The Environmental Movement and Technology Discussion

TechSoup.org's forum on the environmental movement and technology, moderated by Michael Stein and Marc Osten of Dot Org Media, capped off the successful launch of the new Adopting Technology section of the TechSoup Web site. It built off the case studies, interviews, and other content on environmental groups' use of technology that was posted on the TechSoup Web site in the prior weeks. Between October 25-28, 2001, Michael and Marc triggered discussions, got people involved in the conversation and shared their views on a variety of issues. The participants were mostly staff and executive directors at nonprofit environmental agencies and independent consultants.

Discussion topics:

• GIS
• Being aware of paper and toxic PCsConnecting online and offline events
• Greening your office

GIS Software

What would any forum on environmental groups' use of technology be without a dialogue about the use of geographical information systems (GIS)? We posted the following questions to get this conversation going. It didn't take long for it to take of. Folks jumped right in and shared resources available to nonprofits to help them take advantage of GIS.

There are a number of software developers who assist nonprofot organiations in obtaining GIS software:

• Ecological Software Solutions donates its software to ecological and environmental nonprofit organizations. E-mail ess.mail@ecostats.com for more information.
• Shape Viewer Objects™ (SVO) is free for non-commercial use and all downloads come with complete source code.
• ESRI's Conservation Program, The Conservation Technology Support Program, awards grants of equipment plus software to tax-exempt conservation organizations to build their GIS capacity.

Of course, obtaining the software is only the first step. You must learn how to use, apply and sustain the software. The following were mentioned as training, consulting, analysis resources and services:

• ESRI has a virtual campus with free training courses and they conduct free seminars around the country as well.
• Clary Meuser Research Network offers free GIS data, consulting, and programming services to environmental groups. It also operates mapcruzin.com, a great online resource for mapping projects focused on environmental risks: indexing both national environmental mapping projects and regional or local efforts.
• CommEnSpace is a great nonprofit group that does GIS consulting and training for grassroots environmental groups. They've done work with land trusts, folks working to protect salmon, and environmental educators. The emphasis of their work is on teaching folks to use maps as effective communications tools. Says one discussion forum participant, "I've seen lots of groups using GIS as a scientific/analysis tool, and that's all well and good, but I've seen far fewer examples of people using GIS technology to create maps that tell powerful stories that help inspire people to action. CommEnSpace is one of the few GIS shops I've encountered that really understands this."
• GreenInfo Network provides support to groups who need information developed or analyzed, as well as groups who need support in developing GIS presentation. Most work is for public health, social service and environmental groups located in California.
• The Polis Center in Indianapolis has a SAVI database. Soon, people will be able to map local data and will also have the ability to upload their own address level data (eg. a client list) into the system and map it along with other pertinent local data. They are also a part of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), which is part of the Urban Institute. Several other NNIP partners are also doing similar things with GIS and they have several documents that discuss it's relative affordability and ease-of-use.
• NYPIRG's Community Mapping Assistance Project. Steven R Romalewski from NYPIRG said: "We've provided customized mapping services since 1997 to more than 250 nonprofits (mainly in NY but also nationwide). Our Web site has more information about our services, and we've developed some great interactive mapping services in particular. I'd be happy to discuss any of the particulars of GIS for nonprofit groups, as well as how our nonprofit clients have increased their success using our services."

Being Aware of Paper and Toxic PCs

In this discussion thread, we began by acknowledging the case study that we did about the work of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. Many NGOs and consultants pushing the agenda for computers are either not aware about how poisonous they are to our health and environment globally, or they don't know how to reconcile this with the need to use high technology tools. There was a new report published in June 2001 entitled "Poison PCs/Toxic TVs" that details the growing piles of electronic waste in the US, the toxics contained in the computers and monitors, and the hazards of improper disposal. The rate at which our society -- and nonprofits -- purchase computer equipment, handheld devices, mobile phone, etc. is increasing. In spite of things like "energy star" ratings on monitors, there is little public discussion about scaling back on the rate of buying these kinds of products in general. Educating the general public about the toxic effects in manufacturing needs to continue, and we need to talk about alternative buying options, or a rating system. If someone wants to buy a new laptop, which one is manufactured in the least toxic manner? Who rates that? Companies in Europe are being encouraged to take a full lifecycle approach to the products they make. In others words, they have responsibility for the product from its creation to its destruction or recycling. There is a national grassroots campaign under way to address all these points. The Sierra Club, PIRGs, INFORM, GRRN, and SVTC are out in force to push for Extended Producer Responsibility and to tell Dell and others computer manufacturers to "take it back!" An e-letter action campaign has been created to send messages to various computer manufacturers. You can send an e-letter from the Grrn Web site with the Computer TakeBack Campaign. This should be of interest to a broad range of nonprofit organizations, not just environmental groups, especially the nonprofit technology support community, Circuit Riders, and others.

Connecting Online and Offline Events

At the end of the day, when we look back at how nonprofits use technology, the basic question, "did we stimulate any offline actions?" is essential to consider. In the forum, as well as our interviews and case studies, this question continued to surface. We triggered this forum with a couple of excellent quotes to set the theme:

"The entirety of your relationship with your constituency needs to be cultivated - it's not all going to happen online." These comments from Bill Pease of GetActive.com were taken from an interview we did with him and three other opinion leaders in the nonprofit technology field. Mark Van Putten of National Wildlife Federation, during the same conversation, stated, "... you are using technology to get people involved for the long haul and keep them involved. If you aren't looking at it this way, then you aren't effectively using the technology."

We then asked forum participants to share examples of success in using online tools to build, mobilize, and engage constituents. Online fundraising came up immediately and while it was generally agreed upon in the forum that online fundraising made the donation process easy for supporters and organizations, there was disagreement as to the actual effectiveness in bringing in new support or engaging those making donations in other activities, both on and offline.

There were some good examples shared that point to the possibilities of using online tools to build, mobilize, and engage constituents:

• In Washington state, the Washington Environmental Network uses it's solid online network of activists to coordinate and build impetus for their biggest annual event, "Environmental Lobby Day", where hundreds of citizens travel to the state capital in Olympia to encourage legislators to stand up for the environment face to face.

• In Boise, Idaho, conservation groups joined forces with Get Out the Vote to educate and encourage voters about a particular ballot issue: a tax levee that would raise money to buy open space to be held in the public trust, in response to accelerated development in the area. Some specific examples given included using:

  • enhanced data to target a select audience
  • a database to collect information for better targeting as campaign progressed
  • an easy-to-maintain listserv established to manage volunteers
  • email as a 'get out the vote' ( GOTV) tool
• In Portland, Oregon, an e-newsletter called "the Dirt!" coordinates the efforts of 40 local environmental groups and the general public.

We also emphasized the need to use the Internet to support local offline events, citing examples such as:

• specialized email listserv discussion groups on issues such as cleaning up a creek
• calendars of local events
• online polls which then push people to a related event
• an e-newsletter you send to a group of members gives them the details for an upcoming hearing you want to attend
• a database driven map on your Web site that offers your constituents the chance to find others in their neighborhood for community meetings about the states new policy allowing incinerators to be built without community input.

Another participant commented, "The bottom line is interaction with the community with whom you are working. Rather than just having a Web site where people go, read, and then move on, an event like this (the forum itself) tries to engage the user. So I see events as not only the ability to invoke participation from your constituents, but as a way of staying vibrant and not becoming stale."

One forum participant summarized things well when he said, "Online activism tools are good for getting people to take the first step of engagement (but the marketing/outreach is very resource-intensive). Groups that are going to be truly effective need to have a strategy to develop online activists who send an email into more engaged citizens."

Greening Your Office

In this discussion thread, we began by acknowledging a recently published article on TechSoup that offers practical suggestions for increasing paper efficiency in an office: "Paper Efficiency." Cutting down on the amount of paper we use is definitely a priority, but what other ways can offices become more environmentally friendly? In one example mentioned, CompuMentor has set up a task force to examine ways to decrease use of resources. In another example, an organization changed its computer backup policy so that people could shut down their computers at night. Everyone was asked to unplug their machine and monitor at night, and make sure all the monitors were set to sleep after 15 minutes of non-use. In another example, Summit Collaborative uses nontoxic cleaners for everything, does most of its printing on paper made from sugarcane waste, and the staff wears lots of sweaters in winter and shorts in summer to economize on energy for heating and cooling. Also, they print on both sides of paper whenever possible and use recycled paper for posters and the like. In another example, IT staff at an organization was asked to rethink its workflow and scheduling of doing backups, to adapt to the desire to save electrical power. We can only imagine all the creative things folks are doing out there.

In the discussion it became apparent that greening your office is not just about paper efficiency. There are many organizations that have begun to implement energy efficiency initiatives as a part of their office's daily business practices. Some things to think about: What cleaners are being used in the office? Are they non-toxic or toxic? (most are toxic). What type of paper products are used in the bathrooms? Are they tree-free and chlorine free? Are there any green procurement policies for other office supplies? There are many ways to green your office, and procurement is one huge area to look at. Alternatives that are not more expensive exist if employees let their management know about them.