brazilian environmentalist Dionisio Ribeiro Filho was shot in the head at a Tengua federal reserve close to Rio de Janeiro.

SECOND ANNUAL TEXAS ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
CONFERENCE

On Sat, Mar 5, the TexPIRG Education Fund, in conjunction with Texas Impact and the University of Houston Downtown Scholars Academy, and thanks to the generous support of the Houston Endowment, will host the second annual Texas Environmental Leadership Conference: The Promise of Clean Energy. The conference will take place at the University of Houston Downtown campus, 8 am to 7 pm. The conference will discuss the environmental challenges posed by energy production, examine such potential solutions as wind and solar power, and provide training for participants in the concrete skills of organizing to make a difference. There will be workshops on volunteer recruitment, fundraising, working with the media, an expo with booths of local environmental groups, and displays of solar panels and wind turbines. It is also an opportunity to network with hundreds of Texans from across the state. Please pre-register as soon as possible. For more information and to register, visit http://www.texpirg.org

JESSE JONES PARK NATUREFEST

Jesse Jones Park and Nature Center's 2005 NatureFest is Sat, Mar 5, 10 am to 4 pm, and will feature a variety of presentations, guided tours, booths, music, and other activities. Scheduled events include presentations from Texas Parks and Wildlife officials on bats and hummingbirds and a Cockrell Butterfly Center presentation on butterflies and plants that attract them. The Texas Master Naturalists, Pineywoods Wildlife Society, Houston Audubon Society, and more will table booths. Live reptiles and birds of prey will be on display. For more information on NatureFest, visit http://www.cp4.hctx.net/jones.

HERMANN PARK CONSERVANCY SEEKS MANAGER OF GRANTS AND COMMUNICATIONS

The Hermann Park Conservancy seeks a full-time Manager of Grants and Communications to work closely with the Director of Development and External Relations to achieve strategic development and marketing goals. Primary responsibilities include creating all written communications, including (but not limited to) grant applications, proposals, and reports, acknowledgment letters, newsletters, annual reports, and Web content, among other items, to raise funds for the Conservancy and increase institutional visibility, in addition to ensuring consistent messaging. The Manager is responsible for all aspects of grant and gift administration, including research, writing, tracking, and reporting, and some donor stewardship. Please go to http://www.hermannpark.org to review the full job description, including qualifications, duties, and responsibilities, and for information regarding HPC and its accomplishments and goals. To apply, send cover letter, resume, writing sample, and salary requirements to Molly Block, Director of Development and External Relations, via e-mail at mblock@hermannpark.org, or fax to (713) 524-5887.

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